Can I appeal crazy Customs charges?

[pomozki]

I've had 2 boxes sent over by courier from New Zealand. They are full of old stuff of sentimental value only (clothes, scrapbooks of old tickets, photo albums). 

 

Fedex received them at Swampy and are demanding 9000 baht . I said there shouldn't be any duty on these - it's old worthless stuff. They said there is no import duty, only "customs duty".

I said I won't accept this. Customs should be based on value and they have no value.

They've now agreed verbally within a few minutes to lower the duty from 9000 to 5000. My Thai friend who's helping me says this is great news, as if I should be happy!.

I'm not. I'm ropable over these Thai crooks. Does anyone know if I can appeal against these charges?

[Crossy]

Well, you can appeal of course, but all the time the FedEx storage charges will be racking up.

 

It's probably the clothes that are the issue, many reports here of (even used) clothes getting hammered on the duty.

 

Sadly it's either cough up or reject the shipment back to source (possible return charges then).

 

Rule number one of shipping stuff here, avoid the couriers.

[pomozki]

OK, incidentally, A Thai national agreed to receive the goods for me cos apparently only foreigners with work permits can receive them for me. would he subject to the same charges?

[Crossy]

I see from your other thread (now closed) that you paid $850 for shipping (NZ$ I assume). That equates to about 21,000 Baht.

 

Duty (let's say 10%) and VAT (8%) will be charged on the CIF (cost Insurance Freight) value of the shipment. Duty and VAT on just the shipping is already nearly 4k Baht.

 

I've never had problems receiving goods by FedEx or DHL, although I do have a WP it's never been asked for. But yes, a Thai would get charged the same.

[pomozki]

7 minutes ago, Crossy said:

I see from your other thread (now closed) that you paid $850 for shipping (NZ$ I assume). That equates to about 21,000 Baht.

 

Duty (let's say 10%) and VAT (8%) will be charged on the CIF (cost Insurance Freight) value of the shipment. Duty and VAT on just the shipping is already nearly 4k Baht.

actually the Thais don't know what I paid in NZ - the NZ company put a value of $100 per box - $200 

I've just seen the invoice/notice they attached to the consignment. Clearly says $100 x 2 = $200
 

the whole think stinks to me - seems Fedex can think up whatever figure they like. I'd go up to Swampy and clear Customs myself but it'll take forever and anyway the amount I paid includes door to door service to Pattaya, presumably by FedEx at this end. If I don't agree a sum with them for clearing Customs I'll probably be left trying to get the 2 boxes to pattaya myself

Edited March 22, 2017 by pomozki

[Crossy]

FedEx know what you paid for shipping and will have disclosed to Thai customs. So your dutiable value is now NZ$1,050 (actually FedEx are their own clearing agents so customs themselves are probably not directly involved).

 

Also the base (maximum) rate of duty on clothing is 40% although you're unlikely to have paid that rate.

 

These charges soon add up, it's sometimes scary

 

[pomozki]

2 minutes ago, Crossy said:

FedEx know what you paid for shipping and will have disclosed to Thai customs. So your dutiable value is now NZ$1,050 (actually FedEx are their own clearing agents so customs themselves are probably not directly involved).

 

Also the base (maximum) rate of duty on clothing is 40% although you're unlikely to have paid that rate.

 

These charges soon add up, it's sometimes scary

 

thanks but how do Fedex know what I paid a NZ company - they only know what is on the slip attached to the boxes, right = $200

surely?

[worgeordie]

For future reference NEVER *,get anything sent by courier,

they will always rip you off with storage charges,i read 

somewhere that when the courier brings in those air

containers, the Customs charge a rate for the container,

not for each separate item,this is done to enable the 

couriers to deliver quickly,so your item might be worth

10 dollars,another one 100 dollars but they are both 

charged the same rate,     * unless very valuable or

if you need very quickly.   EMS is a better way to 

send stuff, last parcel from UK 5 days door to door.

 

regards worgeordie

 

 

[Crossy]

5 minutes ago, pomozki said:

thanks but how do Fedex know what I paid a NZ company - they only know what is on the slip attached to the boxes, right = $200

surely?

 

It's part of the data on the airweighbill (which you will probably never see), there are no secrets in this world I'm afraid.

 

Working back from the original demand for 9k Baht I reckon they went in to bat at 25% duty and reduced to 10% when you appealed.

 

[BEVUP]

Ah yes good old customs

Had 60 kg (3 items ) shipped from Auss maybe about 5yr ago 

Went to airport myself & guess what - you will be faced with a bunch of men (i presumed Custom workers ) who will find your parcel & sort paper work out for you for a total of 1000 bht 

Then you will be escorted to the Customs Officer who will determine if there is duty to be paid 

All in all it works out to be 1/3 cost of item 1/3 shipping 1/3 for customs 

You must have some weight for $850 /  150 - 200 kg

[Crossy]

@pomozki I know you're miffed at the charges, but please don't post all over the forum. It separates out your answers and upsets Mr Google's search engine.

 

[wayned]

The 295 page HS tariff code book, attached, makes no distinction between  used, rebuilt and new goods, it only calls out the % duty that is applied for the item , so you will pay the same % no matter what condition the items are in.  The controlling factor on the amount of duty  is the declared amount on the export documentation, MBL and HBL, and the shipping and insurance charges: CIF (Cost, Insurance, Freight)port of entry in Thailand.  In addition you will pay 7% VAT on the CIF  + the customs charges.

