Dhl Customs Charges Again

[imaneggspurt]

Im at the end of my tether,,have just received delivery notice from DHL for a parcel sent from the uk, declared value 60 uk pounds,THEY WANT 5000 BAHT TAXES !..now before you say they probably opened it and assessed a value ,it wasnt opened, and the goods werent "marked down " also i have one of these boxes every week, charge has been different everytime but around 1900 baht,...the woman at DHL must have the brain of a 5 year old as she cant even understand when im explaing and giving her the invoice of last weeks box for exactly the same consignment value,,what i need to know ,has anyone refused a parcel on the basis that they have overcharged, and had the charges amended,? .boy am i p1ssed ,they are a bunch of theiving lowlifes and the sooner we leave thailand the better

[Jungian]

They do x-ray packages. Also depending on what the import is it may be taxed at 100% or more.

[sbk]

Yes, I did refuse the package.

But, I did have my husband do the negotiating, he knew the postmaster , and well, tbh, is a "take no crap" kinda guy. So, he got his point across and I got my package.

[Harcourt]

I work in the courier freight industry here in New Zealand. DHL is perhaps the most expensive and inflexible company worldwide. They have the size to be impersonal and charge what they want.

You are supposed to get a customs invoice if your shipment was cleared: there you will see a breakdown of what the government took, and what DHL charged as their own fee.

For future reference, you can use your own customs broker for clearing dutiable items.

For items out of the UK, I know of a very good company based in London that has a branch in BKK. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post the company name here, but I'd be glad to tell anyone how to get in touch with them.

[TheLaughingMan]

You act like DHL is at fault and not the Thais directly. They are extortionists, plain and simple, I dont know why these threads about "taxes" keep popping up with the same sad story. Everyone needs to accept that when you get a package sent here you are completely at the mercy of a corrupt extortionate mafia. Just know this. Why does everyone keep acting surprised? It happens over and over and over and over and over....

[emancipationthailand]

YOU ARE BEING SCREWED. Ask the Thai Authority for how exactly the charges are computed? What is the exact 10 digits coding was select based on the Harmonized System Coding (2002?) they are complied with, and what is exact the custom rate assosiated with the claasification.

Ps. I used to be a Thai official involving the Custom line of works. IMHO, there are very rare that the custom rate went over 100%

If the government tried to cheat you, and how you confronted (passively) them, you could then convinced them that it'll be less trouble to cheat on other naive foreigners and they might mention that they select the incorrect HS codings and the charge will be mitigate.

Edited June 29, 2009 by emancipationthailand

[Tompa]

Why are you using DHL? I often get shipments from Europe with registered mail and they arrive in anywhere between 3-7 days time. No problems with customs, and never any problems with lost parcels. I also send quite a lot of shipments daily to Europe/US and send 95% with registered mail and the rest with Fedex.

I have in the past had some parcels being sent to me by fedex. These have been stopped by customs, but I was only charged normal VAT (7%) plus a small handling fee. They also always sent the documents to me first.

Tompa,

[thaihome]

As some else said, DHL is only passing on what the customs dept has said the duty would be. None of the major courier companies (FedEx, DHL, or UPS) will argue with customs on the cost. This is the price you pay for getting the quick service versus using a freight forwarder that will discuss the price before paying it.

I believe that the courier companies normally go ahead pay whatever is charged in order to get their packages out of customs and then you have to pay them in order to get the package delivered.

TH

[MKAsok]

I have in the past had some parcels being sent to me by fedex. These have been stopped by customs, but I was only charged normal VAT (7%) plus a small handling fee. They also always sent the documents to me first.

This has also been precisely my experience (both times with DHL incidentally): VAT @7% and a 'Duty Handling Fee' of 200bht. There's definitely something wrong there. Refuse the shipment. If they won't reduce the charges to something reasonable (it's their problem if they paid customs too much to release the shipment, not yours), tell them to return the package to the shipper and get the shipper to re-send it by regular mail (registered/insured if necessary).

