Tax on imported smartphone

[Stef]

I am used to buy electronics from China, through ebay or directly from famous websites. I ever bought laptop batteries, phone accessories, etc.

I asked the products to be shipped by registered mail. New had a problem or had to pay any tax.

Now, I am considering buying a smartphone (about USD 150-200). Does anybody have experience with products this price shipped from China by post?

Will I have to pay taxes or import duties?

Thanks

[Pib]

Usually if you buy something under Bt1000 (approx. $33) and it comes through the normal postal systems (i.e., China post to Thai post) then there won't be any customs charges. However, when going over Bt1000 it can be a coin flip. And if you specific delivery via UPS/DHL/FedEx your changes of customs charges jumps way up....seems UPS/DHL/FedEx almost make sure some customs are collected on many things shipped through them to keep Thai customs happy/flowing with money which allows UPS/DHL/FedEx to advertise they can get things delivered quickly through a country's customs.

A couple of years ago I ordered a car electronic item from Germany which cost around $250, had no choice other than DHL because that is the only shipping company the parts company used, I got hit with 39% in customs...a 30% import tax, 7% VAT, and a couple other percent in related fees. Also, ordered about $100 of certain beauty products the wife just had to have from the U.S., they shipped through U.S. Postal System to Thai postal, and I got hit with a Bt1000 in customs charges.

Anyway, I routinely order things off Ebay from sellers in mainland China and Hong Kong that cost less than Bt1,000, the items are shipped through normal postal changes, and I haven't been hit with an customs charges yet. And this is not to imply things from China come duty free...as I seriously doubt that is a general policy....I think it's just a case of the items I ordered being low value (less than Bt1,000) and physically small electronic type items/came in a small box.

I keep using that Bt1,000 value since a ThaiVisa member posted a Thai customs webpage link one time that pretty much said if an item is valued under Bt1,000 then chances of customs charges are greatly reduced....just seemed at the Bt1,000 level then Thai customs can get serious about taking a peak what is in the box and/or applying customs charges. Don't know where that post or link is now...maybe someone has it and they can post it again. And this is not to imply Thai customs will believe the declared value since people routinely undervalue shipments in attempts to avoid customs; Thai customs can assign their own value.

It can be a flip of the coin as to if you will get charged customs, but from my personal experience and reading many other ThaiVisa posts the chances of charges go up significantly if using UPS/DHL/FedEx. And I have no doubt there are ThaiVisa members out there who would disagree regarding UPS/DHL/FedEx....that is, all there stuff showed up customs free for them...guess they are really lucky or I'm just really unlucky. It can be a flip of the coin.

Edit: Hey, I did have that Thai customs webpage bookmarked talking about that Bt1,000 trigger level. See this Link.

[muratremix]

No duties but 7 percent vat for phones from china. Of course when they are confused, they like to add 30 percent customs tax aswell.

Just tell them to declare value of 20 usd and receive it via singapore post, it will arrive without problems.

[Stef]

Usually if you buy something under Bt1000 (approx. $33) and it comes through the normal postal systems (i.e., China post to Thai post) then there won't be any customs charges. However, when going over Bt1000 it can be a coin flip. And if you specific delivery via UPS/DHL/FedEx your changes of customs charges jumps way up....seems UPS/DHL/FedEx almost make sure some customs are collected on many things shipped through them to keep Thai customs happy/flowing with money which allows UPS/DHL/FedEx to advertise they can get things delivered quickly through a country's customs.

A couple of years ago I ordered a car electronic item from Germany which cost around $250, had no choice other than DHL because that is the only shipping company the parts company used, I got hit with 39% in customs...a 30% import tax, 7% VAT, and a couple other percent in related fees. Also, ordered about $100 of certain beauty products the wife just had to have from the U.S., they shipped through U.S. Postal System to Thai postal, and I got hit with a Bt1000 in customs charges.

Anyway, I routinely order things off Ebay from sellers in mainland China and Hong Kong that cost less than Bt1,000, the items are shipped through normal postal changes, and I haven't been hit with an customs charges yet. And this is not to imply things from China come duty free...as I seriously doubt that is a general policy....I think it's just a case of the items I ordered being low value (less than Bt1,000) and physically small electronic type items/came in a small box.

I keep using that Bt1,000 value since a ThaiVisa member posted a Thai customs webpage link one time that pretty much said if an item is valued under Bt1,000 then chances of customs charges are greatly reduced....just seemed at the Bt1,000 level then Thai customs can get serious about taking a peak what is in the box and/or applying customs charges. Don't know where that post or link is now...maybe someone has it and they can post it again. And this is not to imply Thai customs will believe the declared value since people routinely undervalue shipments in attempts to avoid customs; Thai customs can assign their own value.

It can be a flip of the coin as to if you will get charged customs, but from my personal experience and reading many other ThaiVisa posts the chances of charges go up significantly if using UPS/DHL/FedEx. And I have no doubt there are ThaiVisa members out there who would disagree regarding UPS/DHL/FedEx....that is, all there stuff showed up customs free for them...guess they are really lucky or I'm just really unlucky. It can be a flip of the coin.

