Delays in customs processing through DHL

[TheFreqFlyer]

Hi,

 

This is at least the third time in as many months that I've used DHL for the sending and customs processing of goods, mainly food supplements. The first two times back in July and August, everything went very well, it was quick and efficient. The first time the vendor already had taxes included so I didn't have to pay anything; the second time I paid DHL before the goods were dispatched for delivery. For the first delivery, it took around 2-3 business days for the customs procedures to be completed. The second time DHL advised it would take 2-3 business days but took just 1. 

 

This third time is proving to be a headache. The merchant is the same as for the second shipment in August but it's larger this time. One set of products is the same as in August, just twice the quantity; the second set is something new but still manufactured by the same supplier.

 

The goods arrived Saturday night a week ago, and I thought they would be cleared quite quickly based on the customs status at the time. Then came the 13th, which was a public holiday so I assumed that perhaps some staff had taken a 4-day holiday. Nevertheless, there was not a peep out of them so last Thursday I emailed DHL to enquire what was going on and made a complaint about how long it was taking. They advised they would try to clear it as soon as possible. I then enquired again on Friday and they told me the goods were in the queue for inspection.

 

Finally on Monday they were inspected (perhaps customs doesn't work on the weekend) but because the customs forms were not filled out properly (I didn't specify that I had two sets of the first product and the second set contained 3 separate products) they asked for a website address or printout from the merchant. I sent this along and they advised it would some time to update the paperwork and the goods would need to be "re-inspected".

 

It's been 3 working days since then with no progress. Does anyone know what's going on? 

 

Unless there is a severe staff shortage something is not right. I can understand that the failure to fill out the paperwork correctly may be delaying things slightly, but the fact it took them over a week to even look at the goods in the first place tells me something is different to normal. Maybe they are overwhelmed with incoming shipments?

 

And before anyone says DHL sucks...they've been reliable so far. Just don't understand what's going on this time. 

[seajae]

 dhl are hopeless, we are having a major problem with them sending stuff out of Thailand, all the required paperwork /certificates were supplied and the ones required by the destination country were sealed inside as required and the seals were stamped so the receiving  country would know it had not been opened but some idiot at dhl decised to check to see if they were in the box even though they could see the stamps and also there was notification on top of the box stating all the required paperwork was enclosed. By opening the box they may well have caused it to be rejected by the destination country especially when you consider they do not need to see the certificate as it is intended for the receiving country only. Then they continually email us asking for more documents, again they are not required by them plus all the ones that are required were picked up by them when they picked up the box. Yesterday we got an email saying because we are not being helpful they are going to return the box to us so we phoned the head office and they told us the exact opposite and that it is waiting for the plane to be sent. They told us one of the departments  are getting it all wrong so maybe you are getting the same thing, I actually thought that they were after extra money wanting everything done again as they add office work to the final account but as we are only doing this as a favour to a friend he is the one that will be paying it, they picked the box up 2 weeks ago and everything needed was supplied with it, dhl are totally useless

[notrub]

OK.  I have had shipments from US via DHL from Amazon and the stuff arrives eventually.  Except a Kindle reader that disappeared for so long they refunded my money.  Having said that, DHL sucks.  I would never knowingly ship anything with them, unless there was absolutely no other solution.

[TheFreqFlyer]

41 minutes ago, notrub said:

OK.  I have had shipments from US via DHL from Amazon and the stuff arrives eventually.  Except a Kindle reader that disappeared for so long they refunded my money.  Having said that, DHL sucks.  I would never knowingly ship anything with them, unless there was absolutely no other solution.

Well, the stuff arrived. They even sent me pictures of the goods after inspection. The issue here is simply the bizarre lengthy customs procedure, something that didn't apply 2 or 3 months ago. I mean, even with covid, right now there should be more flights than there were a couple of months back and thus if anything, things should be a little faster now. I've looked on their website and they are speaking of only minor delays...perhaps 1 or 2-3 days, not 10 days.

[uncleP]

With covid there is much less international traffic therefore Thai customs are interfering with a greater percentage of shipments. It all sorts itself out eventually. 

[TheFreqFlyer]

1 hour ago, uncleP said:

With covid there is much less international traffic therefore Thai customs are interfering with a greater percentage of shipments. It all sorts itself out eventually. 

