Shopping online in the US and shipping to Thailand

[pgrahmm]

11 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Thanks for posting the added info. But to be able to do any kind of comparison, we'd need to know what was the total shipping weight of your package?

 

As for Amazon vs. Shipito, the Shipito Economy Airmail I mentioned above does not include tracking, but you can pay for either delivery insurance or delivery and contents insurance for relatively small extra amounts.  Their shipping time from California to BKK seems to run about 14 days on average, sometimes 10, sometimes 18 or so days...  So it might be a bit longer to the boonies here. Yet, over the years, I've shipped a ton of packages thru them, and never yet had one go entirely missing.

 

I did, however, have two packaged food-related packages get opened and ruined by Thai customs. One was oatmeal, the other was small packaged chocolates. And in both cases, Thai customs opened (read ripped apart) the retail packaging and dumped the unpackaged contents (oatmeal cereal in one shipment, chocolates in a different shipment) out into the shipping box instead of keeping the contents in the retail packaging and resealing it after they'd done whatever they needed to do. Jerks!!!!

 

Looking for drugs?

[DineshR]

I have since thrown away the packing so can't tell you what the real weight was but the units themselves weigh 0.74 lb in total, so I figure with the packaging, it should be around 1 to 1.5 lbs. USPS Priority Mail Intl for 1 lb is 45.75 while for 2 lbs is 49.7. I figure for the extra $10 or so, for my own peace of mind, it's worth it to ensure I get the package delivered on time and in good condition. I've been an Amazon customer from their earliest days (and a stock holder) and have never been disappointed with their deliveries. It isn't a wonder they won't top Apple soon at the rate they are going.

 

I have tried USPS first class mail and it's completely unreliable - I've lost one package - never arrived and the ones that do, sometimes come in 10 days and sometimes in 30 days - never any consistency. Priority mail however has been consistent and I use them for my regular mail now from my mail forwarder.

 

I've actually had many Amazon shipments to Thailand (most of them small) except for the 2 larger ones I mentioned about earlier and never had any problems with any of them. I think Amazon does take some extra care with their shipments - they are so big now, they have the clout to ensure their service providers toe the line on quality execution and with the threat of them building out their own shipping logistics, their current providers I am sure will be careful to toe the line.

 

 

[observer90210]

On looking at some shipping charges/duty calculations, I think I will just order my stuff back home in Europe and bring it back in my plane luggage when I return to thailand for my annual 6 month break!!..Seems the best and cheapest option!

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

43 minutes ago, pgrahmm said:

Looking for drugs?

I would presume... It was regular commercially bagged oatmeal cereal in retail packaging, and Reese's Pieces small chocolates (kind of similar to M&Ms, for those who don't know) -- both sent via Amazon orders in their box packaging.  But once Thai Customs figured out it really was just cereal and chocolate, why they couldn't just pour them back into their bags and seal them up, I struggle to understand.

 

 

[clokwise]

2 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

What price did you pay for Amazon's shipping in that instance, and what was the pounds weight of the package?  In other words, how much was the net shipping charge per pound?

 

Also, in the past at least, Amazon had some different shipping methods available for books and CDs vs. for regular packages. And of course, a lot of merchandise, including many basic electronics, Amazon simply won't ship internationally period, no matter the price. So, do you know if the UPS I-parcel method you mention is available for products other than books and CDs?

 

On my most recent boxset I paid $8.98 for shipping. The parcel was 10Kgs. I have no idea whether i-parcel is used for other items at Amazon as I only use Amazon to buy CD boxsets, as most other stuff I want they won't ship to Thailand.

[pgrahmm]

Gives an idea as far as size....

 

Or ratings for those of us following....

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, pgrahmm said:

Gives an idea as far as size....

 

Or ratings for those of us following....

 And their shipping rates to Thailand are???

 

[pgrahmm]

25 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 And their shipping rates to Thailand are???

 

I shopped 18k because that would be close....Tried 11-12k first & that was $135.00 economy.....

There's about a $40.00 difference in the next jump from economy for the 18k.....

I'm interested in one item but they also have a free 30 day consolidation service - saying no tax that might be good for Amazon or Ebay shopping....

[starky]

On Tuesday, July 04, 2017 at 10:27 PM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

For packages as opposed to letter mail -- Shipito.com Economy Airmail service. Averages about $12 per pound to send US to Thailand.

