Hi ladies! I have a trip planned for Canada soon from the US and wanted to find out if pricing is better in Canada? Do we get any tax/vat refund like traveling overseas? Thanks!!
Duty | Tax | Customs for International shopping {VAT refund}
- Thread starter ivivi
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You might get a better deal because of the low Cdn dollar, but you pay higher taxes. There is no refund in sales tax.
South beach, I know you posted a while ago. But I was wondering, what was the process like when declaring, they looked at your slip and then inspected your things? I wonder because I'm declaring and then need to catch my next plane... And what airport did you fly into? TIA!
Hello all,
Appreciate if anybody can guide me on this
I plan to visit Europe namely Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Brussels and Paris
I'm flying in to Frankfurt and flying out 2 weeks later from Frankfurt airport too
My question is regarding the vat refund at Frankfurt airport
I plan to purchase my first Chanel in one of the cities i mention above
I've checked globalblue website for tax refund calculation (http://www.globalblue.com/customer-services/tax-free-shopping/refund-calculator/ )
I noticed that each country that i selected gave me different tax refund amount
Eg. For a purchase of £1000 i get £126 tax refund if i purchase from Belgium and £120 tax refund if i purchase from France
So my question is the vat refund is based on purchasing country or departing country (Frankfurt airport)?
Its quite confusing for me as a first time travelling to Europe and planning to take advantage of the vat.
Appreciate if anyone can explain to me on this
Thank you in advance
Appreciate if anybody can guide me on this
I plan to visit Europe namely Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Brussels and Paris
I'm flying in to Frankfurt and flying out 2 weeks later from Frankfurt airport too
My question is regarding the vat refund at Frankfurt airport
I plan to purchase my first Chanel in one of the cities i mention above
I've checked globalblue website for tax refund calculation (http://www.globalblue.com/customer-services/tax-free-shopping/refund-calculator/ )
I noticed that each country that i selected gave me different tax refund amount
Eg. For a purchase of £1000 i get £126 tax refund if i purchase from Belgium and £120 tax refund if i purchase from France
So my question is the vat refund is based on purchasing country or departing country (Frankfurt airport)?
Its quite confusing for me as a first time travelling to Europe and planning to take advantage of the vat.
Appreciate if anyone can explain to me on this
Thank you in advance
VAT refund amount is based on the purchasing country. I am not sure if the Global Blue website is an accurate indicator though, as Chanel seems to use Premier Tax. But I guess it serves as a good rough guide. As the stock levels can vary from cities to cities, I prefer buying when I see the item I want unless it is UK vs Europe where GBP is more expensive for me. Alternatively plan your itinerary such that you start with the cities with the highest refund rate.
Thank you so much for your replyVAT refund amount is based on the purchasing country. I am not sure if the Global Blue website is an accurate indicator though, as Chanel seems to use Premier Tax. But I guess it serves as a good rough guide. As the stock levels can vary from cities to cities, I prefer buying when I see the item I want unless it is UK vs Europe where GBP is more expensive for me. Alternatively plan your itinerary such that you start with the cities with the highest refund rate.
From the globalblue website which i used above, apparently Belgium give the highest tax refund compare to other countries even France
I'm planning to get Chanel Easy flap caviar, hoepfully i can get in in Belgium or Amsterdam
I declared at customs in Dallas. I was sent to another area. The customs officer did not ask to see any of the purchases as I spent $5500. He gave me a break since I was honest and only paid $173 in duty tax.
Callalili, I'm doing a trip similar to yours! Belgium, Amsterdam, and most likely Paris at the end. Mumof2monsters is definitely right though, Premier Tax is totally different from GlobalBlue, so it might not be a very good indicator. Definitely try to buy it wherever you see it first and you could leave Paris for later, as there are so many stores to check stock (last time I was at Rue Cambon, I saw a ton of easy flaps). Chanel is the same price throughout Europe, but if you were interested in other brands (ie LV, etc. I do know LV is significantly cheaper in France). Please update us on how it goes (and your new souvenirs!), I too was wondering if there's a best city to get the best VAT/stock! Have fun!!
http://forum.purseblog.com/member.php?u=434895Thanks Sallytexan15! Ok, they just saw a high declaration and automatically directed you to a counter and pay? Interesting, I wonder what it takes for the people who get all their luggage searched. Do you know how customs arrived at that number? I've heard they deduct VAT and if there are several people in a party (ie 2 people has a limit of $1800), and then it's 3%??
Wow!!! Good to know that you have the same plan as mine. I'm going this April, landing in Frankfurt then will be going to Amsterdam, Brussels and lastly Paris. Do you know what/how different is globalblue and Premier Tax refund? I google premier tax for the refund calculator (estimate) but i cant find one. Only globalblue has refund calculator. Does premier tax charged higher service fee compare to globalblue?Callalili, I'm doing a trip similar to yours! Belgium, Amsterdam, and most likely Paris at the end. Mumof2monsters is definitely right though, Premier Tax is totally different from GlobalBlue, so it might not be a very good indicator. Definitely try to buy it wherever you see it first and you could leave Paris for later, as there are so many stores to check stock (last time I was at Rue Cambon, I saw a ton of easy flaps). Chanel is the same price throughout Europe, but if you were interested in other brands (ie LV, etc. I do know LV is significantly cheaper in France). Please update us on how it goes (and your new souvenirs!), I too was wondering if there's a best city to get the best VAT/stock! Have fun!!
They're different companies: LV and many others use Globalblue while Chanel uses Premier Tax. In my experience, Globalblue was much faster and accurate at getting a refund. TBH, Premier tax took a long time (8 weeks and after an additional inquiry on my part) and it was lower than I expected, I think it was 11% or under that. I remember what really bugged me was it seemed they used a different exchange rate, which didn't work in my favor. The thing I'm wondering is if you buy Chanel at a department store if they use globalblue or premier? I can't remember if GL is just globalblue or if it was the brands we bought. Can anyone chime in?
I recalled LV was cheaper before VAT refund in France in the past. Think it is no longer true now, at least not between France and Italy. In fact Italy has a higher VAT refund for LV and there is no 10% VAT refund deduction if opting for cash refund.Callalili, I'm doing a trip similar to yours! Belgium, Amsterdam, and most likely Paris at the end. Mumof2monsters is definitely right though, Premier Tax is totally different from GlobalBlue, so it might not be a very good indicator. Definitely try to buy it wherever you see it first and you could leave Paris for later, as there are so many stores to check stock (last time I was at Rue Cambon, I saw a ton of easy flaps). Chanel is the same price throughout Europe, but if you were interested in other brands (ie LV, etc. I do know LV is significantly cheaper in France). Please update us on how it goes (and your new souvenirs!), I too was wondering if there's a best city to get the best VAT/stock! Have fun!!
Which type of service fee are you referring to? If you are referring to how much VAT refund you can get back, it should be dependent on the brands/stores you are getting from and not the processing companies.
So long as it is a credit card refund, the exchange rate will not be in our favor and this is due to the credit card companies/banks. This is why I prefer cash refund and love the fact that unlike most shops in France, Italy doesn't practice taking an additional 10% VAT refund off if the cash refund option is made. I had problem with my cash refund with Travelex at Paris CDG though. Travelex refused to give me my refund in cash and asked me to mail my tax refund for a credit card refund instead. I am still waiting for the refund while seeing Euro weakens each day.
All 3 dept stores in Paris, namely Lafayette, Printemps and Le Bon Marche use GlobalBlue.