Cartier VAT refund
- Thread starter sammytheMUA
- Start date
Hi, if there is a layover flight, do you check in your items in your luggage or you hand carry? I am transiting thru Amsterdam but I will will do refund in the country I depart. Was told by global blue I must check in the items with my luggage. However I felt safer to hand carry with me.
You should have your items with you wherever you get the customs stamp/scan. There's no requirement to ever check in your goods so if you don't want to, you definitely don't need to. If you WANT to, you can but just make sure you have them on hand when you do the stamp/scan in case they ask to see it.
Sorry.. I meant global blue said after getting the customs stamp, the items need to be check in. If i hand carry, when I reach Amsterdam (during the transit) I will have problem because I cannot produce the receipts if being asked. Anyone encounter this problem?
I don’t know why they would say that… I have actually never checked in my VAT refund items. I’d never check in brand new $$$ luxury items. Why would Amsterdam care about your receipts? You already got the customs stamp at the airport prior to your layover in this scenario and your refund is complete for processing. If you plan to get the customs stamp done in Amsterdam then you shouldn’t be checking in your purchases at the first airport anyway.
Question on EU VAT …
I will be traveling to Barcelona, Rome and Paris in a few months. I want to confirm that the VAT refund is claimed on the last EU country of departure, for my trip it’s Paris. So do I provide the VAT forms of purchases made from each country at CDG airport? And are Barcelona and Rome VAT forms Global Blue? Thanks in advance.
I will be traveling to Barcelona, Rome and Paris in a few months. I want to confirm that the VAT refund is claimed on the last EU country of departure, for my trip it’s Paris. So do I provide the VAT forms of purchases made from each country at CDG airport? And are Barcelona and Rome VAT forms Global Blue? Thanks in advance.
Not sure which thread to post this in but its price related so here we are! With the Euro almost on par with USD I was wondering whether there were any savings to be had for US travellers buying Cartier in Europe this summer?? I'm not going to Europe but I am going to St Barths in 2 weeks which is also on the Euro. I believe St Barths is VAT / sales tax free so there is presumably already a saving to be had.
St Barth prices are slightly higher than prices in Paris prices plus you do not get the VAT back when you buy in St Barth. Someone once explained it to me but I forgot the reason. Even so, the prices are still less than what you’d pay in NY so there’s still a savings if they are European goods. For example, a Vuitton bag on the French website might show 4000€ (But it would be 12% less than that since you’d get back VAT ) however it will be 4200€ in St Barth and you would pay the full 4200€ and get no VAT back. The same bag might be $5000 + tax in NY so it’s still a big savings. Hope I explained that clearly.
I was required to check-in my VAT refunded items at the new Berlin airport (but never at the old Tegel). The procedure was to go to the airline counter, check-in, and get a checked-bag tag for your bag. Walk the bag over to the customs booth, where they may or may not physically verify your items are in the bag (probably depends on their value if it's worth the effort). Then the customs officer puts the bag on the baggage carousel to go directly to the plane. The purpose is ensure that the un-taxed items actually leave the country, and not that you just secretly hand it off to your friend/family before you board the flight.
I got 14.5% (out of 19% German VAT) back from a 20.000€ Cartier purchase back in 2018. The percentage back may vary based on the price of the item — you get more back the more it costs — but it depends on the processor & the store and I don't know what Cartier's structure looks like. At the time with the current exchange rate, I saved a bit of money to make it worth it even after paying the US customs on my return. But looking at the same item right now in 2023, it's pretty much a wash (not counting sales tax since you're supposed to pay sales/use tax regardless). It's not as sure of a savings as say buying a Hermes bag in the EU to bring back to the USA, and it really depends on the exchange rate at the time of the purchase.
I got 14.5% (out of 19% German VAT) back from a 20.000€ Cartier purchase back in 2018. The percentage back may vary based on the price of the item — you get more back the more it costs — but it depends on the processor & the store and I don't know what Cartier's structure looks like. At the time with the current exchange rate, I saved a bit of money to make it worth it even after paying the US customs on my return. But looking at the same item right now in 2023, it's pretty much a wash (not counting sales tax since you're supposed to pay sales/use tax regardless). It's not as sure of a savings as say buying a Hermes bag in the EU to bring back to the USA, and it really depends on the exchange rate at the time of the purchase.