[emancipationthailand]

Ummm ............ Despite that i'm now convinced that my previous rep was irrelevant, i'll attempt this again.

All mail carriers in Thailand MUST comply with the Official Import Tariff Rate, where in Thailand, it's based on the Harmonization System which is in line with the World Custom Organization or WCO. Please follow the link to find the rate you subjected to be levy first, before taking other less relevant assumptions.

http://igtf.customs.go.th/igtf/viewerImpor...do?param=langEn

Ps. In terms of Trade Liberalization, Thailand has come quite a long way to mitigates the import custom tax rates as far as the common goods is concerned. It's quite extremely rare to be levy over 100%.

[Maizefarmer]

Everything that is taxed or dutied through customs gets done so on a CIF code - you should ask DHL what code was used to assess the value.

In future - just ensure the correct code is on the parcel - to get the applicable code go to the Customs website where you will find a list of just about every danm thing you can think of from pins, to tanks, to trucks to dolls ... if it exisists there will be a code for it: make sure that code is on the parcel and that is how and what you will be taxed/dutied by Customs (unless they open it up and discover its not what its decleared to be - then they will throw the book at you).

Its that simple - they have to deal with thousands of parcels every day that have no code on them - they get tired of it.

[imaneggspurt]

Thanks for the responses, heres todays deal, ( i am quoting this off the receipt ) assessed value 3.496.61,.( 65 gbp ) freight 11340,( thats incorrect ,it was 135 pounds,) ins 34.96,?.duty 30per cent 4461,vat 1354,total 5815.duty handling fee 200baht,vat 14baht,total 6029 baht,,

[imaneggspurt]

They do x-ray packages. Also depending on what the import is it may be taxed at 100% or more.

used motorcycle parts, quoted at 30 per cent,.

[MKAsok]

http://igtf.customs.go.th/igtf/viewerImpor...do?param=langEn

Everything that is taxed or dutied through customs gets done so on a CIF code - you should ask DHL what code was used to assess the value.

In future - just ensure the correct code is on the parcel - to get the applicable code go to the Customs website where you will find a list of just about every danm thing you can think of from pins, to tanks, to trucks to dolls ... if it exisists there will be a code for it:

All very useful info thanks. Maizefarmer: you got a link for this list? I can't find it on the customs website.

[imaneggspurt]

You act like DHL is at fault and not the Thais directly. They are extortionists, plain and simple, I dont know why these threads about "taxes" keep popping up with the same sad story. Everyone needs to accept that when you get a package sent here you are completely at the mercy of a corrupt extortionate mafia. Just know this. Why does everyone keep acting surprised? It happens over and over and over and over and over....

I dont think it hurts to tell people, maybe newbies, im used to being charged 60 per cent ( for something quoted at 30 ) but this one takes the biscuit !,.

[MKAsok]

Thanks for the responses, heres todays deal, ( i am quoting this off the receipt ) assessed value 3.496.61,.( 65 gbp ) freight 11340,( thats incorrect ,it was 135 pounds,) ins 34.96,?.duty 30per cent 4461,vat 1354,total 5815.duty handling fee 200baht,vat 14baht,total 6029 baht,,

How is 30% of 65GBP 4461bht? They're having a laugh. Send it back.

[imaneggspurt]

Thanks for the responses, heres todays deal, ( i am quoting this off the receipt ) assessed value 3.496.61,.( 65 gbp ) freight 11340,( thats incorrect ,it was 135 pounds,) ins 34.96,?.duty 30per cent 4461,vat 1354,total 5815.duty handling fee 200baht,vat 14baht,total 6029 baht,,

How is 30% of 65GBP 4461bht? They're having a laugh. Send it back.

The CIF charge is applicable on the transport cost also,( it still dosent tally ).

[Maizefarmer]

Thai Customs Codes and Tariffs - navigate your way from the following page, guys:

http://igtf.customs.go.th/igtf/en/main_frame.jsp

You are looking for a 6 digit number - remember as well, that alot of things can be described with, or using more than 6 digit code - so look around, you can often find a 6 code that accurately describes the contents of the parcel but which could save you quite a bit of duty.

