Unaccompanied Luggage to BKK: Any experience anyone?

[UTH001]

I am thinking of shipping two bags of unaccompanied luggage to Suvarnabhumi next month from Europe (around 40kg). Does anyone have any first-hand experience (customs fees, import duties, where to pick up etc?)?

[Rooo]

Moved to

Suvarnabhumi Airport Forum

[Andrew65]

I did this some years ago with a suitcase coming from Perth, Australia. It was sent by someone at my former employer.

I had to fill in a questionnaire before it was sent. When it arrived I used an "agent", which cost me 5,000 Baht. Had to go to about twelve different counters and sign things.

This took about 4 hours, but I did get the bag.

Without using the agent I couldn't have done this, he was hanging around outside the building that I visited first.

[Finlaco]

I previously had to move from China to Bangkok, circa 6 years ago. I used good quality boxes completely tapped all around. They arrived in fairly good condition. None of the 8 boxes went missing. Obviously i was shipping clothing and non breakables.

I used the local post service knowing that this would avoid Custom Charges. If you use DHL, Fed Ex, etc... they will automatically calculate a customs charge plus various administration charges which can be quite high

[dotpoom]

My Ex. arrived from Europe almost two weeks ago. Her initial flight was delayed for 4 hours on the tarmac, thus causing her to miss her connection to BKk. She was rerouted to Abu Dhabi and then onto Bahrain before finally getting a connection to BKK. Her baggage got lost. Five days later we got it after numerous phone calls and one visit to the Airport. Seemingly it was mistakenly sent to India, then put on a plane for BKK, but instead it was sent to another part of India before it arrived here.

Keep a record of your luggage tag No's to avoid delay if you have to make a query as to the whereabouts of your luggage if unfortunately they too got lost. Good Luck.

PS...she had her name and address in Thailand plastered on both sides of the suitcase and labels attached and it still went on "Walkabouts".

[superdome]

Use a company called "send my case"...check them out on internet....

[CajunCruiser]

Use a company called "send my case"...check them out on internet....

Close, with this hint I was able to find the company called send my bag.

[UTH001]

I did this some years ago with a suitcase coming from Perth, Australia. It was sent by someone at my former employer.

I had to fill in a questionnaire before it was sent. When it arrived I used an "agent", which cost me 5,000 Baht. Had to go to about twelve different counters and sign things.

This took about 4 hours, but I did get the bag.

Without using the agent I couldn't have done this, he was hanging around outside the building that I visited first.

Thought this would be the case (already paid enough 'import duties' when my container arrived...) but was hoping that recently, this might have changed. I am going to use a shipping company to get the bags/boxes to Suvarnabhumi 'unaccompanied luggage' (used personal items), I guess I have another 'experience' coming up...

Cannot use 'send my case/bag', service from origin to BKK not available, unfortunately...

[Andrew65]

My bag was sent by a company called Access Logistics, they say anywhere in the world.

http://www.accesslogistics.com.au/

[Kerryd]

I shipped 2 boxes of stuff (via DHL) to myself in December. The job I'd been on for years had ended and the company was willing to pay to ship personal effects home so I decided that would be the easier (and cheaper) route than carrying everything with me through the airports. Everything I packed was stuff I'd accumulated over the years and (used) clothing, boots, books, etc.

Big mistake.

I should have just carried everything, even if it meant paying excess baggage fees. With the normal paperwork, as well as inside of each box, I included a "personal invoice" detailing the contents of the shipment and estimated value, a (signed) photocopy of my passport as well as a (signed) photocopy of the Non-O(A)/Multi-Entry permit page. Both boxes went from Afghanistan to Bahrain to Hong Kong. One box left HK on 16 Dec, arrived in Bangkok and DHL delivered it on the 17th.

The second box arrived in Bangkok on the 17th and that is when the fun began. DHL handed the paperwork to a Customs Broker in the Suvarnabhumi Airport Free Zone (SAFZ). The broker called and said I needed to bring my passport to their office and that it was going to cost 17,000 baht in Customs fees to get my box !!!!! (The total value of everything I'd shipped was about $1,100 USD/36,000 THB so they were telling me that the Customs fees were going to be over 47% of the value of the shipment ?!?!?!??! To bring my used clothes, work boots, books, flashlight, baseball caps, etc back home ??!?!?!)

I got a (Thai) friend to drive me to Swampy. Took a bit to find the SAFZ and then the "DHL" office which wasn't actually DHL at all, but a 3rd party broker that DHL uses to facilitate the process.

