Shipping some personal stuff from Australia -advice please.

[lemoncake]

Hi all,

Due to death in the family I want to take some personal things back to Thailand with me.

It's not much, I would estimate no more than 30-50kg, just things of sentimental value such as some china.

I need some advice on 2 matters

1. Has anyone shipped anything from Australia ?which company? Reliable and well priced ?

2. Upon arrival, was there much tax?

I have checked fedex, and they can do 25kg for around $300, my concern with them is tax by Thai customs

Advice from people with experience would be much appreciated.

[kannot]

if you can get a cheap flight return with emirates who allow 30kg of luggage and just walk thru with it, Ive done this for 7 years with over 70kilos and never been stopped or asked anything, brought in vacuum cleaners, paint, paint brushes , rollers.

[lemoncake]

if you can get a cheap flight return with emirates who allow 30kg of luggage and just walk thru with it, Ive done this for 7 years with over 70kilos and never been stopped or asked anything, brought in vacuum cleaners, paint, paint brushes , rollers.

Thought about that, but I am limited to airlines as I am also taking 2 dogs and want to be on the same flight.

Thanks anyway, will keep in mind if all else fails

[seajae]

As personal items they shouldnt be hit up but with customs you never know. I had some of my stuff go missing when it came through but I did not have to pay any tax on any of it. Check with fed ex and just tell them it is personal belongings and therefore not taxable, see if they will accept that as they usually want to hit you up for extra tax for their own profit. Bringing it by sea is cheap as well but it can take a few months to arrive, I paid $700 for 4 x 30 kg & 2 x 20 kg.

Edited September 26, 2013 by seajae

[kevvy]

if you ship anything always put it your wifes name or g/f . most of the time it will be tax free

[kkerry]

I was in a similar situation a few years ago and sent a couple of crates by sea. The cost of shipping was reasonable but got ripped by customs, couldn't get my stuff back without paying big time despite trying not to. If I had to do it over again I would try bringing it as pre-paid excess/unaccompanied baggage, cheaper and faster. Worth asking your airline in advance to see what they charge, might not be as bad as you think.

[Thai foon]

try shipping it into singapore or malaysia then bring it in by train.

singapore you wont get scammed, not sure of malaysia, check online forums there.

[Jasun]

For that amount, it's worth flying with it in. If you're on a work permit, you won't be charged tax for personal effects coming into the country from Australia, except for alcohol and maybe smokes. Not sure about other visas.

[meatboy]

I was in a similar situation a few years ago and sent a couple of crates by sea. The cost of shipping was reasonable but got ripped by customs, couldn't get my stuff back without paying big time despite trying not to. If I had to do it over again I would try bringing it as pre-paid excess/unaccompanied baggage, cheaper and faster. Worth asking your airline in advance to see what they charge, might not be as bad as you think.

9times out of 10 its not the customs that rob you its the shipping agents this end pretending to be customs.

my wf.had to pay 12,000bht to get her personel belongings out of the docks.

thai airways has never bothered us at all on over-weight when we moved here we told them we were emmigrating and they never charged us a penny[uk] to los.68kilo's.

[kkerry]

Meatboy, yes, you most likely correct about it being the shipping agents. I've had good luck in never being really ripped off or scammed big time in Thailand like happens to some people but trying to get my stuff out of the port... even my wife who is very good at seeing we don't get scammed couldn't get past this one. It was only a couple of hundred dollars I think but when the cost of getting personal effects out of the port in Thailand is double the cost of having them shipped all the way to Thailand...

I remember reading a few threads on Thai Visa at the time from people who had tried doing all the customs legwork themselves and their experiences were not good so if I had to do it again I would just pre-book and bring back by plane, and walk it through if possible. I think for many people it would be cheaper (and faster) than shipping separately.

[lemoncake]

Thanks all for the input

I think will pack it all and see what the "overweight" would be, then i might post old clothing via fedex to give more room in my suitcase.

If customs decide to impose some crazy tax, will let them keep my old clothing, that will teach them

[kkerry]

Make a call to your airline at least a week before you depart. Explain you want to bring back some personal effects that will put you well over the limit, and that you would like the excess to accompany you on the plane if possible so you can take it through customs yourself. If you can organise something in advance it might be worthwhile, just don't wait till you get to the airport to arrange this or you will pay crazy prices.

[lemoncake]

Make a call to your airline at least a week before you depart. Explain you want to bring back some personal effects that will put you well over the limit, and that you would like the excess to accompany you on the plane if possible so you can take it through customs yourself. If you can organise something in advance it might be worthwhile, just don't wait till you get to the airport to arrange this or you will pay crazy prices.

