Purchasing LV in New Zealand

[Tokidoki Lover]

Hello all!

I currently live in the United States and I am visiting a friend in New Zealand. I know there are some LV boutiques there and I was wondering with the currency exchange if LV is higher in price there, or similar to USD pricing. By the time I convert USD into NZD (current exchange rate is 1.00 USD to 2.00 NZD) if so, then would LV realistically be half???

So any Kiwi's out there? Is this thread in the right place?



Thanks guys!

[LV Luke]

I purchase from New Zealand all the time, you can purchase duty free, so you don't pay any taz and pick up your goods at the airport when you leave.

To give you an idea I bought last week:

Graffiti - Zippy Coin Purse NZD$695
Graffiti - Neverfull NZD$2060

Looking at vuitton.com (USA) the prices seem cheaper here.

[Tokidoki Lover]

so it seems that even with the exchange a zippy coin purse in US is about 400 something while its 600 in nzd, so it would still seem a little cheaper because the currency exchange would be about 300 nzd while its 400 still here.

good! Thanks for your help!

[LV Luke]

My pleasure.

Were you after something specific?

[LV Luvr]

Yes the prices are cheaper. I got my Lurex Shawl there last year and it saved me about 70 bucks. Way worth it.

[Tokidoki Lover]

not anything specific, but I would appreciate some LV "on sale" :) Im thinking maybe something small to commemorate my trip. :)

[m'laden]

LV is very cheap in NZ compared to the US. We only have 4 stores in the country (2 in Auckland a block apart, 1 in Christchurch and 1 in Queenstown). I bought the Graffiti Sneaker Boots and they cost me NZ$1,350 dutyfree which is about US$760. The boots are selling in the US for US$990+tax so it's quite a difference!

We have a NZ club in the clubhouse so if you have any more questions then you can ask us there!

[bagsgal]

I agree with all the comments above. I bought my first Louis Vuitton in Queenstown last year and it was after I had enquired for the price through the Louis Vuitton Customer Service (online) for Australia and New Zealand that cemented the decision.

The GST in New Zealand is 12.5% and it is fully claimable at the airport. Enjoy your trip to New Zealand! I love that country and have been over there 5 years in a row!

[pilates]

^hi bagsgal, may i ask how much was the price difference you have save in purchasing the Galleria in NZ rather in aus?

I will be going to NZ next month but am not sure if I will still have time to shop for LV due to our limited stay over there so am thinking of purchasing LV here in aus (then claim the gst) before going to nz, if the price differnce is not that much??

thanks!

[bagsgal]

Originally Posted by pilates

^hi bagsgal, may i ask how much was the price difference you have save in purchasing the Galleria in NZ rather in aus? I will be going to NZ next month but am not sure if I will still have time to shop for LV due to our limited stay over there so am thinking of purchasing LV here in aus (then claim the gst) before going to nz, if the price differnce is not that much?? thanks!

Hi Pilates!

When I purchased it last August, I saved over A$200. As you are aware, prices on Louis Vuitton products do increase annually and in accordance with the dollar.

Therefore, to seek a more accurate assesment on the "savings" you will make, I would suggest that you do what I always do prior to going overseas:

Send an email to Louis Vuitton enquiring about the price of the Galleria for both Australia and New Zealand using this link . They respond within 24 hours which is fantastic. After you have received the prices , apply the prevailing GST charges against the retail prices (make sure you convert the NZ$ to A$)and you can then determine whether or not you will be making any "savings".

If you don't think you will have the time to make the purchase yourself, obtain the telephone number of the Louis Vuitton Boutique in New Zealand - Auckland (based on the assumption that you will be going through that airport to get back into Australia). Find out if you can make the purchase over the phone with your credit card and you must also have the details of your departure ticket on hand because they will require that information so that you can claim the GST back.

After you have gone through immigration, head to the Duty Free shop (where they sell perfume, liquor, etc) and there is a counter where you can collect your Louis Vuitton product.

I hope the information provided has been useful to you.

----

Just FYI, I am going overseas to Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong in June and have enquire the prices of a few items from Louis Vuitton and after applying my calculations on GST, it is still cheaper to get it here in Australia - even though our dollar is stronger in Singpaore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

[m'laden]

Just to clarify, you don't actually "claim the GST back", because the price is either retail or dutyfree, you can't buy retail and then claim back the GST at the airport like in Australia.

Also, the difference between the dutyfree and retail price is not always exactly 12.5%. I have found that it varies between each individual item because they will normally round the prices to the nearest $5 or $10 or alot more.

You can call the Queen Street in Auckland for a price (+64 9 358 5080), or just go into your local store and get them to ring for you to check availability, then you don't need to pay for the call.

