Thailand is full of Buddha and other Buddhist statues from figurines you can hold in your hand up to life-size and much larger-than-life size. We’ve seen stone, gemstone, wood, petrified wood, metal, steel, jade, granite, and fiberglass Buddha statues all over Thailand, mostly at Theravada Buddhist Temples.
Small Buddha Statues
We sell little Buddha figurines even just 1.5 centimeters high. Usually, we put these in amulet cases and glue them to the bottom of the case, so they don’t get lost.
Buddha Amulet Statues
As you probably know, we have a few hundred Buddha amulets for sale here and some of them are Buddha statues or figurines. Thai law says that we cannot ship by mail any Buddha over 5 centimeters high (about 2 inches) without approval from a Thai organization.
Thailand is worried (and rightly so) about Buddha statues and figures with historical value being taken out of the country. Thais feel that authentic historic Buddha amulets and statues and other Buddhist items should remain in Thailand.
Buddha Statues We Sell
Up until 2024, we didn’t even try to sell Buddha statues. The government was not clear on what we had to do to ship these Buddhas and we didn’t want to go through the effort to attempt to figure it out. This year, there are a couple of shipping companies that are bringing us the ability to send Buddha items over 5 cm high to you and around the world
Hand Carved (Sculpture) Stone Buddha Statues (in Stock)
Stone Hand-Carved Buddhas
You can buy these Buddha Statues here >
About 15 years ago we found these nice little Buddha statues/figures that were in colorful orange and blue cases. They sold quickly and we haven’t been able to find anything like them recently. If we do, you can be sure we’ll buy them!
Small Buddha Statues (Figurines)
We have the following for sale now. These are smaller figurines that we can sell and send immediately.
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Product on sale
Phra Somdej Phim Prok Pho Lotus Figurine (Thai Amulet)Original price was: $68.88.$55.55Current price is: $55.55.
Petrified Wood Buddha Statues
The Best Buddha Statue We’ve Ever Seen
We have become aware of an exceptional hand-carved Buddha statue that we nearly bought on the spot, but it is a sizeable amount of money if we are going to buy it for our own home. It is about 4 kg (9 lbs.) and I’m not sure we could sell it abroad and mail it.
Not even with the new mail service. I think it may be hard to convince the Thai group who monitors these statues that it isn’t a very old piece.
It is not that old, it is only about 20 years old. It is made of very old – millions of years old – Petrified Wood. The color is shades of brown and white that blend. Why I didn’t take a photo, I’m not sure, I was mesmerized by this surprise statue of Buddha the man pulled from behind a display case.
I just stared for a minute or so before asking, ‘this isn’t for sale, is it?’
He said he could rent it. He had it for a long time. He was in in 70’s. As we spoke, he seemed to want someone to have it that really appreciated it.
This is a super rare piece that I have never seen or heard about existing.
He told me that it came from Surin province. The other petrified wood amulets that we have dozens of came from Sisaket. The northeast of Thailand may be where the petrified wood is located in this country. I asked if he had more.
He pulled out a Ganesha statue in the same style and of the same petrified wood vein! He said he didn’t have any more money to buy the third one – there was one more statue left!
The next time we get near this place in the northeast of Thailand, we’ll have to buy both the Buddha and the Ganesha statues. This will cost us most of our budget for the entire year of amulets! After careful consideration, we’re doing this!
We may or may not sell them here. If you are interested in collecting one of these very rare pieces, please send us a note.
Buddhist Temple Buddha Statues in Thailand
Here are some of the statues we see regularly as we visit some of the temples close to our home, and in other areas of Thailand.
You can buy a Buddha statue and bring it home to your country if the statue is less than 5 centimeters high. If the statue is larger than 5 cm you must get the statue approved by Thailand’s Department of Fine Arts, a department within the Ministry of Culture. There are now shipping companies that can do this for you.
Proper etiquette in Thailand in respect to Buddha statues is that you never point your feet at the Buddha (or Buddhist monks) while sitting and that you face the Buddha with the front of your body when in close proximity. You can of course, turn sideways or even walk away from a Buddha statue when you are say 5 meters (about 16 feet) away.
Thai Amulet Store (.com) sells Buddha statues of stone, petrified wood, crystal, wood, steel, copper, brass, glass, and other materials. It takes some time for large statues to be approved for shipping, but as long as the statue has no historic or artistic value, it can be sold and shipped abroad.
Usually, you cannot touch Buddha statues in Thailand, as it is considered disrespectful. However, there are cases where Buddhas are covered with gold leaf (gold foil). It may be acceptable to push some of this material onto the Buddha in the area you see covered with it. Don’t just assume, ask a monk or magee who is present if it is allowed.