I spoke to airline today and was advised if pre-purchase excess luggage, discount is 30%, in case of Emirates , it's $30/kg at the airport or $21 if per purchased

[meatboy]

if you want to take a chance on what you bring read this,

mostly if not all electrical items have only 1yrs.warranty.

in 4yrs i have thrown away,

2 kettles,

1 deep fat fryer,

1 lawn mower,

2 clocks,

1 electric grill,

1 tile cutter

and today after been repaired under warranty 6 months ago, my filter coffee machine.is leaking water underneath again

items repaired not covered

cooker hood, 1 water pump,1 fax machine,1 aircon unit.

and also if you have a new house built in a moo-ban 1yrs.builders warranty.

if your still coming good luck.

[n0mad]

Not sure where you are but there are places in Sydney CBD which send just about anything for $15/ kg, Wife has used 2 of them both Thai owned businesses i think. I believe they use Thai airways unaccompanied baggage.

Took about a week to arrive and it was door to door.

[lemoncake]

if you want to take a chance on what you bring read this,

mostly if not all electrical items have only 1yrs.warranty.

in 4yrs i have thrown away,

2 kettles,

1 deep fat fryer,

1 lawn mower,

2 clocks,

1 electric grill,

1 tile cutter

and today after been repaired under warranty 6 months ago, my filter coffee machine.is leaking water underneath again

items repaired not covered

cooker hood, 1 water pump,1 fax machine,1 aircon unit.

and also if you have a new house built in a moo-ban 1yrs.builders warranty.

if your still coming good luck.

Oh i am not taking any of those things. As some may know my mother has just passed and i am wanting to take some items of sentimental value with me, such as some China and other things like that.

I no longer have any family back in Oz, so no where to leave it, and also i am not planning to return back to Oz any time soon.

[meatboy]

if you want to take a chance on what you bring read this,

mostly if not all electrical items have only 1yrs.warranty.

in 4yrs i have thrown away,

2 kettles,

1 deep fat fryer,

1 lawn mower,

2 clocks,

1 electric grill,

1 tile cutter

and today after been repaired under warranty 6 months ago, my filter coffee machine.is leaking water underneath again

items repaired not covered

cooker hood, 1 water pump,1 fax machine,1 aircon unit.

and also if you have a new house built in a moo-ban 1yrs.builders warranty.

if your still coming good luck.

Oh i am not taking any of those things. As some may know my mother has just passed and i am wanting to take some items of sentimental value with me, such as some China and other things like that.

I no longer have any family back in Oz, so no where to leave it, and also i am not planning to return back to Oz any time soon.

i was only pointing out the problems you are more likely to encounter here,before we moved we knew what good quality goods cost here they seem to call them luxury eg.a good set of stainless steel pans are 4times more than what you pay at home and you dont have much choice either.my wf.had collected a lot of china,crystal glass,even a 24crt.gold plated 72 pc.cutlery set ect.that she wouldnt even contemplate leaving behind,so yes ship it all and just dont let the agent here know its nearly all got sentimental value because there is no such thing in thailand.where are you going to live?

[meatboy]

just trying to explain to lemoncake about the problems buying anything if you live outside of bkk.as most of you know korat is a pretty big city with some big malls but oh where do they get these so called sales assistants from.yesterday the wf.went to buy a french press coffee maker,she might has well asked for a bag of cement,this was in the kitchen shop,first reply the coffee machine upstairs,then black canyon 2nd floor,finely gave up.its the same scewed up face she got on the phillips electrical stand,wf.asked do you have a bread-maker,reply nod yes,what did she show her a fkg toaster.

its a shame the goverment paid all that money for tony blair to try and educate them it would have been better if he had done his preaching in the uni's.education,education,education.

[Bcgardener]

Lemoncake.. We import with fedex regularly. If the stated value is over 40,000 Baht you will have problems for sure. Under that they will charge duty depending on the description and the harmonised code that applies to that item. If you can keep the stated value at around usd50 you have a good chance of getting it through free but 30kg could be pushing it. You will also have to pay VAT. Calling it gifts or personal items won't work as they need the HS code for Customs.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[lemoncake]

Lemoncake.. We import with fedex regularly. If the stated value is over 40,000 Baht you will have problems for sure. Under that they will charge duty depending on the description and the harmonised code that applies to that item. If you can keep the stated value at around usd50 you have a good chance of getting it through free but 30kg could be pushing it. You will also have to pay VAT. Calling it gifts or personal items won't work as they need the HS code for Customs.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

What about 10 kg box with fedex? or using regular post?

[GrantSmith]

Avoid FedEx or DHL or UPS or TNT - they all outsource their customs clearance work to a third party. This will result in said third party offering an extortionate amount of money in order to clear it with Customs.

