Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/08/07
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Bob, the answers to your questions vary from country to country. Frankly, the most useful advice would come from a LUGger living in Thailand. But I don't know if we have any list members there. Cheers, Nathan Nathan Wajsman Alicante, Spain http://www.frozenlight.eu http://www.greatpix.eu http://www.nathanfoto.com Books: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/search?search=wajsman&x=0&y=0 PICTURE OF THE WEEK: http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws Blog: http://www.fotocycle.dk/blog On Aug 7, 2009, at 10:01 PM, Robert D. Baron wrote: > Nathan, thanks for your reply. > > I am curious - and you may not know this, I may have to search for it > elsewhere - but is duty and/or VAT charged even if one is shipping > one's own property to oneself? For example, if I wanted to travel > light and shipped my laptop or golf clubs (well, I don't play play > golf) or whatever to catch up with me at some point in my travels, > would I have to pay customs duty or VAT to receive same? What about > shipping a family member's laptop to catch up with them? > > Does labeling the item as a gift make any difference? Or is it just > the act of the goods crossing the border into the country that makes > duty and/or tax due and whoever 'owns' the goods is irrelevant? > > Do we not have an international commerce and tax lawyer on the LUG? > > <g> > > Thanks, > > --Bob > > ==On Fri, Aug 7, 2009 at 2:15 PM, Nathan > Wajsman<photo at frozenlight.eu> wrote: >> Hi Bob, >> >> In general, tariffs on industrial goods like computers are quite >> low these >> days (I assume Thailand is a member of the WTO). For example, the >> customs >> duty on photo gear imported into the EU from 3rd countries like the >> US is in >> 3-4% range. In Europe, you also have to pay VAT (sales tax, >> basically) on >> top of that, ranging from 15% to 25%, depending on country. I have >> no idea >> if they have that in Thailand. More importantly, I also have no >> idea how >> much red tape (if any) is associated with an item clearing customs >> there; in >> a country like that I can imagine it could range from zero to >> several weeks. >> >> It is a good idea to use the USPS and not one of the express >> carriers like >> UPS or Fedex. That is true for all international shipments. The >> reason is >> that they will often charge the recipient a very high fee just for >> performing the service of clearing customs. When I lived in >> Belgium, I once >> had to pay UPS something like $50 on a $100 item that had not even >> incurred >> any Belgian duty! With USPS, you never get ripped off in this >> manner. The >> post office in the destination country will simply collect any duty >> and VAT >> that may be due and that's it. >> >> Nathan >> >> Nathan Wajsman >> Alicante, Spain >> http://www.frozenlight.eu >> http://www.greatpix.eu >> http://www.nathanfoto.com >> >> Books: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/search?search=wajsman&x=0&y=0 >> PICTURE OF THE WEEK: http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws >> Blog: http://www.fotocycle.dk/blog >> >> >> >> On Aug 7, 2009, at 1:20 PM, Robert D. Baron wrote: >> >>> A family member is traveling in Asia. I've been asked to send out >>> an >>> Apple G4 12' laptop. I plan to send it through the US Post Office >>> rather than a commercial carrier such as UPS or FedEx. I would >>> appreciate any advice I can get from knowledgeable members of the >>> LUG; >>> in particular, I need to know roughly how much in customs duties the >>> recipient is likely to have to pay (I will value it at $400 USD, >>> which >>> seems reasonable based on current ebay listings). >>> >>> Off list replies would be fine but maybe on list would add to this >>> wonderful repository of useful information. >>> >>> Of course it is somewhat on topic inasmuch as the laptop has >>> Photoshop on >>> it. >>> >>> Thanks, >>> >>> --Bob Baron / Oklahoma City >>> rbaron at concentric dot net >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Leica Users Group. >>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >> > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information