Hi Everyone,

I've bought a couple of iPhones which are cheaper here for friends back in London. I took them to a post office last week and was told by the clerk that they won't send them because of the risk of them going missing. Yes I've just arrived and naive me didn't even stop to think that postal and courier services here would be as reliable (a.k.a. not corrupt) as back home.

After hearing some horror stories from friends who've lived here a while and Googling the rest I'm now completely at a loss of how to get them sent short of sending them in someone's hand luggage.

Any pointers?

Many thanks.

Hmmm. I believe you can import mobile phones to the UK duty free, but have to pay 20% VAT.
Or you might choose not to send both together in someone's hand luggage, to remove all the packaging.....


JC3

How about a reputable company such as UPS / FedEx etc.?

I've checked them all Dan. DHL wanted to charge ~RM400 to get it there insured. UPS, FedEx, TNT about half that.. Once you include the HMRC charges it makes any savings on the phones almost irrelevant.

I've spoken with a couple of colleagues here and all have said the majority of their packages, whether inbound or out, POS Malaysia or courier, have been opened.

I'm just going to send them back next time with a friend.

I think with something like mobile phones it is definitely better to send them with a friend but other than that, the post/courier services in Malaysia are on par with the UK. Pos Malaysia seems to have been built on the Royal Mail model - even with the same colour scheme!

I run a business importing Land Rover parts from the UK which I then send all over Malaysia by PosLaju - to my knowledge they have never been opened en route and all my customers are satisfied with the service. On the import side, with UPS/DHL/TNT etc, provided the goods are properly described on the manifest it is extremely rare for them to be opened by customs or anyone else, and if they are, they are normally re-sealed with tape which notifies you that they were opened and for what reason.

Sorry, I don't have that much experience of sending goods the other way but if you book with the major international carriers some of them will use local agents (ABX, GDex, etc) for the pick up although DHL have their own vans for pick up and delivery.

Hello and welcome to the forum . Have you been living in Kuantan long?

Hi,
I have been in Kuantan since late 2005 having moved from the UK with my Malay wife who I met and married in the UK. I didn't want to move halfway across the world just to live in a sprawling metropolis so we specifically targeted the east coast fro somewhere to live. My wife is originally from Petaling Jaya so we still visit KL regularly in any case. It appears to be much better here in terms of quality of life as compared to KL but some luxuries are hard to find!

What am I like!!!!! 2005! No! I've been here since 2010 - definitely getting senile, perhaps the pace of life on the east coast is TOO slow!