Will I have to pay anything to receive a parcel of mail from the UK?

[Drew3223]

Hi all.

 

My family are sending me a package via DHL to Koh Tao. it is mostly mail, but there are a few small items - toiletries, an iphone, and some headphones.

 

Does anyone have any experience of what will happen next? Will I have to declare anything? Before being sent or after it arrives?

 

And will they ask for some sort of Duty payment?

 

 

[CharlieH]

Without doubt, couriers always do, and the processing fee ! 

The contents and value should have been declared in full on dispatch. (The iphone is the stinger)

 

Its been said many times DONT use a courier if it can be avoided.

 

If there is a contact number for you added on the details or an email address you will receive a txt or email or both from DHL prior to delivery requesting a payment.

 

Thats based on my experience.

[Drew3223]

1 minute ago, CharlieH said:

Its been said many times DONT use a courier if it can be avoided.

So send how? If not by courier?

[CharlieH]

1 minute ago, Drew3223 said:

So send how? If not by courier?

Through the normal mail system or even by "signed for" if you want to track it.

[Drew3223]

Thank you.

 

Is this way more likely to dodge duty fees?

[CharlieH]

5 minutes ago, Drew3223 said:

Thank you.

 

Is this way more likely to dodge duty fees?

Its always possible but less likely via the Post Office (and there is no "processing"fee). If duty is added, the parcel is usually held at the local Post Office for you to pay and collect.

[worgeordie]

An iPhone.....hope you your family put the declared value at about 10 quid,

a while ago my daughter thinking she was doing me a good turn sent me a

parcel by courier, among the few things in it was 500 gram of Koi food,they

said i had to apply for an import license for it and have an agent do the clearance,

next day they phoned again and said i would also have to get an import license

for 2 bars of Walkers toffee.

So I just abandoned the parcel,the cost of getting it cleared would have been too

much, I hope the toffee got stuck in the teeth of whichever official got them.

regards worgeordie

 

 

[onebir]

25 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

I hope the toffee got stuck in the teeth of whichever official got them.

Too charitable... I hope it choked em!

[jojothai]

2 hours ago, Drew3223 said:

Does anyone have any experience of what will happen next? Will I have to declare anything? Before being sent or after it arrives?

 

And will they ask for some sort of Duty payment?

 

 

I presume they sent it as a package , not as documents.
From my experience DHL will contact you and you will have to go to their delivery center to sort out the customs duty.
So you need to check where such a location is likely to be. It could be important if they want to check items.
I dont think there are any proper service centers down your way, so you will have to see what they say.

[Drew3223]

@jojothai it has not been sent yet. If sent as documents would that make things easier, do you think?

[jojothai]

Just now, Drew3223 said:

@jojothai it has not been sent yet. If sent as documents would that make things easier, do you think?

No. The rules for documents are very strict. You can only include documents.
Packages are more expensive. If I am correct, nearly double the price.

[jojothai]

2 hours ago, Drew3223 said:

Is this way more likely to dodge duty fees?

 

2 hours ago, CharlieH said:

Its always possible but less likely via the Post Office (and there is no "processing"fee). If duty is added, the parcel is usually held at the local Post Office for you to pay and collect.

Post Office EMS is likely best, it is hit and miss if they check/hold the package.

One in three recently for me. But a hassle going to the post office customs center in Bangkok once and having to pay duty.
If its being sent to Koh Tao then i dont know where you are likely to have to go for the customs duty.
Best check whether you would have to get it cleared in Bangkok.
I think DHL may be the same, but best you check with them. They almost certainly will want customs duty, but you may be able to pay remotely without having to go to the main service center. Ask them locally what will happen.
It could be cheaper paying duty with DHL if it can be done remotely than possibly having to go to bangkok.

To declare content and value for DHL or post office make sure you put a value, but as low as you reasonably can.  They can argue what they think the value is. You may have a different opinion.
Say things like old / used mobile phone, IMHO dont say iphone.

[Paul DS]

On 11/9/2020 at 3:23 PM, Drew3223 said:

So send how? If not by courier?

Royal Mail works perfectly and usually never any customs issues.  Either standard international Air Mail or registered.  (And a better price than DHL)

 

Edited November 13, 2020 by Paul DS

[Jimbo53]

On 11/9/2020 at 3:15 PM, Drew3223 said:

Hi all.

