Time For Parcel To Clear Customs

[sysardman]

Anybody got experience of Thai customs inspection times - I've had a registered item that has been sitting 3 days in Thai customs and no sign of movement. How long do they normally take?

[h90]

Well it depends on many things.

Low Value (can't recall the amount, but rough approx. 20K) and Express like FedEx, UPS, TNT, etc etc normal time is approx. 5 min.

Unless they want to see it, than they contact you and make you boring with nonsense questions.

EMS till now always wanted us to go there to pick it up and discuss it. As well they are relative corrupt.

Bigger shipments you must assign a broker for customs clearing, and if you didn't inform yourself before, I recommend to go to the next temple and pray for luck first.

A bigger clearing without all the documentation in order and a smart broker can end in complete nonsense + storage fees and you pay for every mistake no matter who made it.

If you give more details I can answer more specific.

[sysardman]

Well it depends on many things.

Low Value (can't recall the amount, but rough approx. 20K) and Express like FedEx, UPS, TNT, etc etc normal time is approx. 5 min.

Unless they want to see it, than they contact you and make you boring with nonsense questions.

EMS till now always wanted us to go there to pick it up and discuss it. As well they are relative corrupt.

Bigger shipments you must assign a broker for customs clearing, and if you didn't inform yourself before, I recommend to go to the next temple and pray for luck first.

A bigger clearing without all the documentation in order and a smart broker can end in complete nonsense + storage fees and you pay for every mistake no matter who made it.

If you give more details I can answer more specific.

Thanks for answer - the package is only a foam RC model airplane body kit, nothing exciting (value 2K baht). No electronics included eg TX/RX, servos, motor - just bare bones all for personal use not commercial.

Edited June 21, 2012 by sysardman

[h90]

Well it depends on many things.

Low Value (can't recall the amount, but rough approx. 20K) and Express like FedEx, UPS, TNT, etc etc normal time is approx. 5 min.

Unless they want to see it, than they contact you and make you boring with nonsense questions.

EMS till now always wanted us to go there to pick it up and discuss it. As well they are relative corrupt.

Bigger shipments you must assign a broker for customs clearing, and if you didn't inform yourself before, I recommend to go to the next temple and pray for luck first.

A bigger clearing without all the documentation in order and a smart broker can end in complete nonsense + storage fees and you pay for every mistake no matter who made it.

If you give more details I can answer more specific.

Thanks for answer - the package is only a foam RC model airplane body kit, nothing exciting (value 2K baht). No electronics included eg TX/RX, servos, motor - just bare bones all for personal use not commercial.

outch.......did you figure out the customs tariff number for this one? How was it sent?

[saorsa]

3-5 days seems to be the norm when I have ordered bike parts from USA. One package which was $2000 value took a week and then my mrs had to to go to pick it up near the train station.

[MaxwellsDemon]

To be honest all I've noticed is my packages spend less than a week at customs, which is amazingly fast compared to back in Canada... I had a parcel stay at customs for three months there. Hmph.

[sysardman]

Well it depends on many things.

Low Value (can't recall the amount, but rough approx. 20K) and Express like FedEx, UPS, TNT, etc etc normal time is approx. 5 min.

Unless they want to see it, than they contact you and make you boring with nonsense questions.

EMS till now always wanted us to go there to pick it up and discuss it. As well they are relative corrupt.

Bigger shipments you must assign a broker for customs clearing, and if you didn't inform yourself before, I recommend to go to the next temple and pray for luck first.

A bigger clearing without all the documentation in order and a smart broker can end in complete nonsense + storage fees and you pay for every mistake no matter who made it.

If you give more details I can answer more specific.

Thanks for answer - the package is only a foam RC model airplane body kit, nothing exciting (value 2K baht). No electronics included eg TX/RX, servos, motor - just bare bones all for personal use not commercial.

outch.......did you figure out the customs tariff number for this one? How was it sent?

