Buying Louis Vuitton in Canada

bluekit

bluekit

CC x DY
O.G.
Jan 16, 2006
9,354
18
#1
For an American, that is.


My travel books mentioned that you can claim a certain amount of taxes back upon return to the States. Does anybody know what the process is like? Is it worth all the trouble? Will it be cheaper at the end or should I just stick with my local boutiques?


I'll be stopping by Vancouver shortly (my first time in the City!!!! :nuts: ) PS: Does anyone have any shopping tips? :love:
 
#2
Vancouver is a beautiful city -you're going to enjoy it lots! It's like a small town compare to LA, but for a first time visit you might love it!=)

Some shopping tips for the city:

- Higher end Boutiques are located in the core of Downtown. Robson is a street you must visit. There's a larger LV store located at the Fairmont Hotel. As well, there's Pacific mall which hosts Holt Renfrew which carries brands like LV, Prada, Chanel, Hermes, etc. Except I think the states has better selection. Although I did see a Fushia Kelly sitting on the shelves of Hermes if you like the brand. =)

- Metrown located in Burnaby is the biggest mall in Vancouver. Definitely worth a visit.

- Richmond Area (located near the airport) has a bunch of malls devoted to the asian public market. You'll be able to find goods there not available anywhere else.

- For nightlife and fine dining visit Yaletown.

- Granville is the public market great for sightseeing. Although I find it quite small.

Here's a link you can check out; http://www.discovervancouver.com/

Enjoy your trip! And if you have any questions, feel free to ask away.=)
 
#3
I would stay away from Metrotown too busy and hectic unless you like that type of shopping and I don't find the stores special or upscale. People are always running into one another.

Oakridge is quite nice and a classy mall.

Kitsilano has a lot of funky, fun, places to shop. A must for checking out.

I would stay away from HOLT RENFREW and shop at Leone, if you want really nice stuff.

Check out Louis Vuitton at Hotel Vancouver but buy in the US. A waste of time and money for your refund and it takes FOREVER!
For instance I just bought my Murakami Speedy there and it was over 2,000 when in the US you could have bought for 1400.
All LV is so much higher and with GST and PST you get slammed. Fun to look but foolish to buy if you can get cheaper in the US and you CAN!

Robson is fun but a tourist trap, however a lot of upscale shops, Chanel, Ferragamo, Gucci @ Hotel Vancouver the list goes on and on.

I would be more than happy to help if you want more info just pm me!

Have FUN!!!!:P http://www.tourismvancouver.com/visitors/
 
#4
pinkcaviar - thanks for the tips! I'll be staying by the marina and according to the map, it's 3 blocks from Robson! I'm definitely going to check out Yaletown. How's the parking situation there? I'm planning to ferry to Victoria as well (gosh, just looking at the pictures online of the scenery makes me drool! It's so beautiful!). Do you have any recommendations for a ferry? So far I've seen BC Ferry and the Clipper. I'm probably going to bring the car along with me to Victoria so I'll need a ferry that will take the car as well.

I'm going to peruse the websites and make a list of all the places I want to go this weekend!

MagicalKarmaPrincess, where is Kitsilano relative to...hmm..Robson? It sounds like a fun place. :smile: :smile: I love to window shop, wander around town and then sit down to grab a cup of coffee when I'm tired. Any good Italian restaurants you'd recommend? :smile:
 
#5
My travel books mentioned that you can claim a certain amount of taxes back upon return to the States. Does anybody know what the process is like?

hi bluekit i do know the tax return process! i did it multiple times, in fact. you need to have a total purchase of CDN$200 and each receipt has to be at least CDN$50 before tax. before you come back to the US, make sure to have the duty free shop validate your receipt (they stamp the back of the receipt with a date blah blah blah) if you purchase is not totalling CDN$200. If it is more than CDN$200, you could get your money back at the duty free shop right there and then. some duty free shops do it and some don't so make sure you check with them. if they don't, you would need to mail in the receipt with the form and it generally takes about 4 weeks for you to get your check. hope this helps! :amuse:
 
#6
Yaletown has parking but everything around that area is $$$$.Some really cool clothing shops and restaurants. Make sure you check out the Library-

Sorry for being random with answers here....

BC ferry is more than likely what you would take to Victoria and you just drive your car on.

Kits isn't that far from Robson maybe less than 15 minutes depending how far down you go. I would try to make it around that area, and just park and walk for all the shopping. Broadway or 4th Ave which are amazing.

Granville Island, Science Centre- if you have time take the seabus for fun over to North Van and check out the Lonsdale Quey. West Van, British Properties. Goodness, so much to see.

Try and write down the most important ones, don't know how long you are here for but hopefully it will be sunny.

You can check out Grouse, Cypress, or a futher drive to the best which is Whistler. (you would love it there)!

All the hotels have tourist info ofcourse.

I forgot to mention The Capilano Suspension Bridge (you pay) or Lynn Valley Bridge for free which is also a suspension bridge.

HTH:love:
 
#7
bluekit said:
My travel books mentioned that you can claim a certain amount of taxes back upon return to the States. Does anybody know what the process is like?
Click to expand...

hi bluekit i do know the tax return process! i did it multiple times, in fact. you need to have a total purchase of CDN$200 and each receipt has to be at least CDN$50 before tax. before you come back to the US, make sure to have the duty free shop validate your receipt (they stamp the back of the receipt with a date blah blah blah) if you purchase is not totalling CDN$200. If it is more than CDN$200, you could get your money back at the duty free shop right there and then. some duty free shops do it and some don't so make sure you check with them. if they don't, you would need to mail in the receipt with the form and it generally takes about 4 weeks for you to get your check. hope this helps! :amuse:
 
#8
BC Ferry will be the most likely transportation to the island. Here's their website if you would like to know the routes or prices.
http://www.bcferries.bc.ca/
You can also reserve tickets. Just a heads up, that it does get very busy during the long weekend so arrive a couple hours early.

I don't have any good italian resturant recommandations ( but MagicalKarmaPrincess might ) but I know a really good place for Italian Ice Cream. If you like ice cream and the weather warms up definitely go to La Casa Gelata, http://www.lacasagelato.com/
Martha Stewart has been there before! Lol. The store has about 218 flavors. It kind of out of the way, not far from downtown.
However, if you don't want to leave the area then there's also a mini Gelato store on Robson. =)
 
#9
sma11cat, thanks for the info!! Where are those duty free shops that I can cash out my paid tax right away?

pinkcaviar - I went to the website and had the place jotted down as one of the places I *must* go. I'll be visiting Gastown for a bit so it's not that far away from there. Any suggestions for a good restaurant/drinks in Yaletown?
 
#13
thanks hfxshopgirl & TravelBug! I do pay more than 7% in tax here, but with the higher LV price in Canada, I suppose it's better to just look! :smile:

P.S. Travelbug, I love your avatar!
 
#15
Italian Restaurants in Vancouver -

Incendio (there's one downtown as well as one in Vancouver) is delicious and not pricey.

Some Kinda Pasta - also excellent and reasonably priced.

Amarcord - in Yaletown. Somewhat pricy. Their full lobster pasta is TO DIE FOR. It's big enough to share with someone, so $50 /2 = $25 each.

CinCin Ristorante - on Robson. Somewhat pricy, good food.

Chianti's Restaurant - on Broadway.They have a 2 for 1 pasta special on Tuesdays?? i think. You should double check the day. Also good pricing.
 
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