How does it work if I'm purchasing from Germany LV website to a friend in Germany? Am I being taxed and won't get the refund because it's an online sale?
Duty | Tax | Customs for International shopping {VAT refund}
- Thread starter ivivi
- Start date
I've visited St. Bart's and it is amazing! You will have a wonderful time for sure. I didn't shop there, but my understanding is that US customs tax is the same regardless of where you purchased the goods. So the same exemption of $800 for an individual ($1600 for a couple), then 3% on the next $1000, then 6% on anything over that (for leather goods/handbags) will apply.
For Chanel, VAT refund is 14% in Italy and 14.5% in Spain. Refund percentage is calculated based on where you purchased your bag regardless of where you got your customs stamp.
Hi everyone- I just bought a bag in the UK (London). The total VAT refund was 16.67% of the purchase cost. I used Global Blue to process the refund back to my card. Global Blue charged a 28% fee/commission off the total VAT refund. The refund was credited to my card 3 days later.
I also always take a picture of the stamped and signed customs form, in case there is a problem processing the refund.
I thought I would mention this in case this is helpful to anyone.
I also always take a picture of the stamped and signed customs form, in case there is a problem processing the refund.
I thought I would mention this in case this is helpful to anyone.
Hi everyone, I made purchases in France but I'm leaving from Heathrow, where there are no Pablo kiosks. I see that the stores in France have electronically filled in my credit card number for the refund, but some of the digits are X'd out.
Do I need to manually write in my full credit card number since I'm not using a Pablo kiosk?
Do I need to manually write in my full credit card number since I'm not using a Pablo kiosk?
Hello, I know certain countries have higher refunds (France is 12%, Italy is 14%, etc). My family and I will be taking a Mediterranean cruise this summer and plan on doing some shopping in Spain, Italy, Paris, etc. Our final destination is Paris before heading back to the US.
For the tax return, would we get 12% on all purchases back (since France is our last country)? Or would we get the amount of the country that we purchased in? Sorry, I'm not sure how to word this question clearly lol.....Thanks!
For the tax return, would we get 12% on all purchases back (since France is our last country)? Or would we get the amount of the country that we purchased in? Sorry, I'm not sure how to word this question clearly lol.....Thanks!
The VAT Refund rate varies by country within the EU. The refund rate in France is 20%, Spain is 21% and Italy is 22%; however, there is an administrative fee that reduces the amount of VAT Refund you will receive to about 12%-14%. The amount of your refund is based on the country the merchandise was purchased and not on your country of departure (where you will process your VAT Refund forms before returning home). The difference in the amount you will receive based on country is negligible and given how fickle Chanel stock can be, I recommend not basing your shopping/buying on that. Enjoy your trip and happy shopping!
Coming back into the US, is the exemption $800 or $1800 per person? Somehow I kept reading different responses online [emoji24]
Yes. I have also read that if you are traveling as a family you can combine the duty free amounts of the family members you are traveling with (for example, $800 for each person. So if there are 2 of you, it's $1600; 4 of you, $3,200). I am not sure about this but this is what I've read on here.
My understanding is that the maximum exemption per family is $1600 and a family is defined as all members claimed on a single tax return. So, for example if you are traveling with an aunt who is living in your household, she would be entitled to her own $800 exemption. However, she is permitted to declare your merchandise so you essentially get an exemption from the first $800 thereof (assuming the value of her own items do not exceed the $800 exemption). Minor children do not qualify for an exemption. Therefore, the maximum exemption per family is $1600. However, the imposition of the customs tax seems to be at the discretion of the customs agent. Many people have reported that they were waved through and not asked to pay anything despite being over the exemption limit and others have had to pay the full tax.
Ah, that makes much more sense, thank you. By the way, I declare all my bag purchases and have always been waved through. Now that I have Global Entry it is never even an issue, it seems.