Pay tax in advanced on Amazon and eBay does it really work?

[Sandman77]

On amazon and eBay often import taxes will be added in advanced !

Called in my home country

Local tax inspection of post office say, nobody has the right to apply taxes before only the government can do

Ups says the operater can Handle

All the import taxing in name of the buyer!

Amazon 'offers' a tax refound programm

When the import charge 2 time!

This process take 2 month according to website!

Does someone have experience about this?

For me it looks like pay import tax 2 time when the left hand don't know what the right do!

[wym]

The main international carriers work as agents for the customs agencies. Amazon and eBay have a LOT of leverage with them, probably now their top customers. They are trying to remove barriers to customers buying worldwide and have plenty of money to throw at the problem.

If they give you a guarantee that's worth more than from most other businesses.

Go for it.

Just make sure your English language issues don't trip you up, try to get the fine print in your native language so you fully understand the procedures and any loopholes.

Edited March 11, 2014 by wym

[FracturedRabbit]

I have bought items from Amazon where they have imposed an import fee deposit. When the item arrived I did not have to pay anything, and within a couple of weeks I received a partial refund from Amazon; the difference being the duty payable.

[Langsuan Man]

I make sure that I use United States Postal Service and so far have never had to pay any duty on anything.

I think that you need to examine the actual cost of these "pre pay" systems, be it Amazon or eBay and see if they really save you anything

Coincidentally, I was researching a 8 GB 3.0 USB stick on eBay yesterday and the US seller offered me this pre paid deal which would have cost me $19 in shipping and advance customs duties for a $10 item. (not including PayPal's 31.20 USD>THB exchange rate)

Opted instead for a Hong Kong seller who sold me the $10 item for $11 (including PayPal exchange rate) with free shipping via China post

[Suradit69]

I have bought items from Amazon where they have imposed an import fee deposit. When the item arrived I did not have to pay anything, and within a couple of weeks I received a partial refund from Amazon; the difference being the duty payable.

Yes, I bought a Kindle from Amazon in the US that included duty. The Kindle was delivered to me quickly and a bit later I got some money back. Also ordered an iPod from Thai Apple Store online. It was sent from Singapore, but all customs issues were taken care of by them.

On the other hand, eBay offers something called Global Shipping from sellers in the US. That should be avoided like the plague. Actually anytime that eBay wants to help you out with anything involved with international selling or shipping, decline their assistance.

And anyone other than Amazon or Apple who wants to send you something using FEDEX or UPS or DHL, should be told to send whatever it is through the post office. Those three will make sure you pay customs duty at the highest possible rate even if the item would pass through the post office duty-free.

Edited March 12, 2014 by Suradit69

[OxfordWill]

Yes, it does work, with no downside.

[watcharacters]

The main international carriers work as agents for the customs agencies. Amazon and eBay have a LOT of leverage with them, probably now their top customers. They are trying to remove barriers to customers buying worldwide and have plenty of money to throw at the problem.

If they give you a guarantee that's worth more than from most other businesses.

Go for it.

Just make sure your English language issues don't trip you up, try to get the fine print in your native language so you fully understand the procedures and any loopholes.

.

You gave a fair and clear answer.

[wym]

Yes, it does work, with no downside.

Actually there is - because they use those carriers that act as agents for Thai customs, you are much more likely to have to pay the import duty owed.

The alternative methods often suggested here will often squeeze on by without attracting that attention.

For goods that don't attract duty then of course it's just a question of shipping costs being higher, for those not in a hurry that is another downside.

You gave a fair and clear answer.

Why thank you very much, nice to get positive feedback for a change.

[iamariva1957]

Have you ever gone to rent a car from one of the bigger outfits and been asked if you want to prepay for the fuel that you will use? Seems like a good idea at the time as it saves you from having to remember to fill the car up before you return it. Well this prepaid import duty is following the same line of thinking in all reality.

Now, I do not know about you... but I find it quite easy to fill the car up before I return it at a slightly cheaper rate per gallon than the car's rental company was offering. But I can see the logic in the offer if you are going to be in a hurry, or on your company's expense account (the let them pay... serves them right for sending you and not the other guy anyway), or you just do not care. It is the same with Amazon, Fed Ex (especially) and all the others with regards to prepaid customs duty.

Even though they all have 'contacts' and 'arrangements' with local international customs authorities, I have to agree with one poster that USPS (US Postal Service) gets the job done without the added hassle of customs duty (pre or post delivery). I have used them for the last few years and have never had to pay a dime. Marking the custom's label "N.C.V." (No Commercial Value) has always done the trick. Using USPS's Priority Mail is also a good idea (though it costs a bit more. But USPS has "Flat Rate" offers)... the mail seems to get here quicker as it is handled like EMT mail in LOS.

I am not saying that there will not be customs duty due every time (as has been the case with me as I have said) but there are times when bigger shippers have boxes on their check lists that need ticking and one of them is marked 'customs'. Most EU country's postal services have the same contacts with foreign authorities (like USPS). So use them. Using Ebay to get anything remember that items sent from China will be easy to receive here without any duty. But then again remember that anything from China can fall apart in a week! LOL!

[cocopops]

The main international carriers work as agents for the customs agencies. Amazon and eBay have a LOT of leverage with them, probably now their top customers. They are trying to remove barriers to customers buying worldwide and have plenty of money to throw at the problem.

If they give you a guarantee that's worth more than from most other businesses.

Go for it.

Just make sure your English language issues don't trip you up, try to get the fine print in your native language so you fully understand the procedures and any loopholes.

I recently ordered an item via the eBay global shipping program. It arrived by Fedex.

