Customs and Gifts for Family - What to do?

[namprigkabpee]

Kind of worried after seeing all the posts about customs. 

I will be traveling to Thailand in a couple of months and for the first time, I will be traveling alone. On all other trips, I was with my Thai mother and/or my Thai half-sister. Everytime we went, we always took tons of gifts, and brought tons of stuff back. Heck, we used to bring back tons of bpla kem and other foodstuffs to the US, but I'm guessing that's not allowed anymore (circa 2000). I haven't been there since 2006. 

I was planning on bringing many gifts for my relatives, cousins and lan. My mom was one of about 9 so I have a ton of Thai relatives. Now I'm kind of scared because I'm seeing all these posts about potentially having to declare stuff, pay duties, getting in trouble for not declaring stuff etc. This wasn't stuff I had to think about before, since I went when I was a kid. 

Some of the stuff I was planning to gift:

 

1. New clothes - I'm guessing I will have to remove the tags. Is that the case? Aside from a set or two of baby clothes and mens clothing, most of it looks like mine. Nothing will be duplicates. 

2. New box of lip gloss - A gift for one of my cousins. There's only one. Is this going to cause a problem? Will I have to unpack it and pass it for used makeup?

3. 1 or 2 boxes of fancier chocolates, different brands. 

4. Toys - Am I going to have to unbox/unpackage toys? One of my cousin's kids has asked for a collector's figurine unavailable in Thailand, intact. I can't really unbox something like that - the other toys maybe.

5. Purses - If there wasn't any issue, my mom would be sending me off with 5 purses to give her family. These would be untagged, very different looking purses. Nothing too fancy. I'm thinking I might have to reduce the number to 2 or 3. 

6. Camera and laptop - I will have my own camera and laptop with me. Will there be any issue taking an additional laptop and camera? From the responses I read, I would have to unbox both items and wear them down a bit with use. 

7. Are all gifts now liable for taxes/duties/fees? I can't seem to find any confirmation of this.

My Thai is decent, though it will be accented.  

Any thoughts? 

 

 

[Langsuan Man]

Any posts here about Thai Customs charges have all been limited to Custom fees for mail (post) or shipping household goods

 

A few posters have been nicked by Thai Customs for Duty Free bags prominently displayed exiting Immigration at Bangkok airport so I don't understand your concerns

 

If asked, and in ten years of coming here I have never been questioned,  just state that you have personal items in your baggage

 

Even when you travelled with your relatives were you ever given a customs form to fill out?  NO.  The only thing you ever filled out was a landing card that has absolutely nothing to do with Thai Customs

 

Pack everything that you want to bring and just walk through the NOTHING TO DECLARE (Green) Channel and stress over the lines getting to the Immigration booths, not non existing Customs Checks  

[Argus Tuft]

Try not to have a huge amount of luggage with you- can you get everything you want to bring back into one large suitcase, or one large and a smaller suitcase?

If you come through with say, several suitcases, cardboard boxes, bags etc you are asking to be pulled aside in the green lane.

 

If you can limit your baggage to a discreet and manageable amount, you should be okay.

 

Going through your list of items, it doesn't seem to be over the top.

Unbox everything you can (except for the toy figurine - is it big? Can you put that in your hand carry?)

Purses, unbox and spread out across hand carry and checked luggage

Camera and laptop, unboxed and in hand carry.

 

You should be fine!

[namprigkabpee]

@Argus Tuft

Usually, the most I will ever have on me is 2 big checked suitcases, a 21" carry-on and a backpack.  But I could probably get away with just taking 1 big suitcase and the 21" suitcase as my checked luggage and just using my backpack for carry-on.