Good point. I'm sure it will sort itself out; as I said, one of two products I've imported before with no issues whatsoever. Just this time it's twice the quantity of last time. 

 

Last month I had a shipment sent via USPS, picked it up at the postal customs office. Couldn't have gone more smoothly...took less than 10 minutes to get everything done including payment of the import duties. Most of the time was spent in traffic getting there and back and having to wait over lunch since I arrived only around half an hour before the lunch break. I was out of there around 1.30pm, after waiting 50 mins (not including lunch). 

 

Although I don't want to visit the postal customs office every time such a shipment comes in, I know that when it does, I can clear it rather quickly. 

[willyumcr]

I'm also having customs problems which Ive never had before. My problem is with FedEx. I had a friend send me some supply's for my CPAP machine. I paid extra 3day delivery and now its been two weeks tied up in Customs and I have to register as an importer. Need to pay a Broker to take my passport to Customs for inspection. I learned a lesson. If not C.O,D. I wont have anything sent here anymore. I will just let them keep the package. Its a 1lb package. It cost me $113 to 3 day send it and now they latest estimate from broker is another 3,900 baht (duty is only 431 baht) to pick up my passport and get the package. I don't like the idea of a broker taking my passport. To many hoops to jump through. I'm 79 years old and don't get around very good anymore.

[TheFreqFlyer]

3 hours ago, willyumcr said:

I'm also having customs problems which Ive never had before. My problem is with FedEx. I had a friend send me some supply's for my CPAP machine. I paid extra 3day delivery and now its been two weeks tied up in Customs and I have to register as an importer. Need to pay a Broker to take my passport to Customs for inspection. I learned a lesson. If not C.O,D. I wont have anything sent here anymore. I will just let them keep the package. Its a 1lb package. It cost me $113 to 3 day send it and now they latest estimate from broker is another 3,900 baht (duty is only 431 baht) to pick up my passport and get the package. I don't like the idea of a broker taking my passport. To many hoops to jump through. I'm 79 years old and don't get around very good anymore.

Sending via the regular postal service is trouble free though. That's the way I will probably do it exclusively from now on. Or I might consider DHL for certain items I know will get through without an inspection being necessary. There is nothing else I will have sent via DHL this year anyway; this was the last package. Whether or not I decide to risk it again next year (perhaps around February) remains to be seen though based on this experience of my goods being stuck in customs for 11 days now, something doesn't seem right. 

[VocalNeal]

My beef with the likes of FedEx is that they are paid to deliver from door-to-door but for whatever reason if the package requires customs clearance they drop their door-to-door commitment this end and we end up having to pay to get it delivered locally. 

 

Just a bunch of crooks.

[TheFreqFlyer]

13 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

My beef with the likes of FedEx is that they are paid to deliver from door-to-door but for whatever reason if the package requires customs clearance they drop their door-to-door commitment this end and we end up having to pay to get it delivered locally. 

 

Just a bunch of crooks.

Well after sending another email asking what's going on basically telling them to expedite it and also inform the customs inspector to kindly finish his inspection today, I received an explanation as to what's going on.

 

Because the original form was not filled out properly (basically, the inspector found more goods than what was written on the form) it had to be amended (which took place on Monday). Then, the new form would have to be approved and finally inspected again by the FDA, a totally bureaucratic process. Of course I assume responsibility for not filling it out correctly the first time, but these goods come in two sets. I didn't realize I would have to basically detail every little item separately (I had a hunch that maybe that's what they wanted, but decided against it). I know that in future I'll have to be very thorough from the beginning, and this may have cost me a good few days in extra delays. 

 

Following my email, I received an answer finally clarifying the situation. The amended documents have been approved, but since the FDA people (and probably inspection teams covering other types of goods) don't work on holidays (such as today) or weekends, the inspection process will probably only be finished on Monday or Tuesday.

 

Again, given it took all of 10 minutes or less to complete everything in person at the Thai Postal Customs Office last month for a similar shipment, I don't understand why amending a document takes 4-5 business days followed by an inspection of something that has already been inspected. Either the Post Office is 1000 times more efficient and competent than the customs people working with DHL or the latter has such a huge case load that they're easily overwhelmed. 

