Surface mail from Pattaya.

[emilymat]

I would be grateful if anyone has experience of sending packages by surface mail from Pattaya to the UK (or any other European country) by the Thai postal system.

As I'm leaving Thailand later this year I decided to send a trial package of small household items and DVD's, weighing 6 kilo's. I sent this in mid_January and realise it has to go by ship.

However it has not yet arrived. Should I be worried after two months?.

Be most grateful for any advice or experience. Thank you.

[emilymat]

Oh yes, I forgot. This item was in an official Thai post 'box' with the customs declaration etc cleared by that office.

[FracturedRabbit]

I always send by EMS or registered airmail post, both of which give you a tracking number. Never had anything go missing. Sent two packages off to the USA by EMS last week; both arrived with seven days. UK is usually 4-5 days.

[thaitorrent1]

Around 2 months to EU by surface but can be more.

1 month maximum to USA because there is no boat to USA and parcels actually go by air to USA...

[kingalfred]

Surface is long haul

[Pattaya46]

Hi. I think that everything to Europe is sent by air now.

The "surface mail" is the old denomination and probably just means "low priority" today.

I sent 4 new-year presents to France about 7th of January. They all arrived about 2 weeks later.

Price was about 150 baht versus about 300 baht for the "air mail" who usually take 8-10 days.

So with 2 months delay... it may never arrive

[emilymat]

Thank you for your replies. The reason I tried this method is that I intended to send about 6 or 7

of the boxes over the coming months. I realise I can use air-mail and EMS tracking etc but the cost had to be a factor.

Incidentally, this 6 kilo's cost me 2000 baht. I suspect it never left Thailand. That's a sad thing to say but it's experience of many letters/cards over 7 years going adrift both ways.

Maybe I'll be proven wrong - I hope so. With 23 kilo's on the plane it looks as though I'll have to just leave many things here.

Thanks again.

[joepattaya1961]

You expect that it never left Thailand, but it may as well be stuck at UK customs.

[emilymat]

Just to wrap this up, and show how stupid I feel!.

My OP indicated that, as I was leaving Thailand, I had sent a box weighing 6 kgs by surface mail to the UK in mid January via ThaiPost. It hasn't yet arrived and I have now almost written it off in my mind, which is a shame as it contained around 200 video's of classic films that I had collected over the years. The cost was 2000 baht or 40 quid.

Checking with my flight it appears I can have an extra suitcase up to 23 kgs for 80 US dollars - or around 55 pound. In other words 4 times the weight for just under 1.5 times the cost. I also know it will get there - as long as I do!

I did things the wrong way round, and that's what makes me feel foolish. However, it's a tip for anyone else who might be in a similar position in the future.

[mjcmjc]

Just to wrap this up, and show how stupid I feel!.

My OP indicated that, as I was leaving Thailand, I had sent a box weighing 6 kgs by surface mail to the UK in mid January via ThaiPost. It hasn't yet arrived and I have now almost written it off in my mind, which is a shame as it contained around 200 video's of classic films that I had collected over the years. The cost was 2000 baht or 40 quid.

Checking with my flight it appears I can have an extra suitcase up to 23 kgs for 80 US dollars - or around 55 pound. In other words 4 times the weight for just under 1.5 times the cost. I also know it will get there - as long as I do!

I did things the wrong way round, and that's what makes me feel foolish. However, it's a tip for anyone else who might be in a similar position in the future.

I don't think you were foolish as you didn't know about the luggage option at the time, you did however forget to factor in the Thianess. Thanks for passing on the tip.