Golf Clubs And Thai Customs

[phutoie2]

Buddy of mine had his set of clubs posted over from the UK and now he has been informed that customs want 28K THB before releasing them. They are a reasonable set, bag, woods and irons worth about 2500 GBP new, now over a year old.

I told him if he doesn't pay up he is more then likely to see them strapped to someones buggy on our next game in Bangkok.

[TigerandDog]

That was a big mistake to make. You are correct, the only way the clubs will ever be in his possession again is for the customs duty/taxes to be paid in full, either by himself or by a friend. The other point to be aware of that the shipping/postal cost is added to the value of the clubs, and customs duty/tax is payable on the total value, not just the value of the clubs. Once the customs duty/taxes are paid, the clubs will be delivered to his address in Thailand. He won't even be able to take them with him when the taxes are paid.

You should always bring your golf clubs to Thailand, or anywhere else for that matter, as part of your checked luggage, that way no customs duty/taxes are payable. In some cases that may mean having to pre-pay for additional weight for checked luggage or an excess baggage fee, but that will still be much cheaper than shipping costs and customs duty/taxes.

The question that I have to ask though, is why would he do that?

Even if he is moving/ has moved here, you don't send your clubs through the post, they ALWAYS travel on the same flight as you as checked luggage. Most personal possessions shipped to Thailand, especially if he has come here/ or is coming here on a retirement visa, are subject to customs inspection and customs duty/taxes. I think he failed to do his research on this. A lesson learned the hard way.

Edited May 27, 2015 by TigerandDog

[ChangMaiSausage]

Must be an impressive bag of clubs(2,500GBP).

Unfortunately this is what happens he will have to pay to release them, if he paid the above amount another 500gbp will not make much difference. Better than paying another 2,500 for new ones.

[Jenny Adara]

if he shows a valid proof of purchase reciept and also goes to look at the import duty on clubs, he can fight for a cheaper import tax.
He will also need to pay 7% vat and tax on the cost of items plus shipping plus insurance plus tea money plus clearing.,

[lianajohn]

That was a big mistake to make. You are correct, the only way the clubs will ever be in his possession again is for the customs duty/taxes to be paid in full, either by himself or by a friend. The other point to be aware of that the shipping/postal cost is added to the value of the clubs, and customs duty/tax is payable on the total value, not just the value of the clubs. Once the customs duty/taxes are paid, the clubs will be delivered to his address in Thailand. He won't even be able to take them with him when the taxes are paid.

You should always bring your golf clubs to Thailand, or anywhere else for that matter, as part of your checked luggage, that way no customs duty/taxes are payable. In some cases that may mean having to pre-pay for additional weight for checked luggage or an excess baggage fee, but that will still be much cheaper than shipping costs and customs duty/taxes.

The question that I have to ask though, is why would he do that?

Even if he is moving/ has moved here, you don't send your clubs through the post, they ALWAYS travel on the same flight as you as checked luggage. Most personal possessions shipped to Thailand, especially if he has come here/ or is coming here on a retirement visa, are subject to customs inspection and customs duty/taxes. I think he failed to do his research on this. A lesson learned the hard way.

I once got a notification from the customs' office. After having paid the duties, I collected my stuff on-site. Why not golf clubs?

[phutoie2]

I think he was totally unaware of Thai custom duty on imported goods. Came on a single ticket with visa and max luggage allowance so decided to have the clubs mailed out. Golf clubs are expensive if you are a good player, (he is , 5 handicapper). Apparently the driver alone cost a few bob, has some super dooper shaft on it. Expensive lesson I agree, looks likely that he will pay the duty and lesson learnt.

[n210mp]

I wonder if it is possible to have them sent back to sender and thereby negating the import tax altogether?

Or maybe I should have said Country of origin

Edited May 27, 2015 by n210mp

[EnglishJohn]

Yup - Thai customs are a pain in the arse.

We got some stuff (circuit boards) shipped from Taiwan and they used a tariff code which was very nearly correct, but not the exact one the official decided it should be.

We got fined !.