 

Anyway, you learn from experience. 

[VocalNeal]

Or the latter is a licensed customs broker and they will charge you brokerage fees

[TheFreqFlyer]

On 10/23/2020 at 3:08 PM, VocalNeal said:

Or the latter is a licensed customs broker and they will charge you brokerage fees

What difference does that make?

 

All I'm asking is for them to hurry up and clear the consignment. I am happy to pay all fees associated with this shipment, but so far all I've experienced are never ending delays.

[Tracyb]

I don’t think DHL is the problem here.  I’ve used both DHL and FedEx over the past several months.  DHL customs in three days.  FedEx shipmenttook seven, yes.... seven weeks to clear customs.  All for a tube of ointment that was included in the shipment (from USA) that was ultimately deemed to be medicine and forbidden from entering.  The bulk of that time was spent waiting for the actual inspection of goods by the food and drug division.

 

Pre-covid I shipped these types of items regularly with no problem clearing customs......done in a day.  I think the volume is now so low that the inspectors have more time to gin up the customs fees to keep their agency afloat.

Edited October 28, 2020 by Tracyb

[yankee99]

I import regularly and can say the paperwork is critical to be perfect. If they waive a inspection they basically don't scrutinize the paperwork. Once customs decides to inspect then it will take time as there are a limited amount of personal. Remember 99% of customs is automated. 

 

Also forgetting the quantity can have substantial penalties so be careful. 

[Guderian]

Back in July, I ordered some vitamins from the US and the company uses DHL to transport them here. I ordered two items at the same time, weight limitations meant they had to be two separate orders. The first one arrived within ten days, now almost four months later I'm still waiting for the second item. The vendor eventually gave me a refund, and even they sounded cheesed off with DHL. "Their tracking system gives you no useful information at all," they moaned to me. Why use them then?

[TheFreqFlyer]

3 hours ago, yankee99 said:

I import regularly and can say the paperwork is critical to be perfect. If they waive a inspection they basically don't scrutinize the paperwork. Once customs decides to inspect then it will take time as there are a limited amount of personal. Remember 99% of customs is automated. 

 

Also forgetting the quantity can have substantial penalties so be careful. 

This could be another reason for the slow progress. Not enough staff: 

 

https://th.jobsdb.com/th/en/job/customs-clearance-supervisor-300003002271269

[TheFreqFlyer]

4 hours ago, Tracyb said:

I don’t think DHL is the problem here.  I’ve used both DHL and FedEx over the past several months.  DHL customs in three days.  FedEx shipmenttook seven, yes.... seven weeks to clear customs.  All for a tube of ointment that was included in the shipment (from USA) that was ultimately deemed to be medicine and forbidden from entering.  The bulk of that time was spent waiting for the actual inspection of goods by the food and drug division.

 

Pre-covid I shipped these types of items regularly with no problem clearing customs......done in a day.  I think the volume is now so low that the inspectors have more time to gin up the customs fees to keep their agency afloat.

I don't see why an ointment would have issues or be prohibited. I've imported such goods before without issue, though there was this one time 2 years ago an ointment I ordered from the USA disappeared on arrival in BKK (I think it was sent by Fedex) with no explanation provided, though for some reason I didn't follow up (I should have). If a small package is ordered through iHerb (which only sends parcels via normal Post to Thailand; DHL isn't an option unless you use a third party shipping service) they automatically clear it without hassle. This seems to apply even if you include a tube of ointment. 

 

I've received an update from DHL yesterday at 5pm stating that the inspection of the goods (which had originally taken place last Monday but the details on the form were inconsistent so the form was amended, prompting a new inspection) was to proceed on Monday 26/10. However, they weren't able to do it before the close of business so it was delayed until 27/10. Now it's the 28th and it still hasn't been completed. 

 

It appears they no longer have 24 hour customs staff like they did back in August. At the time, my shipment was cleared at 2am, which is clearly not possible anymore given that the inspection staff only work during normal office hours Monday to Friday. So if it's not cleared by 5pm today that means the earliest will be tomorrow at 9am.

