Chanel: cheaper in US boutique or to do international shipping?

veektoria

veektoria

Member
Feb 3, 2009
57
1
#1
Hi guys! I just joined the community because i was so amazed by the fact that everyone here is so active and everyone's willing to share their information so freely! My mother promised me a chanel 2.55 for my birthday and i am really excited and am doing a research on considering the location to buy it, will post a few questions and i'm hoping some kind souls who are chanel-divas will help me out! (: thank you.

1. I will be heading to USA in May, based on the revised price ($2870USD for jumbo 2.55), is the prices same for all boutiques? Or should i visit the airport? Or should i go to a particular state like New York or Los Angeles to buy? Is it advisable to buy from chanel boutiques or giant departmental malls which also carry chanel? Which is the best boutique to visit? We are not allowed to do tax refund if we have a student/ work visa right?

2. From reading the thread, i gathered that knowing the SA will help you get a lower quoted price, does it work for everyone? Also, given the number from the boutique in London, can i call and ask them to enquire on the price/ if possible get them to ship it to Singapore, how much will it roughly come up to? Should i ask for a particular SA that will quote me the best price? Any recommendations for people who ordered through phone previously?

Which sounds like a feasible plan to get chanel with the highest cost-saving? Singapore's definitely out of the budget, a lambskin jumbo black 2.55 cost: $4900 = $3245USD/ 4017 CAD/ 5051 AUD/ 2258 GBP/ 2500 EUR.

I'm sorry that i've got so many questions, although some of the information are available in other thread, i would love to have a more holistic picture before i make my first chanel purchase. I am so excited! Thank you for your help and advice in advance. (:

love, V.
 
#2
The price will be the same price everywhere in the U.S. Knowing a certain SA will alos not make the bag any less expensive

The only way you can get a better deal on a bag is buying from a country that has a weaker dollar or close to even than yours. The problem with that however you may be charged customs and your great deal will suddenly become the same price as the bags where you live or more!

The bag you are interested in is a classic piece so it will not ever go on sale.
 
#4
Actually from the way the US$ is right now.. I'm not sure if it's any cheaper than singapore. $2850 is probably w/o tax. If you include tax when u buy there, the calculated $ is not much of a difference as compared to Singapore.

Assumption US$2870 * 1.0825(assuming the tax to be ard 8.25% for Cali) * estimated 1.53(exchange rate to sin dollars) ~= S$4753

So it's only a mere S$150 bucks cheaper.

I guess so far the cheapest place to get is still Europe.
My 2 cents.. :smile:
 
#5
However I'd like to add on..

IF you choose to ship the bag from USA.. i believe you wun need to pay Tax.. but you'll need to pay international shipping of approx US$80 + GST to singapore.
 
#7
i think the cheapest place to buy it.
it would be in mexico city.
the taxes are very low well im not sure if they pay any.
and with the current exchange from us dollar to mexican peso is cheaper.
 
#8
UK is not shipping to Asia at present. You can try Paris as Euro is low too and save money. As for US, if you are going to be there, I think you should wait and get the whole Chanel experience - nothing like walking out of the boutique/store with your Chanel in your hand!!!
 
#9
Unfortunately I wouldn't be able to make a trip to paris, but i have a friend who is studying in france (but i think in a small town), can i do the delivery toward her instead? But when she comes back to singapore, i will be in USA. Tsk. ): such a hassle. By the way, a jumbo Cavier = $4500SGD and lambskin = $4900SGD, for anyone who is intending to get one. (:
 
#10
If you deliver within France, you will not get a VAT rebate and therefore, there is no difference buying from US and even SG. You will have to check with your friend about whether she can claim VAT when she leaves France. Remember VAT is about 13-14%. You need to do some calculations :smile:
Do a search, there are a few threads on this subject
 
#11
bagmad73 said:
If you deliver within France, you will not get a VAT rebate and therefore, there is no difference buying from US and even SG. You will have to check with your friend about whether she can claim VAT when she leaves France. Remember VAT is about 13-14%. You need to do some calculations :smile:
Do a search, there are a few threads on this subject
Click to expand...


Have seen some of the threads! understand that the VAT is pretty steep over in France. She might not be able to do VAT since she is a student over there for quite an extended period (i.e 6 months), nevertheless, thanks for your help! I might just get it at USA then, since i won't be going to UK anytime soon. (:
 
#12
I think new price for lamb jumbo is $2875. Since the price is the same everywhere, where you buy from doesn't really make that much difference. (Sale tax varies in states but CA and NY have similar rates.) I'd recommend checking the boutiques first for the experience of it.

Most places in US don't follow tax refund scheme for anyone. So you'd be stuck with having to pay tax in addition to the price on the tag if you are buying it in person here. Current NYC tax is 8.375%, which means the total price you'd have to pay is $3115, only about USD $130 cheaper than price you mentioned for Singapore.

You can avoid paying tax by having the bag shipped to states without that any branches of that particular company or other countries. So if you are going to be staying a state without either Chanel boutiques or few department stores carrying Chanel, you can save a bit more by doing a charge send. You can have it sent to Singapore too, but it means you'd pay a little more for shipping and risking having to pay custom when the package gets there.

I think it would be a good idea to call around Europe if saving money is your main concern. While some boutiques say they don't do international shipping, some apparently still does. And both pound and euro have been quite low compared to how it was before.
 
#13
Okay, but will it be possible if i head to usa in may (will be staying for 6 months), can i ship from UK to US, or even more silly US within US so that it will be more cost-effective? (: thanks again for your help, learnt so much more here than the SAs in Singapore Chanel, who are again, quite choosy about the customer they want to serve. ):
 
#14
Like what nanamiRyu has said, some states in US charge tax. If you buy in those states you will have to pay tax. You can ship US to anoher US state, quote "You can avoid paying tax by having the bag shipped to states without that any branches of that particular company or other countries. So if you are going to be staying a state without either Chanel boutiques or few department stores carrying Chanel, you can save a bit more by doing a charge send."
You can ship the bag from UK to US but if you are doing that, you might as well ship from Paris to Singapore - GST in SG is 7%; taxes in US can be higher than that.
You really need to do some research and call around, calculate the cost to yourself, then you will have your answers.
 
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