Avoid customs - dissembled spare parts?

[creative1000]

I will be purchasing 3 projectors in the usa for personal use during the black Friday sales and hopefully bring them back via airplane carryon. I’d like to avoid ridiculous thai import duties if possible. 

 

Can I disassemble them and claim them as spare parts? Will this work? Are electronic spare parts taxed?

[Crossy]

"Projector" HS Code 8512.20.0000 should attract 10% duty plus 7% VAT - hardly rediculous.

 

You could probably carry one in your luggage and get away with going through the green channel for free.

 

But three, hardly going to be "personal use" so Red it is for you unless you want to wing-it (ensure you have the invoice but not with the units) take them out of the packaging so they look used.

 

There's a fair to middling chance that even if stopped the customs chaps will file under "too hard" and let you through. They're on the lookout for booze and tobacco - easy pickings. 

 

"Electronic Spare Parts" HS Code 8421.21.0000  should attract 2.6% duty plus 7% VAT. But you're going to need some sort of paperwork that they are indeed spares.

 

[creative1000]

5 hours ago, Crossy said:

"Projector" HS Code 8512.20.0000 should attract 10% duty plus 7% VAT - hardly rediculous."

Ohhh, I must have read the wrong code. I could have sworn the code was upto 80% duty for Projectors, LCDs, LEDs. When I also checked Lazada and JIB it was 100% markup from amazon price. Yes 10% + 7% is not bad. 

 

 

[creative1000]

@Crossy

I think this customs code only applies to vehicles, not TVs & projectors
 

85.12

Electrical lighting or signalling equipment (excluding articles of heading 85.39), windscreen wipers, defrosters and demisters, of a kind used for cycles or motor vehicles.

 

 

Is the code not  8528.69.10 ??
 

- - - Having the capability of projecting onto a screen diagonally measuring 300 inches or more

80.000

 

[Crossy]

Big projector! Using HS Code 8528.69.0000 puts the duty at 20% plus 7% VAT.

 

I'm using https://www.simplyduty.com/import-calculator/ to do the sums, it's far quicker than the TH Customs site and I've found it reasonably accurate in the past.

 

You could be right, it never occured to me that just putting "projector" as the search term would lead to vehicle lighting.

 

[tompelli]

Think long & hard about what you are proposing. With the upside being saving how much? If you get caught on a bad day, I expect to see your post on here asking what have I done?

[Seeall]

On 11/14/2019 at 10:04 PM, creative1000 said:

 

well now u hVE TOLD EVERYONE i AM SURE THEY WILL TArget u... brAINLESS

[tomazbodner]

Last I arrived to Swampy, there were no more red and green channels. They were building some ... like detectors you have at the stores, the small walls that beep if you pass with a tag that wasn't demagnetised properly...

 

All people traffic was directed to where red channel used to be (now no signs on) and random people were checked like green channel before.

 

Not sure if this was only at exit B or C as well.

[tomazbodner]

3 minutes ago, Seeall said:

well now u hVE TOLD EVERYONE i AM SURE THEY WILL TArget u... brAINLESS

They would not know how he looks like and seems it's random inspection. But looks like they are preparing to inspect everyone once the installations are complete.

[ThomasThBKK]

just order it at amazon.com on black friday, directly to thailand, they do the taxation and also tell you the maximum total price - often they refund you taxes tho as somehow the thais didnt bother charging.

Just check if the price is ok for you and if it is spare you the personal carrying over.

[sead]

Espresso machines. Tablets xx. Ps4. Videogames. Fans. AirPurifiers. Only god knows what all i have taken with me from Sweden to Thailand in my bagage. Never been stopped. So do t think you will  e a prime suspect.... 

[Monomial]

On 11/15/2019 at 9:21 AM, Crossy said:

Big projector! Using HS Code 8528.69.0000 puts the duty at 20% plus 7% VAT.

 

I'm using https://www.simplyduty.com/import-calculator/ to do the sums, it's far quicker than the TH Customs site and I've found it reasonably accurate in the past.

 

You could be right, it never occured to me that just putting "projector" as the search term would lead to vehicle lighting.

 

 

8528 is the correct code to use for the import of computer monitors and LCD projectors.  8529 is the code you would use for spare parts for equipment in the category of 8528.  However, as Crossy has pointed out, you will likely need invoices that list the parts and prices individually in order to qualify for the 8529 rate. I don't think just disassembling the projectors would qualify without an invoice.

 

8528 has a tariff of 20% as mentioned above. 8529 has a tarrif of 8.57%. You must also add VAT to both options.

 

 

 

 

[JaiLai]

14 hours ago, sead said:

Espresso machines. Tablets xx. Ps4. Videogames. Fans. AirPurifiers. Only god knows what all i have taken with me from Sweden to Thailand in my bagage. Never been stopped. So do t think you will  e a prime suspect.... 

Likewise, in 20 years stopped once with a wooden 7ft giraffe wrapped in cardboard, conversation went like this

 

customs : what's that

 

me: it's a giraffe

 

customs: is it dead or alive?

 

me: bi bi

[jasonsamui55]

Why don’t more people just rent or share the rent for a virtual office in Hong Kong where they have import taxes and then fly over there and bring it back with them? It’s always easier that way, and flights to and from HK are plentiful and cheap.