The main terminal is in the upper left. The Freight Forwarder/Customs Brokers offices and Customs Office are in the center-middle. Main warehouse is center-right. If you are leaving Swampy heading to the city (or elsewhere) those buildings will be on your left once you are up on the elevated roadway.

There was the start of the frustrations. The lady that looked after the DHL matters informed me that she needed to see my previous passport as my current one was only 6 weeks old !! Didn't matter that I showed her the stamps where the Non-O(A) had been transferred from the old passport. Then she informed me that I was required to go back to Pattaya, get the 1st box that had already been delivered and bring it back to the airport !! (If need be, she could have an agent pick it and my old passport up in Pattaya and bring it back, with my current passport, to the airport in a couple of days.)

I sat there dumbfounded and asked her if she really expected me to go home, repack the box that I'd already unpacked and bring it back the same way it was when I'd originally shipped it ? (It seems that the first box had somehow inadvertently "slipped" through the system and been delivered without Customs knowing about it.) Plus hand over my old and current passport to some delivery guy hoping they'll make it back in a week or so ? Then the nice lady informed me that if I pay the 17,000 baht now, they could "clear it all up" and deliver the 2nd box in 5-7 days !!!!! (Unless I wanted to come back in 5-7 days and pick it up myself !!!!)

I was struggling to keep a smile on my face and this was just the first stop of the day. What I thought would be a 10-15 minute exercise in photocopying/signing copies of my passport (exactly like the copies they already had) ended up being a 9 hour excursion !

The lady informed me that if I wanted the 2nd box that day, she could talk to someone and maybe get the price lowered. Right then I knew I was being taken for a ride. Turns out if I engaged someone else to do the paperwork, I could get it done and get my box that day for only 12,000 baht !! I agreed, she made a call and a few minutes later a (Thai) guy shows up, collects the paperwork and us and away we go. We spent the next few hours going into various buildings/offices, getting this paper stamped, then over there to get a signature (each time the paperwork crossed a counter/desk, I noticed a 100 baht bill being slipped into it by our "agent"). Then we went to another office and paid a small fee so we could access the Restricted area of the Zone. We then spent another couple hours running around the large warehouse and different shipper's areas there trying to track down my box so we could get it released.

What ended up really saving my bacon was when we went into the actual DHL office and encountered the (UK) manager. I explained the situation to him, he grabbed one of his workers and explained what needed to be done and off she went. He acknowledged that it was (sort of) DHL's fault in that the 1st box shouldn't have been delivered without clearing Customs first, but he also agreed that it was complete nonsense to expect me to go home and bring it back. (It seems the latest issue was that the paperwork said "2" pieces but of course, there was only 1 still at the airport.) The other issue that DHL took care of was the "storage" fee (of 1,000 baht a day !!!!!) for the small box (hardly larger than a carry-on suitcase) that sat in the Customs warehouse for one day !! Bluddy good thing I didn't spend my first week home getting sloshed and then worry about my missing box !

I finally got my box and we had one final desk (and "fee") to pay so someone could take a 2 second peek inside, smile and sign off the paperwork. Then it was a short ride back to car, pay off the agent and finally, 9 hours later, we were on our way back to Pattaya.

At no point until the end did the agent ask for any money at all so I'm pretty sure he didn't pay anyone anywhere near 12,000 baht. I never saw any fees over 1,000 baht on any of the paperwork that I could decipher, so I'm guessing that the majority of the 12k went straight into his pocket (minus a finders fee to the original broker I'm guessing, who would have pocketed the majority of the 17k themselves if I hadn't balked). Had I simply carried both boxes with me, even if stopped by Customs in Swampy, I'm sure they would have taken one look at my old socks and underwear and waved me through. The frikken laptop I carried through was over twice the value of the stuff I shipped !

Just to make matters sweeter (for me, sarcastically speaking) - I just ordered a fuel diagnostic calibration unit for my motorcycle from an online store in the US that does international shipping. The value of the unit including taxes is about 20,000 baht. They aren't charging me for shipping and have calculated the Customs fees as being just over 3,300 baht (about 16.5%) !!

During the last few years I worked in Afghanistan I routinely shipped 10s of millions of $$ worth of equipment every year in/out of Kandahar via DHL. We also shipped people's personal belongings home when their contracts ended. I've probably shipped 4 dozen (+) sets of suitcases, gorilla boxes, crates and sundry containers of peoples knick-knacks to Canada, USA, Israel, Australia and the UK and never had an issue. This was however, the 2nd time I've had an problem with shipping stuff to Thailand.

