Has anyone bought one of these Google Media Players?

[giddyup]

I downloaded the series "Homeland"

It would help if you told us the make and model of media player.

And the source of your download

Don't think I can mention the source here. Let's just say there a lot of free torrents. If you really want to know you can PM me.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Import Duties

Best avoid FedEx or DHL as the both automatically add the Import tax, If the shipper uses normal postal service (registered) then its up to Customs to find the package and tax.

Thats my experience.

Most of the cheap media players come from China and the postage is usually free or minimal, so it's not going to come Fedex but the cheapest way possible. Customs isn't going to worry about import duty on an item that costs $50-60, at least they never have with me.

Generally speaking, since that's all you can say about the VERY ERRATIC Thai customs process, smaller electronic items don't get much of duty. I believe the normal official rate is 7 or 8% duty plus VAT of another 7%, if they're going by the book. Clothes, by comparison, can be 20-30% or higher.

If the item is small and coming from China, it probably won't get any tax or duty at all.

If the item is small and coming from the U.S., it depends on what shipper is used. If it's FedEx or DHL, the duty % assessed likely will be charged based on (not just your purchase price) but instead the higher combination of cost+insurance+shipping, which is what sometimes yields the ridiculously high duty and VAT amounts that can approach the cost of the original purchase price.

If possible, from the U.S., it's better to go First Class AirMail or Global Priority Mail from the U.S.P.S., which is less likely to incur duty, tax and other customs fees at the Thai end.

Supposedly, anything under 1000 baht in value ($32) should go thru duty-free, at least if it is send by USPS and delivered by ThaiPost. I don't know whether FedEx and DHL play by that same rule, although I suspect they don't.

About the prior posters $50-$60 reference, I don't think that's anything people should rely on. It really depends on what's being shipped/declared and who's handling the shipping.

For example, I recently ordered a pair of tennis shoes from the U.S. that was sent by Airmail and delivered here by Thai Post... The purchase price was about $50, I declared the item and price correctly, and still was charged a duty by Thai Post of about $30 U.S. on top of the $40 or so I paid for shipping. So that was an instance where the shipping and customs cost exceeded the original purchase price. Customs really seems to want to discourage importing of clothes and shoes.

On the other hand, electronics seem to get treated much more reasonably, especially if you can avoid FedEx and DHL.

Edited July 21, 2013 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Langsuan Man]

Don't think I can mention the source here. Let's just say there a lot of free torrents. If you really want to know you can PM me

Torrent sites are not illegal here in Thailand so you can name them but my query was to remind you that many times the subtitles are in a different file that may have to be downloaded separately

But seeing your post it must have been a settings problem on you media player