Amazon.Com

[Aussietrooper]

In the past I have ordered from Amazom only to find when it arrives in Thailand they make me go to the post office and pay import tax. On some occasions it has come to more than the product was worth. I figured I had already paid tax on it when I ordered it from the states. Does anyone know if this is normal or am I just being ripped off like usual?? Please advise.

Edited August 19, 2011 by Aussietrooper

[Thakkar]

am I just being ripped off like usual

I don't know. How are you usually ripped off?

Different goods have different rates of duty and the implementation is inconsistent so it's impossible to know in advance what you're going to end up paying. One customs official could see and electronic dictionary as electronics (higher duty) another might see it as an educational tool (lower duty). If you got an official receipt, then you were not ripped off.

[StreetCowboy]

Most countries charge tax on goods sold in that country.

If you have paid tax in the US on the product, you have been ripped off, and you should go round to Uncle Sam's to get your money back. Goods you order from the comfort of your armchair are bought in Thailand (assuming that is where your armchair is) and are taxable there, not at the supplier's premises.

This is also the reason that PC Plod may come calling if you subscribe to the UK lottery...

and it does not matter where your bank account is, either.

I am not quite sure where you stand if you put a bet on a race beforehand while in (for example) Kentucky, but you are in Thailand when the race is run and you win or lose accordingly.

However, I believe that if you are in Thailand when your UK National Lottery standing order (or Littlewoods Pools standing order) is paid, then you are foul of Thai law.

No doubt others have differing beliefs, and as in all things, we should be tolerant of such;

SC

[bonobo]

You didn't pay tax on the Amazon articles when you paid them. Seventeen US states are trying to get Amazon to collect sales or use taxes, but Amazon is refusing to do so based on them not having a presence in those states. These "Amazon" laws, as they are referred, are an attempt by states to collect taxes losts when people buy from Amazon and other large internet retailers instead of local brick-and-mortar stores. In California alone, they figure this would be an extra $300,000,000 from Amazon alone.

[sapi]

you didn' pay any tax when buying from amazon as stated with other poster.

The normal law for international custom postal is above 1500 baht they will charge you tax, the amount of tax depends on the item.

When i bought books from amazon, they ussually separate it into several package to avoid tax, it all depends.

not rip-off from my point of view, the law here is like that.

[dave111223]

Pretty much every country in the world has import taxes; IMHO all taxes are a rip-off but that's life.

[Aussietrooper]

Got it....cheers.

[Tarric]

Being a fellow Aussie I too have no experience paying import taxes on things I bought for myself online back in Australia. However in Thailand this is very much the norm, my mother ordered some Wine online and they ended up wanting roughly 15 times what the Wine cost in taxes, we spoke to a shipping agent and they said it should be 3-4 times not 15, but naturally Thai customs is dodgy on an epic scale. Needless to say we told Thai customs where to stick it and they could keep the $18 worth of wine.

[h90]

Being a fellow Aussie I too have no experience paying import taxes on things I bought for myself online back in Australia. However in Thailand this is very much the norm, my mother ordered some Wine online and they ended up wanting roughly 15 times what the Wine cost in taxes, we spoke to a shipping agent and they said it should be 3-4 times not 15, but naturally Thai customs is dodgy on an epic scale. Needless to say we told Thai customs where to stick it and they could keep the $18 worth of wine.

yes Australia is very friendly on import taxes. But Germany is much more pain than Thailand.

For import the most important thing is correct declaration with the correct tariff numbers. With that you can check the import duty on Thai Customs webpage.

Alcohol is a different thing.....more difficult.

[colinscarr]

Assuming we are talking about books here, likely as you ordered from Amazon; have you considered downloading e-books instead?

[Latindancer]

I just asked my Thai wife who is a Science teacher. She says her school bought microscopes from a company in Thailand called Gammago.

[zzaa09]

Assuming we are talking about books here, likely as you ordered from Amazon; have you considered downloading e-books instead?

Bit of a misnomer, as only selected books available in e-book form.

[chiangmaibruce]

Assuming we are talking about books here, likely as you ordered from Amazon; have you considered downloading e-books instead?

I was thinking the same thing. You don't have to buy an e-reader device, you can download (free) an e-book simulator program so you can read e-books on your PC/laptop.

But whilst on the topic of Amazon, ebooks and tax ... when you sell an ebook via Amazon you (as author) set the price. Amazon however varies this and hence the advertised price can vary from the price you nominated. In my case they added another $2 (for people viewing the Amazon site from Thailand that is .... I've no idea how much it is in other countries). Now they explain this on the basis of higher "operating costs" in other countries (or similar wording). I assumed that this included VAT (or similar) paid by Amazon in each country. After reading this thread and other material, I guess that I was wrong. Goodness knows then what the "operating costs" consist of.

[trotbot]

The US Amazon site acutally include Thai import taxes in the shipping costs. If the assessed amount is higher, Amazon pay, if it is lower, you get a refund to your credit card. Other Amazon sites sadly don't do this, and so it is a lottery when it arrives in Thailand. 70% of my UK DVDs get through without assessment, I have to pay 30% duty and 7% VAT (which is correct) on those that are stopped, but often on a lower value that I paid (go figure!).

[endure]

The US Amazon site acutally include Thai import taxes in the shipping costs. If the assessed amount is higher, Amazon pay, if it is lower, you get a refund to your credit card.

Is that true of all products bought from Amazon.com or is it just for the Kindle?

[cmjantje]

Link to customs to find your tarrif:

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

[CMX]

The Kindle 'Global' desk estimates the import duty on their reading devices - those that can be sent here.

I tried to purchase the smallest (and cheapest), Kindle with special offers at $79. It is not sold outside the U.S., so the model I would have purchased cost $109. Shipping (Priority is required, less than a week but by way of one of the private carriers) was given as being $20 and import duties estimated at $40 something. In short, the cost would have been more than double what I would have paid in the U.S., where I was visiting family just a month ago.

And the model I wanted was available then; I could have used it there and brought it back for personal use. Meanwhile, I'll read e-books on computers and a tablet, even though they're not as handy. I can think of it as being a discount on my next flight back to the States for another family visit.

[dominique355]

I am a good customer of Amazon and my experience is that

- no import duty on books, parcel is delivered to my home.

- heavy import duty on CDs, DVDs, sometimes more than the value of the merchandise since they calculate from CIF (cost, freight, insurance). I have to pickup the parcel at the Post Office and pay the duty there.

- downloading e-books through my Kindle account: no duty here in Thailand and the selection of books is growing by the minute.

[noise]

I ordered a $300 Kindle from Amazon US to be shipped DHL. Amazon calculated the expected duties and added them to the bill. DHL delivered to the door, no additional duties required. Later, Amazon refunded me a portion as they estimated more than was actually collected by Thai customs.

It may depend upon how you request shipping on what Amazon does and how?

[Eff1n2ret]

The US Amazon site acutally include Thai import taxes in the shipping costs. If the assessed amount is higher, Amazon pay, if it is lower, you get a refund to your credit card.

Is that true of all products bought from Amazon.com or is it just for the Kindle?

It works the same way with Amazon UK. I bought a garden shredder recently, the cost net of VAT was 112GBP, and they added on 58 quid for import taxes. I'm not optimistic about getting any back, but I would have expected to pay around 10,000baht for such an item if I'd been able to find one locally in Rayong/Pattaya.