Buy in thailand or ship from USA??

@dennisr62 I would only bring clothes, because it's hard to find clothes that fit the Expat's in Thailand. Everything else can be purchased here. And maybe vitamins from your home country because they can be expensive in Thailand.  Good Luck.

Some people like item from the country they come from.

Some have item from kids, grandkids and so on.

But other then item like that i dont see a point to bring it to Thailand.

I being able to get anything i want here, And have no problem with the quality of the item in Thailand.

I am a big guy, 189 cm tall, 116 kg, Size us 13-14 shoes.

And only shoes have being a small "problem" to find, Cloth is no problem in Thailand for my size.

And if it was a problem i use tailor for what i need, As it is very cheap to do.

I am not talking about the tailor near tourist place that want to up the price on tourist, But the local tailor that many Thai use in my area.

Kindly.

so i am going to retire in Thailand with my Thai wife after I retire in 2 years. I understand as a Thai national my can ship her/our household and personal belongings without paying import taxes, or hopefully very little taxes. my quandry is what to bring to furnish our home or what can I buy of good quality and good price in thailand
-@dennisr62

It's been years since you could ship personal belongings without paying custom fees/taxes.

My advice don't bring any electrical item to Thailand because here we use  220 v 50 cycle system, USA use 110 v 60 cycle it will be to expensive for converting and shipping.

@Gary Chaisongkram34 And a pain to always have to use a convertor for the next forever. It's great advice to buy new electronics locally

Buy in Thailand all but your most personal/precious things.  Bring them over on the plane - pay the excess baggage (risk free).

Most electronics from the US will do either 110 or 220

This laptop is from the US that I'm using in Thailand as is

my phone and electric toothbrush. Anyway, you get the

idea

@Gary Chaisongkram34 Almost every piece of electronic and electric equipment can use both 110 & 120, most switch automatically (some might have a tiny, usually red switch to flip to change voltages) ... to be safe check on the power supply for the device, or if it plugs in directly check the power rating information usually written on the equipment.

I took many pieces of electrical & electronic equipment with me when I moved here (laptops, cameras, shaver, toothbrushes, dog clipper, USB chargeing devices, and there was only one piece of equipment (a water pic) that didn't take 220.

Hey Judy*555,

Anything you would like to add to this conversation?

Feel free!

Cheers,

Cheryl

Expat.com team

Import accross oceans is always the same.

If you like an easy and stress free life, don't do it.

If you are a masochist, go for it.

  The earlier comment about 220 and 110 volts is accurate.

@dennisr62 depends on the quality of your furniture.

If it's made from hardwoods and is expensive, than you should consider shipping. Nice rugs, shit like that.  But only take the good stuff. Otherwise, you can buy it here.

Also, if you have a lot of electronics, cameras, computers, etc., that stuff can be almost 2x the price here.

If You buy anything new in the US, open the box before you ship it, and you can claim the second hand and not pay the import taxes

@dennisr62 depends on the quality of your furniture.
If it's made from hardwoods and is expensive, than you should consider shipping. Nice rugs, shit like that. But only take the good stuff. Otherwise, you can buy it here.

Also, if you have a lot of electronics, cameras, computers, etc., that stuff can be almost 2x the price here.

If You buy anything new in the US, open the box before you ship it, and you can claim the second hand and not pay the import taxes
-@JacktheLawyer

Just forget about claiming something is second hand just because you opened the box. It doesn't work like that. Same with electronics and other valuable stuff. There's no way around import tax since many years,especially if you ship a shitload of stuff and claiming it's personal belongings. It's been years since you could bring personal belongings to Thailand for free. The only way to get away with a shipment without a ripoff,is shipping it through a shipping company back home and let them take care of everything. Doing it yourself will cost a lot extra.

USA TV use NTSC system Thailand use PAl system will not jive,  I have not yet seen auto switching on TV  set included microwave oven, washing machine and  toaster.or unit that use high power.  Never mind small items. Laptop most everything is cheaper here because $ stronger than baht. 😎

USA TV use NTSC system Thailand use PAl system will not jive, I have not yet seen auto switching on TV set included microwave oven, washing machine and toaster.or unit that use high power. Never mind small items. Laptop most everything is cheaper here because $ stronger than baht. 😎
-@Gary Chaisongkram34

TV's and for example kitchen appliances are very cheap in Thailand. Shipping stuff like that from the US is pure stupidity.

It's up to you if you want to buy a new laptop I think most people have so

much stuff on their laptop I would rather keep mine than setting up a new

one.

As far as the toasters and small stuff forget about shipping those items

They cost like nothing here. For my microwave I believe I paid about 2400

Baht here.

This is a little off topic but for ordering and shipping I noticed Amazon

charges outrageous shipping costs. They wanted to charge me like $95

to ship a small item that costs itself about $20. On the other hand Ebay,

yes it's still around wanted shipping cost about $25 on the same item.

There may be other options better

It's up to you if you want to buy a new laptop I think most people have so
much stuff on their laptop I would rather keep mine than setting up a new
one.
As far as the toasters and small stuff forget about shipping those items
They cost like nothing here. For my microwave I believe I paid about 2400
Baht here.

This is a little off topic but for ordering and shipping I noticed Amazon
charges outrageous shipping costs. They wanted to charge me like $95
to ship a small item that costs itself about $20. On the other hand Ebay,
yes it's still around wanted shipping cost about $25 on the same item.
There may be other options better
-@scbrock

Since Lazada opened up in Thailand, there's no need for ebay anymore. Like you said, their shipping fees are way to high.

@bdlandry Correct - I worked in IT and guarantee that all phones and laptops etc have automatic voltage/current adaptors.   The only thing is to get plug 'converters' for putting into socket on wall - very different in Thailand to USA or most other countries.  There is two wall socket 'standards' in Thailand - you will find those with 2 pins (no earth) and 3 pins (earth).  Get some of both - it is a pain being in a hotel and they only have 2 pin wall sockets and you only have 3 pin adaptors.