Just normal registered post - what do you mean about the tariff number? it's just a few pieces of moulded foam. I've bought tons of RC gear over the last year from ebay (Chinese sellers) and never had anything stopped. The only thing about this is the box might be larger than the other stuff I got.

Edited June 21, 2012 by sysardman

[monsieurhappy]

I regularly order r/c stuff from HK and the time it takes to get here is getting longer and longer. Thai customs are a pain! There is no hard and fast timing in their procedure or what they charge on duty. 4 years ago things came through customs OK but now they can be held up for a week or more! Don't always rely on what the tracking tells you either because I'm pretty sure they only get round to updating the tracking when they feel like it! I've had 3 same size packages come through within days of each other from the same supplier with very similar contents. The first 2 were delivered by the postman without any charges, the last one I had to collect from the PO and pay 80% of what the contents cost in duty. OK, you can refuse to pay and tell them to have it reaccessed but I doubt if you will see it again! Your parcel as been there 3 days, don't worry. If you live outside BKK it may take another week to reach you. Sorry I can't give you information to make things sound easier!

Having said that I have not yet lost anything even when the airport was closed down, in fact at that time I got an r/c plane through without paying any duty!!

[h90]

Well it depends on many things.

Low Value (can't recall the amount, but rough approx. 20K) and Express like FedEx, UPS, TNT, etc etc normal time is approx. 5 min.

Unless they want to see it, than they contact you and make you boring with nonsense questions.

EMS till now always wanted us to go there to pick it up and discuss it. As well they are relative corrupt.

Bigger shipments you must assign a broker for customs clearing, and if you didn't inform yourself before, I recommend to go to the next temple and pray for luck first.

A bigger clearing without all the documentation in order and a smart broker can end in complete nonsense + storage fees and you pay for every mistake no matter who made it.

If you give more details I can answer more specific.

Thanks for answer - the package is only a foam RC model airplane body kit, nothing exciting (value 2K baht). No electronics included eg TX/RX, servos, motor - just bare bones all for personal use not commercial.

outch.......did you figure out the customs tariff number for this one? How was it sent?

Just normal registered post - what do you mean about the tariff number? it's just a few pieces of moulded foam. I've bought tons of RC gear over the last year from ebay (Chinese sellers) and never had anything stopped. The only thing about this is the box might be larger than the other stuff I got.

yes normal registered post is either the best (if it slips thru) or the worst option for customs.

Every product has a customs tariff number, which should be mentioned on the invoice. They are worldwide the same. With it the customs know how much to tax it. They aren't exact. I recall the lawsuit in Europe, is the Playstation 2 a game with 30 % tax or a computer with 0 % tax.

Why do you know it is at the customs? Did you got a notice? Or is there any tracking that does work (I didn't know that tracking works).

[sysardman]

Well it depends on many things.

Low Value (can't recall the amount, but rough approx. 20K) and Express like FedEx, UPS, TNT, etc etc normal time is approx. 5 min.

Unless they want to see it, than they contact you and make you boring with nonsense questions.

EMS till now always wanted us to go there to pick it up and discuss it. As well they are relative corrupt.

Bigger shipments you must assign a broker for customs clearing, and if you didn't inform yourself before, I recommend to go to the next temple and pray for luck first.

A bigger clearing without all the documentation in order and a smart broker can end in complete nonsense + storage fees and you pay for every mistake no matter who made it.

If you give more details I can answer more specific.

outch.......did you figure out the customs tariff number for this one? How was it sent?

Just normal registered post - what do you mean about the tariff number? it's just a few pieces of moulded foam. I've bought tons of RC gear over the last year from ebay (Chinese sellers) and never had anything stopped. The only thing about this is the box might be larger than the other stuff I got.

yes normal registered post is either the best (if it slips thru) or the worst option for customs.

Every product has a customs tariff number, which should be mentioned on the invoice. They are worldwide the same. With it the customs know how much to tax it. They aren't exact. I recall the lawsuit in Europe, is the Playstation 2 a game with 30 % tax or a computer with 0 % tax.

