Getting Mail From Home

[PigDogg]

I have one or two important pieces of mail I may need from home. Relatively light mail, not boxes.

Will it actually arrive if sent to my Thailand apartment.

Or is there a Western Union, UPS, FedEx or some other delivery point in Pattaya where I can pick up mail and how much would it cost?

[stogie bear]

It'll get to your apartment, no problem.

What happens between the time the apartment office receives it and you do is another story!

[69billy]

If they are so important I'll not trust Thai mail..We have so many BMs coming to Pattaya while you are there..Can't you redirect to it one of them and they'll bring it to you..

[stogie bear]

Good idea.

[rossco]

If it is important mail I would use FedEx/DHL - I had new cards issued and sent by ordinary mail - they never arrived.

The problem I have found with some mail is that obviously it is addressed in English - not all Thai postal workers speak fluent English. So your sender cannot address it in Thai and the Postal guy does not speak English! Play safe and either do as Billy suggests - ask a BM to bring out or use Courier type service.

Another tip is put your Thai mobile number on the inbound address. At least that way they have a contact.

[stogie bear]

(rossco @ Apr. 19 2008,19:33) Another tip is put your Thai mobile number on the inbound address. At least that way they have a contact.

Never thought of that.

[SamplerDoc]

Hey PD, how about sending a Fax?
Even e-mail works well or have others take care of things for you at home while away.  Just a few thoughts

I Like Billy's Idea

[rxpharm]

Having a board member bring it for you is a good option - if you can't arrange that another secure method is registered mail.

All countries who agree to international post office standards have registered mail service where the item is trackable internationally and is kept secure - in addition the receiving country's post office is liable for any loss.

Back in the '70s a protest was arranged to have registered mail sent to Alexandr Solzhenitsyn, the Nobel prize winning Soviet dissident who was in a Gulag for several years. Of course this mail was never delivered and the money collected was forwarded to his cause.

Sorry for the trivia!

[PigDogg]

I guess best to have a board member deliver it.

My main concern is when applying for a retirement visa; back in the they only gave me 90 days even though they said my bank statement was OK.

I get most of my statements electronically so I have a pdf printout of the most document I'll need. But since "appearances" seem to account in the LOS I figured a more official looking statement than a pdf would be helpful. And it's too late now to get the mailed statement before my flight.

So to recap:

1) get friend to deliver
2) take a chance on mail since what I'm getting has no value to anyone but me but put phone number on envelope (glad Thais now use Western numbers)
3) pay for fed ex or dhl

Thanks for the input guys!

[katoeylover]

When i have sent mail, i use a signed for service; costs a little extra but it works.

[SamplerDoc]

  This could be a great oppurtunity for a fellow BM to become a LB Forum Courier for other BMs and travel the world to deliver whatever we may need form documents to snack foods or anything in between

[Looker]

(PigDogg @ Apr. 19 2008,02:30) I have one or two important pieces of mail I may need from home.  Relatively light mail, not boxes.

Will it actually arrive if sent to my Thailand apartment.

Or is there a Western Union, UPS, FedEx or some other delivery point in Pattaya where I can pick up mail and how much would it cost?

My experience with Thailand about sending and receiving mails or parcel is the following:

Thai postal service ROCKS! I used to receive, for business, small parcels with precious content (jewelry) sent via Thai Post EMS (SpeedPost) and they were as prompt and accurate beyond your imagination.

I use to mail small parcels/letters by registered or EMS (SpeedPost) to Thailand, and they were always promptly delivered.

I've used FedEx and DHL in the past and the service was the worst I ever got from a courier. Once, with DHL, it took one week to deliver a parcel from Hong Kong to a town outside Bangkok. It was an important document for a tender. Result - my agent couldn't lodge the tender as he didn't receive the document on time
Of course, DHL did not take any blame

[69billy]

(PigDogg @ Apr. 19 2008,19:04) 2) take a chance on mail since what I'm getting has no value to anyone but me but put phone number on envelope (glad Thais now use Western numbers)

If you want to take a chance, get you lady to write the adress in Thai..You'll have more chance then..

[Snick]

I never had any problems with regular mail -- even when the address is in English.

My Thai friends warned me about sending anything electronic like a camera or a mobile phone, But I know people who have done that with DHL,FedEx - paid the duty - and not had any problems.