Import Duty - What Is It? How To Avoid It?

[manonthemon]

Hi,

Everytime I have good send to me to Thailand form abrod the post officers ask me to pay "import duty". The thing is they even asked for it when all what was in the package ws some second hand cloathes.

What's even more interesting, when I refused to pay the tax (around 600B) at first they refused to give me the package but...a week later it was delivered, to my door at no extra costs.

Still, whenever a package comes, they ask me to pay. It doesnt matter it it's sth I buy online (lrecelntly - SSD disc for about 5000B, the import duty - around 300B - I payed to get it right away) or sth I get as a gift (Canon camer - 25k baght value, 900B import duty).

What is it all about and how to get things shipped here without having to pay extra?

best regards,

[whistleblower]

Import duty is the charge that the Customs office levy on any product brought into the country.

How to avoid it?? dont import anything.

On a serious note the Customs Office will try to screw you on anything you import. I have got around it by telling anyone who sends me things to address it to my wife. I have sent friends and family labels in Thai with the wifes name and address and this solved the problem for me.

[glassdude007]

Good question as i recently got a box from home (USA) as a gift all it was proper sweat sox, proper pocket front XL t shirts and some BVD undies...

When mail from usa they paid all cost and insured the box for 100 usd and i think they paid 50 dollars to ship to Thailand.

For me to get the package had to go to local post office and pay 1200 bht as i recall as import fee.

The Thai guy at the counter (is my landlord by the way) when asked about the fee and how to avoid it said keep value of box under 2500 bht.....

So i guess if they ship 10000bht worth of stuff but value /insure it for 2500bht maybe not have to pay who knows??? not me thats for sure...

good luck

[vtjforyou]

Just don't use Fedex or DHL robbers...

[notmyself]

Ship with a commercial invoice showing the value to be US$1 and the listed goods are samples. Quite easy really.

[isawasnake]

There is that great line from Lock, Stock and 2 smoking barrels..... this is just another group of Thais having their dirty little fingers in yet another dirty little pie. I guess the farangs stick enough of their appendages into the local dirty little pies as well.

[manonthemon]

For me the most surprising part was that when I refused to pay, they delivered the package. I thought it proves that this is some kind of a scam to extract money form us.

And income duty on second hand clothes?

By the way - now I remember - when I had some electronics shipped to me and the sender declaried the value of goods to be 1$ I wasn;t asked to pay anything.

Oh, and I wasn't using Fedex, UPC and so on, just normal Thai and US Post.

cheers

[Semper]

You could try to give the officer a "present".

[Payboy]

You could try to give the officer a "present".

Amount of import duty is inversely proportional to the value of the "present".

[FritsSikkink]

It is not a scam, every country has import taxes

http://igtf.customs.go.th/igtf/en/main_frame.jsp

[manonthemon]

It is not a scam, every country has import taxes

On second hand clothes? And they let you have your package anyway if you say "I'm not paying" ?

I find this a bit strange.

[FritsSikkink]

It is not a scam, every country has import taxes

On second hand clothes? And they let you have your package anyway if you say "I'm not paying" ?

I find this a bit strange.

http://igtf.customs.go.th/igtf/viewerExemTariff.do?param=langEn

just hit search

then at 12

12 Postal packages, imported, valued per package not over 1,000 Baht. Exempted

[giddyup]

I have had at least 20 packages sent to me from several countries, items include watches, rings, MP3 players, batteries, digital clocks etc. Only had to pay import duty on one watch because the sender declared it's full value of $100 (for insurance purposes) and I had to pay 500 baht, everything else came without any duty.

[craigt3365]

Ship with a commercial invoice showing the value to be US$1 and the listed goods are samples. Quite easy really.

The customs guys are now using the internet to look up the value of stuff. If they really want to get you, they will.

[ripstanley]

I think that the local post office may be having a go. Is it the same person you deal with?

"Still, whenever a package comes, they ask me to pay. It doesnt matter it it's sth I buy online (lrecelntly - SSD disc for about 5000B, the import duty - around 300B - I payed to get it right away) or sth I get as a gift (Canon camer - 25k baght value, 900B import duty)."

For the camera valued at 25k you would pay 3% Customs Duty plus 7% VAT. That is a lot more then 900B

[h90]

Ship with a commercial invoice showing the value to be US$1 and the listed goods are samples. Quite easy really.

The customs guys are now using the internet to look up the value of stuff. If they really want to get you, they will.

I have more the feeling that on most imports a random number generator is used.

But what I saw from the customs declaration forms on bigger imports it was always DHL/TNT etc etc who filled in wrong tariff numbers that caused the higher tax. So I don't blame the customs....

[Semper]

It is not a scam, every country has import taxes

On second hand clothes? And they let you have your package anyway if you say "I'm not paying" ?

I find this a bit strange.

I find it strange that you would want to import "second hand clothes".

[isawasnake]

If you can possibly wait on a few things, you can get your plane ticket to half pay for itself. I mean it is like 30%, that would add up quick. How exactly does it work anyway? If I import a 10,000 dollar watch i'm screwed, if I have the same watch on my wrist on an airplane, i'm fine? What is the actual legality of it all??

[manonthemon]

I find it strange that you would want to import "second hand clothes".

If you have a wife or a girlfriend you should know that they get quite attached to their apparel

[h90]

If you can possibly wait on a few things, you can get your plane ticket to half pay for itself. I mean it is like 30%, that would add up quick. How exactly does it work anyway? If I import a 10,000 dollar watch i'm screwed, if I have the same watch on my wrist on an airplane, i'm fine? What is the actual legality of it all??

I think legal would be to go to the customs and declare it.

but lets say you are German (or US, Italian....etc etc), just living for 1-2 month in Thailand. You buy it somewhere cheaper, than is the Thai customs the right address? Actually you bring it to Germany only have a long stop in Thailand.

And after 2 month...is it an import or just your personal watch???

(I am not trolling I really don't know)

[Payboy]

It is not a scam, every country has import taxes

On second hand clothes? And they let you have your package anyway if you say "I'm not paying" ?

I find this a bit strange.

I find it strange that you would want to import "second hand clothes".

Nothing strange at all. I import used panties from Japan all the time.