 

Hi Tallguy, bit of a newb as far as these services but I order all my shoes from the states and after postage VAT import duties etc. It nearly ends up at the price of the shoes. So what do you do? Get the vendor, I assume, to send your goods to shipto in the states then have them forward it on? And even if you do bodgy up the declaration surely customs still opens the package yeah? Just bacause it comes from shipto instead of DHL, FedEx or whomever cant make that much difference surely. Cheers.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, starky said:

Hi Tallguy, bit of a newb as far as these services but I order all my shoes from the states and after postage VAT import duties etc. It nearly ends up at the price of the shoes. So what do you do? Get the vendor, I assume, to send your goods to shipto in the states then have them forward it on? And even if you do bodgy up the declaration surely customs still opens the package yeah? Just bacause it comes from shipto instead of DHL, FedEx or whomever cant make that much difference surely. Cheers.

Yes... actually it can make a huge difference.

 

To answer your question, yes, when I'm buying shoes online in the U.S., which is my only way to get the sizes I need, I simply have the seller ship the shoes to my Shipito address, and then from there, have Shipito send them via their standard Economy email. I also fill in the customs info saying SHOES and a reasonable price valuation. For my BIG feet, the shoes and box typically weight about 4 lbs total, meaning my shipping total might be $40 to $50.

 

The difference is, by going that route, your package delivery will be handled on the Thai end by Thai Post instead of FedEx or DHL, and that means you'll likely avoid the very high customs duty that DHL and/or FedEx are likely to have levied.  With Thai Post, my experience with shoes has varied within a range. Sometimes they arrive here with just a 7 baht small package fee, and sometimes they get held for payment at the Post Office of a small duty, usually only a couple hundred baht. Most of the time lately, though, they've been coming thru with just the small package charge.

 

Obviously, a lot is also going to depend on the stated valuation of the shoes you're shipping. Most of mine are tennis shoes and casual shoes where the declared value might be $50. Those don't seem to get much attention via the Thai Post. But if you were shipping a $200 pair of fancy imported leather dress shoes, I'll be honest to say, I don't have any personal experience with what's likely to happen duty-wise in that kind of situation.

 

But in my experience, pretty much regardless of what you're shipping, you're likely to do better if the Customs clearance process goes via the Thai Post process as opposed to the FedEx or DHL customs clearance processes.

 

Edited July 6, 2017 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 hours ago, pgrahmm said:

I shopped 18k because that would be close....Tried 11-12k first & that was $135.00 economy.....

There's about a $40.00 difference in the next jump from economy for the 18k.....

I'm interested in one item but they also have a free 30 day consolidation service - saying no tax that might be good for Amazon or Ebay shopping....

 

 

Shipito's calculator wants to know the dimensions of your package and a valuation. But when I enter just 18 kg to BKK only, FedEx has the two best available rates that pop up. But you'd really need to enter the dimension details to confirm that your particular package is going to meet FedEx's criteria for those shipping methods.

 

 

[pgrahmm]

5 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Shipito's calculator wants to know the dimensions of your package and a valuation. But when I enter just 18 kg to BKK only, FedEx has the two best available rates that pop up. But you'd really need to enter the dimension details to confirm that your particular package is going to meet FedEx's criteria for those shipping methods.

 

 

I believe there would be more than one box.....The one box I see in their pictures is shaped like a pizza box & 110x15 cm would be my guess.....I don't think they can pack all in one box.....As there's a couple of options

Edited July 6, 2017 by pgrahmm

[pgrahmm]

20 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

If you mean 30+ pounds, that's likely to be expensive, so matter how you go... It's just going to be a matter of how expensive.

 

Shipito has an online calculator on their website that you can use to see their pricing and delivery options based on weight, package dimensions and destination and postal code.  Also, as you might expect, different shipping methods have different maximum numbers for package dimensions and total weight. For example, I don't think the Thai Post guys on their motorcycles typically deliver 30 pound packages.

 

The Shipito Economy Airmail service I've mentioned above has, I believe, a 4 lbs per package maximum weight. I usually try to stay within that, even if it means dividing up things into smaller or separate orders. That gets their most economical shipping rate, and it also tends to avoid issues on the Thai end where packages valued at more than $40 or so, even if handled by Thai Post, are more likely to get some tax and/or duty assessment (even though usually much much less than if you went via the DHL/FedEx route).

