mail ordering

[thrillbill]

(No, not "Male" ordering) The other post reminded me to ask if anyone has ever ordered books (Amazon) or clothes (such as from International Male) and had them sent through the regular mailing system (not through a private carrier such as UPS or Fed Express) to Thailand. I imagine it would take three weeks to get the package but do these overseas parcels get "lost" or make it to their destination?

[cdnmatt]

They get lost. Use FedEx.

Ok, not always get lost, but they have a tendency to do so.

I have ordered both books (from Amazon, twice) and clothes (not from International Male, whatever that is.).

The first order of books did not arrive after one month so I informed Amazon who sent me a replacement order which arrived after one more month, followed by the original order one week later. I informed Amazon who told me to keep both orders.

The second order of books again failed to arrive after one month, informed Amazon again who again sent me a replacement order which arrived after two weeks, followed again by the original order after two more months. Informed Amazon again, who again told me to keep both orders.

Ordered some T-shirts (forget who from, but a similar organisation to Amazon), with a similar story - nothing after one month, replacement sent, both orders arrived together, told them, again told to keep both orders.

All orders were sent to a PO Box address at a government Post Office, so receipt (or non-receipt) was verifiable (somehow) had they wanted to check.

[TrongpaiExpat]

Mail is a funny thing in Thailand. I had a magazine subscription for a few years and would sometimes get 2 or 3 monthly editions delivered all in the space of a few weeks. Then other times it made it from USA in just a few weeks. I ended up with 12 issues per year but never with any delivery consistency. In sending mail to USA, I find that it gets through most of the time. I have had a few never make it, nothing important. If it's important it goes FedX.

I ordered vitamins from USA once and will never do that again. I got a letter from Thai Customs or something and another from the police. They wanted a copy of my visa, passport and a few other things. Then after all that they said they are holding the package pending testing. Then a few more weeks and they inform me that the pills are not illegal but I could not have them unless a Thai doctor writes a letter saying that I have to take this medication. That was actually quite easy, just walked in a clinic and paid 100B for a letter from a real doctor. Sent all that in and in a few more weeks Fedx was at the door with the package and a bunch of official looking stamps and papers attached.

You can actually go to JUSMAG at Sathon soi 1, Bangkok, enter with a US passport and use their US postal service at regular US postal rates. It's an official US post office.

[martin911]

I guess a lot of stuff gets lost

my brother sent me over a new nokia phone (i got it free on an upgrade )by post from Ireland 5 weeks ago and it has not turned up !!!

the post is not that slow !!!

[krobbie]

I ordered some Men's eau d'toilette for my guy as you could not buy Victor & Rolf fragrance at that time (1.5 years ago). It arrived from Strawberry.net and was held at the local post office in Sathorn and when he went to pick it up they charged him 1000 baht in duty. WTF? I suspect it was just tea money for the post office lady.

Since then I get it delivered to NZ with my other stuff and I bring it over myself. At least that way a) I know it will get there and b) no gouger is going to jip him extra for so called tax.

Cheers
Krobbie

[quiet1]

You can actually go to JUSMAG at Sathon soi 1, Bangkok, enter with a US passport and use their US postal service at regular US postal rates. It's an official US post office.
How does that work? If I were to post mail at the JUSMAG USPS office, does it somehow get to America without involving the Thai Postal Service?

Do they have P.O. boxes there, and if so, does incoming overseas mail arrive without being routed through the Thai Postal Service?

I have friends in Bangkok who might benefit from that if it operates like I'm hoping, and one of the fellows lives walking distance from JUSMAG.

First of all, use of that post office at JUSMAG is restricted -- to diplomatic and military personnel (active and retired). They also do have PO boxes there, but again they are restricted to the mentioned personnel.

Second, you cannot send packages out of it, nor can you receive packages there. Only letters and media (books, CD's).

So don't get your hopes up.

[quiet1]

Thanks for that info. I tend to operate in an "if it seems to good to be true, it probably is" mode, so was only cautiously optimistic. Perhaps TrongpaiExpat has the proper qualification to use the JUSMAG USPS facility, but didn't realize that not everybody with a US passport can do the same?

[TrongpaiExpat]

You have to be active/inactive military or US federal civil service to receive mail and have a PO Box but any US citizen can use the US Post office. My understanding is that it does not go thorough the Thai postal system. You use US stamps for letters and pay US postal rates. All I show is my passport to get in the gate. Then make you way over to the post office.

You have to be active/inactive military or US federal civil service to receive mail and have a PO Box but any US citizen can use the US Post office. My understanding is that it does not go thorough the Thai postal system. You use US stamps for letters and pay US postal rates. All I show is my passport to get in the gate. Then make you way over to the post office.

I just called over there, and they said that the PO -- both incoming and outgoing -- is available only to active or retired military or civil service. Those are the rules -- whether or not they are enforced strictly. In any cases, letters only and you must apply US stamps. Who writes letters these days, anyway?

[bao-bao]

Edited

[thrillbill]

Thanks for the information. The reason for ordering something from overseas is if you cannot find it in Thailand, so I'll pay the 900 or so baht extra and have it Fed Ex so it arrives within three weeks instead of the arrival being unpredictable. I have used private carriers and they are reliable.

With "snail mail" I have never had problems with letters arriving here or abroad. My frustration with the USA mailing system was back in January when a letter was returned from the USA postal system in a small city... the letter had made it all the way from Thailand to the States, but was returned from the hometown postoffice because there was no complete zip code on it. The lazy arses could have looked on a city map to figure out where it was. Ridiculous.

[cdnmatt]

but was returned from the hometown postoffice because there was no complete zip code on it. The lazy arses could have looked on a city map to figure out where it was. Ridiculous.

A human didn't return your letter. A computer did. On the whole, humans don't handle mail processing anymore, as there's letter recognition software to replace them nowadays. The letter gets scanned, there's no zip code / area on it, so the computer shoves it into the "return to sender" pile.

[mahjongguy]

..there's no zip code / area on it, so the computer shoves it into the "return to sender" pile.
The USPS does not require a ZIP code for First Class mail. That said, it is unwise not to include one, and worse yet to use one that is incorrect.