The last time was 2010. I'd ordered a whack of parts for my Harley from the US (free shipping to Kandahar !) and was going to carry them with me on my next trip home. Same thing - when I calculated the excess baggage fess, it was actually going to be cheaper to ship via DHL (at my own expense that time). Same situation - the boxes got held up at customs and I had to pay a hefty fee (almost 21,000 baht that time) to get them released and delivered. The story that time was "they" didn't think the stuff I shipped was for personal use, and that my "real" intention was to resell the items therefore they were charging me the "higher" 40% rate. Yeah - 40% to bring in brand new motorcycle parts, but 47% to bring in used clothing ?

Little wonder I knew I was being taken for a ride. That plus the fact that the original 17,000 baht "Customs" fee was able to magically be dropped to 12,000 without anyone actually contacting Thai Customs. I'm betting the actual Customs fees were significantly less than 12,000. Looking at the documentation I see that "they" valued the shipment at 40,000 but I don't see anything that looks like an actual "fee".

Makes me glad I didn't try to ship my furnishings and effects from Canada after I first got my Non-O(A) visa.

There has to be an easier, better (cheaper) way to ship personal belongings but right now it seems the best way is either by mail or plan ahead and carry it with you on the plane. If you are shipping a lot (or big stuff) - contact a shipping agent and make arrangements beforehand which may help speed up matters.

[Andrew65]

I shipped 2 boxes of stuff (via DHL) to myself in December. The job I'd been on for years had ended and the company was willing to pay to ship personal effects home so I decided that would be the easier (and cheaper) route than carrying everything with me through the airports. Everything I packed was stuff I'd accumulated over the years and (used) clothing, boots, books, etc.

Big mistake.

I should have just carried everything, even if it meant paying excess baggage fees. With the normal paperwork, as well as inside of each box, I included a "personal invoice" detailing the contents of the shipment and estimated value, a (signed) photocopy of my passport as well as a (signed) photocopy of the Non-O(A)/Multi-Entry permit page. Both boxes went from Afghanistan to Bahrain to Hong Kong. One box left HK on 16 Dec, arrived in Bangkok and DHL delivered it on the 17th.

The second box arrived in Bangkok on the 17th and that is when the fun began. DHL handed the paperwork to a Customs Broker in the Suvarnabhumi Airport Free Zone (SAFZ). The broker called and said I needed to bring my passport to their office and that it was going to cost 17,000 baht in Customs fees to get my box !!!!! (The total value of everything I'd shipped was about $1,100 USD/36,000 THB so they were telling me that the Customs fees were going to be over 47% of the value of the shipment ?!?!?!??! To bring my used clothes, work boots, books, flashlight, baseball caps, etc back home ??!?!?!)

I got a (Thai) friend to drive me to Swampy. Took a bit to find the SAFZ and then the "DHL" office which wasn't actually DHL at all, but a 3rd party broker that DHL uses to facilitate the process.

The main terminal is in the upper left. The Freight Forwarder/Customs Brokers offices and Customs Office are in the center-middle. Main warehouse is center-right. If you are leaving Swampy heading to the city (or elsewhere) those buildings will be on your left once you are up on the elevated roadway.

There was the start of the frustrations. The lady that looked after the DHL matters informed me that she needed to see my previous passport as my current one was only 6 weeks old !! Didn't matter that I showed her the stamps where the Non-O(A) had been transferred from the old passport. Then she informed me that I was required to go back to Pattaya, get the 1st box that had already been delivered and bring it back to the airport !! (If need be, she could have an agent pick it and my old passport up in Pattaya and bring it back, with my current passport, to the airport in a couple of days.)

I sat there dumbfounded and asked her if she really expected me to go home, repack the box that I'd already unpacked and bring it back the same way it was when I'd originally shipped it ? (It seems that the first box had somehow inadvertently "slipped" through the system and been delivered without Customs knowing about it.) Plus hand over my old and current passport to some delivery guy hoping they'll make it back in a week or so ? Then the nice lady informed me that if I pay the 17,000 baht now, they could "clear it all up" and deliver the 2nd box in 5-7 days !!!!! (Unless I wanted to come back in 5-7 days and pick it up myself !!!!)