 

My family are sending me a package via DHL to Koh Tao. it is mostly mail, but there are a few small items - toiletries, an iphone, and some headphones.

 

Does anyone have any experience of what will happen next? Will I have to declare anything? Before being sent or after it arrives?

 

And will they ask for some sort of Duty payment?

 

 

There is a Thai Customs website,i would advise you to Google and download it,Thailand is a member of an International Customs agreement,all the tariffs and duty requirements are in it,personally i will never use DHL again,as around 6 years ago my nephew sent me a 2nd hand Apple Tv box from.UK, insurance value of £200 put on it,i received a notification from DHL to say it would be delivered,and that i had to pay Bht 17.000 duty,i couldn't believe it,looked at the customs website,located the tariff code number,worked out that i should be charged Bht 1600,after phone calls and emails,i was eventually charged Bht 4.100 ,still too much.

I think that DHL and possibly other freight companies are incorrectly doing all the freight duty taxation docs on behalf of the Thai Govt,i would'nt send anything to Thailand after that,possibly even another scam. Good luck.

http://www.customs.go.th/list_strc_simple_neted.php?ini_content=individual_160503_03_160922_01&lang=en&left_menu=menu_individual_submenu_01_160421_02

[Bigz]

Are the contents and value declared when posted in the Uk? If so you're up to a hefty bill for the iphone. Couple of years ago I sent a parcel from the UK by Royal mail. The declared value was around £40. My wife had to pay around 1500 baht import duty if I remember correctly 

[Formaleins]

On 11/9/2020 at 10:38 PM, Drew3223 said:

Thank you.

 

Is this way more likely to dodge duty fees?

UK Royal Mail Registered or Recorded Delivery is the best bet from the UK. (unless you are sending airgun pellets as they will just seize them)

 

DHL are by far the worst in my experience, in fact I think they work for Thai Customs, Fedex are the next worst. From past experience,  DHL will make sure that you get stung 99 times out of 100, Fedex probably 70 out of 100, Royal mail, less than 10%.

 

Better to get stuff sent from China or Hong Kong as it never gets stopped.

 

(Is there an EMS in the UK these days? not sure if they ship from UK to Thailand, but Thailand to UK never gets charged when I have used them)

[Megasin1]

Yes, you will be charged duty on not only the value of the goods despatched via DHL, but they also charge you duty on the cost of shipping ie, the amount that you had to pay DHL. I have done this a few times and are always plagued by the ex wife complaining that she has to pay the duty before they will release the goods to her, even though I send her the money. Unfortunately the more "honest" the posting party has been about the value of the contents the more duty you will have to pay.

If in future, you can send stuff with an arriving friend or relative, then this is definitely the preferred route, even with a signed for package their is a great risk that anything of value will not make it through the postal system, especially in the less cosmopolitan areas.

My daughter wanted to send her grandmother and her Aunty 500 baht each, which we did over 2 years ago, concealed inside a card, to a nothing, anywhere small-town village in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, as far as I am aware, as of yet they still haven't arrived. Fortunately at the time, she thought that 500 baht was a large amount of money, but now that she is in the clutches of her mother again she has a new found understanding of the value of money ????

[sammieuk1]

In May sent my boy and Mrs a small 2kg parcel clothes small toys etc declared £100 value £55 to post tax when they received it 2600bt won't be doing that again ????

[Pib]

It will depend on the information on the customs mailing form and total value of the shipment.  If everything in the package was identified as "docs" with no value and total value of the shipment "including" mailing cost is not more than Bt1,500, there should be no additional charges like import duty and VAT.

 

However, when the customs mailing form identifies items of value....like say a phone valued at $50 then that phone will probably trigger a customs duty of around 10% at least plus a 7% VAT....and  those 10% and 7% charges will be based on value of contents and mailing costs; not the value of the contents only.

 

I recently mailed a package from the US which contained a smartphone I low-balled valued at $49 USD on the customs form, various docs like credit cards and general mail with no value, and the FedEx mailing cost was around $45 dollars.  I got hit with a 10% import duty and 7% VAT based on the total value of the shipment which was $94 (approx Bt2,915...above the Bt1500 value which would normally get by without an import duty/VAT).....the import duty and VAT on that $94 shipment worked out to approx $16.   

