Please Educate me on International Hermes Purchase?

anHermesLover

anHermesLover

O.G.
Aug 9, 2006
1,851
0
#1
Can someone explain exactly how all the customs stuff works if one decides to purchase anything Hermes at an international store? Say I found something in Paris, and am coming back to the STATES....

1. do I declare the bag with customs?

2. is the Hermes Boutique suppose to give me some paper work on the bag to declare?

3. Do I just bring a yucky bag there and then use the NEW H Bag when I come home to the US?

4. Am I really saving money on a bag and how much?

5. Do I pay taxes? And what is this VAT tax (what does it mean VAT?) that I save?

I'm so confused and need some more KNOWLEDGE. PLease HELP? Thanks in advance!! and SORRY IF THIS HAS BEEN POSTED ELSEWHERE OR THE QUESTIONS HAVE COME UP BEFORE!!:confused1:
 
#2
answer

1. if you declare it to the u.s customs you will be tax for it(honest and legal).
If you don't declare it and get caught with it(illegal) you can get in to trouble. ie. fine and get blacklisted with the u.s customs where you will be pull aside each time when you enter back into the u.s and get questioned and your bags check.

2.you need the VAT forms to get the tax you have paid in Europe. I read somewhere here that you can get it process at h.
if they don't do it at H. You can get the form from H, get it stamp at the airport, send it in and you will get your tax back on your cc in a few weeks. 6-8 weeks

3.you can do the old bag trick but if you get caught (sometimes they will ask why is your bag so new and where you got it) you can get into trouble see answer in #1.

4.the last time I check it's 1500 difference in a 35 birkin

5.the only tax you will pay is to us customs when you enter back into the u.s
VAT is the tax you pay in Europe but you can claim it back when you leave Eur.

I am serious about the u.s customs. It's just a matter of how strict they get depending on the case.
 
#3
cxyvr said:
answer

1. if you declare it to the u.s customs you will be tax for it(honest and legal).
If you don't declare it and get caught with it(illegal) you can get in to trouble. ie. fine and get blacklisted with the u.s customs where you will be pull aside each time when you enter back into the u.s and get questioned and your bags check.

2.you need the VAT forms to get your tax paid in Europe. I read somewhere here that you can get it process at h.
if they don't do it at H. You can get the form from H, get it stamp at the airport, send it in and you will get your tax back on your cc in a few weeks. 6-8 weeks

3.you can do the old bag trick but if you get caught (sometimes they will ask why is your bag so new and where you got it) you can get into trouble see answer in #1.

4.the last time I check it's 1500 difference in a 35 birkin

5.the only tax you will pay is to us customs when you enter back into the u.s
VAT is the tax you pay in Europe but you can claim it back when you leave Eur.

I am serious about the u.s customs. It's just a matter of how strict they get depending on the case.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info CXYVR!! EXCELLENT ADVICE and INFO!!

1. Do you think you can give me some pretend numbers as to how everything works. I'm kinda CLUELESS about numbers of Paris side and US side. For example: $5000, do I get a Paris tax? and then when I declare VAT at H or airport, I get the tax back on my credit card, but the customs tax is how much?

2. What is VAT short for?

3. What do you do with the H-Box? Does anyone mail it back?

Thanks in advance, AGAIN!!
 
#5
VAT(10% or so) is the tax return you get when you purchase something in Europe and you export it out of the EUR nations. This can only be done if you purchase a certain amount from a store that has a VAT processing service. They will process your purchase and give you a form to stamp at the airport by customs (or their agents) when you leave the EUR nations. You must have the form and your items with you just in case they cross check it to make sure you are actually exporting it out of the country(don't check in your bags before you do this).

U.S custom duties is the tax you pay when you import something into the u.s. This dutie is charge at a different rate depending on orgin, materials and etc. It very hard to get an exect quote of the tax rate for you item b/c sometimes each custom officer view the item differently even when they have a guide line to follow. There are times that they will pick on the item and there are times that they will look pass it. It really depends on your luck.