I was struggling to keep a smile on my face and this was just the first stop of the day. What I thought would be a 10-15 minute exercise in photocopying/signing copies of my passport (exactly like the copies they already had) ended up being a 9 hour excursion !

The lady informed me that if I wanted the 2nd box that day, she could talk to someone and maybe get the price lowered. Right then I knew I was being taken for a ride. Turns out if I engaged someone else to do the paperwork, I could get it done and get my box that day for only 12,000 baht !! I agreed, she made a call and a few minutes later a (Thai) guy shows up, collects the paperwork and us and away we go. We spent the next few hours going into various buildings/offices, getting this paper stamped, then over there to get a signature (each time the paperwork crossed a counter/desk, I noticed a 100 baht bill being slipped into it by our "agent"). Then we went to another office and paid a small fee so we could access the Restricted area of the Zone. We then spent another couple hours running around the large warehouse and different shipper's areas there trying to track down my box so we could get it released.

What ended up really saving my bacon was when we went into the actual DHL office and encountered the (UK) manager. I explained the situation to him, he grabbed one of his workers and explained what needed to be done and off she went. He acknowledged that it was (sort of) DHL's fault in that the 1st box shouldn't have been delivered without clearing Customs first, but he also agreed that it was complete nonsense to expect me to go home and bring it back. (It seems the latest issue was that the paperwork said "2" pieces but of course, there was only 1 still at the airport.) The other issue that DHL took care of was the "storage" fee (of 1,000 baht a day !!!!!) for the small box (hardly larger than a carry-on suitcase) that sat in the Customs warehouse for one day !! Bluddy good thing I didn't spend my first week home getting sloshed and then worry about my missing box !

I finally got my box and we had one final desk (and "fee") to pay so someone could take a 2 second peek inside, smile and sign off the paperwork. Then it was a short ride back to car, pay off the agent and finally, 9 hours later, we were on our way back to Pattaya.

At no point until the end did the agent ask for any money at all so I'm pretty sure he didn't pay anyone anywhere near 12,000 baht. I never saw any fees over 1,000 baht on any of the paperwork that I could decipher, so I'm guessing that the majority of the 12k went straight into his pocket (minus a finders fee to the original broker I'm guessing, who would have pocketed the majority of the 17k themselves if I hadn't balked). Had I simply carried both boxes with me, even if stopped by Customs in Swampy, I'm sure they would have taken one look at my old socks and underwear and waved me through. The frikken laptop I carried through was over twice the value of the stuff I shipped !

Just to make matters sweeter (for me, sarcastically speaking) - I just ordered a fuel diagnostic calibration unit for my motorcycle from an online store in the US that does international shipping. The value of the unit including taxes is about 20,000 baht. They aren't charging me for shipping and have calculated the Customs fees as being just over 3,300 baht (about 16.5%) !!

During the last few years I worked in Afghanistan I routinely shipped 10s of millions of $$ worth of equipment every year in/out of Kandahar via DHL. We also shipped people's personal belongings home when their contracts ended. I've probably shipped 4 dozen (+) sets of suitcases, gorilla boxes, crates and sundry containers of peoples knick-knacks to Canada, USA, Israel, Australia and the UK and never had an issue. This was however, the 2nd time I've had an problem with shipping stuff to Thailand.

The last time was 2010. I'd ordered a whack of parts for my Harley from the US (free shipping to Kandahar !) and was going to carry them with me on my next trip home. Same thing - when I calculated the excess baggage fess, it was actually going to be cheaper to ship via DHL (at my own expense that time). Same situation - the boxes got held up at customs and I had to pay a hefty fee (almost 21,000 baht that time) to get them released and delivered. The story that time was "they" didn't think the stuff I shipped was for personal use, and that my "real" intention was to resell the items therefore they were charging me the "higher" 40% rate. Yeah - 40% to bring in brand new motorcycle parts, but 47% to bring in used clothing ?

Little wonder I knew I was being taken for a ride. That plus the fact that the original 17,000 baht "Customs" fee was able to magically be dropped to 12,000 without anyone actually contacting Thai Customs. I'm betting the actual Customs fees were significantly less than 12,000. Looking at the documentation I see that "they" valued the shipment at 40,000 but I don't see anything that looks like an actual "fee".

Makes me glad I didn't try to ship my furnishings and effects from Canada after I first got my Non-O(A) visa.

There has to be an easier, better (cheaper) way to ship personal belongings but right now it seems the best way is either by mail or plan ahead and carry it with you on the plane. If you are shipping a lot (or big stuff) - contact a shipping agent and make arrangements beforehand which may help speed up matters.