Edit: Hey, I did have that Thai customs webpage bookmarked talking about that Bt1,000 trigger level. See this Link.

Thanks for the reply. Do customs open parcels? May I be fined if they notice that the value is unrealistically low?

Stef

[Pib]

Of course they open parcels "sometimes." Otherwise, some folks could ship most anything, legal and illegal, under disguise and get away with it "all" the time. Unfortunately, too many people bend the truth or flat-out lie in what is being shipped and the value. Ship a diamond ring in a parcel labeled smartphone valued at $150...and no, I'm not implying anything...just giving an example. I expect they open X-amount of packages on a purely random basis to confirm the declared item and value....and also whenever they suspect something ain't right.

Like that package of beauty products from the U.S. I ordered for the wife...now the items were declared accurately by the Ebay shipper, both in description and what I paid (Ebay invoice even in the package), but when we got the package it was obvious it had been opened and resealed...and inside was a form letter from Thai customs saying it had been opened/inspected. Additionally, the Thai customs assigned a higher value than the actual cost plus shipping as apparently Thai customs thought to themselves that these U.S. products may cost X-amount in the U.S. (say $50) but here in Thailand they cost significantly more (say $100) and they used their higher value to calculate the customs charge.

[keeniau96]

The site for such calculations is:

http://www.dutycalculator.com/popular-import-items/import-duty-and-taxes-for-cell-phones/

Apparently on tariff on the phone but must pay 7% VAT on value + shipping

[Stef]

The site for such calculations is:

http://www.dutycalculator.com/popular-import-items/import-duty-and-taxes-for-cell-phones/

Apparently on tariff on the phone but must pay 7% VAT on value + shipping

Thanks to all for the advices. I'll take the risk and order.

Stef

[muratremix]

I recommend you buying a MTK6589T phone if you are willing to proceed.

[Stef]

I recommend you buying a MTK6589T phone if you are willing to proceed.

As I am not a gamer and don't like a large phone, I was considering a MTK6589 only. It is much cheaper and I think it will be sufficient.

Stef

[muratremix]

MTK6589T phones start from 210-220 usd range.

There is almost no difference in size of 4.7" and 5" chinese phone so I recommend you getting 5" one.

I bought THL W8 beyond for 219 usd with THLW8BEYOND coupon code from to2c.com (my first time) or you can buy from Antelife.com for 224 usd with $35 usd coupon code from

http://www.antelife.com/antelifecoupon.html

Antelife can ship via UPS for $15 extra and can declare value of $20 without a problem. I bought from Antelife a few times already.

[h90]

Usually if you buy something under Bt1000 (approx. $33) and it comes through the normal postal systems (i.e., China post to Thai post) then there won't be any customs charges. However, when going over Bt1000 it can be a coin flip. And if you specific delivery via UPS/DHL/FedEx your changes of customs charges jumps way up....seems UPS/DHL/FedEx almost make sure some customs are collected on many things shipped through them to keep Thai customs happy/flowing with money which allows UPS/DHL/FedEx to advertise they can get things delivered quickly through a country's customs.

A couple of years ago I ordered a car electronic item from Germany which cost around $250, had no choice other than DHL because that is the only shipping company the parts company used, I got hit with 39% in customs...a 30% import tax, 7% VAT, and a couple other percent in related fees. Also, ordered about $100 of certain beauty products the wife just had to have from the U.S., they shipped through U.S. Postal System to Thai postal, and I got hit with a Bt1000 in customs charges.

Anyway, I routinely order things off Ebay from sellers in mainland China and Hong Kong that cost less than Bt1,000, the items are shipped through normal postal changes, and I haven't been hit with an customs charges yet. And this is not to imply things from China come duty free...as I seriously doubt that is a general policy....I think it's just a case of the items I ordered being low value (less than Bt1,000) and physically small electronic type items/came in a small box.

I keep using that Bt1,000 value since a ThaiVisa member posted a Thai customs webpage link one time that pretty much said if an item is valued under Bt1,000 then chances of customs charges are greatly reduced....just seemed at the Bt1,000 level then Thai customs can get serious about taking a peak what is in the box and/or applying customs charges. Don't know where that post or link is now...maybe someone has it and they can post it again. And this is not to imply Thai customs will believe the declared value since people routinely undervalue shipments in attempts to avoid customs; Thai customs can assign their own value.

It can be a flip of the coin as to if you will get charged customs, but from my personal experience and reading many other ThaiVisa posts the chances of charges go up significantly if using UPS/DHL/FedEx. And I have no doubt there are ThaiVisa members out there who would disagree regarding UPS/DHL/FedEx....that is, all there stuff showed up customs free for them...guess they are really lucky or I'm just really unlucky. It can be a flip of the coin.

Edit: Hey, I did have that Thai customs webpage bookmarked talking about that Bt1,000 trigger level. See this Link.

Thanks for the reply. Do customs open parcels? May I be fined if they notice that the value is unrealistically low?

Stef

No they don't fine you, they only want to see:

brand, brochure, catalog with price and the money transfer and what else comes into their mind.