Why do you know it is at the customs? Did you got a notice? Or is there any tracking that does work (I didn't know that tracking works).

I use both the Thailand track & trace site and one called 17track.net, when I've received registered goods before the system has worked really well (except sometimes the Hong Kong end can be iffy).

In this instance the parcel shows Bangkok Mail Centre - Accepted => Bangkok Mail Centre - Customs (checked this morning still there).

I'm fearing that like @MonsieurHappy I could be hit with the 80% tax -Thai robdogs

[h90]

I use both the Thailand track & trace site and one called 17track.net, when I've received registered goods before the system has worked really well (except sometimes the Hong Kong end can be iffy).

In this instance the parcel shows Bangkok Mail Centre - Accepted => Bangkok Mail Centre - Customs (checked this morning still there).

I'm fearing that like @MonsieurHappy I could be hit with the 80% tax -Thai robdogs

80 % is easily possible...It is calculated like that:

product price calculated to Thai Baht with a complete wrong exchange rate

+ estimate shipping costs.

On this they charge the customs duty (yes you pay customs duty on the shipping costs)

on that: product+shipping+customs duty you pay the VAT (yes you pay VAT on the shipping costs and the customs duty).

So that adds up.

Solutions:

1) Declare as free samples, gift, or low value (illegal). Or even declare it as Documents (my mother always sent me sausage that way, by telling here that it might be wrong, she told me that she is old and senile and can neither remember what she packs nor what she writes ). Always got it without problems.

2) figure out a good customs tariff number and declare it on the invoice, parcel in the hope someone takes notice of it.

3) If the value is high and it comes from China you can check if there is a free trade agreement for that customs tariff number. Than the shipper need to issue the "Form E" in China and send the Original to you for the clearing. As that is a hassle it is only worth for expensive shipments. That of course only helps with the customs duty, but not with the VAT.

So for low value shipment only point 1 is interesting.......Usually all Chinese and HK companies like to send undervalue or as gift.

[MaxwellsDemon]

Yeah, most HK/China stores will ship as gift, and some even offer an option to ship without any company names - they'll put the return address as a person in a residential place so it looks like it's just from Person X, not Company X.

As for tracking, I don't know about 3rd party tracking websites but otherwise all postal (both regular and privatized) organizations track using similar methods; they simply beep and scan every item at almost every stage in it's journey. It's simple technology similar to the supermarket checkout counter, and it really isn't a "they track when they feel like it" because there's barely any effort in scanning items. Pick a box up, put in the truck/on the belt, then wave your wand and beep.

It's not only to give you something to look at and wonder about, but it's a tampering/theft prevention/workflow analysis tool. They can see what parts of the chain are not working as well as they should, and they can see if items get mysteriously lost in the same place. In fact, it was probably developed as an in-house tool to track packages, and then they realized they could offer updates to the clients via web as a promotional tool. Still, I think it frustrates more than it helps the user.

But in the end, even if you get taxed heavily there's really nothing you can do about it. You can't even refuse to pay it, IIRC. They'll demand you pay it, and then you can go to the post office to return to sender if you wish and there'll be a long process to get your money refunded (minus fees).

[sysardman]

Yeah, most HK/China stores will ship as gift, and some even offer an option to ship without any company names - they'll put the return address as a person in a residential place so it looks like it's just from Person X, not Company X.

As for tracking, I don't know about 3rd party tracking websites but otherwise all postal (both regular and privatized) organizations track using similar methods; they simply beep and scan every item at almost every stage in it's journey. It's simple technology similar to the supermarket checkout counter, and it really isn't a "they track when they feel like it" because there's barely any effort in scanning items. Pick a box up, put in the truck/on the belt, then wave your wand and beep.

It's not only to give you something to look at and wonder about, but it's a tampering/theft prevention/workflow analysis tool. They can see what parts of the chain are not working as well as they should, and they can see if items get mysteriously lost in the same place. In fact, it was probably developed as an in-house tool to track packages, and then they realized they could offer updates to the clients via web as a promotional tool. Still, I think it frustrates more than it helps the user.