 

https://www.shipito.com/en/shipping-calculator?countrycode=US

This look right? 110/110/20cm at 18k

[pgrahmm]

10 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Shipito's calculator wants to know the dimensions of your package and a valuation. But when I enter just 18 kg to BKK only, FedEx has the two best available rates that pop up. But you'd really need to enter the dimension details to confirm that your particular package is going to meet FedEx's criteria for those shipping methods.

 

 

 

[clokwise]

One thing to take into account is some re-shippers are based in Oregon state where there is no sales tax. The savings from sales tax alone can offset the shipping cost significantly. MyUS.com is based in Florida but they have a sales tax-free zip code.

[Langsuan Man]

5 hours ago, clokwise said:

One thing to take into account is some re-shippers are based in Oregon state where there is no sales tax. The savings from sales tax alone can offset the shipping cost significantly. MyUS.com is based in Florida but they have a sales tax-free zip code.

Shipito has a warehouse in Oregon, which  can be used to save sales tax

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

53 minutes ago, Langsuan Man said:

Shipito has a warehouse in Oregon, which  can be used to save sales tax

It comes down to the value of the package you're shipping.

 

In Shipito's case, they actually charge higher shipping rates for their Oregon location vs their main California location, at least for Economy Airmail and some other shipping methods, AFAIR. So, for a lowish value item which is most of what I ship, the savings on the sales tax is more that offset by their higher shipping rates.

 

That may operate differently if you have a higher value item/items. But I generally avoid those in order to avoid issues with Thai Customs on the receiving end.

 

Edited July 10, 2017 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[clokwise]

12 hours ago, Langsuan Man said:

Shipito has a warehouse in Oregon, which  can be used to save sales tax

True, however it is not a part of their free tier, you need to pay a regular fee to get access to their Oregon address. I don't use these services frequently enough to justify a Premium membership, so that's the only reason why I choose MyUS.com over Shipito, as they are otherwise very similar for the services I require.

[aright]

Can anyone point me in the direction of where to find Thai Import Custom Duty Charges by category eg clothes, machine tools, jewellery etc........web site or book .    Thanks

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

4 hours ago, aright said:

Can anyone point me in the direction of where to find Thai Import Custom Duty Charges by category eg clothes, machine tools, jewellery etc........web site or book .    Thanks

 

This would be a start:

 

http://igtf.customs.go.th/igtf/en/main_frame.jsp

 

But good luck using it. I've tried before, and found it difficult to match up their categories with the things I was planning to import.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 7/6/2017 at 8:23 PM, clokwise said:

 

On my most recent boxset I paid $8.98 for shipping. The parcel was 10Kgs. I have no idea whether i-parcel is used for other items at Amazon as I only use Amazon to buy CD boxsets, as most other stuff I want they won't ship to Thailand.

 

I had an opportunity today to check about Amazon's current pricing for sending from the U.S. to Thailand (BKK), and here's what I got. (There was no mention of anything about "I-Parcel").

 

Amazon for Prime Day was having a sale on Adobe Photoshop software for $49.99. It's a single CD package with the product info section saying it has a 3.5 oz shipping weight.

 

When I changed the shipping address to my BKK address, Amazon added the following extra shipping costs:

--$14.83 for Amazon Global expedited shipping and handling, plus

--$14.74 Import Fees Deposit (which can be partially refunded later, if the package doesn't get charged that much duty)

AMAZON TOTAL: $29.57 maximum (and the possibility to be less, but no less than $14.83)

 

When I was looking at the Amazon checkout page on my PC for that, it didn't tell me what courier service would be handling the package depending on which of the two available shipping options I would choose (expedited or priority courier). Their lower priced standard shipping was not offered/available.

 

Nor could I clearly tell exactly how Amazon came to the $14.83 shipping and handling figure for their middle-level expedited shipping option, based on their own chart below of global shipping charges to Asian countries, unless it was their flat $13.99 per shipment charge for CDs and DVDs, along with some tax added on???

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=202053180

 

 

In comparison, with Shipito Economy Airmail, the international shipping charge for that weight package, including all Shipito's charges, is likely to be around $8-$9 ($6+ for a half pound package, plus their $2 mailout fee). The domestic U.S. shipping from Amazon to me would be free under their Prime program.