That usually ends in either giving up, or let some specialist clear it (he takes a lot money, like 5000 Baht and he gives the customs officer money under the table which is another couple thousands).

So short version....be honest....

[Trembly]

Usually if you buy something under Bt1000 (approx. $33) and it comes through the normal postal systems (i.e., China post to Thai post) then there won't be any customs charges. However, when going over Bt1000 it can be a coin flip. And if you specific delivery via UPS/DHL/FedEx your changes of customs charges jumps way up....seems UPS/DHL/FedEx almost make sure some customs are collected on many things shipped through them to keep Thai customs happy/flowing with money which allows UPS/DHL/FedEx to advertise they can get things delivered quickly through a country's customs.

A couple of years ago I ordered a car electronic item from Germany which cost around $250, had no choice other than DHL because that is the only shipping company the parts company used, I got hit with 39% in customs...a 30% import tax, 7% VAT, and a couple other percent in related fees. Also, ordered about $100 of certain beauty products the wife just had to have from the U.S., they shipped through U.S. Postal System to Thai postal, and I got hit with a Bt1000 in customs charges.

Anyway, I routinely order things off Ebay from sellers in mainland China and Hong Kong that cost less than Bt1,000, the items are shipped through normal postal changes, and I haven't been hit with an customs charges yet. And this is not to imply things from China come duty free...as I seriously doubt that is a general policy....I think it's just a case of the items I ordered being low value (less than Bt1,000) and physically small electronic type items/came in a small box.

I keep using that Bt1,000 value since a ThaiVisa member posted a Thai customs webpage link one time that pretty much said if an item is valued under Bt1,000 then chances of customs charges are greatly reduced....just seemed at the Bt1,000 level then Thai customs can get serious about taking a peak what is in the box and/or applying customs charges. Don't know where that post or link is now...maybe someone has it and they can post it again. And this is not to imply Thai customs will believe the declared value since people routinely undervalue shipments in attempts to avoid customs; Thai customs can assign their own value.

It can be a flip of the coin as to if you will get charged customs, but from my personal experience and reading many other ThaiVisa posts the chances of charges go up significantly if using UPS/DHL/FedEx. And I have no doubt there are ThaiVisa members out there who would disagree regarding UPS/DHL/FedEx....that is, all there stuff showed up customs free for them...guess they are really lucky or I'm just really unlucky. It can be a flip of the coin.

Edit: Hey, I did have that Thai customs webpage bookmarked talking about that Bt1,000 trigger level. See this Link.

China does have a free trade agreement with Thailand, although I don't know the exact terms of the agreement.

[Pib]

Yea, they probably do have some type of agreement. But having the title of a "free trade" agreement does not necessarily mean everything between the two countries is customs/import tax free; it just means the two countries have agreed that X-amount of import tax will apply to different categories of items...like anywhere from 0% to XXX%. But hopefully, the majority of the items covered in the agreement are import tax free. Say the pre-agreement import tax was 50% for product XYZ; under the free trade agreement the tax may be reduced to 20% or maybe 5%..or maybe 0%. Usually the reason trade agreement between two countries take so long to negotiate is because of special interest groups in each country that want to protect their industry from the other country's competing products by keeping an import tax of X-percentage on various products.

[Trembly]

Yea, they probably do have some type of agreement. But having the title of a "free trade" agreement does not necessarily mean everything between the two countries is customs/import tax free; it just means the two countries have agreed that X-amount of import tax will apply to different categories of items...like anywhere from 0% to XXX%. But hopefully, the majority of the items covered in the agreement are import tax free. Say the pre-agreement import tax was 50% for product XYZ; under the free trade agreement the tax may be reduced to 20% or maybe 5%..or maybe 0%. Usually the reason trade agreement between two countries take so long to negotiate is because of special interest groups in each country that want to protect their industry from the other country's competing products by keeping an import tax of X-percentage on various products.

I know for a fact that a Thai based company selling electronic devices made in China import them tax-free . . . hopefully for the OP the FTA extends to mobile handsets too.

[Stef]

Yea, they probably do have some type of agreement. But having the title of a "free trade" agreement does not necessarily mean everything between the two countries is customs/import tax free; it just means the two countries have agreed that X-amount of import tax will apply to different categories of items...like anywhere from 0% to XXX%. But hopefully, the majority of the items covered in the agreement are import tax free. Say the pre-agreement import tax was 50% for product XYZ; under the free trade agreement the tax may be reduced to 20% or maybe 5%..or maybe 0%. Usually the reason trade agreement between two countries take so long to negotiate is because of special interest groups in each country that want to protect their industry from the other country's competing products by keeping an import tax of X-percentage on various products.

I know for a fact that a Thai based company selling electronic devices made in China import them tax-free . . . hopefully for the OP the FTA extends to mobile handsets too.

Thanks for the information. I have ordered the phone without asking the supplier to lie about the value. I hope to have only the VAT to pay.

Stef

[AlfGarnett]

Make sure you do not add any accessories to your order. we recently order an Experia Z with screen protector + case. We were charged Import Tax as anything Taxable in a package enables them to charge EVERYTHING. Was not happy with a 7500b bill because the 200b case was taxable !