Importing used household goods

[maximillian]

Hi folks, I'm asking for your advise.

 

One of my friends will ship a small container, a palette actually, with some of his used household items from Europe to Thailand.

Is it better if he will send it on his own name and address or is it better to ship it to a Thai person, my wife, in this case ?

 

Thanks a lot for your most appreciated answers.

 

maximillian

[Fithman]

There is no need to complicate issues. He can use his own name. Presumably your friend will be using an agent who will take care of the paperwork/formalities. 

 

If he intends bringing electrical items he should be certain that they are rated to function on the Thai electricity supply.

[maximillian]

Thanks for your input Mr. Fithman.

[Ronuk]

Tell your friend to be prepared to get hit with import duties and customs charges. Until it arrives he won't have a clue just how much he maybe charged. 

Household electrical items are cheap to buy new in Thailand. Personally I wouldn't of bothered importing them.

[sumrit]

It's possible you/your friend is likely to be hit with import duties if he sends goods in his own name.

 

A Thai person (returning to Thailand after being away for more than two years) can import used household items duty free. Ship the items 'door to door' rather than just to a port in Thailand though as shipping just to a port will almost definitely create a 'tea money' request. The Thai person must be in Thailand themselves to receive the items. (Customs needed to see my wife's passport plus a copy of her ID card and Tabien Baan)

 

Be aware that only one of each type of household electrical item can be shipped duty free. (I shipped two TV's and had to pay duty on the second one). There are also some restrictions on what Customs class as 'household items'. For example, purely for convenience, we put our golf clubs in the container rather than bring them with us on the flight, but they were not considered household items  and we were charged duty on them. My wife's clubs were even bought in Thailand and taken to the UK but we still had to pay import duty because we brought them back in the container. They did however allow gardening equipment/furniture duty free.

 

I used an agent in the UK who did all the necessary paperwork and also paid for a Thai agent to complete everything this end.

 

And the import duty on the TV and two sets of golf clubs still only amounted to just over 1000 baht though, so not a fortune.

[sumrit]

Too late to edit my previous post.

 

It appears the two year requirement has been reduced to one year.

 

http://en.customs.go.th/content.php?ini_content=individuals_151007_02&lang=en&left_menu=menu_individuals_151007_02

[maximillian]

Thank you so much for your advice, sumrit, Ronuk, Fithman. Very kind of you.

[candyman123]

Hi everyone,

I was hoping to receive an update on this subject for returning to Thailand from the UK with only our household goods, please.

I and Thai wife have been living in the UK for nearly two years now and we are both thinking about moving back to Thailand where we lived before.
We are thinking of using a 25ft  or maybe a larger container to ship all our household items (NO CAR)...!
What are the rules for shipping said items back and does the shipping documents need to be in my wife's name?  And if we have to pay money for Tea what is that cost, please and anything else you may consider in giving info on.


Thanks for any update you can provide us. 

[Lovethailandelite]

2 minutes ago, candyman123 said:

Hi everyone,

I was hoping to receive an update on this subject for returning to Thailand from the UK with only our household goods, please.

I and Thai wife have been living in the UK for nearly two years now and we are both thinking about moving back to Thailand where we lived before.
We are thinking of using a 25ft  or maybe a larger container to ship all our household items (NO CAR)...!
What are the rules for shipping said items back and does the shipping documents need to be in my wife's name?  And if we have to pay money for Tea what is that cost, please and anything else you may consider in giving info on.


Thanks for any update you can provide us. 

You will have no idea of customs and Import charges until it actually arrives. You can basically ship whatever you want provided the goods are legal BUT be prepared to actually pay out more than they are worth or could be replaced for here new.

[ubonjoe]

10 minutes ago, candyman123 said:

Hi everyone,

I was hoping to receive an update on this subject for returning to Thailand from the UK with only our household goods, please.

I and Thai wife have been living in the UK for nearly two years now and we are both thinking about moving back to Thailand where we lived before.
We are thinking of using a 25ft  or maybe a larger container to ship all our household items (NO CAR)...!
What are the rules for shipping said items back and does the shipping documents need to be in my wife's name?  And if we have to pay money for Tea what is that cost, please and anything else you may consider in giving info on.


Thanks for any update you can provide us. 

Ship it in your wife's name so that it is duty free.

See here for info: http://en.customs.go.th/content.php?ini_content=individuals_151007_02&lang=en&left_menu=menu_individuals_151007_02

[Lovethailandelite]

2 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Ship it in your wife's name so that it is duty free.

See here for info: http://en.customs.go.th/content.php?ini_content=individuals_151007_02&lang=en&left_menu=menu_individuals_151007_02

It's not so simple as first glance. There are clauses and conditions.

[Ahab]

We just shipped about 1000 pounds of used clothes, kitchen stuff, tools and fishing equipment. Eight large cardboard boxes, two large tubes of fishing rods ( a bit over 1000 pounds). We shipped it in her name and did not have to pay any tax, but customs and other fees and delivery to Buriram ran a bit over 30,000 baht.

 

If I had to do it over again I would have only brought a couple of suitcases. You can buy everything here except large sized clothes and large shoes (but I don't where shoes here normally anyway).

[Naam]

38 minutes ago, Lovethailandelite said:

You will have no idea of customs and Import charges until it actually arrives. You can basically ship whatever you want provided the goods are legal BUT be prepared to actually pay out more than they are worth or could be replaced for here new.

in 2005 we used a renowned company for shipping and clearing a 40 foot high cube container loaded to the brim (60m³), insurance value US-Dollars 500,000.- and paid less than 2,000 Dollars total customs charges. if i had tried to do the clearing myself i would be still crying.

[Naam]

13 minutes ago, Ahab said:

If I had to do it over again I would have only brought a couple of suitcases. You can buy everything here except large sized clothes and large shoes (but I don't where shoes here normally anyway).

you can't buy antique furniture, works of art, oriental rugs and other things you collected and owned for many years except when having the deep pockets of Bill Gates or Prince Waleed bin-Talal al-Saud.

if i had to do it again i would ship two containers!

[Ahab]

Your wife needs to prove she was out of country for at least one year in order to not pay import duties/tax.

[Ahab]

34 minutes ago, Naam said:

you can't buy antique furniture, works of art, oriental rugs and other things you collected and owned for many years except when having the deep pockets of Bill Gates or Prince Waleed bin-Talal al-Saud.

if i had to do it again i would ship two containers!

I didn't have any of those "things" but if I did I would still have sold them before moving. This is the reason that Baskin and Robin sell 31 flavors of ice cream (to each his own).