Jason Green

Hi all ???? I’m finally breaking down and shipping my remaining possessions to Thailand. Not a big shipment, I’m estimating 250 cubic feet / 7 cubic meters. Low value, mainly clothing, books, toys, memorabilia, household decorations (no buddhas) and a couple of outdoor chairs. I’ve spoken with a variety of shipping / moving companies. Prices vary from $3,000 - $5,000 for shipping. Customs duties is where it gets potentially sticky. A good customs agent seems to be the ticket here, but how to know if they’re using a decent one? I saw Asian Tigers shipping company recommend on this forum (they are based in Thailand) but they seem to want to charge the most out of anyone. They want to assess shipment value at a flat fee of $2,700 PER cubic meter, regardless of contents! That’s absurd. My shipment value is maybe $2,700 total. One other company (International Van Lines) wants to charge a flat fee of $2,500 for customs clearance and delivery from the port to my home in Chiang Mai. This also seems high and not correct as the duties should be calculated on declared value + shipping + insurance (“CIF” value). The best price / estimate for duties I’ve seen is $300-$500 with International Movers Network. But they also say customs officers will assess their own value on what they think second hand items are worth in Thailand, not what I declare. Curious if anyone can clarify: are customs planning on doing a full physical inspection of everything I ship? They’re going to rip open every single plastic bin? Or if the packing list is clear enough and the value is declared high enough for their liking, they will likely skip the inspection? I’m trying to figure out what sort of a headache/nightmare I’m getting myself into here… the more I look, the worse it seems to get… ???????? I’ve lived in Thailand 8 years. Therefore I don’t think I qualify for “duty-free import of household goods,” which seems to be limited to people who have a legitimate work permit and who have only been in the country of less than one year. Can anyone share any power tips/advice? Anyone experienced with this sort of move? Recommended companies? Recommended way to declare things? Recommended way to breeze through customs? I’m lost here… ???????? I just want my stuff and don’t want to be extorted for it, especially paying more than it’s actually worth. I’m shipping very personal memorabilia, artwork, toys etc that are not high value but irreplaceable. So I just want it to go smoothly… Thank you! ????