Duty | Tax | Customs for International shopping {VAT refund}

[isun83]

I’ll be traveling to Paris next month. It’s my first time making a big purchase. I’ll be spending over $15,000. I plan to declare everything on my return to US but does it look bad? I’m scared to claim everything that I purchased as it’s a large amount and it’s way over $800. What were some experience declaring large purchases?

Also, should the amount you declare reflect 20% vat or just 12%? ( if I spent $1,000, do I declare $800 or $880?) thank you!

 

[kelly1234]

I spent over $20k. Mostly in leather goods. I declared it post VAT refund. Which was a 10% refund, pretty rare to get a 20% refund. They use your actual receipt though so they may not be willing to do it post VAT (I convinced my cashier to) I had to pay 9% on everything with the exception of the $800 tax free and the $1000 or so that was at a 2 or 3%. It was back in September so I don’t remember the exact details. It didn’t look bad at all if anything I think they scrutinized me less because they could tell I was telling the truth. They did a full search of someone’s bag next to me. And pulled someone out of line that declared nothing. That person had to pay 25% duty and lost TSA pre check or global entry if she had it. So worth it to tell the truth. But be prepared, it’s expensive!

 

[youngster]

Also, should the amount you declare reflect 20% vat or just 12%? ( if I spent $1,000, do I declare $800 or $880?) thank you!

I have declared post-VAT as well using the actual amounts from my receipts. (It will be around 12% depending on whether you take the refund in cash or via credit card.)

Just keep a list, with the receipts attached, to back up the total you are declaring. I agree that when you are straightforward and honest, they treat you very nicely. A couple of times, I have told them that I bought more than $800 and have been waved through without being asked further questions or paying anything. A couple of other times, I paid whatever was owed. Just depends on who is working that day. My bags have never been searched and the customs officers were always very nice. But, I have seen people pulled out of line and searched and it did not look pleasant.

 

[Kayceedee88]

I have declared post-VAT as well using the actual amounts from my receipts. (It will be around 12% depending on whether you take the refund in cash or via credit card.)

Just keep a list, with the receipts attached, to back up the total you are declaring. I agree that when you are straightforward and honest, they treat you very nicely. A couple of times, I have told them that I bought more than $800 and have been waved through without being asked further questions or paying anything. A couple of other times, I paid whatever was owed. Just depends on who is working that day. My bags have never been searched and the customs officers were always very nice. But, I have seen people pulled out of line and searched and it did not look pleasant.

I’m wondering what happens when you carry the purse for which you were waived through and didn’t have to pay tax upon returning to the US? I mean the next time when you carry that purse and go through customs, can they tax you at that time since you didn’t pay tax previously?? Or what about purses for which you did pay tax after returning to the US? How can you prove that you already paid US taxes on it?

 

[kelly1234]

They don’t tax you. As far as I can tell the only place you ever would be charged tax is when you enter the US and go thru customs. And although there have been rumors that the VAT refund process is somehow connected to your passport re-entry in the US and the duty there. We as the customs agents and they said they don’t have any communication. Who knows if that will be connected in the future. Once you return home you could travel with the bag the same exact way whether you paid a duty or were waived thru. They don’t even keep copies of the receipts they charged duty on. The whole system seems so archaic they compute everything on pen and paper.

 

[youngster]

I’m wondering what happens when you carry the purse for which you were waived through and didn’t have to pay tax upon returning to the US? I mean the next time when you carry that purse and go through customs, can they tax you at that time since you didn’t pay tax previously?? Or what about purses for which you did pay tax after returning to the US? How can you prove that you already paid US taxes on it?

They don't have any way of tracking a bag or any item that wasn't previously taxed. However, if you are in the habit of taking expensive items out of the country and then bringing them back in, you have to be able to prove that you purchased the items prior to your current trip. This goes for jewelry and watches and shoes and other items too. They have the right to ask you about them and whether you bought them on your current trip. So, I'd bring copies of receipts or take pics of those receipts and keep them handy on your phone, just for the really expensive stuff or things that look new. That way, you can prove exactly when you bought those items. Anything purchased before you left on your current trip would have gone through the customs/tax process back then and would not be subject to tax again. That's my understanding.