You probably met the same "agent" as I did. When I met him, he was stood outside the building, and was the first person that I saw/met.

He said it would cost 5,000 Baht, it was only a suitcase with the usual clothes etc inside. Like you visited a multitude of counters, for me there were a few bus rides in between. Swampy is a massive complex.

I did hand over 100 Baht to one guy, but no mention was made about customs duty etc. I received my bag unopened, the cable-tie was still fastening the zips.

All of this took about four hours.

[Nemesis7]

As King as you are sending dutiable goods it's no hassel and can get it from the airlines luggage handeling desk with you receipt .

[nithisa78]

Yes. Call the airline at Suvarnubhumi. Make it crystal clear there will be tip. They will meet you with bells on and smiles.

We've had baggage waiting for a week or more. Be patient and polite.

[nithisa78]

I shipped 2 boxes of stuff (via DHL) to myself in December. The job I'd been on for years had ended and the company was willing to pay to ship personal effects home so I decided that would be the easier (and cheaper) route than carrying everything with me through the airports. Everything I packed was stuff I'd accumulated over the years and (used) clothing, boots, books, etc.

Big mistake.

I should have just carried everything, even if it meant paying excess baggage fees. With the normal paperwork, as well as inside of each box, I included a "personal invoice" detailing the contents of the shipment and estimated value, a (signed) photocopy of my passport as well as a (signed) photocopy of the Non-O(A)/Multi-Entry permit page. Both boxes went from Afghanistan to Bahrain to Hong Kong. One box left HK on 16 Dec, arrived in Bangkok and DHL delivered it on the 17th.

The second box arrived in Bangkok on the 17th and that is when the fun began. DHL handed the paperwork to a Customs Broker in the Suvarnabhumi Airport Free Zone (SAFZ). The broker called and said I needed to bring my passport to their office and that it was going to cost 17,000 baht in Customs fees to get my box !!!!! (The total value of everything I'd shipped was about $1,100 USD/36,000 THB so they were telling me that the Customs fees were going to be over 47% of the value of the shipment ?!?!?!??! To bring my used clothes, work boots, books, flashlight, baseball caps, etc back home ??!?!?!)

I got a (Thai) friend to drive me to Swampy. Took a bit to find the SAFZ and then the "DHL" office which wasn't actually DHL at all, but a 3rd party broker that DHL uses to facilitate the process.

The main terminal is in the upper left. The Freight Forwarder/Customs Brokers offices and Customs Office are in the center-middle. Main warehouse is center-right. If you are leaving Swampy heading to the city (or elsewhere) those buildings will be on your left once you are up on the elevated roadway.

There was the start of the frustrations. The lady that looked after the DHL matters informed me that she needed to see my previous passport as my current one was only 6 weeks old !! Didn't matter that I showed her the stamps where the Non-O(A) had been transferred from the old passport. Then she informed me that I was required to go back to Pattaya, get the 1st box that had already been delivered and bring it back to the airport !! (If need be, she could have an agent pick it and my old passport up in Pattaya and bring it back, with my current passport, to the airport in a couple of days.)

I sat there dumbfounded and asked her if she really expected me to go home, repack the box that I'd already unpacked and bring it back the same way it was when I'd originally shipped it ? (It seems that the first box had somehow inadvertently "slipped" through the system and been delivered without Customs knowing about it.) Plus hand over my old and current passport to some delivery guy hoping they'll make it back in a week or so ? Then the nice lady informed me that if I pay the 17,000 baht now, they could "clear it all up" and deliver the 2nd box in 5-7 days !!!!! (Unless I wanted to come back in 5-7 days and pick it up myself !!!!)

I was struggling to keep a smile on my face and this was just the first stop of the day. What I thought would be a 10-15 minute exercise in photocopying/signing copies of my passport (exactly like the copies they already had) ended up being a 9 hour excursion !

The lady informed me that if I wanted the 2nd box that day, she could talk to someone and maybe get the price lowered. Right then I knew I was being taken for a ride. Turns out if I engaged someone else to do the paperwork, I could get it done and get my box that day for only 12,000 baht !! I agreed, she made a call and a few minutes later a (Thai) guy shows up, collects the paperwork and us and away we go. We spent the next few hours going into various buildings/offices, getting this paper stamped, then over there to get a signature (each time the paperwork crossed a counter/desk, I noticed a 100 baht bill being slipped into it by our "agent"). Then we went to another office and paid a small fee so we could access the Restricted area of the Zone. We then spent another couple hours running around the large warehouse and different shipper's areas there trying to track down my box so we could get it released.

