Ok here is the situation..

I just been given a samsung galaxy s5 by my brother, but he is living in scandinavia.

Now i need this to be shipped to Thailand..

Will i be paying import tax/charges or something in regards to this, or..

If there is import charges, is there any way i can avoid this (i wonder also how high charges this could be..?), by sending as letter, not parcel, (box), or something..

Naturally i will have tracking number, but im thinking insurance = customs = high fees!

Any ideas..

There are no customs duties on mobile phones, but normally you would have to pay the 7% tax as well as a processing fee at customs. You would pay those fees for sure with a courier service like Fedex or UPS, but if the package is sent regular mail there is a good possibility (but no guarantee) you can get lucky and it will get through without them catching it.

bought 2 mobiles via china and yes got import duty i'm afraid, but a gift from abroad is another matter as the taxes applied are for the cost of shipping and purchase price.

Therefore you might get lucky either way it won't amount to a big deal i paid 300 baht for the two from china.

If you have your brother send is via regular post (EMS) so that you have a tracking number you may not have to pay customs duties or VAT. Unfortunately it is hit or miss on whether or not it will get through without your having to pay

If he sends it via private carrier (DHL, UPS, FEDEX ) you can pretty much count on having to pay something

Once again, there should NOT be customs duties on a cell phone (or laptops and most other electronics). I have had such items shipped here with no customs duty, but as I said, tax and a processing fee are payable...unless it is sent regular post and not caught at customs.

Example here:

http://www.dutycalculator.com/popular-import-items/import-duty-and-taxes-for-cell-phones/

sell the phone there, transfer the cash to here and buy one here.