Advice: tax refund of LV purchase in Paris

marivic_bec

marivic_bec

Member
Jan 6, 2016
100
93
#1
Hi TPF gals!
My friend will soon visit Paris and is planning to buy a FAVORITE MM. It currently retails 750 euro. How much will it cost after the tax refund? It's her first time to visit Paris and new to this tax refund thing.. I hope anyone from Paris can help us.

Thanks in advance [emoji173]️[emoji175]
 
#2
marivic_bec said:
Hi TPF gals!
My friend will soon visit Paris and is planning to buy a FAVORITE MM. It currently retails 750 euro. How much will it cost after the tax refund? It's her first time to visit Paris and new to this tax refund thing.. I hope anyone from Paris can help us.

Thanks in advance [emoji173]️[emoji175]
Click to expand...

About €664, just under $750 with today's exchange rate.
 
#6
marivic_bec said:
Hi TPF gals!
My friend will soon visit Paris and is planning to buy a FAVORITE MM. It currently retails 750 euro. How much will it cost after the tax refund? It's her first time to visit Paris and new to this tax refund thing.. I hope anyone from Paris can help us.

Thanks in advance [emoji173]️[emoji175]
Click to expand...
Good choice! The Favorite MM is one of the items on my wish list for my upcoming April Paris trip. I've been doing some calculations and I "think" this is a good estimate of what the price will be like. I used 12% as my discount number (VAT, minus any Global Blue or exchange fees), but as others said, it could be slightly higher. Especially if her credit card doesn't charge a foreign transaction fee.

Favorite MM = 750 Euros - 12% = 660 Euros. That = $731.22.

With tax it would cost me $1,044.10 in Virginia. That's a savings of $312.88.

I need to focus on the budget and not the savings or else I'm in trouble. :smile: You might know this, but make sure your friend takes her passport to the LV store and asks them for assistance filling out the the appropriate tax paperwork b/c it will be required at the airport.
 
#7
IceDancer said:
Good choice! The Favorite MM is one of the items on my wish list for my upcoming April Paris trip. I've been doing some calculations and I "think" this is a good estimate of what the price will be like. I used 12% as my discount number (VAT, minus any Global Blue or exchange fees), but as others said, it could be slightly higher. Especially if her credit card doesn't charge a foreign transaction fee.

Favorite MM = 750 Euros - 12% = 660 Euros. That = $731.22.

With tax it would cost me $1,044.10 in Virginia. That's a savings of $312.88.

I need to focus on the budget and not the savings or else I'm in trouble. :smile: You might know this, but make sure your friend takes her passport to the LV store and asks them for assistance filling out the the appropriate tax paperwork b/c it will be required at the airport.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the information dear [emoji173]️ yes, the favorite MM is great. I have it in monogram for quite some time and now I want to buy for a DE print. Wow,
It's really cheaper in Paris. [emoji106]

Anyway, Enjoy your Paris trip soon and don't forget to share some pictures [emoji4]

Thanks a lot [emoji173]️[emoji175]
 
#8
marivic_bec said:
Thanks for the information dear [emoji173]️ yes, the favorite MM is great. I have it in monogram for quite some time and now I want to buy for a DE print. Wow,
It's really cheaper in Paris. [emoji106]
]
Click to expand...

LV personnel in Europe are very familiar with how to do this and they will print the proper forms to give to your friend. They just need your friend's passport as all of her information will be included on the form (passport #, address, how she wants the refund processed either cash or back to the credit card, etc.)

Make sure your friend takes the VAT refund form and the unopened bag to the customs counter at the airport when she leaves. The VAT form needs to be stamped or scanned by Customs when she is leaving the EU and they reserve the right to inspect the item as well, though they never have with me. Then, she takes that form, puts it in the envelope provided, and drops it in the Global Blue mail kiosk OR goes to the Global Blue counter at the airport and gives the form to them directly. (This is what I would do as there is no chance of it being lost in the mail.) At the Global Blue counter, they will scan the form and provide a receipt immediately along with the refund in Euros (if cash refund is preferred) or it will take a few weeks to process the credit back to her credit card.

Make sure she leaves plenty of time to stand in line at the airport for both Customs and at the Global Blue counter. It can take a few minutes or an hour or more.
 
#10
youngster said:
LV personnel in Europe are very familiar with how to do this and they will print the proper forms to give to your friend. They just need your friend's passport as all of her information will be included on the form (passport #, address, how she wants the refund processed either cash or back to the credit card, etc.)

Make sure your friend takes the VAT refund form and the unopened bag to the customs counter at the airport when she leaves. The VAT form needs to be stamped or scanned by Customs when she is leaving the EU and they reserve the right to inspect the item as well, though they never have with me. Then, she takes that form, puts it in the envelope provided, and drops it in the Global Blue mail kiosk OR goes to the Global Blue counter at the airport and gives the form to them directly. (This is what I would do as there is no chance of it being lost in the mail.) At the Global Blue counter, they will scan the form and provide a receipt immediately along with the refund in Euros (if cash refund is preferred) or it will take a few weeks to process the credit back to her credit card.