You can order LV over the phone in NZ to pick up at the airport, however you MAY encounter problems if you don't have a purchase history with them (to prevent fraudulent purchases over the phone). Also, you need to show the LV receipt when you collect your goods at the airport, so if you have ordered over the phone then you may get into some problems.

I made a phone order for a belt on a day I was flying out of AKL and got my SA to put a note saying to show my passport as ID at the collection counter. When I got to the counter, the guy and I had an arguement because I didn't have a receipt to collect and I said that I had ordered it that day (I even got my SA to give me my receipt number over the phone for my reassurance) which I wrote down and gave to the guy. He ended up writing down my passport number on the receipt with the goods and said he would have to keep it since I didn't have a receipt.

So I got my belt but didn't get a copy of the receipt. I had my SA send one out to me when I got back.


Which part of NZ are you travelling to and for how long??

Originally Posted by bagsgal

Hi Pilates! When I purchased it last August, I saved over A$200. As you are aware, prices on Louis Vuitton products do increase annually and in accordance with the dollar. Therefore, to seek a more accurate assesment on the "savings" you will make, I would suggest that you do what I always do prior to going overseas: Send an email to Louis Vuitton enquiring about the price of the Galleria for both Australia and New Zealand using this link . They respond within 24 hours which is fantastic. After you have received the prices , apply the prevailing GST charges against the retail prices (make sure you convert the NZ$ to A$)and you can then determine whether or not you will be making any "savings". If you don't think you will have the time to make the purchase yourself, obtain the telephone number of the Louis Vuitton Boutique in New Zealand - Auckland (based on the assumption that you will be going through that airport to get back into Australia). Find out if you can make the purchase over the phone with your credit card and you must also have the details of your departure ticket on hand because they will require that information so that you can claim the GST back. After you have gone through immigration, head to the Duty Free shop (where they sell perfume, liquor, etc) and there is a counter where you can collect your Louis Vuitton product. I hope the information provided has been useful to you. ---- Just FYI, I am going overseas to Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong in June and have enquire the prices of a few items from Louis Vuitton and after applying my calculations on GST, it is still cheaper to get it here in Australia - even though our dollar is stronger in Singpaore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

[pilates]

Hi bagsgal, thanks for the info, wow A$200 is a big saving!

Hi m'laden, I'm going to Christchurch for 4.5 days. What do you mean the price is either retail or dutyfree? Because the LV store here in Sydney (the rocks in DFS) is still in retail price.

I like it better if I'm gonna purchase it myself since I will be able to inspect the bag details (I really inspect the LV logo pattern, the buckles, where it is "made in", gold plate, etc. ) that I'm gonna get but i'm worried if it would be the same bag I'm gonna collect at the counter (as there's no room for any problems/mistakes as you are departing on that day). One more thing, my flight back to Sydney is at 6:30 AM, is the collection counter (christchurch airport) open already around that time?

Thanks a lot!

[cheeky iz]

^^hi bagsgal...i do agree with you, my cousin is in spore now and asked her to find out few LV items and yes spore, m'sia and hong kong are more expensive than australia. In spore eg. the kalahari, suhali le radieux and other items are about 200 - 500 more than aust.

Last year she bought her Tivoli fr NZ and she saved heaps..

[m'laden]

In Australia you pay the retail price and then claim the back the tax through the TRS scheme.

In NZ, there is a set retail price, and then there is a duty free price. You will have to tell the SA that you want to buy dutyfree and then you will pay that price. If you get it dutyfree then you pick it up at the airport. If you pay retail, then you can get the goods on the spot, but you can't claim back the tax.

The collection counter is open for all flights so your items will be there waiting for you.

You can inspect the bag and tell the SA that you would like THAT specific bag, and they will send it to the warehouse to be transported to the airport. Otherwise, all items purchased dutyfree are usually brand new from the warehouse.

Originally Posted by pilates

Hi bagsgal, thanks for the info, wow A$200 is a big saving! Hi m'laden, I'm going to Christchurch for 4.5 days. What do you mean the price is either retail or dutyfree? Because the LV store here in Sydney (the rocks in DFS) is still in retail price. I like it better if I'm gonna purchase it myself since I will be able to inspect the bag details (I really inspect the LV logo pattern, the buckles, where it is "made in", gold plate, etc. ) that I'm gonna get but i'm worried if it would be the same bag I'm gonna collect at the counter (as there's no room for any problems/mistakes as you are departing on that day). One more thing, my flight back to Sydney is at 6:30 AM, is the collection counter (christchurch airport) open already around that time? Thanks a lot!

[pilates]

^Thanks a lot m'laden for answering my queries