Today I had to pick up a package at the SanPatong Post Office.

My sister sent me a pair of shoes from America.

I had to pay 802 baht before they gave me the package.

In the past when I lived in Chiang Mai City, I never paid anything for a package with shoes coming from America.

Can anyone tell me why I had to pay this time?

Thank You

Isn't, it the import tax?

I collected a parcel of shirts for a mate from japan,had to pay 3400bt.

Heard that anything valued at over 1k baht is subject to around 20%tax, I may be wrong though

Sent via tin can and string after pigeon shot

Its all about luck, how you declare the article, how big,heavy the parcel is

draws their attention, and you will always have charges if you have parcels

sent by UPS ,FEDEX, etc.

I have had lots of parcels delivered all by mail,from different parts of the world

and never once had taxes ,duty levied, so like i said luck plays a big part.

regards Worgeordie

Its all about luck, how you declare the article, how big,heavy the parcel is

draws their attention, and you will always have charges if you have parcels

sent by UPS ,FEDEX, etc.

I have had lots of parcels delivered all by mail,from different parts of the world

and never once had taxes ,duty levied, so like i said luck plays a big part.

regards Worgeordie

Indeed luck does play a large part. I have had parcels and letters and post cards not delivered by mail that were sent from Canada and the U S.

On the other hand Fed X delivered a parcel of $3.95 chocolate covered marshmallows from the states to my cousin for an extra 1,500 baht of which I think 800 baht was duty. She would have left it with them if it had not been for an ATM card that was delivered with them. I never received a credit card from the Wells Fargo bank so I had them deliver it to my sister and she sent it registered mail and I got it in a week from the states.

So yes luck does play a part. Unless you are willing to pay the big bucks. That credit card cost me $32 U S but I got it.

Well today my luck ran out,have a parcel coming from China with

some computer stuff,tracking it and was out for delivery today,

been held for payment was the notification,don't know how much,

yet. so maybe they are cracking down ,they have all this rice to

pay for after all. Unfortunately some things you have to import as

not everything you can get here.

regards worgeordie

Small packages get through more easily, next time try sending one shoe at a time in a bag not a box.

To a certain extent you have to make your own luck. I have parcels sent from the UK every month and the customs label is always marked with a contents value below 1,000 Baht, no matter what the value of the contents. In the first months i lived here i fell foul of the crazy 'import duty' scam and was told how to avoid it. Of course this is easy if your parcels are coming from family or friends but nigh impossible if you are dealing with large companies.

Never had problems with Thai Post or Customs but my luck just ran out.

A small parcel sent from the UK as usual by my niece has very obviously failed to arrive. I have had no notification from Thai Post/Customs and am much more inclined to believe it went astray with Royal Mail and never left the UK.

Never had problems with Thai Post or Customs but my luck just ran out.

A small parcel sent from the UK as usual by my niece has very obviously failed to arrive. I have had no notification from Thai Post/Customs and am much more inclined to believe it went astray with Royal Mail and never left the UK.

Not surprised, seen a program once about workings inside the Royal Mail,

and some of the people working there could not speak or read English !.

Now the are going to privatize it, can see a letter costing a fiver to post,

like everything else they sold off,now public getting ripped off with cost

of Electric,Water,Trains.

regards Worgeordie

My only problem here with mail was caused by Royal mail in the uk losing it.

Well today my luck ran out,have a parcel coming from China with

some computer stuff,tracking it and was out for delivery today,

been held for payment was the notification,don't know how much,

yet. so maybe they are cracking down ,they have all this rice to

pay for after all. Unfortunately some things you have to import as

not everything you can get here.

regards worgeordie

Update, went to PO where they charged me 220 Bht on 3K bhts worth of goods

so thats OK. the parcel had been opened at Laksi PO in Bangkok,where they

must have examined the goods and levied the tax, plus everything was still

there when opened the parcel,I think some of the things you think happens

in Thailand with the post ,is done before it gets here.

regards Worgeordie