 

I import farm equipment and parts from mainly the US but also from China and Japan.  For smaller shipments I normally use USPS international and China Post.  For larger shipments, sometimes full 40 ft containers, I use an international Logistics company, Senator International Logistics, to either arrange air or sea freight and they handle everything at both ends from dropping and pulling the container at the load site to delivery at my place upcountry.  Everything is pre-cleared so it only takes a couple of days to for final clearance and delivery.  The full containers being faster since they do not have to undo a consolidation.  I always know up front exactly what the duty and VAT are going to be and the shipments move through the port quickly.  If it's not properly coordinated upfront the storage and container rental charges can mount up fast.  Commo9nly know as +++++!

 

I never use a courier service such as DHL or Fed Ex.  They are expensive and have no network internal to Thailand like they do in other countries.

HS Code Book Thailand.pdf

[pomozki]

39 minutes ago, BEVUP said:

You must have some weight for $850 /  150 - 200 kg

thanks but no - I have just 2 boxes, each is 29kg = 58kg total

 

I had no idea to avoid couriers and I certainly didn't need them, to arrive in a few days

 

the whole thing has been a nightmare. I've probably been ripped off by everyone involved

Edited March 22, 2017 by pomozki

[wayned]

The shipping charges for the last full 40' container that I shipped from Charleston, Illinois, In the US,to Bangkok were $2250 USD and the container weighed over 10000 kilograms. That included truck to St. Louis, rail to Los Angles and ship to Bangkok. The rental on the container was $1600, 3 days to load and 3 days to unload.

 

Consolidations are more expensive but nowhere near what you would pay a courier service.

[Langsuan Man]

40 minutes ago, pomozki said:

 

I had no idea to avoid couriers and I certainly didn't need them, to arrive in a few days

Had you done a search "Customs Duties" here at Thai Visa you would not have been so surprised

 

Next to "don't inverst more than you can afford to lose" and "don't buy your girlfriend a house" no subject has received more coverage than the mantra "don't use private couriers" 

[al007]

I have had several fights with DHL and Fedex, they are actually worse than the customs them selves

 

A few years ago I had several holdall shipped from my boat in turkey that I had sold

 

Many sentimental things a few bronze statues and a lot of small tools, maybe ten holdalls 

 

well they started at 30,000  tax etc then said I would have to pay storage

 

So I told Fedex, stop, I no pay nothing, well you have to pay return shipping, no why , they were shipped to me by a third party

 

you Fedex are going to have to pay the return shipping when these are refused entry

 

So far as I am concerned I do not want them and am prepared to pay nothing

 

6 hrs later well sir how much will you pay,    2000 baht and I am leaving in 30 mins

 

My offer was finally accepted, replacement cost maybe 100,000, and some lovely things, but I was prepared to walk

 

remember also the agent can not auction the stuff here  to pay his storage or anything unless he pays the tax first

 

Do not give up and the very best of luck , let us all know how you do

Edited March 22, 2017 by al007

[al007]

Pomozki

 

Keep smiling I feel your pain, and admire you

 

You also refuse to pay any fedex storage charges, their fault for giving you false bill already proven and come down almost in half

Edited March 22, 2017 by al007

[Ricardo]

18 hours ago, wayned said:

I never use a courier service such as DHL or Fed Ex.  They are expensive and have no network internal to Thailand like they do in other countries.

HS Code Book Thailand.pdf

DHL certainly do have a local depot here up in Chiang Mai, on the Super-Highway, plus at least one shop at the Tha-Pae Gate, from which their local PUD (pick-Up & Delivery) operation is based. One often seees their DHL-branded vans speeding along the main-roads.

 

That said, IME all courier-firms use the local EMS-service for at least a few out-of-the-way deliveries, that's down to economics.

 

When I used to work for TNT-Skypak in Scandinavia, many years ago, our Thai operation also had a reasonable local network, IIRC it was said to be run by a farang who'd married-into a local transport-family.

 

I recently had a package from the Netherlands, a free-gift travel-bag valued on the AWB at B2,500 (despite being free to me), DHL charged 20% inport-duty + 7% VAT and about B215 for collecting the charges & passing them toThai Customs.  I'd have had it sent by sea-mail, given a choice, but what can you do ?

[wayned]

I ordered some spices and curing salts from the US.  Although I specified USPS International they sent it DHL.  It ended up in Germany!  They found it and on forwarded it to Thailand.  After contacting them many times it showed up 27 days after their website said that it arrived in Thailand.  It was actually delivered by the motorcycle noodle vendor that comes to our village, 240 kilometers from Bangkok in the "boonies".  The motorcycle did not have a DHL sticker on it.  As it turned out the vendor's husband worked for some fly by night delivery service that was contracted by DHL to deliver the package. Bbut since it only had a rural postal route in the address he didn't have a clue and left it at his house! and his wife saw the name in English and she took it to the only "baan farang" that she knew.

 

They are totally useless as are Fed Ex and the world delivery service that ebay sellers sometimes use that charge unbelievable shipping charges in addition to unnecessary prepared customs charges. If I order anything from ebay USA it's USPS or nothing and from the UK it's Royal Mail or nothing with no prepaid customs charges.