 

Edited November 13, 2020 by Pib

[khunPer]

On 11/9/2020 at 4:15 PM, Drew3223 said:

Does anyone have any experience of what will happen next? Will I have to declare anything? Before being sent or after it arrives?

 

And will they ask for some sort of Duty payment?

Use, as others say, normal registered parcel mail. Preferably split into two, so letters and no value personal items are in one; and any commercial products in another, clearly marked with value and custom sticker (the post office should have that). You might recieve the one with commercial stuff without charge, and you might be charged both some duty and v.a.t.

[musicscene]

On 11/9/2020 at 10:26 PM, CharlieH said:

Through the normal mail system or even by "signed for" if you want to track it.

I have used ordinary post from England for both parcels and letters. They have never arrived!! The only way to be sure is registered post or DHL 

[ericthai]

On 11/9/2020 at 10:42 AM, CharlieH said:

Its always possible but less likely via the Post Office (and there is no "processing"fee). If duty is added, the parcel is usually held at the local Post Office for you to pay and collect.

The guys at the post office are usually pretty easy on things too.  Dont use DHL, Fed-x, etc most of the time they add duties that are high..  the iPhone might be an issue, make sure it dont look new.  Good luck!!

[samsensam]

 

i've received parcels from the uk and from hk, both by normal air and surface mail, i've never had any problems or any missing items.

[ericthai]

20 minutes ago, musicscene said:

I have used ordinary post from England for both parcels and letters. They have never arrived!! The only way to be sure is registered post or DHL 

I had that issue when we lived in surin. Even letters from Bangkok for me would get lost. I'm sure it was our local mail guy, maybe cant read English or just dont like expats.

[Regyai]

4 hours ago, Formaleins said:

UK Royal Mail Registered or Recorded Delivery is the best bet from the UK. (unless you are sending airgun pellets as they will just seize them)

 

DHL are by far the worst in my experience, in fact I think they work for Thai Customs, Fedex are the next worst. From past experience,  DHL will make sure that you get stung 99 times out of 100, Fedex probably 70 out of 100, Royal mail, less than 10%.

 

Better to get stuff sent from China or Hong Kong as it never gets stopped.

 

(Is there an EMS in the UK these days? not sure if they ship from UK to Thailand, but Thailand to UK never gets charged when I have used them)

They dont 'work' for Thai Customs but what most users seem oblivious to is that they have a 'cosy' hand in glove existence with customs departments worldwide.

 

They will for their part exact the full measure of every chargeable penny of duty and tax on behalf of customs. Whereas normal (Post Office) shipments, whilst technically being subject to the same rules, require customs physically intercepting and investigating each and every item. Therein lies the rub - with DHL the levies are a 'given' with Post Office they are atypical.

[simon43]

When I lived in Thailand, parcels sent from overseas using DHL were 'kidnapped' on arrival in Thailand and I was held to ransom for extortionate fees, (in one case over $1,000 in duty for a duty-free item).

 

Strange that now I live in Laos, any item shipped to me from overseas by DHL is delivered to me free of any duty or taxes.....

[Postmaster]

If i remember correctly the Post Office will not let your relatives insure a mobile phone being sent in the post.

[chilly07]

Never used DHL again after I received a large envelope that had been ripped open and taped back up. Used normal post office EMS ever since without any problem

[darrendsd]

On 11/9/2020 at 10:38 PM, Drew3223 said:

Thank you.

 

Is this way more likely to dodge duty fees?

 

Yes very more likely

 

By using DHL you are pretty much guaranteed to receive fees

 

Use Royal Mail International Signed For service next time - no package of goods are ever guaranteed not to receive customs fees however there is less chance if you use the Thai Post system over a courier

[Neeranam]

20 hours ago, Paul DS said:

Royal Mail works perfectly and usually never any customs issues.  Either standard international Air Mail or registered.  (And a better price than DHL)

 

I'm waiting for  CREDIT CARD. Been stuck in Heathrow for over two weeks! This SPECIAL delivery that should take 2/3 days!!