Recent Excellent DHL Experience

[Declan MacPherson]

It has been awhile since I have had anything shipped to Thailand from the US, but I had a recent experience with DHL that will cause me to use them again.

In the past, when my shipment got to Customs in BKK, it would take a week or more for my packages to clear customs after getting to BKK in only 3 days. Then I'd be on the phone with someone transferring money, etc., and waiting more days.

In my last experience last month, DHL sent me an email notice using their Advance Duty Collection System for me to pay the customs fees up front. When my package hit Thai Customs, it cleared the first day and was sent out for delivery. Excellent.

There may be other carriers using a similar system, but it's been over a year since I had anything shipped here. So it is new to me.

Good luck to all.

[tamada]

I bought an item on amazon.co.uk who offered the same prepaid customs clearance service and shipping via DHL. The package arrived eight days later, with the DHL delivery lady as passenger in the unmarked delivery pickup (they don't have their own local fleet). A few days later, a small credit was applied to my charge card for the difference between Amazon's estimate and what Customs actually charged.

[sometimewoodworker]

I bought an item on amazon.co.uk who offered the same prepaid customs clearance service and shipping via DHL. The package arrived eight days later, with the DHL delivery lady as passenger in the unmarked delivery pickup (they don't have their own local fleet). A few days later, a small credit was applied to my charge card for the difference between Amazon's estimate and what Customs actually charged.

The experience of receiving goods shipped by a large company via DHL is dramatically different from using them as a private individual. The first is excellent the second is unmitigatedly terrible, and anyone who has just had a poor experience is lucky. This also applies to FedEx.

[tamada]

I have had personal/individual accounts with DHL and FedEx for a while and use them for non-commercial, personal stuff. Apart from a one-off instance of the FedEx delivery guy getting things wrong and my having to go to their Laem Chabang depot to collect, and another instance when an incorrect declaration of contents on a DHL shipment resulted in being billed for duty at this end, it's all been good.

YMMV.

[Declan MacPherson]

it's all been good.

Same for me with both FedEx and DHL. All good. No complaints.

[Pikolim]

It has been awhile since I have had anything shipped to Thailand from the US, but I had a recent experience with DHL that will cause me to use them again.

In the past, when my shipment got to Customs in BKK, it would take a week or more for my packages to clear customs after getting to BKK in only 3 days. Then I'd be on the phone with someone transferring money, etc., and waiting more days.

In my last experience last month, DHL sent me an email notice using their Advance Duty Collection System for me to pay the customs fees up front. When my package hit Thai Customs, it cleared the first day and was sent out for delivery. Excellent.

There may be other carriers using a similar system, but it's been over a year since I had anything shipped here. So it is new to me.

Good luck to all.

Glad to hear that DHL's Advance Duty Collection System worked out well for you, Declan! Sounds like a big improvement over the usual customs clearance hassle.

[Bandung_Dero]

I just use the postal service. Anything I buy, it is not big or expensive, goes to my sister's home in Aust. She sends it to me "Express Post". The declaration is correctly filled in, never had customs intervention. The package arrives in the rice paddies within 4 days from leaving Adelaide. OK about AUD$50.00 postage for about 500 grams.

[Declan MacPherson]

A TIT story that I have never previously experienced.

Thailand Customs can turn on a dime. Looks like they're trying to get every satang possible out of us in Customs. I've never ever had anything like this happen with a package via any carrier.

On Day 1, Thailand Customs wanted pictures and prices shown of everything contained in the shipment. So I went to the website where I purchased every item, screenshot it and sent the images.

Totals on the images weren't good enough. They then requested the individual cost of each item. So I did the math for them and sent the calculations via email. The funny thing was that their return email verifying the images with costs had everything calculated in totals, not individually. Oh well.

A day later, Thailand Customs wanted a document showing the price paid through any banking transaction. So I screenshot the credit card transactions and sent the image.

On Day 3, Customs wanted to know why 2 of the same items of 2 different colors were shown at 2 different costs on the invoice provided. It was "buy 2 and get a %age discount on the second item." I had to explain that in another email.

Then they added the cost of shipping the items. I guess that was to get more of a VAT tax. That has never been done before on anything that I shipped.

4 days and 19 emails later, the package has cleared Customs and is on its way.

TIT.

[FrazeeDK]

had a friend in the States that owns a BBQ sauce company send me 4 bottles of his product. These were small bottles. Cost him $30 to send them priority mail. Thai Postal had the Customs charge with the package downtown. The Customs duty was around a 1000 Baht. This compares to 20 kilo care packages my kids have sent me in the past with a bunch of stuff that had zero duty assessed. So, yes, it appears Thai Customs is squeezing any and all profit out of incoming goods...

[tamada]

Thailand import duty is now assessed CIF, plus VAT.

... unless it's Temu.

[sometimewoodworker]

Then they added the cost of shipping the items. I guess that was to get more of a VAT tax. That has never been done before on anything that I shipped.

It is an international standard that customs charges and VAT are assessed on a CIF basis (Cost, insurance, and freight) that some items from some countries are shipped without customs charges is also standard, that someone companies do not tell you the basis of the charges is also normal. That an individual sending items will not know the details of the Thai customs charges making it the job of the recipient to find (and justify) the details of the Thai customs assessment often to their detriment is also normal, this is why is is often cost effective to pay a clearance agent.

[jackspratt]

It is an international standard that customs charges and VAT are assessed on a CIF basis (Cost, insurance, and freight) ......

The international standard is that a country may choose whether to use FOB (Free on Board) or CIF as the basis for customs valuation. The majority of countries use the latter, although Australia, Canada and the USA use the former.