[pattaya_girl]

You could refuse it and send it back but I refused one once, and it never arrived back with the sender.

They might want you to refuse it really so that they can keep it for themselves.

[Datsun240Z]

You could refuse it and send it back but I refused one once, and it never arrived back with the sender.

No, because it ended in a home of a Thai

@ OP:

[emancipationthailand]

Thai Customs Codes and Tariffs - navigate your way from the following page, guys:

http://igtf.customs.go.th/igtf/en/main_frame.jsp

You are looking for a 6 digit number - remember as well, that alot of things can be described with, or using more than 6 digit code - so look around, you can often find a 6 code that accurately describes the contents of the parcel but which could save you quite a bit of duty.

Here goes the story from my understanding .......... WCO came up with the enhance version of the Harmonization Coding System for member countries to adopted into their custom mechanisms. All member countries (most countries in the world) must comply with the first 6 (or 4) digits, then the last four digits can be differentiated depending on the subsidizing/trade barrier/profit custom schemes. So, the natural trading statistics will eventually be reflected upon the custom's customizations. Other major influence would be the domestic demand. ..... That's all.

[GezT]

Unbelievable! After searching high and low for a Baby's playpen here I contacted friends in the UK.

They got me a top of the range model from 'Mothercare' for 99.00 GBP. They contacted DHL

for a quote to send it to me here in Pattaya, Thailand and were quoted 200.00 GBP.

After thinking about it I decided to go ahead, my friends in the UK were told there would be no

other charges this end. Having lived in this country for 19 years I knew better. A few months ago

I bought a new putter from Edwin Watts in USA, the putter cost US$300, I had to pay 1,500 baht

this end. Working on these numbers I figured 1,000 baht, tops! For the playpen.

4,300 baht!!!!!!!

I've been in touch with DHL Thailand and have a lady "Looking into it". Will keep you posted.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

It happens more often with courier services like DHL. Don't use them.

They have professionally disqualified them from the Thai market through not establishing a better, fairer and more transparent working relation with the customs department.

They're used only by institutions that don't care about cost.

[Ricardo]

This also works in reverse.

I used to work for TNT in Scandinavia, where we would regularly receive packages from Thailand containing clothing-samples, sent by local manufacturers out here who were quoting to supply retailers in Sweden and Finland. Our job was just to clear/deliver the consignments a.s.a.p., that's what the courier-product promises !

Weeks after receiving/delivering the inbound-consignments, we would receive the invoice from Customs, and pass-on the charges at-cost to the receivers, with no extra fees added. They regularly objected to what their own governments had charged for the imports. This was understandable IMO, as these were trade-samples of no commercial value, but it didn't stop the Customs from wanting to charge for them.

Our view was that, in signing to receive the goods, the receivers also were accepting any charges which their governments chose to levy upon the inbound-goods. The only exception was where the sender had undertaken to pay these costs themselves, as part of the cost of quoting to hopefully win the order, in those cases we would recharge the duties to the sending-country/consignor. They too did not enjoy paying up-to several times the true value, of the items sent.

I also used to send, several years later, 20 kg packages of clothes/souvenirs from Thailand to the UK, and became used to more-often-than-not having to pay the postman GBP 20-30 per parcel, for Customs-duties. Part of the cost of doing business.

I'd advise the OP to purchase the items in the USA, send them to a friend there, and get the friend to bring them over in-their-luggage, next time they visit Thailand. This is how I source 2nd-hand/new books/music-CDs/DVDs from Amazon in the UK, for my own personal use.

[4evermaat]

I had a couple of situations with educational book shipment from school being taxed. but i refused shipment and when book was resent, no charge....just like it was for the first 5-6 shipments.

<deleted>>_>

"2nd best time to plant a tree is today." Sent from ThaiVisa app.

[Forethat]

What's in the package,,,?