One problem is that if you order anything worth more than 40,000 baht, Fedex will tell you to mail your original passport to them. You don't actually have to do this - the alternative is to register with your local customs office. See thread here:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/708064-where-does-one-register-for-paperless-customs/

The Fedex invoice was something pretty special. My item was $1295, shipping $66.97 and they collected tax of $258.45. The invoice used a rate of 33 Baht to the dollar, so 42735, 2210 and 8528 respectively. First Fedex added the price of the item to the tax collected (??) and applied a 30% duty:

(42736 + 8528) * 0.3 = 15379

Then they added that the shipping on top of that and applied 7% VAT to the whole thing:

(42736 + 8528 + 2210 + 15379) * 0.07 = 4819

As well as that there were roughly 2000 in assorted Fedex charges as a result of me registering myself at customs instead of sending them my passport. So the day before delivery they email an invoice for a bit over 22,000 baht. At this point I'm thinking I'll send it back and take advantage of eBay's money back guarantee. But just before I call them to organize this I cast a final look over the invoice and notice that where it says "Duties and taxes paid by", the box "Exporter" is checked. Not "Consignee". A quick phone call to Fedex confirms it - all these charges are eBay's (or the company they sub-contract international deliveries to - Pitney Bowes) problem, not mine.

The next day the guy drops my order off with nothing to pay. I assume that they will send the 22000 Baht invoice to Pitney Bowes, who will presumably argue it down to something reasonable (i.e. less than 8528) before they pay it.

So basically, yes, it worked as advertised for me. Not as cheap as sneaking things through the regular mail obviously, but at least you know how much you are paying when you make the purchase.

Edited March 13, 2014 by cocopops

[KunMatt]

I have bought items from Amazon where they have imposed an import fee deposit. When the item arrived I did not have to pay anything, and within a couple of weeks I received a partial refund from Amazon; the difference being the duty payable.

Yeah same experience with me importing a couple of fightsticks and games from Amazon US to the UK. I paid the import tax in advance, was charged nothing in the UK and then Amazon refunded me the tax I paid without me doing anything a few weeks later. TBH I forgot all about it and was pleasantly surprised when I got an email from Amazon saying they were refunding me the import tax I pre-paid.

[Sandman77]

Thx for the big input to all!

Only eBay us add automatically

The import fees, this happen only

When seller offers worldwide shipping

If seller send you new bill

The eBay tax adding

will be removed!

Also when items identical on us eBay

Some time more sometime little tax sometime nothing !

Germany always send with dhl after bought German post!

Austria post needs only one week and I never payed any tax

Dhl look in ever parcel often I ordered farang food in Germany and even Lindt chocolate from Switzerland , and you can be sure dhl. Open everything but

Food cannot be taxed!

A smal fee of only 8 bath was sometime charges to talk over to Thai post!

Why some dhl parcels needs one month I don't know think the waiting

The container is full of 1000 kg!

Amazon video games not send from every country only Amazon France let me order 15€ postage books on all amazon ok

Dvd postage on Amazon Germany high

On amazon uk ordered James Bond blue ray collection 23 movies

Removed uk tax and only 3,50 pounds postage!

That's a good deal

German or uk eBay not add taxes before

Amazon us add nearly everything it nearly every item so forget about it!

That's my system check up for the moment !

[thairastawoman]

Hello,

Is it possible to avoid having to pay the deposit for customs on Amazon ?

Thanks.

[WaywardWind]

Hello,

Is it possible to avoid having to pay the deposit for customs on Amazon ?

Thanks.

Depends on the item.

External hard drives carry an import duty rate of 0%, and the normal 7% VAT.

I ordered one from Amazon and they added both Import duties (at 30%) and VAT to the price. I did the calculation on the price of the item plus shipping, and then applied the VAT amount to that total. I then wrote to Amazon, laid it out for them, and they immediately refunded the import duties, even before the item shipped.

It came through fine in about a week.

[Pib]

I make sure that I use United States Postal Service and so far have never had to pay any duty on anything.

I think that you need to examine the actual cost of these "pre pay" systems, be it Amazon or eBay and see if they really save you anything

Coincidentally, I was researching a 8 GB 3.0 USB stick on eBay yesterday and the US seller offered me this pre paid deal which would have cost me $19 in shipping and advance customs duties for a $10 item. (not including PayPal's 31.20 USD>THB exchange rate)

Opted instead for a Hong Kong seller who sold me the $10 item for $11 (including PayPal exchange rate) with free shipping via China post

It's can stil kinda a lottery like you mentioned in another thread. A couple years back I had some women hair coloring worth $100 the wife just had to have shipped to our Bangkok Bank address via USPS. Got hit with a 30% import duty plus 7% VAT...and the declared value on the customs slip which was accurate was not accepted and Thai customs upped the value to calculate the taxes. But I have had a few other things of low value shipped via USPS and there was no import duty or VAT applied.

I've had quite a few Ebay buys shipped from mainland China/Hong Kong...low value buys worth $10 to $30...and haven't been hit with any taxes yet.

A lot also depends on the value...if the value does not exceed 1,000 baht (approx $32) and assuming customs believes this value then your chances go up greatly no taxes will be applied.

[GinBoy2]

I'm going to agree with a few previous comments.

I have a mail/packaging service in the US and I seem to end up with some ridiculous valuations and subsequent customs charges when the ship via Fedex or UPS. So ridiculous in fact, I have abandoned shipments rather than pay more in import duty that I paid for the product

Amazon Global, I pay upfront what seems a fairly reasonable import duty deposit, and to date I have never not received a partial refund