Customs opening mail and taxing you

[buksida]

My parents have been sending the odd parcel over the years for the kids. Toys, a couple of books, a few t-shirts etc. Anyway they sent another one recently for our son's birthday. Postage has been very reliable so after 3 weeks we queried it at the post office to find it was sitting there but had been ripped open by customs and had a duty of 600 baht to pay.

Any ideas why there is a duty on toys and books, and why this hasn't happened before? I'm going to have to tell them to stop sending their grandchildren presents now.

[Pleng]

Don't know why there is a duty on toys and books, (other than the government wanting to have duty on toys and books??) but customs have always been allowed to open and inspect parcels for duty.

What was the item declared as on the customs declaration? Asking the sender to ensure it's declared as "gift" may help avoid customs (doesn't always work, though)

[Big Boy]

We've had this thread a couple of times. It seems it's just luck of the draw what gets opened. If it wins todays lottery, you will have to pay. Fortunately, most packages get through unscathed.

[caller]

My other half has been hit for the 2nd time up in Korat. This time they want 2000b!

What I sent was her approx. 2-years old M&S mac (£15 from Swindon outlet centre), a Harrods bag, about 2 years old, plastic and bought in a sale (£25), 2 of her worn, but in good nick T-shirts from Mountain Life (£15 for two) and a hessian type bag for life thingy from Sainsbury's (£1.50) as she is fed up with using plastic bags when shopping. Somehow, they have valued that lot at a current value of £100.

She has filled in an appeal form from the post office (for Thai customs) disputing the fee and has been promised a reply this coming Monday.

[Bristolian]

I experienced the same. I sent myself a few packages of tools. Some were my grandfathers carpentry tools that he had made as an apprentice and some were engineering tools that I had made during my apprenticeship. The only value that I put on them was sentimental value but I was clearly wrong! They were assessed by customs at the same price as new tools....no idea how they calculated the value as many were very specialised and clearly hand made. They also added VAT.

The duty, customs clearance charges and VAT far exceeded the actual value of anything similar that I could have bought new, here in Thailand. But you can't put a price on sentimental possessions, or can you?

Where possible I will hand carry in future. The customs at Swampy seldom stop anyone.

[Chromeman]

I am currently having a similar situation. I sent a birthday gift to my girlfriend with DHL from Norway. When I booked the delivery on the DHL website (using my work account), I clearly wrote that it was a gift, and that it should be sent DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) so my girlfriend should not end up paying anything for her own birthday gift.

The parcel has now been stuck in customs in Bangkok for a week now, and they are implying that my girlfriend has to pay customs and/or VAT...

Luckily, I have DHL here i Norway agreeing with me that she should not have to pay anything, so they are trying to get this fixed...

[Spitfire]

They did it to me in korat too......a pair of jeans and a shirt or two in a parcel from relative......1000 baht tax to be released..........Fascists.

[hhfarang]

I've ordered items online, like from Amazon, and also had people send me things and I've been hit hard a few times while others came straight through.

Once I ordered a shirt (already had one in a different color and liked the fit so ordered another one) and the duty was more than I paid for the shirt. Another time I ordered two rubber mats to go underneath exercise equipment and again the duty was three times the cost of the items. I recently had something shipped that only cost about 20 dollars but shipping was another hundred because the person I had send it to me used FEDEX and then FEDEX called me from customs in Bangkok and said I would not only have to pay over another hundred dollars in duty, but I had to pay them 30 dollars and give them some kind of power of attorney to allow them to be my customs clearance agent. I told them to return or destroy the item... tired of throwing good money after bad!

[PET]

I've ordered items online, like from Amazon, and also had people send me things and I've been hit hard a few times while others came straight through.

Once I ordered a shirt (already had one in a different color and liked the fit so ordered another one) and the duty was more than I paid for the shirt. Another time I ordered two rubber mats to go underneath exercise equipment and again the duty was three times the cost of the items. I recently had something shipped that only cost about 20 dollars but shipping was another hundred because the person I had send it to me used FEDEX and then FEDEX called me from customs in Bangkok and said I would not only have to pay over another hundred dollars in duty, but I had to pay them 30 dollars and give them some kind of power of attorney to allow them to be my customs clearance agent. I told them to return or destroy the item... tired of throwing good money after bad!

I wanted to order some shorts online from USA last month and the supplier was Amazon, who besides wanting a shipping cost exceeding the cost of the shorts also wanted a near similar amount in respect of Thai import duty. Firstly how did they know that amount of duty was correct and secondly as it was going to my PO Box I would rather have the PO do the calculation. So order cancelled!!

[buksida]

So effectively it is a scam, they seem to be targeting mail with addresses written in English and slapping random duty on items that shouldn't have import tax applied such as clothing or books.

Oh well, that's the end of getting mail in Thailand then ...

[PeteC]

No, imported textiles are heavily taxed and clothing falls under that. When time I'll try to find reference. I had big problems with clothes before, and with dolls from the USA the past 2 Christmases. Pete

EDIT: Here's a site to play with: http://www.dutycalculator.com/help_cent ... -Thailand/

NOTE: Be aware that VAT is added also, and the Duty is calculated on the value of the goods, the shipping costs, the insurance costs and possibly the VAT also.

[Nereus]

I have mentioned previously that I think it has to do with where you live, and consequently your postcode. There is one main postal customs clearance centre in Bangkok that sorts the mail. But there must be many sections that probably sort provincial postcodes, where the volume of mail is much less than Bangkok postcodes, leading to more stringent checks.

I have received many, mostly car parts, at my Bangkok address and have never once been charged duty. I did get charged once on a part for the swimming pool sent from Australia, but it was clearly stated on the packing what it was and the value. No experience with clothes or such like. As for Fedex and similar, you will get charged as a matter of course, due to a different process of import.

[caller]

Buksi, the predominant address on the parcel was written in Thai (printed off)!

As for addresses, I think that has some relevance. I sent loads of stuff to a village about 110km from Korat, never got hit for duty once and the content of the parcels was clearly labelled.

Now they go to the City. The 1st time to the home address and the 2nd time to the work address, both got hit for customs duty.

If she doesn't get any joy with her appeal, I'll simply stop sending stuff over and bring what's wanted when I fly back.

[Big Boy]

So effectively it is a scam, they seem to be targeting mail with addresses written in English and slapping random duty on items that shouldn't have import tax applied such as clothing or books.

When we were hit, everything was written in Thai.

[STEVE G]

This Thai Government site has all the import rates if you can be bothered to wade through it, for example most books not in the Thai language seem to be at 40% which explains why English books are pretty expensive in Thailand:
http://igtf.customs.go.th/igtf/en/main_frame.jsp