Loss Via Mail

[happysanook]

everything i've ever sent or had sent via thai post has arrived. even in the boonies 80km outside cm where i stay now. sometimes it takes awhile if they say 2 weeks, give it 5 weeks. then file a trace if it still hasn't arrived.

make sure you always have a tracking # (though things arrive for me even when they don't have one).

couple of things i do if the item is important....

use a trusted ( ahem ) Thai friend's address/name.

or if it's very important, use DHL/FedEx.

Edited December 29, 2011 by happysanook

[L&J]

We have had a number of packages never get to the USA when mailed from here. When we have mailed things here have

NEVER had postage actually affixed to our mail while we were present. They only seem to mark the amount on the corner

of the mail and put it aside to supposedly add the stamps later. Have decided that will demand the stamps be given to me and that

I put the item in a post box myself. Sad commentary on Thai system but our experience in "lost mail" is clear to us. Dealing

with E-Bay I mailed hundreds of packages within the USA and to overseas addresses over the years and only had one package

go missing (to Lebanon), though never mailed anything to Thailand fortunately

[brownrabbit]

I have had my UK ATM card sent here - was quoted from the UK it would take 5-6 days. It was sent first thing (9am) last Monday. Now 7 days on not including Saturday and Sunday and it hasn't arrived. I have a tracking number and it was sent registered/recorded delivery. I know it reached Thailand early last Friday (at the latest). As I have had a parcel of Xmas items not arrive in the past (stolen 100pc by Thai post), and another Christmas card taken (embossed card - clearly thought cash was in there) obviously I am worried. I have had it sent to the school I used to work at as presumed they would not tamper with a recorded delivery to a teacher at the largest school in Chiang Mai. Also it wouldn't 'get lost'. I cannot access money without the card. I can book flights without the card. I cannot pay bills without this card. Absolute nightmare. Anyway how can I start tracing the whereabouts of the card? Any ideas? Like I said I have the tracking number from the UK but that only says it has reached Thailand. It certainly should not take this time to get from BKK to Chiang Mai.

Thanks in advance for any useful advice that may be given.

[Chuckler]

My solution to this problem is to use a mail forwarding service.

I use myus.com but there's heaps. Shipitto.us is another example. Get your mail delivered to there, and once a month or whenever you want, get it combined into one package and delivered by FedEx or DHL.

[sharktooth]

The best thing to get the sender to write on the declaration is "Samples Only, No Commercial Value". I have been doing this for years all around S.E Asia and have never had a problem, always received packages and never paid tax.

[wolf5370]

My solution to this problem is to use a mail forwarding service.

I use myus.com but there's heaps. Shipitto.us is another example. Get your mail delivered to there, and once a month or whenever you want, get it combined into one package and delivered by FedEx or DHL.

DHL are infamous here with paying taxes on import without representation or confirmation (i.e. they just pay whatever is asked by customs and that is passed along to the receiver - there has been much specualtion that this is a scam by the Thai side of DHL workers. maybe, I don't know, and it matter not a jot as the outcome is the same) - this results in very high (and incorrect) tax rates. Some people complain of being charged large bills of thousands of baht for small items, even letters sent vis DHL. I would avoid. This has also been aimed at UPS, but not heard about FedEx, maybe???

Most stuff goes missing when the postman steals it - so post box is the safest way if you expect a lot of packages (very cheap here) - as said above (a year ago) I always email my address in Thai script (and use a Thai name - kids or Mrs) with "Thailand" at the bottom in latin script (so the foreign post office knows the country to send it to) - and ask them to use that. Best also to put a value on it of a couple of hundred baht or so - small values for packages, they don't believe (gifts for example) and they open them, under 1000 baht you usually just get the usual 7baht tax. To send, always use a proper post office (rather than these mail senders that pretend to be post offices) and use their boxes , taped tied.

Find this workk fine.

[worgeordie]

I have never had any problems with Thai Post in all the years

I have lived here,maybe its because I give the postman a tip

every New Year.

My daughter sent 4 small parcels (cheaper to send than 1 big one)

from the UK ,and in 9 days they all arrived at same time! .paid the 7

baht per parcel to postman,still donot know what thats for.but I am

very pleased with the service I get

regards Worgeordie

[trainman34014]

I think 5 to 6 days is a bit optimistic for delivery to CM. My experience is 7 to 10 days so the OP may be panicking a little too early. Fingers crossed it will turn up within a day or two.

[elektrified]

I've had 14 packages go missing over the last 5 years. My Maestro Card was sent from Europe the last week of December. It never arrived. Now the bank has sent a 2nd one and 4 weeks later it has not arrived either. Same thing happened two years ago again with the Maestro Card. Now the bank will debit my account something like 50 Euros to send it DHL. Really quite frustrating but post is lost in all countries of the world.

[vagabond48]

I guess I have been fortunate. I have a number of debit and credit cards mailed to me by financial institutions that allow a foreign address or they are mailed to my brother back in the U.S. who then mails it to me. They are normally mailed via 1st class USPS. In the last 2 months I received 2 separate envelopes from my brother with cards as well as a large parcel from a vitamin company. NONE of my mail that I expected has ever gone missing "so far".

[HaleySabai]

Sent a document out to Canada feb.1st, not yet arrive. Did receive 2 birthday cards yesterday from Canada. Last year I sent out several documents and all arrived in timely fashion. I wonder if the floods in BKK are continuing to bear a nasty cause & effect?

It is well known that the postal system in Canada in a joke,full of sticky fingers as well.

[elektrified]

Sent a document out to Canada feb.1st, not yet arrive. Did receive 2 birthday cards yesterday from Canada. Last year I sent out several documents and all arrived in timely fashion. I wonder if the floods in BKK are continuing to bear a nasty cause & effect?

It is well known that the postal system in Canada in a joke,full of sticky fingers as well.

The floods did cause a lot of post to go missing because of the chaos that ensued at the Lak Si sorting center in BKK. 2 of my packages that showed arrival at the airport in BKK disappeared before being scanned at Lak Si. My g/f operates a mail order business and had to shut down for weeks because packages sent from C.M. never made it to her customers in BKK (for obvious reasons). Maybe one day the missing packages will show up. The P.O. blames the losses to the Lak Si center.