I have a few friends looking to send small packages of pipe tobacco to me. I first want to know the legalities of sending a package of loose tobacco into Thailand. What are the limits? What are the tax rates? Etc. I understand there are ways to get around the law at times but I'd rather have the hard and fast rules. Thank you.

Is there a chance someone can at least get my nose pointed in the right direction?

this quote from another post do not have some romantic fairy tale notion about how wonderful things are back in Farang Land.

go to your local day/night market strong tobacco for about 200 bht per kilo

Since there aren't too many pipe-smoking TV members getting their supplies from overseas, all I can suggest is ask your friends to send you no more than a couple of packs via international mail and see what happens when it turns up.

My experience from buying cigars mail-order from Hong Kong is they were held at the local post office and a duty claim form sent to my address. I presented the claim form at the said post office, paid a very reasonable duty on the cigars (around 700 baht for a box of 25 large stogies worth around US$200), signed for them and they were given to me. More recent purchasers in Bangkok have received the duty claim form but had to go to the Customs office near Chaeng Watthana or, in the instance of a Pattaya purchaser, to the Customs shed at Laem Chabang. Also note that one time they sent a courier to collect the cigars and he was hit with over 130% duty. My experience collecting personally is only paying a reasonable tax as noted earlier.

Do NOT send by commercial courier as that is guaranteed to incur delays and higher tax claims.

This is probably my best bet. Thank you for taking the time to answer and share your experience.

An interesting enough looking character on YouTube posted several times regarding his collections and appreciation of pipes and tobacco, in Chiang Mai.

An interesting enough looking character on YouTube posted several times regarding his collections and appreciation of pipes and tobacco, in Chiang Mai.

Wonderful. I'll see if I can't track him down and get the low down.

Loose bags of tobacco and any form of chewing tobacco are illegal. You can order small amounts of branded packaged pipe tobacco without problems but you will be charged duty at the Post Office. Just value the shipment at a low cost.

Loose bags of tobacco and any form of chewing tobacco are illegal. You can order small amounts of branded packaged pipe tobacco without problems but you will be charged duty at the Post Office. Just value the shipment at a low cost.

Good point! Any loose tobacco will be confiscated. If the OP is after a particular loose-packaged variety, he may have to ask friends to repackage it in a branded brand wrapper (after ditching the branded stuff of course).

There's ways and means of getting the totally illegal chewing stuff here; there's way too many Scandihooligans living here for it to be otherwise. Otherwise, discussing snus isn't allowed (but I know where to get it).

Edited November 12, 201411 yr by NanLaew

Loose bags of tobacco and any form of chewing tobacco are illegal. You can order small amounts of branded packaged pipe tobacco without problems but you will be charged duty at the Post Office. Just value the shipment at a low cost.

Good point! Any loose tobacco will be confiscated. If the OP is after a particular loose-packaged variety, he may have to ask friends to repackage it in a branded brand wrapper (after ditching the branded stuff of course).

There's ways and means of getting the totally illegal chewing stuff here; there's way too many Scandihooligans living here for it to be otherwise. Otherwise, discussing snus isn't allowed (but I know where to get it).

The reason the importation loose unbranded tobacco is illegal is to promote Thailand's tobacco growing industry. I'm not sure about snuff but chewing tobacco is banned.

If the OP gets a few tins of pipe tobacco sent as Xmas presents doubt if he will get any problem.

In Pattaya opposite the entrance to soi Bukhao market is Friends supermarket - Chinese owned. They have quite a reasonable range of pipe tobacco and are very helpful. I would ask them how they do it and/or if they can help you get some specific brands.