Ocean Freight Container-Shipping Personal Belongings

[BillyPalmfromCanada]

Hi.

I'd like to speak/chat with someone that has recent experience with shipping their personal belongings via a shipping container to Thailand.

I'd like to find out things such as how it went with customs, what kind of fees/taxes did you have to pay, was anything confiscated/not allowed?

Does customs unload the entire thing and go through all your stuff? Will pictures and a list be good enough? Did you have to pay corruption money to get it through?

Our situation is my Thai wife, and our family are moving there next year and want to be prepared. I understand we can get a one time shipment

in without taxes (exceptions apply I understand) of personal household belongings. I just want to get some first hand experience from someone

who has done this recently. I'd be happy to PM someone or if you give me a phone number, I'll call when it's convenient.

Thanks in advance for any help with this.

[mogandave]

Some things are not allowed and import duty is different for different items

No customs does not generally “…unload the entire thing and go through all your stuff” but they can if they want.

Nothing is ever enough, but a list with current values (in Thailand) is a must and pictures or better catalog descriptions help. If you lowball pricing they will what they think is appropriate and you will pay taxes based on their assessment.

If everything is in order you should not have to grease anyone.

Try having your wife contact a good freight forwarder in Bangkok and have them handle it for you. They can also answer questions about documentation.

Probably the best thing would be to contact one of the relocation services in Bangkok and talk to them. They will cost more than a container, but will handle everything.

I would not use a forwarder or relocation service that does not have a bona-fide office in Bangkok.

What are you expecting this to cost? Were it me, unless you have a lot of really great stuff I would seriously consider getting rid of it and buying new stuff here.

[BillyPalmfromCanada]

Thanks very much for the insights. I would also like to talk with anyone who has done this fairly recently.

Questions like "did everything arrive okay, what did it cost, who did you use, anything you would have done differently"??

Any other responses would be great.

Thanks again.