Shipping cost of small package

Lumbini · April 2, 2015

Every time I want to send anything to US it seems like quite expensive no matter who the carrier is or what options I have ? I have again small box of things I buy in market here to give as gift but cost to ship more than items . Again and again I see things in the market I would love to send my friends in the US and the price is so reasonable but when I consider what it will cost to send it I often just pass and don't buy anything. Even if I go to the Thai post office and send it slow way a small box that is a only a few pounds always seems to cost 20 or $30 and when spending that much it's not that much different to send the same size box FedEx . I must be missing something because it's hard to believe there is not a cheap alternative to sending things to the US if you are not in a hurry for it to get there .

Edited April 2, 2015 by Lumbini

CharlieH · April 2, 2015

There is a "one box" rate at the Thai Post office, its 1400baht and can weigh whatever you like (as long as it fits in the size box appropriate to the offer,about shoe box size)

Best way, check here: http://www.thailandpost.com/rate.php

BKKdreaming · April 2, 2015

There is a "one box" rate at the Thai Post office, its 1400baht and can weigh whatever you like (as long as it fits in the size box appropriate to the offer,about shoe box size)

Best way, check here: http://www.thailandpost.com/rate.php

I checked the other day on this ,

you need to use a "D" size box only size is 22x35x14

and box 20 baht , and all Post Offices cannot take it.....

I put 20kg and USA and it was 1400 baht , but you would need to be sending cast iron to get 20kg in that small box !

if the size works for you it is a good deal as it is EMS shipping

Lumbini · April 2, 2015

Thanks ... Almost 50 bucks almost same as fed ex ?? I get things delivered here for example from IHerb that are several pounds and it's less than 5 bucks ( may take weeks but great prices )

Strange, things going from here to there are so so so much more thank from US to here ?

This was last shipping of 4 pounds of vitamins from US from IHerb

Shipping International Airmail $3.56

Edited April 2, 2015 by Lumbini

BKKdreaming · April 2, 2015

you can still mail Thailand-USA surface mail which is by sea and takes 8 weeks or so , that is the cheapest

there is no surface mail out of the USA anymore

iHerb must be getting a great volume discount because I could not sent 4 pounds across Los Angeles for that price

Lumbini · April 2, 2015

Is this at Thai post office ? When I ask them about anything under about 1200 for small box they say know but I will try both private place and government post office . Thanks !

bazmlb · April 2, 2015

Check the rates for yourself here

The rates are better than EMS and faster to the destination

BKKdreaming · April 2, 2015

Here is a photo you can show the Thai Post office so they understand,

also do a rate search at Thai Post , 20KG USA , the 1400 baht rate is near the bottom

show that to the Post Office clerk too.

I would love to find the one box webpage if there is one.....

MrWorldwide · April 2, 2015

Here is a photo you can show the Thai Post office so they understand,

also do a rate search at Thai Post , 20KG USA , the 1400 baht rate is near the bottom

show that to the Post Office clerk too.

I would love to find the one box webpage if there is one.....

Not seeing any links there, BKKDreaming, but I'll share my tale,

Used DHL a couple of months back after reading conflicting reports re whether or not EMS actually gets packages to the US - expensive but the tracking was excellent and my buyer in the US was happy with the experience overall. If I'm going to ask some to put over 500 USD in my Paypal account I want them to feel like the package is on its way ASAP - 3800 baht was steep but acceptable.

This time I had a slightly larger item at roughly the same price - 500USD - but when we tried to get it into the DHL box we had to move up to the next size box : same weight but the price was now an insane 7000 baht. Grabbed my consignment and headed off to Soi Post Office. Unlike DHL where you need a completely waybill and a proforma invoice (presumably for US Customs), the Post Office want nothing more than a 'From' and 'To' address : not terribly encouraging but I guess you get what you pay for. The 40 baht charge for the packaging seemed like a good deal even if I doubt the Fragile graphics have any meaning in a cargo hold. Price to Virginia in the US was roughly 850 baht and I received a supermarket-style receipt with the recipient's name, the date and time and a tracking ID.

One of the consistent complaints about EMS is that their tracking is useless - I'm guessing that's from the point where the package leaves Thailand, as so far I can see that my package has made its way to Swampy via Si Racha in the last 2 days. I have my fingers crossed from this point forward, but there was no way I was going to pay close to 220 USD to ship a ~500 dollar sale. Spend enough time researching this and you'll find complaints about all the freight companies, but some claim EMS have never lost one of their packages (others make the opposite claim but I'll get to that).

The thing that struck me about the EMS approach is that anything illegible in the recipients address - either courtesy of the sender's handwriting or damage in transit - and you might as well be paying them to throw it out of the plane somewhere over Maui. No waybill but I guess that's part of the reason DHL charge such an exorbitant amount and they dont seem infallible either FWIR. If the package goes missing I wont use EMS again, but the other guys all seem to charge like wounded bulls - I just dont see that shipping anything cheap ex Thailand is a good deal unless it's either A4 size or fits in a box that might carry an iPod Touch on a good day. Oddly, my buyer seems to have a good opinion of EMS - claims he's bought from Thailand before and 'delivery to my area is usually pretty quick' - given that the best estimate Ms ThaI Post Office was prepared to give was '1-2 weeks' (DHL claims 3-5 days and that proved accurate), I'll have to take his word for it.

All up, shipping expensive items to the States is a 'heart in your mouth' experience for me but anything cheaper would have to go surface mail and I dont know too many people willing to wait that long - probably different if it was something they weren't expecting. Good luck, OP.