Household items shipment

[JoeyDaRench]

I'd like to PM or speak with anyone who has had a shipment of used household goods into Thailand.

We are moving soon and only get conflicting information from shipping companies. We will be shipping

a full container. Some issues I have come across are you can ship a piano and another says no. One

says 1 of each item (i.e. Television, Washer, etc.) and another says 2 if it's a family move. I've found that

bicycles and xmas decorations will be taxed. I can't find out the basis for how the tax is derived. I don't

have a problem with the tax, but I'd like to have an idea of what I'll be paying prior to the move. I don't

want to get there and be told 100K baht or even 50K baht. I will be using a shipping and clearing company

but they (none of them) will even give me a ballpark figure of what I can expect.

I understand the "sell it all" first idea but that's not an option. Our piano is far too valuable to part with. As

long as I am shipping that, I might as well bring the other stuff as well.

Again, if there is anyone with experience in this, I'd really appreciate to talk.

[a99az]

It's Thailand and I for one would be more than a little nervous to ship anything in, simply because it's so corrupt. If things are not stolen you could end up paying more than the new cost for your things.

Why not store your most valuable things and sell the rest?

[JoeyDaRench]

Thanks a99az,

I'm not to worried about the items being stolen as it's a full container and I don't think (hopefully) they would rummage through it. Also, the shipping company will be looking out for that. I am however extremely worried that I may be told to pay cash money (corruption) that exceeds the value of my items. Can't store the stuff as this is a permanent move. We're not planning on coming back.

[wym]

Unfortunately one of the consequences of a corrupt system is it's unpredictable, which is of course its worst feature wrt holding back development.

The companies won't tell you how much import duties etc will be because there isn't any way to predict it, depends on the individual bureacrat(s) your container encounters, what side of the bed they got up on that day, maybe his mia noi needs a nice present. . .

If you were to find out it'll be 50K THB more than you know about, would that stop you bringing it in?

If so, better off not taking the chance, could easily be more than that.

Or might be nothing.

On what basis are you immigrating, are one of you Thai returning?

[JoeyDaRench]

Hi wym,

The problem is the unpredictability. My wife is Thai returning after 6 years here. I understand, more or less, what that allows.

Would I pay 50K baht? Not for a couple of bicycles or other piddly stuff that seems to be prohibited. If I am going to get

dinged 50K for legitimate household items (that are deemed acceptable) because the guy got up wrong, that's where I have a problem.

I also understand that's what I'm paying a Thai handling company for but I also know it could still happen. That's why I'd really like to

find someone who's gone through this somewhat recently.

Thanks for your response. I do appreciate it.

[n210mp]

We had no problems at all, similar circumstances to you, Thai lady wife returning with UK husband after living in the UK for a number of years, this was 2012 so maybe expect a little price increase now.

Used GDA Bangkok door to door service to Pattaya. Total cost including all fees was just under seventeen GBP

To save costs loaded the 20ft container and unloaded the same at Pattaya. ( with the help of a few mates and a couple of Thai labourers.

Because the Thai lady wife is a returning Thai national there was no import duty and there was in fact no duty and the process was smooth and easy.

If I had really been savvy to the Thai laws on importation I would have placed the family car in her name a couple of years before and then brought the car over as well without any import duty but heck thats how it goes.

Send me a PM and I will get Charles McMurrys Manager US National (Global distribution services LTD) a contact details for you

[sundrenched]

I had no problems either (received my stuff last month from Singapore), but as others have said, it's the unpredictability of it. It's no good trusting your moving company either because they'll hand it over to a local partner in Thailand that may be corrupt. That said, in hindsight I wish I had shipped MORE of my stuff in. I read the scare stories here and sold a lot of my stuff, now find myself shopping for the same goods again... It's not only costing me a lot of money but also time (and enervation dealing with the horrible sales people). If your paperwork is in order, I'd say just load that container and bring everything.

[JoeyDaRench]

Thanks Sundrenched.

I'm beginning to get a better feeling about this.

[wym]

Yes, put everything through as your wife's returning goods and odds are good you'll get in scot free.

But no one can make any promises, it's not the shipping company it's the officials that can cause the problems.

[JesseFrank]

If you do a search on this forum, you will find that a few members here had positive results with this company .

http://www.sevenseasworldwide.com/

[JoeyDaRench]

Thanks Jesse,

They are one of the companies that I'm speaking with.

[sundrenched]

I used Seven Seas to ship some of my goods from Singapore to Belgium for long-term storage. They didn't offer container service in Singapore but in some countries they do. Great company for small moves though. Everything went super smooth, and on a short lead time. I used Astro Movers for the stuff I shipped from Singapore to Thailand. Also a very good experience and recommended.

Edited February 11, 2014 by sundrenched

[JoeyDaRench]

Thanks again Sundrenched

[meatboy]

I had no problems either (received my stuff last month from Singapore), but as others have said, it's the unpredictability of it. It's no good trusting your moving company either because they'll hand it over to a local partner in Thailand that may be corrupt. That said, in hindsight I wish I had shipped MORE of my stuff in. I read the scare stories here and sold a lot of my stuff, now find myself shopping for the same goods again... It's not only costing me a lot of money but also time (and enervation dealing with the horrible sales people). If your paperwork is in order, I'd say just load that container and bring everything.

we done all our homework on the cost of everything you need before we moved back the wife had been in the uk for over 20yrs.but it didn't stop the agent this end scaming her for 18,000bht.[6,000 was delivery]. the op needs to get as much non electric goods as possible eg.kitchen eqmt.pans,of all sorts and not forgetting a good steel wok.there are some good furniture makers here our is top quality better than most in the uk.eg.1x7ft settee,2x arm chairsm1x foot stool,5 x large cushions and 3 x small ones after almost 5yrs.it still looks new cost 23,000bht. even the seat cushions arnt sagging despite my 120kilo body weight.wallpaper is another thing,curtains,I did bring a good music system and speakers over[kenwood and pioneer] picture frames,bedding and cutlery.they have these here but any quality goods of any description are classed as luxury in other words farang prices.

we only shipped 3 cubic mts.30 boxes in total and all my fishing gear.

total cost.uk to bkk 240gbp.agents fee this end plus delivery to home[korat] 18,000bht.around 30,000bht.

[JoeyDaRench]

Thanks for the info Meatboy. I'm still working on the best way to go.

[meatboy]

Thanks for the info Meatboy. I'm still working on the best way to go.

forgot to mention the wife had collected a lot of lead crystal drinking glasses and china [dinner service ect] good cutting knives anything made of stainless steel the price over here is treble what it is in the uk.as for electrical goods bring some universal plugs with you and three pin ex.leads that's if you have anything with three pin plugs on them.

tvs,washing machine,gas hob and slot in electric ovens are pretty reasonable.