Import Duty

[puchooay]

Mornin' All

I'm looking at buying some electrical kitchen appliances online and getting them shipped over to Thailand. They will be for personal use. I have check out buying them in Thailand and they are either unavailable or very expensive.

The total cost will only be around 250 UK Sterling. Here is my question:-

Does anyone know how much duty, if any, I am likely to be clobbered for by Thai customs?

Thanks.

[phutoie2]

Prepare to get shafted!, friend of mine had to go to the towns post office to pay a fee of 600 Baht for an I-pod cable for his car which had been sent by his son from UK.

Apparently the post office collect the fee's for Thai customs.

[chickenslegs]

There is a reason why these foreign made items are very expensive in Thailand - Import duty and taxes.

Some people get lucky and the items get through the postal system without passing through customs - others seem to have no luck at all (me).

If you google Thai customs there is a website giving examples of duties and taxes. However, in my experience, customs officers (and maybe post office officials) seem to charge whatever they think they will get away with.

[williamrobson]

I would class myself as very lucky.

Yesterday i found a pick slip in my letterbox informing me to go to the post office and collect 5 packages of jewellery i have been waiting for, from Bali (total 100kg). In the 3 months I have been waiting for it to arrive me and my wife have been asking around to find out roughly how much duty we were likely to pay and depending on the items we were told 30 - 50% import tax roughly 70,000 baht. Steep but still cheaper than buying from Bangkok. When i went to pick it up today the lovely post master informed me i didn't need to pay a thing! I dont know why and i don't care, I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

On the other hand I got some fossilised teeth posted with TNT from the UK 2 weeks ago and had to pay 1000b

So yea, it looks like its pot luck.

[trotbot]

Duty would be 30% (for HS Chapter 85.09) on the cost plus shipping. Add 7% VAT on the customs value and the customs duty. If you send by courier, it is very likely to be stopped and taxed, and handling costs on top. If by post, it is more random and usually the taxes assessed are lower than legally due

[supaprik]

I would class myself as very lucky.

Yesterday i found a pick slip in my letterbox informing me to go to the post office and collect 5 packages of jewellery i have been waiting for, from Bali (total 100kg). In the 3 months I have been waiting for it to arrive me and my wife have been asking around to find out roughly how much duty we were likely to pay and depending on the items we were told 30 - 50% import tax roughly 70,000 baht. Steep but still cheaper than buying from Bangkok. When i went to pick it up today the lovely post master informed me i didn't need to pay a thing! I dont know why and i don't care, I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

On the other hand I got some fossilised teeth posted with TNT from the UK 2 weeks ago and had to pay 1000b

So yea, it looks like its pot luck.

fossilised teeth ??? I won't even ask 555 but posting dynamite with them isn't that dangerous?

[dave111223]

Duty would be 30% (for HS Chapter 85.09) on the cost plus shipping. Add 7% VAT on the customs value and the customs duty. If you send by courier, it is very likely to be stopped and taxed, and handling costs on top. If by post, it is more random and usually the taxes assessed are lower than legally due

Section 85.09:

"Electro-mechanical domestic appliances, with self-contained electric motor, other than vacuum cleaners of heading 85.08."

Shows 80% in the import tax database here:

http://igtf.customs.go.th/igtf/en/main_frame.jsp

I don't think that that even includes the Interior Tax, VAT, Excise tax or fees:

http://www.customs.go.th/Customs-Eng/Sample/Sample.jsp?menuNme=Sample

Where are you getting the 30%?

Other sections such as refrigerators (84.18) come up at 60%...all the rates seem to be higher than 30%?

[dimplejoe]

I tried to buy golf shorts, shirt and hat labelled "Made in Thailand" cost $168 US from a US company - import duy/tax $130 US.......I politely refused to accept delivery

See my topic A Saga of frustration and dissapointment.

[thaihome]

Duty would be 30% (for HS Chapter 85.09) on the cost plus shipping. Add 7% VAT on the customs value and the customs duty. If you send by courier, it is very likely to be stopped and taxed, and handling costs on top. If by post, it is more random and usually the taxes assessed are lower than legally due

The value used to calculate the duty will include the shipping cost. Then VAT is charged on the whole thing.

FED-Ex, DHL, UPS, etc will send for custom clearing and you will be charged. As said, by post, it is a crap shoot.

TH

[trotbot]

You are looking at the bound rate, which is the highest that can be charged (but almost never is in practice). Various reductions have taken place, so select the general rate from the drop down menu and it is 30%

[seoweb2000]

I would class myself as very lucky.

Yesterday i found a pick slip in my letterbox informing me to go to the post office and collect 5 packages of jewellery i have been waiting for, from Bali (total 100kg). In the 3 months I have been waiting for it to arrive me and my wife have been asking around to find out roughly how much duty we were likely to pay and depending on the items we were told 30 - 50% import tax roughly 70,000 baht. Steep but still cheaper than buying from Bangkok. When i went to pick it up today the lovely post master informed me i didn't need to pay a thing! I dont know why and i don't care, I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

On the other hand I got some fossilised teeth posted with TNT from the UK 2 weeks ago and had to pay 1000b

So yea, it looks like its pot luck.

I've been told by a Thai Postal employee if the item(s) shipped are package as gifts or used items, then more likely there will be no charge. Maybe they just thought your shipping was random personal stuff.

Additionally, the same person told me if I were to get stuff from oversea to remove all the packaging prior to shipping with no receipt included in the box. I have tired it so don't know how well it will work, but she was better sure of herself when giving the advice.

[noise]

While considering the cost of shipping and duties is important, you might also consider .....warranty service and parts

We bought a GE washer locally and had a minor problem. The repairman fixed it under the warranty and added the comment that he gets called out on a significant number of imported GE's that turn out to be models not available in Thailand. Even if they were, the warranty is no good. And even when the owner is paying for the repair, sometimes not all parts for that model are available. Some are interchangeable, but some are not.

So I suggest you consider the expected service life costs as part of your decision making process.

[MarlaLorraine]

Please be very cautious about shipping purchased goods from the US to Thailand. I just purchased clothing valued at $89 which shipped free from the clothing company via FedEx and paid $40.68 in fees on delivery, including forced insurance (1%), freight (15%, FedEx claimed it is charged by the government, not by them), customs duty (30%) and VAT (7%), a total of 46%. Fedex told me that they had already paid the fee to the government so refusing the delivery would cause a reduction of my refund credit by that amount from the clothier, as FedEx would charge them instead. 

 

I've read that this can be avoided by using other carriers such as local post but I don't know how you can arrange that internationally. It may also be possible to avoid the exorbitant fees by having someone in the states receive your package and then ship to you in Thailand as used personal goods.