But in the end, even if you get taxed heavily there's really nothing you can do about it. You can't even refuse to pay it, IIRC. They'll demand you pay it, and then you can go to the post office to return to sender if you wish and there'll be a long process to get your money refunded (minus fees).

Yup I've had loads from China/HK and no duty/vat so I suppose I was getting complacent. I suppose it's payback time but it still hurts to think an item can get 80% tax, that will double the price I paid for it because they include the shipping fees too.

[sysardman]

Yeah, most HK/China stores will ship as gift, and some even offer an option to ship without any company names - they'll put the return address as a person in a residential place so it looks like it's just from Person X, not Company X.

As for tracking, I don't know about 3rd party tracking websites but otherwise all postal (both regular and privatized) organizations track using similar methods; they simply beep and scan every item at almost every stage in it's journey. It's simple technology similar to the supermarket checkout counter, and it really isn't a "they track when they feel like it" because there's barely any effort in scanning items. Pick a box up, put in the truck/on the belt, then wave your wand and beep.

It's not only to give you something to look at and wonder about, but it's a tampering/theft prevention/workflow analysis tool. They can see what parts of the chain are not working as well as they should, and they can see if items get mysteriously lost in the same place. In fact, it was probably developed as an in-house tool to track packages, and then they realized they could offer updates to the clients via web as a promotional tool. Still, I think it frustrates more than it helps the user.

But in the end, even if you get taxed heavily there's really nothing you can do about it. You can't even refuse to pay it, IIRC. They'll demand you pay it, and then you can go to the post office to return to sender if you wish and there'll be a long process to get your money refunded (minus fees).

Yup I've had loads from China/HK and no duty/vat so I suppose I was getting complacent. I suppose it's payback time but it still hurts to think an item can get 80% tax, that will double the price I paid for it because they include the shipping fees too.

If it is of interest to anybody - got the package today so it was nearly a week in customs. With duty and VAT I was charged around 35%, such a relief that it wasn't 80%.

[DavoTheGun]

I have some large parcels sitting on the wharf Bangkok for some weeks, personal items. I have been unable to find a broker to clear for me. I understand I can get myself but will need to pay somebody in Customs to save problems.

Does anybody no anything about this, i do not want to pay the wrong party!!

[gennisis]

And dont forget that if sent by courier, customs 'delay' will appear as an extra charge 'for storage'

I once had a small parcel value 3000 baht 'delayed for 5 days, which resulted in a 'storage charge of 6000 baht. I told them where to stuff it

[tfc]

I've had parcels using Fedex take almost a month and I'm pretty sure that they are just sitting on a shelf somewhere and then I get the 150% duty charge.

[DavoTheGun]

Back to my first question, does anybody know anything about clearing customs from Bangkok Wharf ????

[sysardman]

Back to my first question, does anybody know anything about clearing customs from Bangkok Wharf ????

Sorry I can't help on your question but it may be worth starting a new thread because this one is pretty old and buried deep in the 'My Content' list so didn't see till today.

Edited August 16, 2012 by sysardman

[GwenW]

The best way to clearance from customs . U should use customs brokerage or shipping boy around that place to deal it for u. Coz you don't know about tariff and paper.

Not expensive too better than you do by yourself.

Edited August 16, 2012 by GwenW

[VocalNeal]

I have some large parcels sitting on the wharf Bangkok for some weeks, personal items. I have been unable to find a broker to clear for me. I understand I can get myself but will need to pay somebody in Customs to save problems.

Does anybody no anything about this, i do not want to pay the wrong party!!

Have you been to the Customs building at "The Port" Klong Toey and asked? Big white building by the traffic light. Better do it quick the charges will be mounting.

Back to the OP.

I use both the Thailand track & trace site and one called 17track.net, when I've received registered goods before the system has worked really well (except sometimes the Hong Kong end can be iffy).