 

Either way, something doesn't add up here...though staffing issues could be one reason as evidenced by this job advert:

 

https://th.jobsdb.com/th/en/job/customs-clearance-supervisor-300003002271269

[ajarnmarc]

On 10/22/2020 at 3:05 PM, TheFreqFlyer said:

Well, the stuff arrived. They even sent me pictures of the goods after inspection. The issue here is simply the bizarre lengthy customs procedure, something that didn't apply 2 or 3 months ago. I mean, even with covid, right now there should be more flights than there were a couple of months back and thus if anything, things should be a little faster now. I've looked on their website and they are speaking of only minor delays...perhaps 1 or 2-3 days, not 10 days.

From my experience with the major carriers, the problems come into play when you up the weight of the package, i.e. quantity. If I keep the weight low, like under 1kg then I'm golden for the most part. I also found more success with Customs if I use Thai Postal service, being that they actually use Government Custom officials. The major carriers use their own in house Customs, which is resigned Government Custom officials, who know how to take advantage of the overseas packages coming in. I discovered this when I went to my local Customs office and registered my address and name for receiving imported items on a regular basis. Yes they have this procedure. The Customs official took a copy of my Passport, and I filled out a document, concerning my general type of shipment i plan to receive, with my local address. I explained to them about my history dealing with the Customs officers at the  Major Airport, and difficult it has been with no standards to what is required. They are the ones that informed me to use Thai post or sea shipment, which are both processed through Government Customs Officials. 

[Sheryl]

An abusive post and reply to it have been removed

[FlorC]

What about UPS ?

 

I'm thinking of ordering from Mouser and they send it by UPS.

Free delivery above 1600B/50$.

Will it be the same problems as with the other carriers above ?

How much import costs will I have to pay on delivery for an order of about 75$ , apart from the 7 % Thai VAT ?

[TheFreqFlyer]

A quick update which further clarifies the situation. I decided to give them a call for a real-time chat rather than going back and forth via email, which didn't yield any real useful information. 

 

It turns out there is a major backlog of shipments of all kinds that have yet to be inspected at Suvarnabhumi airport. This could very well be due to Covid-19 and a staff shortage. I did plead for the agent handling my case to ask the customs inspector to expedite the shipment.

 

DHL also admitted that using them subjects the shipment to more scrutiny than if using the normal postal system or for that matter, a private courier, which is only responsible for the shipping component of the journey, but then hands over customs clearance and delivery to the postal system. 

 

Thailand is ranked 45th globally in terms of customs efficiency, the same as Cyprus, and above Greece. At least it's not Laos, which is down the bottom (ranked 175th) and where goods sent are regularly lost or stolen, hence why most importers have the goods pass through Thailand first.

 

Anyway, it appears as though my shipment could still take anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks. This is not entirely unprecedented; a shipment I ordered from the USA back in June took 3 weeks to be released by US customs before it was finally permitted to depart the country, taking a total of 7 weeks before arriving here. Customs clearance took just hours and then it proceeded to delivery. 

 

So it's not only Thailand that is being inefficient here.

 

It probably hasn't got anything to do with the types of goods either (other than them needing to be inspected by the relevant agency) - according to a notice I read recently, the US prohibits imports of medicines from abroad aside from a very specific limitation that requires a doctor's certificate and it can't be more than a 90-day supply. I don't think it applies to food supplements or herbal medicines. Thailand is quite similar in this respect I think. 

 

I have never ordered as much merchandise from abroad as this year, so you do learn from experience. Aside from this one time, I have rarely had any issues in the past and I think this delay can be put down to the current global situation. 

[TheFreqFlyer]

1 hour ago, FlorC said:

What about UPS ?

 

I'm thinking of ordering from Mouser and they send it by UPS.

Free delivery above 1600B/50$.

Will it be the same problems as with the other carriers above ?

How much import costs will I have to pay on delivery for an order of about 75$ , apart from the 7 % Thai VAT ?

Yes, could very well be. USPS first class is the way to go. Just as fast and much more reliable. 

 

To calculate how much tax you would need to pay, you may need to go to the Thai customs website. Just to give you an idea though, I paid 913 Baht taxes and fees (including VAT) on a shipment valued at US$208 including shipping (so $136 for the goods and $72 for shipping). The actual "tax" component was about 200 Baht, but then you have all these other fees, like customs processing 200 Baht, the VAT as mentioned so all in all, this is what it came down to. I say, I can live with that. Incidentally, the price I paid for the goods included a 15% discount, so adding the taxes I view as being the equivalent (more or less) of me paying the normal price of just under $160, without the discount.  Nothing to worry about.

