I am in the crowd that has experienced about one third of purchases made online never arriving. Many others on TV have been here for a very long time as I have and they claim they have NEVER lost anything that was mailed here. The shipments I have lost all arrive in Thailand but never make it to my house.

In the flurry of doing my Christmas shopping I have run into quite a few companies that simply refuse to ship to Thailand. I have experienced this a few times in the last few years but lately in my personal experience, I have run into several companies that have joined in on this refusal to ship here.

My question is this...Have any others seen this trend? and what answers are out there to improve this?

I haven't seen the trend, still ordering many stuff. Just ordered a diving bag, a special cover for a phone and some fitness stuff all from abroad. None refused. I love Ebay. Else you can always use shiptoo

I don't 'claim' never to have lost any post here, it's a fact. At least it was until two laptop batteries never turned up from China. However, the tracking trail stopped at Hangzhou (from memory) so I think that was a China Post issue.

Edited December 22, 201213 yr by inthepink

This past week, a replacement part for my Jack Lalane juicer was refused to ship here and also some unique gardening tools from another company and an R/c airplane small part through Ebay but it was one of their other sources that refused to ship here. Overall happened probably only a few times before , but three in a week got me wondering. I'll check out this "ship to " thing...

Yup, I've noticed this trend. Started about 4-5 years ago if you ask me.

I have ordered (and received) many items that I've bought from Ebay. The sellers that are most likely not to ship to Thailand are in the US. Very few other countries refuse to ship to Thailand. US sellers are loathe to ship anywhere outside of the US, and if they do they charge exorbitant postal rates.

I don't 'claim' never to have lost any post here, it's a fact. At least it was until two laptop batteries never turned up from China. However, the tracking trail stopped at Hangzhou (from memory) so I think that was a China Post issue.

When I said "claim", I had no concept in mind that it wasn't true. I could have said "stated or said" . I believe what they are saying is 100% true. Unfortunately, for myself, there have been several through the years...

I don't know if it is related or not, but I have found it more and more difficult to order things online when paying with a UK debit card, when my IP address is in Thailand.

No problem when paying though PayPal though.

Not to say that I don't have problems with parcels disappearing, because I do.

I am in CM and everything I've ever ordered has arrived. Perhaps you in a more corrupt area, Phuket and Pattaya come to mind for some reason. I think it really comes down to that, is your local post office stealing, as it must be local or why do so many people have no problems? Mind you if they are caught they face the horror of an inactive post on full salary, now that is a real deterrent.

I order stuff on a monthly basis or more. Never lost anything. Perhaps there is a local "issue" at your post office.

I'm in CM and order a lot of things online. I had never had a problem until September. 4 parcels in the same week. Everything before and after is OK, just that one week. I've been to the post office several times and had staff here phone them a few times to see if there is anything for me not delivered. One of the suppliers has just let me know that she sent it EMS (it was 3 items short delivered from the original order). I have been given a tracking number. I've got the manager onto it and she's trying to sort it out with the post office - the supplier said she's checked and it's at an unknown post office being processed. The post office initially said that it had been delivered and signed for. I think we're at the stage of waiting for proof of that, but it was at the beginning of the week. I'm quite sure that because the 4 were all in the same week that if they find one they'll find the others.

But yes, many suppliers won't mail to Thailand. If it's small business, usually a nice email to them telling them you get a lot of things delivered from Europe and US will convince them that it's OK to send goods here.

I haven't had problems with things turning up (nothing lost yet, touch wood), but I have had smaller companies refuse to ship here...

One place said it was because they had been burnt in the past. If they accept a fraudulent credit/debit card payment and send out goods, then the bank/credit card company will take the money back from them anyway. This means that they lose out on the goods that they have already sent!

I've had to do a direct bank transfer to get around this. PayPal might work too??

One other thing to check, is how these items are 'really' being delivered to you. Go to your local post office and check! My wife's sister had a LOT of things go missing that she had ordered online (all within Thailand).

It turned out that there was a designated parcel delivery person in their village who would receive all of the parcels for that area and was supposed to then pass them on to the intended recipients. However, this lady was picking parcels that she thought might contain something nice and keeping them for herself!

They eventually worked out what was going on and the post office said they would sack her and find someone else if my sister-in-law wanted to make a formal complaint. However, in true Thai style, she declined and this woman just got a slap in the wrists and is free to go about stealing more parcels!

So, make sure you know 'who' is supposed to be delivering your post and make sure it is really getting to you...!?

Since I hired a PO box at the main oost office, no more problems. The local postman holds letters up to the sun to see what is inside and leaves our letters with a neighbour (we are 40 meters from the main road.

Lost nothing in 10 years. But I use premium shippers FedEx, DHL only. And that's importing 4-6 items a month consistently.

US companies who do not ship internationally then use Shipito.com (123 packages sent with them according to my account there). Nothing lost, nothing broken.

I order stuff on a monthly basis or more.  Never lost anything.  Perhaps there is a local "issue" at your post office.

The few packages I have ordered have arrived safely but yes I too have noticed fewer companies ship to Thailand. Luckily I have enough family and friends in the UK that I can get them posted to my UK address and then bought here by a friend.

One thing I have noticed this year is that every Christmas card has been cut open which suggests a local problem.