I did research this issue as I do usually wear a Rolex when traveling. So, I have a pic of my purchase receipt on my phone, just in case I have to show that I bought it 5 years ago and not 5 days ago. As far as bags are concerned, it has never been an issue as I generally don't travel with expensive bags because I don't want to worry about them.

 

[fcmatt]

Hello Everyone,

I have a problem with a tax refund issue for a Chanel handbag purchase I made in Nov 2018 at Le Bon Marche's Chanel boutique. I tried searching the forum and failed to find an answer. If I can dig up an answer it will be this forum I bet.

Per the norm, when making the purchase, I gave my passport to the sales associate to get the proper tax refund paperwork. This is the paperwork you scan at the airport (PABLO kiosk) when leaving France to come back to the US. We had several to scan and all went well. We then took pictures of the documents and mailed them (this is where the mistake took place). I failed to take a picture of the tax refund paperwork for the purchase above. It just so happens it is this purchase which is not getting refunded. I do not know the bar code number to track it with Premier which Chanel uses.

All our other purchases are getting refunded. LV came back. Chanel perfume purchased at 31 Rue Cambon has come back. Etc.. Everything except the one above.

Now I have emailed Premier but I am unsure what to do without that bar code number. Should I call Chanel at Le Bon Marche and ask for it? Do they know? Should I ask for new tax refund paperwork? Should I give Premier more time to follow up on my emails to them which has only been a few days? I will be blunt based on my google searches that Premier seems to have a very poor reputation and not having that bar code number is a great excuse to blow me off which I am preparing for. But the document did scan and it was mailed so they must have some record of the purchase.

Any advice is appreciated. I am still sad I failed to take a pic of this refund document. My wife suggested it and we did for every other one! Sigh! Thank you for any help you can provide.

 

[FunBagz]

If you scanned the VAT Refund Form at the Pablo Kiosk and it received a green check, you did not need to mail the forms or drop them in any box at the airport. Once you receive a green check at the Pablo Kiosk, your refund should be processed with no further action needed on your part. The only reason I can guess there is an issue is if your Refund Form did not have your credit card number inserted in the Mode of Reimbursement section. The merchants usually insert it when they complete the form for you, but it is something that should always be double checked (usually just the last several numbers of the card being refunded will appear). However, since you don't have the form number or a photo of the form, I am not sure how much help Premier or Le Bon Marche can offer. I will say that I have had some refunds take much longer than others, so perhaps the refund is still pending. But 3 months is a rather long time. GL

 

[fcmatt]

If you scanned the VAT Refund Form at the Pablo Kiosk and it received a green check, you did not need to mail the forms or drop them in any box at the airport. Once you receive a green check at the Pablo Kiosk, your refund should be processed with no further action needed on your part. The only reason I can guess there is an issue is if your Refund Form did not have your credit card number inserted in the Mode of Reimbursement section. The merchants usually insert it when they complete the form for you, but it is something that should always be double checked (usually just the last several numbers of the card being refunded will appear). However, since you don't have the form number or a photo of the form, I am not sure how much help Premier or Le Bon Marche can offer. I will say that I have had some refunds take much longer than others, so perhaps the refund is still pending. But 3 months is a rather long time. GL

One would think with modern computer/database systems Premier could simply take one or more fields from that form and search for my information. Since it was scanned they are aware of it. Chanel had to input some data for it to be generated. Search for passport number, name, date, purchase price, etc... and pull up the form in mere seconds. If they cannot they obviously have a vested interest in failing to return money for whatever reasons they can dream up. That is my worry. They have an unofficial policy internal to their business model that will deny claims for whatever reason possible.

Based on my google searches even savvy repeat shoppers have had trouble with them. Global Blue on the other hand seems more reliable.

I guess my question is this: many people have to mail in the forms. Many people have failed to get their refunds and probably did not write down the serial number. Did they have any luck getting a refund when in that situation by contacting Premier?