I recently had 14kgs worth of stuff sent here via FedEx, I knew roughly how much tax I should have to pay - if that eventuated - but was not prepared for the initial estimate (40k+ Baht), refused the offer and told the FedEx agent to send the shipment back to Australia. His clearance agent then called and spoke with my wife, suffice to say 2 weeks later, the stuff was cleared and acceptable amount of taxes paid (well under the 40k amount), cheeky bar steward then informed me that he could have done it for less, I pointed out that had he done his job correctly in the first place he would have got a few thousand baht more.

Flip this around, I've had a number of packages sent via Australia Post / Thai Post - again, items should have been taxed - nothing. Posted on Tuesday in Australia, received Saturday in Bangkok.

[Bcgardener]

A 10kg box would probably be okay if you keep the value low. Also TNT is okay if you keep the value low on the paperwork. We import PLC's from China using TNTand if we bring in just 3 and our supplier states the value as say $75 total on their invoice then they come through okay without duty. However Thai Customs is unpredictable so you are never 100% sure. With post, we had problems with clearing it here and also I had to go to Laem Chabang to pay the duty and pick up the package. Will never do that again. Yet others say that post is easy and no problem. As I said the whole importation thing is unpredictable with small shipments but we import large sea freight shipments from China (usually over 1000kg) on a regular basis and have never had a problem. Sorry I can't be more help.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[lemoncake]

A 10kg box would probably be okay if you keep the value low. Also TNT is okay if you keep the value low on the paperwork. We import PLC's from China using TNTand if we bring in just 3 and our supplier states the value as say $75 total on their invoice then they come through okay without duty. However Thai Customs is unpredictable so you are never 100% sure. With post, we had problems with clearing it here and also I had to go to Laem Chabang to pay the duty and pick up the package. Will never do that again. Yet others say that post is easy and no problem. As I said the whole importation thing is unpredictable with small shipments but we import large sea freight shipments from China (usually over 1000kg) on a regular basis and have never had a problem. Sorry I can't be more help.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Thank you, i am aware of Thai customs "habbits" i am also bringing my 2 dogs and was just quoted the tax on 2 elder dogs would be $800. Now getting a Thai Vet(friend) to look into it.

I think will just do the excess luggage to avoid the hassles

Edited October 2, 2013 by lemoncake

[Richiekorn]

A 10kg box would probably be okay if you keep the value low. Also TNT is okay if you keep the value low on the paperwork. We import PLC's from China using TNTand if we bring in just 3 and our supplier states the value as say $75 total on their invoice then they come through okay without duty. However Thai Customs is unpredictable so you are never 100% sure. With post, we had problems with clearing it here and also I had to go to Laem Chabang to pay the duty and pick up the package. Will never do that again. Yet others say that post is easy and no problem. As I said the whole importation thing is unpredictable with small shipments but we import large sea freight shipments from China (usually over 1000kg) on a regular basis and have never had a problem. Sorry I can't be more help.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Thank you, i am aware of Thai customs "habbits" i am also bringing my 2 dogs and was just quoted the tax on 2 elder dogs would be $800. Now getting a Thai Vet(friend) to look into it.

I think will just do the excess luggage to avoid the hassles

Make sure you complete all the paperwork for your dogs before you get to Thailand. Also it might help just to pay someone to clear them. The paperwork was like writing a novel.

[lemoncake]

A 10kg box would probably be okay if you keep the value low. Also TNT is okay if you keep the value low on the paperwork. We import PLC's from China using TNTand if we bring in just 3 and our supplier states the value as say $75 total on their invoice then they come through okay without duty. However Thai Customs is unpredictable so you are never 100% sure. With post, we had problems with clearing it here and also I had to go to Laem Chabang to pay the duty and pick up the package. Will never do that again. Yet others say that post is easy and no problem. As I said the whole importation thing is unpredictable with small shipments but we import large sea freight shipments from China (usually over 1000kg) on a regular basis and have never had a problem. Sorry I can't be more help.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Thank you, i am aware of Thai customs "habbits" i am also bringing my 2 dogs and was just quoted the tax on 2 elder dogs would be $800. Now getting a Thai Vet(friend) to look into it.

I think will just do the excess luggage to avoid the hassles

Make sure you complete all the paperwork for your dogs before you get to Thailand. Also it might help just to pay someone to clear them. The paperwork was like writing a novel.

Lol, you not wrong there. I have a company doing the papers here and Thai Vet(hopefully) to handle it all in Thailand

[Bcgardener]

A company called ''V pack and move'' did the local Thai clearance for our cat. No complaints about their service but not sure about costs. If you can go the excess baggsge route it will be a lot easier. Suggest you use suitcases or bags for packing if possible as boxes attract unwanted attention when clearing customs at BKK. I do 3 or 4 trips a year to Oz and usually bring something in the way of home appliances or similar back. Last time it was a breadmaker. I always unpack them and pack in my bag to avoid attention. The wines another story.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app