35 cm togo birkin
price in u.s 7400(tax not inc)
prices in paris 4850(vat inc) = 6231 us
1189 difference but you still get 10% of 6231 back when the Vat is process

don't quote me on the % for the VAT. it's about 10 -12%. I don't remember even tough I go there each year.
sorry my english is not very good. Hope you know what I am writing.
 
#6
^^^Yes CXYVR, I can READ everything you are writing PERFECTLY!! I'm getting a better understanding of all this stuff! I'm not an International Traveler. My parents are, and will be here on Monday, but I need to know this stuff for myself.:smile:

^^^EMNH - I agree about declaring...."EMPOUNDING MY so-called NEW BAG"...would be disastrous:s .

Thanks for all this info....Now do you both know of some nice hotel recommendations for Paris...somewhat close to FSH??:confused1:
 
#7
NewHermesLover said:
^^^Yes CXYVR, I can READ everything you are writing PERFECTLY!! I'm getting a better understanding of all this stuff! I'm not an International Traveler. My parents are, and will be here on Monday, but I need to know this stuff for myself.:smile:

^^^EMNH - I agree about declaring...."EMPOUNDING MY so-called NEW BAG"...would be disastrous:s .

Thanks for all this info....Now do you both know of some nice hotel recommendations for Paris...somewhat close to FSH??:confused1:
Click to expand...


I really enjoy staying in the Opera(9 district) area. It's close to all the shopping and close enough of a walk to the mothership. There is a direct airport bus that gets you to the Opera area too. You can stay directly in the mothership area but it's a bit more expensive.

How much do you want to spend on the hotel? There are some get recommendations on one of the post here but they are very expensive to me. ie. George the V for 1000.00 a night.

another good suggestion is to go around Jan or Jun. That is when the stores have their sales period in Paris(no birkin or kelly on sales though). That is what I am panning to do in Jan. Sales in Paris and hopefully find my dream birkins since I am not having a lot of luck here.
 
#9
GOOD LUCK Cxyvr!! on your future trip. I think Patz plans to go in January, so that girl may score some nice items! Unfortunately, my trip will have to be in April/May...this is the best time for us, and hopefully there will be a few goodies for me....I"M NOT TOO PICKY:nuts: . I will definitely look into the opera area you have mentioned! Thanks again for the education!!:heart:


cxyvr said:
I really enjoy staying in the Opera(9 district) area. It's close to all the shopping and close enough of a walk to the mothership. There is a direct airport bus that gets you to the Opera area too. You can stay directly in the mothership area but it's a bit more expensive.

How much do you want to spend on the hotel? There are some get recommendations on one of the post here but they are very expensive to me. ie. George the V for 1000.00 a night.

another good suggestion is to go around Jan or Jun. That is when the stores have their sales period in Paris(no birkin or kelly on sales though). That is what I am panning to do in Jan. Sales in Paris and hopefully find my dream birkins since I am not having a lot of luck here.
Click to expand...
 
#11
Scarlett'sBag said:
Has anyone ever had their bag 'impounded'? How can the customs prove that you did not bring the bag with you when you left the US?
Click to expand...

If they want to, they can call the H store in the u.s and ask them if the have a record of you purchasing it in the u.s.

If you paid the us duties when you enter the us. Remember to keep the recipe with you when you travel out of the us again so you can prove that you have already paid duties on it before. US customs can always question you on your items even though they are old or have been use.

Don't ask me why I know but I know how it works.
 
#12
cxyvr said:
If they want to, they can call the H store in the u.s and ask them if the have a record of you purchasing it in the u.s.

If you paid the us duties when you enter the us. Remember to keep the recipe with you when you travel out of the us again so you can prove that you have already paid duties on it before. US customs can always question you on your items even though they are old or have been use.

Don't ask me why I know but I know how it works.
Click to expand...

hmmm.....what if I *really* bought the bag from eBay? How would I be able to prove THAT to the customs???

i have a sneaky idea...what if i already have one Birkin at home and take the receipt for that bag with me when i go to Europe....:devil:
 
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