Expats: Experience With Receiving Care Packages From Home

[attrayant]

I've been here for almost six months now and I have a short list of things I'm going to ask a friend to send to me via regular mail. The package might be the size of two shoe boxes placed side-by-side and total value probably less than $100 USD.

I'm wondering if others have any experience or stories to tell about receiving care packages from home via the regular mail (i.e. not FedEx or private carrier). Did your package arrive showing signs of having been opened and re-sealed (indicating that it was inspected) or did it appear to be unopened? Did you have to pay any taxes? Any lost packages?

The section in importing postal items from Thai Customs web site suggests that it's a pretty ho-hum process, although I'm wondering how they determine the value of incoming packages full of unidentifiable foreign items. It states that "Any items that are prohibited and restricted are excluded". I haven't yet found a list of such items but I'm still poking around their web site; maybe it's spelled-out somewhere. I assume things like pornography, liquor, cigarettes and such are prohibited and restricted. There will be nothing like that in my package.

Looking forward to comments...

[beechguy]

I've sent things from the U.S. and overseas U.S. military bases and never had a problem, but the last few have been opened and inspected.

[Patron]

My wife has send many boxs to central Thailand. We always use USPS and never have a problem.....until.

2 weeks ago she sent a box with 2 pairs of Ray-Ban sunglasses,3 bottles of high-end perfume,2 watches and

a Coach purse for 3 of her sisters.She always wraps the stuff in clothes and states that on the form. $30 worth

of clothes. I told her it was not a good idea too send so much at one time. Ya think Thai girl would listen to her husband?

13 days later the postman drops off a note at sisters home to come to the postoffice. According to my wife, the 3 sisters

went to the office and the man said that their would be a tax.Wife said...sisters yell at him and give him bad eyes, he then

gave them the box (no tax) and said no more boxs from U.S. with brand names in it.

Address the box in Thai, I think this is the key to no problems.Send to someone who is home all day. My wife had her

sister E-mail her address in Thai and she made copies. She tapes it to box with wide clear tape. 5-15 days and never a

problem until the other day. That was the first box that was ever opened.

[Jayman]

I get care packages from the US a few times a year and always have them sent US airmail. It's best if you can have them sent in a large envelope rather than box. If it's more than 2lbs I think you have to go international priority. I usually have the contents listed as personal effects or the like with a low value. Typically the package arrives here from the US from 7-10 days with no customs or duties.

I have ordered stuff that was sent from US company (coffee) that was stopped and taxed and it really sucked having to go pick it up at the port authority and pay the fees. Electronics tend to get hit with customs fees as well.

My suggestion is to have it sent from a friend/family and have them write gift on the package and list it as personal effects or "used" with low value.

[jackinbkk]

I concur on writing the address in Thai. I had many parcels sent to me while I lived in Phuket. 80% never arrived, no trace in the local post offices. Never seen again. Completely useless help when I went to find my stuff. Things sent with Thai writing seems to go untouched. It's as if they target the rich farang pickings. What's the farang going to do anyways... You go there you get fobbed off and they often play the 'i don't understand' or 'I don't know, sorry.' lines.

[Jayman]

I concur on writing the address in Thai. I had many parcels sent to me while I lived in Phuket. 80% never arrived, no trace in the local post offices. Never seen again. Completely useless help when I went to find my stuff. Things sent with Thai writing seems to go untouched. It's as if they target the rich farang pickings. What's the farang going to do anyways... You go there you get fobbed off and they often play the 'i don't understand' or 'I don't know, sorry.' lines.

How is the US post office even going to accept your package if everything is written in Thai? You need to at least write english with thai so it gets on the correct plane out of the country.

I have never had anything sent from overseas addressed in Thai and never had any issues either. (knock on wood)

[MAJIC]

I concur on writing the address in Thai. I had many parcels sent to me while I lived in Phuket. 80% never arrived, no trace in the local post offices. Never seen again. Completely useless help when I went to find my stuff. Things sent with Thai writing seems to go untouched. It's as if they target the rich farang pickings. What's the farang going to do anyways... You go there you get fobbed off and they often play the 'i don't understand' or 'I don't know, sorry.' lines.

How is the US post office even going to accept your package if everything is written in Thai? You need to at least write english with thai so it gets on the correct plane out of the country.

I have never had anything sent from overseas addressed in Thai and never had any issues either. (knock on wood)

The answer to the addres problem is to write one half of the label in Thai,and the other half in English.

So both Countries understand the same address.

[mrtoad]

Write the Address in Thai, and put Thailand in English at the bottom. It will get there that way.

[David48]

Write the Address in Thai, and put Thailand in English at the bottom. It will get there that way.

Agree 100% with Mr Toad and not lost anything yet.

What I've done is to get the person who I am posting to to send me their address in Thai in an email, then I copy and post that onto a lable with Thailand in English ... print, peel and post.

Haven't lost one ... yet