In this instance the parcel shows Bangkok Mail Centre - Accepted => Bangkok Mail Centre - Customs (checked this morning still there).

Is your address on the package 100% correct?

In Bangkok, if the Post Office requires you to go to their customs office near Hua Lamphon usually they deliver an indexed notice in the mail so i assume the same will happen where you live. Otherwise it should come to your house or if too big for the motorbike postman/lady, you will get a notice to collect it from your nearest post office.

If concerned go to your nearest post office with the information you have and ask.

Edited August 17, 2012 by VocalNeal

[sysardman]

I have some large parcels sitting on the wharf Bangkok for some weeks, personal items. I have been unable to find a broker to clear for me. I understand I can get myself but will need to pay somebody in Customs to save problems.

Does anybody no anything about this, i do not want to pay the wrong party!!

Have you been to the Customs building at "The Port" Klong Toey and asked? Big white building by the traffic light. Better do it quick the charges will be mounting.

Back to the OP.

I use both the Thailand track & trace site and one called 17track.net, when I've received registered goods before the system has worked really well (except sometimes the Hong Kong end can be iffy).

In this instance the parcel shows Bangkok Mail Centre - Accepted => Bangkok Mail Centre - Customs (checked this morning still there).

Is your address on the package 100% correct?

In Bangkok, if the Post Office requires you to go to their customs office near Hua Lamphon usually they deliver an indexed notice in the mail so i assume the same will happen where you live. Otherwise it should come to your house or if too big for the motorbike postman/lady, you will get a notice to collect it from your nearest post office.

If concerned go to your nearest post office with the information you have and ask.

Thanks for replying but if you'd read post number #14 you would have seen that I received the parcel after a week delay in customs

[VocalNeal]

I have some large parcels sitting on the wharf Bangkok for some weeks, personal items. I have been unable to find a broker to clear for me. I understand I can get myself but will need to pay somebody in Customs to save problems.

Does anybody no anything about this, i do not want to pay the wrong party!!

Have you been to the Customs building at "The Port" Klong Toey and asked? Big white building by the traffic light. Better do it quick the charges will be mounting.

Back to the OP.

I use both the Thailand track & trace site and one called 17track.net, when I've received registered goods before the system has worked really well (except sometimes the Hong Kong end can be iffy).

In this instance the parcel shows Bangkok Mail Centre - Accepted => Bangkok Mail Centre - Customs (checked this morning still there).

Is your address on the package 100% correct?

In Bangkok, if the Post Office requires you to go to their customs office near Hua Lamphon usually they deliver an indexed notice in the mail so i assume the same will happen where you live. Otherwise it should come to your house or if too big for the motorbike postman/lady, you will get a notice to collect it from your nearest post office.

If concerned go to your nearest post office with the information you have and ask.

Thanks for replying but if you'd read post number #14 you would have seen that I received the parcel after a week delay in customs

OK That quoted a large post. i don't usually read long winded replies

[sysardman]

Have you been to the Customs building at "The Port" Klong Toey and asked? Big white building by the traffic light. Better do it quick the charges will be mounting.

Back to the OP.

I use both the Thailand track & trace site and one called 17track.net, when I've received registered goods before the system has worked really well (except sometimes the Hong Kong end can be iffy).

In this instance the parcel shows Bangkok Mail Centre - Accepted => Bangkok Mail Centre - Customs (checked this morning still there).

Is your address on the package 100% correct?

In Bangkok, if the Post Office requires you to go to their customs office near Hua Lamphon usually they deliver an indexed notice in the mail so i assume the same will happen where you live. Otherwise it should come to your house or if too big for the motorbike postman/lady, you will get a notice to collect it from your nearest post office.

If concerned go to your nearest post office with the information you have and ask.

Thanks for replying but if you'd read post number #14 you would have seen that I received the parcel after a week delay in customs

OK That quoted a large post. i don't usually read long winded replies

My reply was 2 lines - hardly long winded no need to read the quote.