Okay so I'm moving to CM mid-Nov with the shirt on my back and all my computer gear. That includes 10 to 12 hard drives that have lots of TV shows, movies, documentaries, game shows, etc on them and their plugs and wires. I'm retiring and these are my personal collection that I saved so I can watch whatever I want despite being in a remote location. Anyway they aren't for sale but I'm wondering what the customs agent will do when I arrive?

FYI: They all fit into my bugout bag (backpack) but it weighs 40-50 pounds. I'll also have a middle sized suitcase, not too heavy, and a large didgeridoo wrapped in a blanket (3 pieces - only 1 checked). I expect I will pay overage on the weight with the airline.

Any chance Thai customs will confiscate (some of) them or attempt to censor/inspect the contents of each hard drive?

At 30 TB and about 1 hour viewing per GB that would be around 30,000 viewing hours and I really don't want to stand in line while they do that!

is the content of the HDD's pirated material ?

Of course it is.

You'll have to take your chances. Knock up a face company letterhead saying you do web site design or something.

If they ask, tell them it's for a big Thai client.

I've never done brought that kind of stuff into Thailand, but my guess is that customs officials won't care.

If you go through customs in BKK, sometimes you can just walk out with a crowd and they won't ask you to put your stuff on the x ray conveyor belt.

I'll be flying directly into CM from HK via Toronto.

As for it being pirated? I downloaded it from free sites for personal use. I have no intention of copying, uploading, sharing, renting or selling any of that material, nor have I ever done so. I'm just an old dude preparing to retirve into a foreign country and want some stuff in my own language to watch, eh! As a prepper I think I have enough to last me the rest of my life...

OP, lots of people arrive everyday with laptops. If they aren't searched then I shouldn't be.

Bring 2 bottle of red wine, just slightly more than the allowable limit.

If you get pulled out of the line and have to X-ray your bags, they will spot the bottles and you might have to leave one bottle of wine with customs.

When focusing on the wine, they will not even notice your HDD.

Now, STOP worrying about every little detail, relax and enjoy your retirement in CM.

It all depends on luck if you get through with your HDD s, ,its best not

to be first through,wait till the officers are checking someone else's

bags, and nonchalantly stroll through, not making eye contact with

the officials. good luck.

regards Worgeordie

It all depends on luck if you get through with your HDD s, ,its best not

to be first through,wait till the officers are checking someone else's

bags, and nonchalantly stroll through, not making eye contact with

the officials. good luck.

regards Worgeordie

You forgot the most crucial element - the innocent whistle.

I reckon that if they did look at your hard drives and all they find is TV shows they'll probably feel sorry for you and ignore them. They certainly wouldn't be bothered about copyrights, but may want to tax you for the hard drives.

I suggest you practice in a mirror trying not to look like you're trying to look innocent. Do it without the whistling first and when you've mastered that, add the whistle.

If you need lessons let me know.

I always smile at them and say "Sawadee Krap" and they normally respond and move onto to an unsuspecting toerag with two bottles and a couple of cartons of fags.

Do not wear white shoes.

Why not just stay where you are and watch your tv shows?

Do not wear a name-tag that says: "Snowden."

~o:37;

I doubt they'll hit you for over age as you mentioned. But over weight the airlines will love you.

I've never had a problems bringing in my computers, backups, etc. I wouldn't try it going into Australia tho! I lost my HDD for weeks while they did a 'forensic check'.

Last weekend on my arrival back from Australia, Chiang Mai Customs x-rayed my large suitcase, and their machine is obviously programmed for nasties, as I had 2 enormous bottles of fish oil capsules and glucosamine, and no problems.

I've subscribed to Thaiexpat TV, (internet only) and it's got a great range of shows and movies, with about 10UK channels, 1 CNN 1 Oz and al jazeerah, which to me is a good ratio.

'Torrent' works quite well here and I've downloaded plenty of excellent documentaries.

Bring 2 bottle of red wine, just slightly more than the allowable limit.

If you get pulled out of the line and have to X-ray your bags, they will spot the bottles and you might have to leave one bottle of wine with customs.

That is very bad advice indeed. If you're caught over the limit in Thailand they don't just confiscate the overage - they confiscate it all and also fine you 4 times what it's worth.

It all depends on luck if you get through with your HDD s, ,its best not

to be first through,wait till the officers are checking someone else's

bags, and nonchalantly stroll through, not making eye contact with

the officials. good luck.

regards Worgeordie

Yes, I have done this also on a few occasion and it works. However, the one time they did inspect me, they only wanted to scan the carry on as my monster suit case was just too heavy looking for them to bother with. Might be wise to put the HDs in the big case and carry the carry on in your left hand as you walk through hopefully, unmolested. X-ray machine will be on your left as you exit.

Just create an encrypted container on each of the drives and copy all the pirated and illegal stuff inside. Give it some business-like name and if someone asks it's confidential business information, for your eyes only. Truecrypt is your friend, http://www.truecrypt.org/

12 3tb HDD's will weigh about 18 pound (8.1kg's) at the most not including packaging (which will go undetected as carry-on in regards to weight) if the associated cabling really does weigh 22 to 32 pounds I would considering dumping it all buying new here as it will be a heap cheaper than paying overage on.

Bring 2 bottle of red wine, just slightly more than the allowable limit.