 

 

Edited July 11, 2017 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[aright]

Thanks TG

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I did some shopping for Amazon prime day, and thus got two packages into my Shipito account. So here's real-world examples of their shipping rates for their Airmail Economy and how that compares to the USPS and private courier services they offer. As you can see, their Airmail Economy service (up to 4 lbs) is far and away the most economical.

 

The first was a .50 pound envelope that's charged at their half pound rate, US to Thailand:

 

The second was a .70 pound envelope that's charged at their 1 pound rate, US to Thailand:

 

As I mentioned above, in both cases, their Airmail Economy rate to Thailand is working out to about $12+ per pound of actual shipment weight.  I added delivery insurance for both packages, and that added extra $3 per package.

 

Edited July 13, 2017 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[pgrahmm]

On 7/7/2017 at 0:02 PM, pgrahmm said:

This look right? 110/110/20cm at 18k

Here's a updated quote from MyUS directly from the help desk...I specifically asked about USPS services.....11k 110-15-110....

However - it looks like I found an Oz supplier to send here for 200AUD.....Saves the charges of being sent from GB to the US for reshipping (charges)  here....GB wouldn't send directly here.....

Edited July 13, 2017 by pgrahmm

[StefanBBK]

I am just in the middle of dealing with Local DHL and Amazon.com.  Got a package ordered with a value over 40K, a computer tablet I need, but unavailable in Thailand. 

Anyway, I chose GlobalPriority shipping, prepaid the import taxes etc. 

Item(s) Subtotal:    EUR 1.183,51
Shipping & Handling:    EUR 37,89

Import Fees Deposit    EUR 92,88
Total before tax:    EUR 1.314,28
Sales Tax:    EUR 0,00

 

Of course the package got held up in customs. Then DHL contacts me and wants my to chose how I wish to pay "clearance fee+ import Tax+ Vat".... I told them that it is prepaid and please contact sender. 

Now they want my original passport, because I have to obtain an import license etc... <deleted> is that. 

Here is their message:

"This case you not  have to pay anything  because all activity in thailand will be charge to sender only .
But receiver have to support document for clearance only.
I will inform you about your shipment has detain by thai customs at suvarnabhumi airport Because the value your product over 40,000 THB. If value the product over 40,000 THB you have to registration import license with thai customs first .
So about process registration import license you have to provide original passport for registration import license of thai customs first. If import license complete already we will start process clearance for you , sir  
If you can’t provide original passport we can’t clearance this shipment for delivery to you."

What do I do with that message.... Decided to ask them and still wait for an answer. 

 

[ninjapro2]

Thanks for the answers guys, I guess the custom declaration is one the biggest problems here. Regarding the service I did some research based on your reccomendations - Shipito.com looks nice, but they are very expensive - 1lbs 10x10x10 inch package to Bangkok with USPS Express costs $78.04 - I found PlanetExpress.com and there with USPS Express same package costs only $27.04 which is really big difference

[THAIPHUKET]

shipito requires US address, mine is European. Any solution for 3rd world people too?. Experiences?

[gk10002000]

I have used Western Union twice to ship money.  She was able to buy what she wanted at a better price than I could pay and ship to her

[zeekgarcia]

On 7/6/2017 at 3:36 PM, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

I've priced different packages in the past, comparing Shipito's Economy Airmail with Amazon's own international shipping rates to Thailand. In the past, Amazon used to use DHL a lot. I haven't priced them lately.

 

In every case I sampled, the Amazon shipping for regular packages (I didn't ck books or CDs) was considerably higher than Shipito Economy Airmail just based on shipping fees alone. And then, of course, the difference got even larger when adding in Amazon's charges for Thai duty, tax, etc.

 

Over the years, I've shipped a lot of packages from the U.S. to Thailand. And I've never yet found Amazon's own shipping pricing to be better than what I could arrange on my own.

 

I am looking on shipito website shipping calculator and for shipping 10-20 pounds to Thailand their airmail service is more expensive then their other options Fedex is their cheapest then DHL then USPS then their airmail

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On 7/14/2017 at 10:15 PM, THAIPHUKET said:

shipito requires US address, mine is European. Any solution for 3rd world people too?. Experiences?

 

That makes no sense. Perhaps you're misunderstanding something.

 

A large part of their business is forward shipping things bought in the U.S. to residents of foreign countries, and those folks have no U.S. address other than the one Shipito provides to them as Shipito customers.