I have a couple suitcase of personal goods, clothes, etc that will be shipped by courier into Chiang Mai.

Can anyone recommend which courier company (DHL. Fedex, UPS, etc) might provide the best service or any alternative method for minimum problems through customs, etc. Nothing funny in the items, just clothes, etc.

thanks

Not a problem with customs, but you WILL pay through the nose in import duties. All three of the major carriers have their own Customs Holding Warehouses, and will charge not only the maximum allowed by law, both DHL and FedEx may also charge you an Insurance fee and Storage fee as they insist on insuring what is in the warehouse, and if they can manage to keep your goods overnight for ANY reason, charge a storage fee too. God forbid your stuff arrives on a Friday before a Monday national holiday... Friday night, Saturday night, Sunday night, and Monday night storage MINIMUM, and because they are so busy, probably another two more nights before they get to your stuff!

You might want to look for one of the smaller courier companies that don't use their own bonded storage facilities. Then there is just a 50-50 chance of getting charged import taxes rather than a 100% certainty, and you don't have to pay all the storage and insurance fees. Personally, for clothing and other unbreakables, I prefer USPS mail, sending them in a double wrap of the cheap woven poly shipping bags.

Edited November 14, 201213 yr by FolkGuitar

I've had great service with UPS here. Not so w/Fed-Ex whom I had a large shippment that went thru company in Ban Tawan who held my stuff ransom unless I paid a huge increase in the price. They physically threatened me when I went to the office to discuss and just agreed and when it was delivered and unloaded at my house I renegotiated, but it sure helped that I had 10 of my workmen there at the time. But this was an agent so not sure if it applies to all Fed-Ex stuff here as I've also had home deliveries off packages with no problem.

From what country are you shipping the items from?

From what country are you shipping the items from?

China. was there on business and had to return for an emergency medical situation so could not bring everything back

From what country are you shipping the items from?

China. was there on business and had to return for an emergency medical situation so could not bring everything back

I would not use FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc. (if they are available in China - I don't know). You will pay so much money in import duty it will be silly. We often import items from China using the regular postal service, often large containers - registered post of course. Never had a problem in close to 6 years now.

Have never heard a good word for Fed eX

Based on my own experience, I avoid DHL and Fed-Ex as every single time I've tried I've been slapped with customs duty as well as their own fees.

I've had better luck with UPS (paid customs duty once out of 6-7 times, although I never used them for any major shipments, the largest parcel I've had shipped with UPS would have been around 5 kg).

I used to get charged 100% of the time I ordered DHL, but I have had my last 5-10 packages go by without any customs duties. Fedex and UPS have been charged 100% about 15/15

I would suggest post...not express 30 day delivery

Make sure you write on the declaration attached on the box

'USED PERSONAL CLOTHING'

Keep the cost low...say GBP50 / USD 75

If you use ANY courier..you will end up paying broker charges, clearance charges and maybe duties

Courier's are only good for DOCUMENTS

I just had some items sent EMS from China - reasonable price, 5% duty, VAT and a nominal handling charge by the post office.

FedEx and DHL have a working arrangement with the Thai Customs people. The deliveries through their own planes goes directly into their own bonded Customs holding area. They have agreed to charge full book value as an agent of Thai Customs, so there is no cutting costs for import duties. It's straight out of the book! But in addition, they tack on their own insurance fees and storage fees on top of the import duties, so it costs MUCH more than if you simply mailed the stuff to yourself through the post office. As Greenside said, use EMS. That way you get a tracking number too!

FedEx and DHL have a working arrangement with the Thai Customs people. The deliveries through their own planes goes directly into their own bonded Customs holding area. They have agreed to charge full book value as an agent of Thai Customs, so there is no cutting costs for import duties. It's straight out of the book! But in addition, they tack on their own insurance fees and storage fees on top of the import duties, so it costs MUCH more than if you simply mailed the stuff to yourself through the post office. As Greenside said, use EMS. That way you get a tracking number too!

Agree with everything you say.

You get a tracking number with registered post as well and it is cheaper.

Edited November 16, 201213 yr by elektrified

Never ship anything except documents by courier, unless of course you love paying high taxes and enriching the corrupt blood sucking parasite bureaucracy even futher. Alternatively post it.