What ended up really saving my bacon was when we went into the actual DHL office and encountered the (UK) manager. I explained the situation to him, he grabbed one of his workers and explained what needed to be done and off she went. He acknowledged that it was (sort of) DHL's fault in that the 1st box shouldn't have been delivered without clearing Customs first, but he also agreed that it was complete nonsense to expect me to go home and bring it back. (It seems the latest issue was that the paperwork said "2" pieces but of course, there was only 1 still at the airport.) The other issue that DHL took care of was the "storage" fee (of 1,000 baht a day !!!!!) for the small box (hardly larger than a carry-on suitcase) that sat in the Customs warehouse for one day !! Bluddy good thing I didn't spend my first week home getting sloshed and then worry about my missing box !

I finally got my box and we had one final desk (and "fee") to pay so someone could take a 2 second peek inside, smile and sign off the paperwork. Then it was a short ride back to car, pay off the agent and finally, 9 hours later, we were on our way back to Pattaya.

At no point until the end did the agent ask for any money at all so I'm pretty sure he didn't pay anyone anywhere near 12,000 baht. I never saw any fees over 1,000 baht on any of the paperwork that I could decipher, so I'm guessing that the majority of the 12k went straight into his pocket (minus a finders fee to the original broker I'm guessing, who would have pocketed the majority of the 17k themselves if I hadn't balked). Had I simply carried both boxes with me, even if stopped by Customs in Swampy, I'm sure they would have taken one look at my old socks and underwear and waved me through. The frikken laptop I carried through was over twice the value of the stuff I shipped !

Just to make matters sweeter (for me, sarcastically speaking) - I just ordered a fuel diagnostic calibration unit for my motorcycle from an online store in the US that does international shipping. The value of the unit including taxes is about 20,000 baht. They aren't charging me for shipping and have calculated the Customs fees as being just over 3,300 baht (about 16.5%) !!

During the last few years I worked in Afghanistan I routinely shipped 10s of millions of $$ worth of equipment every year in/out of Kandahar via DHL. We also shipped people's personal belongings home when their contracts ended. I've probably shipped 4 dozen (+) sets of suitcases, gorilla boxes, crates and sundry containers of peoples knick-knacks to Canada, USA, Israel, Australia and the UK and never had an issue. This was however, the 2nd time I've had an problem with shipping stuff to Thailand.

The last time was 2010. I'd ordered a whack of parts for my Harley from the US (free shipping to Kandahar !) and was going to carry them with me on my next trip home. Same thing - when I calculated the excess baggage fess, it was actually going to be cheaper to ship via DHL (at my own expense that time). Same situation - the boxes got held up at customs and I had to pay a hefty fee (almost 21,000 baht that time) to get them released and delivered. The story that time was "they" didn't think the stuff I shipped was for personal use, and that my "real" intention was to resell the items therefore they were charging me the "higher" 40% rate. Yeah - 40% to bring in brand new motorcycle parts, but 47% to bring in used clothing ?

Little wonder I knew I was being taken for a ride. That plus the fact that the original 17,000 baht "Customs" fee was able to magically be dropped to 12,000 without anyone actually contacting Thai Customs. I'm betting the actual Customs fees were significantly less than 12,000. Looking at the documentation I see that "they" valued the shipment at 40,000 but I don't see anything that looks like an actual "fee".

Makes me glad I didn't try to ship my furnishings and effects from Canada after I first got my Non-O(A) visa.

There has to be an easier, better (cheaper) way to ship personal belongings but right now it seems the best way is either by mail or plan ahead and carry it with you on the plane. If you are shipping a lot (or big stuff) - contact a shipping agent and make arrangements beforehand which may help speed up matters.

You probably met the same "agent" as I did. When I met him, he was stood outside the building, and was the first person that I saw/met.

He said it would cost 5,000 Baht, it was only a suitcase with the usual clothes etc inside. Like you visited a multitude of counters, for me there were a few bus rides in between. Swampy is a massive complex.

I did hand over 100 Baht to one guy, but no mention was made about customs duty etc. I received my bag unopened, the cable-tie was still fastening the zips.

All of this took about four hours.

We pop for 500bh or more. It takes no time. They are there waiting. No customs, duty or poop, poop. Just another good day in Paradise. You get what you give from life.