Make sure she leaves plenty of time to stand in line at the airport for both Customs and at the Global Blue counter. It can take a few minutes or an hour or more.
Click to expand...

Is the VAT refund form separate from the customs form? When I was at CDG, I used the detaxe kiosk and it gave me a green light to proceed (opted for CC refund). I then dropped it in the mailbox. I didn't have it physically stamped. Did I miss a step?

For my second purchase from Galeries Lafayette, I ended up mailing the forms they gave me once I got home. They scanned my passport and everything at the store. Should I have included my document from customs saying what I had declared? I left from Ireland so they checked out the paperwork there. TIA!
 
#11
IceDancer said:
Is the VAT refund form separate from the customs form? When I was at CDG, I used the detaxe kiosk and it gave me a green light to proceed (opted for CC refund). I then dropped it in the mailbox. I didn't have it physically stamped. Did I miss a step?

For my second purchase from Galeries Lafayette, I ended up mailing the forms they gave me once I got home. They scanned my passport and everything at the store. Should I have included my document from customs saying what I had declared? I left from Ireland so they checked out the paperwork there. TIA!
Click to expand...

As far as I know, in France, there is just one form (though they usually give you a copy to keep for yourself). Yes, scanning the barcode should be fine. Other countries require a physical stamp on the form. I was just in Europe myself and bought things in a couple different countries and left out of CDG. I just scanned the barcode for the French forms but the other countries needed a physical stamp and required me to get in line at the Customs desk for it. I dropped my French forms in the kiosk but haven't yet received the refunds but it's only been about 3 weeks. The other forms I took to the Travelex desk and processed for cash refunds right away.

Regarding your second purchase, I think there is a separate location on the 1st floor at the Galleries Lafayette to process forms but I've never done it there. I've also never mailed the forms once I got home (though in theory I know you can do that). I think the important factor is whether you got the Customs Department stamp on your form before you mailed it and whether what you got at the Galleries Lafayette took care of that. If you followed their directions, you likely will be fine.
 
#12
I did a little more research. Here is the link to the Galleries Lafayette site where it discusses the VAT refund process. http://haussmann.galerieslafayette.com/en/tax-refunds/

What do I need to do when I am in the store?
– Once you have made purchases over 175.01 Euros, make your way to the Tax Refund Desk on Level -1 in the main store (Coupole) with your original till receipts and passport
– Choose your preferred method of reimbursement
– The store will issue you with a tax refund form
– Copies of till receipts are not valid for tax refunds
What do I need to do on leaving the European Union?
– On leaving the EU your tax refund form must be validated by Customs at the airport, train station or border point within 3 months of the purchase date
– Before checking in your luggage, you should present your refund form with your purchases, passport and travel documents for inspection by Customs. Failure to adhere to these conditions will result in cancellation of the refund and a possible fine.
– Once the refund form has been validated by Customs, if you have chosen to receive a cash refund, please make your way to the designated desk at the airport, station or border point. For all other methods of reimbursement (see Tax Refund conditions), you should post off the blue form signed by Customs in the pre-paid envelope provided within 6 months. You should retain the other copy as proof of purchase.
 
#13
I bought the Favorite MM in DA while in Paris also! It's a great bag. I got my tax refund back on CC about 3 weeks later. It was a great experience. I gave the form to an agent at CDG and he scanned it or something, gave it back to me, I put in envelope then put in the mailbox right next to where he was located. Pretty easy process.
 
#14
First time poster here, but I purchased a Neverfull MM at Champs Elysees a little over a month ago. Flew out of Munich, so I submitted my paperwork to Global Blue there on April 25. I was able to track my document starting May 11, and received my refund today.

I chose the credit card refund option. I purchased in EUR with a "no foreign transaction fees" card, so I assumed the refund would also hit in EUR. I didn't realize until after the fact that they only refund to Visa/MC in your local currency. Global Blue definitely screws you a little on the exchange rate or adds fees, and there's no way to check what the ultimate exchange between EUR and USD was.

My refund should have been 113.40 EUR (about $127), but I only got $118 back on my card. This doesn't seem like much of a difference, but Global Blue also takes a pretty significant cut of the VAT at the top (paid 157.50 EUR in VAT on the transaction), so I "lost" about $60 (30%) of the refund because of their fees/exchange.

Even with the Global Blue shenanigans, I still saved about 30% by buying in Paris (net $958 between great exchange rate and Global Blue refund) vs. California ($1,373.40 w/ tax).
 
#15
Question: once you've processed the vat can the item be used? I know you can't use it prior to going through the customs. We purchased items yesterday and leave Paris for Nice on Monday. So I'm curious if once I do all the official paper work at the airport, can I use the items while continuing my trip?
 
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