And don't get me going on the 10% duty - no matter what. We looked at doing a service on someone else's PCB's (programming, calibrating etc): they would ship them in, we would do the work then ship them back. We would never own them (no transfer of ownership which is the usual criteria) but we found out we would have to pay 10% on the full value when they came in and couldn't claim anything back when they shipped out again. Needless to say Thailand didn't get that job.

[fred Kubasa]

Thai customs is the main reason that hundreds of foreign companies will NOT ship to Thailand, ( see Amazon ).

[kbelyeu]

Your friend can request that the clubs be returned to their origin and the shipper will return them.

Kurt

[LindaLovelace]

2,500 pounds is about 129,679 ThB. The import duty on golf clubs from the UK is 10% and there is another 7% VAT, or 17% total. Thailand taxes cost, shipping and insurance. So the tax would be 17% of 129,679, or 22,045 plus 17% of the shipping and insurance costs. The OP did not state the shipping and insurance costs, but it seems that based on his valuation, the 28K baht is certainly in the ballpark of the correct amount.

Next time the guy should fly in with them as luggage. The 28K baht would have gone a long way toward the cost of the plane ticket. Had they been imported from Australia, there would be no duty under the free trade pact (but would still be VAT). Best to carry them in.

Byt the way, I do not know what shipping company was used. OP said "post." I do not know "post" policies, but if it was FedEx, he can demand that they be returned forthwith. It is FedEx's policy to handle such returns and I have done this. Not sure if it came by British post.

The time I made the return, the customs officials were giving me a choice of paying the tax or abandoning the goods. I sent them a very nasty email saying I would not countenance corruption and DEMANDED that they release and return the goods to sender forthwith with NO PAYMENT from me, and that if they did not do so immediately I would make a stink the likes of which they had never seen. They quietly complied without comment. If you are a wuss, you'll be screwed.

By the way, the HS Code for golf clubs is 950631 "Golf Clubs, Complete." You can to the search in the Thai Customs database: http://igtf.customs.go.th/igtf/en/main_frame.jsp

Once you get the hang of finding HS Codes and searching the Thai database, it is not difficult. Even though the tax often looks high, they are usually correct. The mistake many foreigners make is not including the shipping cost with the goods value. Most countries do this.

I have had to pay where 95% of the tax was on the shipping cost alone! I imported a contactor from Germany, where the shipping was far more than the item's cost.

Edited May 28, 2015 by LindaLovelace

[aledale]

sorry for my ignorance.... but I bought something from "aliexpress" and I did not pay anything ... the value of single item, that I bought, was not more than 25 euro.... maybe for this reason: can be ?

[Forethat]

Once you get the hang of finding HS Codes and searching the Thai database, it is not difficult. Even though the tax often looks high, they are usually correct. The mistake many foreigners make is not including the shipping cost with the goods value. Most countries do this.

Another mistake they do is to assume that the tax is calculated on the purchase price. For this reason they often claim that "I only paid £50 for the clubs", but tax is calculated on the VALUE, not the price.

[LindaLovelace]

sorry for my ignorance.... but I bought something from "aliexpress" and I did not pay anything ... the value of single item, that I bought, was not more than 25 euro.... maybe for this reason: can be ?

If you bought from Aliexpress, I assume it came from China? You did not say. There is a China/Asean Free Trade Agreement which exempts items made in and shipped from China. There is also a 1,000 baht exemption on anything coming in my mail. If it is a small value item and coming in by mail, they often just do not bother. I am never asked to pay tax on small packages coming in to Thai Post and on to me, regardless of the value. Don't know why.

But nobody escapes if it is FedEx, UPS or DHL.

[aledale]

sorry for my ignorance.... but I bought something from "aliexpress" and I did not pay anything ... the value of single item, that I bought, was not more than 25 euro.... maybe for this reason: can be ?

If you bought from Aliexpress, I assume it came from China? You did not say. There is a China/Asean Free Trade Agreement which exempts items made in and shipped from China. There is also a 1,000 baht exemption on anything coming in my mail. If it is a small value item and coming in by mail, they often just do not bother. I am never asked to pay tax on small packages coming in to Thai Post and on to me, regardless of the value. Don't know why.

But nobody escapes if it is FedEx, UPS or DHL.

yes, was from china ....

Thanks for informations