If you get pulled out of the line and have to X-ray your bags, they will spot the bottles and you might have to leave one bottle of wine with customs.

That is very bad advice indeed. If you're caught over the limit in Thailand they don't just confiscate the overage - they confiscate it all and also fine you 4 times what it's worth.

There's that 'overage' word again. It's totally new to me. I can guess where it came from.

Airlines tend to call it 'excess baggage'.

Bring 2 bottle of red wine, just slightly more than the allowable limit.

If you get pulled out of the line and have to X-ray your bags, they will spot the bottles and you might have to leave one bottle of wine with customs.

When focusing on the wine, they will not even notice your HDD.

Now, STOP worrying about every little detail, relax and enjoy your retirement in CM.

I once came back from my homecountry together with my Thai GF, and had 5 liter boxed wine, including lots of western foods, and a chrome intensive " massage" rod on battery power and got pulled aside.

Customs digged deep in the suitcase and found the "massage" rod and held it in the air so that every passerby could see it, probably with the thought that me or the lady would be embarrassed, which wasn't the case.

Wine and food passed unnoticed.

Bring 2 bottle of red wine, just slightly more than the allowable limit.

If you get pulled out of the line and have to X-ray your bags, they will spot the bottles and you might have to leave one bottle of wine with customs.

When focusing on the wine, they will not even notice your HDD.

Now, STOP worrying about every little detail, relax and enjoy your retirement in CM.

I once came back from my homecountry together with my Thai GF, and had 5 liter boxed wine, including lots of western foods, and a chrome intensive " massage" rod on battery power and got pulled aside.

Customs digged deep in the suitcase and found the "massage" rod and held it in the air so that every passerby could see it, probably with the thought that me or the lady would be embarrassed, which wasn't the case.

Wine and food passed unnoticed.

Are these massagers a no - no, or were they just trying to embarrass you? I saw some pretty lurid ones for sale openly on Sukhumvit last weekend.

Nice phrase: "Massage rod". Perhaps customs were intimating that you can't get it up.

Bring 2 bottle of red wine, just slightly more than the allowable limit.

If you get pulled out of the line and have to X-ray your bags, they will spot the bottles and you might have to leave one bottle of wine with customs.

When focusing on the wine, they will not even notice your HDD.

Now, STOP worrying about every little detail, relax and enjoy your retirement in CM.

I once came back from my homecountry together with my Thai GF, and had 5 liter boxed wine, including lots of western foods, and a chrome intensive " massage" rod on battery power and got pulled aside.

Customs digged deep in the suitcase and found the "massage" rod and held it in the air so that every passerby could see it, probably with the thought that me or the lady would be embarrassed, which wasn't the case.

Wine and food passed unnoticed.

Are these massagers a no - no, or were they just trying to embarrass you? I saw some pretty lurid ones for sale openly on Sukhumvit last weekend.

Because they are openly for sale on Sukhumvit doesn't mean they are legal.

Hard to predict it. Totally depends on them and what mood they are in. But I would say you are not going to have any problems.

Nice phrase: "Massage rod". Perhaps customs were intimating that you can't get it up.

Or maybe he wanted one for his Mia noi.

Bring 2 bottle of red wine, just slightly more than the allowable limit.

If you get pulled out of the line and have to X-ray your bags, they will spot the bottles and you might have to leave one bottle of wine with customs.

That is very bad advice indeed. If you're caught over the limit in Thailand they don't just confiscate the overage - they confiscate it all and also fine you 4 times what it's worth.

There's that 'overage' word again. It's totally new to me. I can guess where it came from.

Airlines tend to call it 'excess baggage'.

Excess baggage is where you're carrying a greater weight or size of baggage than the airline permits. It has nothing to do with exceeding customs allowances. BTW where do you guess that 'overage' comes from?

Bring 2 bottle of red wine, just slightly more than the allowable limit.

If you get pulled out of the line and have to X-ray your bags, they will spot the bottles and you might have to leave one bottle of wine with customs.

That is very bad advice indeed. If you're caught over the limit in Thailand they don't just confiscate the overage - they confiscate it all and also fine you 4 times what it's worth.

There's that 'overage' word again. It's totally new to me. I can guess where it came from.

Airlines tend to call it 'excess baggage'.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/overage?s=t

o·ver·age2 [oh-ver-ij] Show IPA

noun Commerce .

1.

an excess supply of merchandise.

2.

the value of goods in excess of the amount called for by stock records; money in excess of theamount called for by sales records.

Origin:

1940–45; over- + -age

Make sure you are not perspiring when you walk through. Dead give away.

In general: when I have anything even slightly out of the ordinary (out of the ordinary: anything typical Joe-The-Tourist doesn't bring) then I go through customs in Bangkok and not Chiang Mai.

This case in particular: I honestly don't see the point. You can download whatever you'd want to see much faster than the time it takes to watch it, so I really don't see the point of physically carrying content.

Don't worry about it & if they ask if it's pirated, which they won't, just say that it's legally d/l ed they won't know the difference. As long as it's not porn which is an obvious cash cow for them they won't be interested...

Betting is if there is no porn on there they wouldn't give a monkeys anyway (and even then)...

Aside: how many people on planet earth with a computer do not have oodles of 'free' movies/music on there?