 

I think a lot of people here are upset about all the taxes Thai customs applies; I'm less concerned about that than simple customs clearance. I already know that there are lots of import charges and frankly, Thailand is not unique in this respect. I just read a thread about DHL in Europe having delivery drivers demand customs fees or not releasing the goods, so it appears as though DHL's reputation is not good anywhere in the world. 

[FlorC]

Thanks FreqFlyer.

Reading all this with the delays and import taxes , I may not order. So on the 75 $ order , I think it will cost around 400-500 Baht , that is a lot , but then again paying 21 % vat in my country would be the same or even more.

With so many people unemployed , you'd think they would get more customs people so that it wouldn't take so long.

[yankee99]

4 hours ago, TheFreqFlyer said:

Yes, could very well be. USPS first class is the way to go. Just as fast and much more reliable. 

 

To calculate how much tax you would need to pay, you may need to go to the Thai customs website. Just to give you an idea though, I paid 913 Baht taxes and fees (including VAT) on a shipment valued at US$208 including shipping (so $136 for the goods and $72 for shipping). The actual "tax" component was about 200 Baht, but then you have all these other fees, like customs processing 200 Baht, the VAT as mentioned so all in all, this is what it came down to. I say, I can live with that. Incidentally, the price I paid for the goods included a 15% discount, so adding the taxes I view as being the equivalent (more or less) of me paying the normal price of just under $160, without the discount.  Nothing to worry about.

 

I think a lot of people here are upset about all the taxes Thai customs applies; I'm less concerned about that than simple customs clearance. I already know that there are lots of import charges and frankly, Thailand is not unique in this respect. I just read a thread about DHL in Europe having delivery drivers demand customs fees or not releasing the goods, so it appears as though DHL's reputation is not good anywhere in the world. 

USPS is not UPS

 

usps first class is 2 weeks {no tracking} compared to 3-4 days using dhl or ups {tracked and insured} 

 

of course ups / dhl are way more expensive 

[TheFreqFlyer]

On 10/29/2020 at 5:03 PM, yankee99 said:

USPS is not UPS

 

usps first class is 2 weeks {no tracking} compared to 3-4 days using dhl or ups {tracked and insured} 

 

of course ups / dhl are way more expensive 

Nope. I used USPS (express post) with tracking (although I was never given the tracking number) for a parcel from Alaska. It arrived in less than 4 days. 

Just purchased something today where DHL is the cheapest option, followed by UPS and then USPS standard. I chose the latter, even though it costs US$12 more than DHL precisely because I don't trust DHL at the current time. 

[TheFreqFlyer]

On 10/29/2020 at 4:58 PM, FlorC said:

Thanks FreqFlyer.

Reading all this with the delays and import taxes , I may not order. So on the 75 $ order , I think it will cost around 400-500 Baht , that is a lot , but then again paying 21 % vat in my country would be the same or even more.

With so many people unemployed , you'd think they would get more customs people so that it wouldn't take so long.

Yes, that's probably why DHL is hiring at the moment. 

[yankee99]

1 hour ago, TheFreqFlyer said:

Nope. I used USPS (express post) with tracking (although I was never given the tracking number) for a parcel from Alaska. It arrived in less than 4 days. 

Just purchased something today where DHL is the cheapest option, followed by UPS and then USPS standard. I chose the latter, even though it costs US$12 more than DHL precisely because I don't trust DHL at the current time. 

Your comparing apples to oranges. USPS first class mail in not the same as USPS express mail. 

 

express is the equivalent of ems, dhl and FedEx 

[TheFreqFlyer]

On 10/30/2020 at 6:50 PM, yankee99 said:

Your comparing apples to oranges. USPS first class mail in not the same as USPS express mail. 

 

express is the equivalent of ems, dhl and FedEx 

I know very well what the differences are. End of the day, USPS is USPS. 

 

However, the latest merchant I ordered goods from decided to use DHL anyway, despite selecting USPS. 

 

As for my original package, it's been cleared now and is ready for delivery.

 

Therefore, this topic is done.