 

[Iana24]

Dear @fcmatt I understand your worry. I happened to have many experiences with Premier tax free as well as Global Blue. This what I can share: yes you are right GB is more convenient than PTF but it charges lesser commission thus bigger refund for us/customer and I’m very happy Chanel chose it over GB (1-2% discrepancy is big for $5k bag). I used to have tiring process with PTF but surprisingly it’s getting very easy for the past year and more often I got refunded from PTF before GB. In the past, it happened one time that I got my money in advance but they charge back because they said they don’t received my form. We have 3 months to do that. I emailed them sending proof I sent the form in the post office! They replied it sometimes happen that post is very late, they were willing to wait and will refunded me back if they finally received my form. Around two weeks later they emailed again saying they received the form and processed the money back to me. So they were quite proffesional and proactive I would say. I have had 3 issues with PTF (one is my story above, one is complicated stamp date-another long story but they accept with no fuss, and the last one is missing number in the form) and all were solved very well by their staffs. Fast and proffesional. I heard negative reviews about them but those have been my experience.

Recently, I notice they change to Planet Payment (on website) but I guess nothing change. I contacted them last month to ask one of my forms that I couldn’t find the number. It was from Chanel Switzerland. The other one is from Italy, it has the number so no issue. I contacted using their form, one with the number, and the one from CH I put whatever number I could find in the form (I put store tax number, lol). They replied after 2 days and update me with the refund status. It might be helpful because I also had another form so they have my data. But you said you also had been refunded for Cambon store (they use PTF too) so I’m sure PTF’s staff will find it easy to assist you. They are all very helpful so far. I hope you can solved this with them with no issue. But given it’s already from November, I would be more aggresive. Mine is from end December (manual post mail) and I already been refunded in January. In my experience it usually take 3 days to 2 weeks. Well the last time was almost 4 weeks maybe because of holiday season. But their staff always say normally it can take up to 5-7 weeks. So if yours is from November, it could be something happen. For scanned form, I usually get the refund in less than a week. Good luck.

 

[fcmatt]

Dear @fcmatt I understand your worry. I happened to have many experiences with Premier tax free as well as Global Blue. This what I can share: yes you are right GB is more convenient than PTF but it charges lesser commission thus bigger refund for us/customer and I’m very happy Chanel chose it over GB (1-2% discrepancy is big for $5k bag). I used to have tiring process with PTF but surprisingly it’s getting very easy for the past year and more often I got refunded from PTF before GB. In the past, it happened one time that I got my money in advance but they charge back because they said they don’t received my form. We have 3 months to do that. I emailed them sending proof I sent the form in the post office! They replied it sometimes happen that post is very late, they were willing to wait and will refunded me back if they finally received my form. Around two weeks later they emailed again saying they received the form and processed the money back to me. So they were quite proffesional and proactive I would say. I have had 3 issues with PTF (one is my story above, one is complicated stamp date-another long story but they accept with no fuss, and the last one is missing number in the form) and all were solved very well by their staffs. Fast and proffesional. I heard negative reviews about them but those have been my experience.

Recently, I notice they change to Planet Payment (on website) but I guess nothing change. I contacted them last month to ask one of my forms that I couldn’t find the number. It was from Chanel Switzerland. The other one is from Italy, it has the number so no issue. I contacted using their form, one with the number, and the one from CH I put whatever number I could find in the form (I put store tax number, lol). They replied after 2 days and update me with the refund status. It might be helpful because I also had another form so they have my data. But you said you also had been refunded for Cambon store (they use PTF too) so I’m sure PTF’s staff will find it easy to assist you. They are all very helpful so far. I hope you can solved this with them with no issue. But given it’s already from November, I would be more aggresive. Mine is from end December (manual post mail) and I already been refunded in January. In my experience it usually take 3 days to 2 weeks. Well the last time was almost 4 weeks maybe because of holiday season. But their staff always say normally it can take up to 5-7 weeks. So if yours is from November, it could be something happen. For scanned form, I usually get the refund in less than a week. Good luck.

I did not want to leave my post hanging out there without a reply. I would like to report that I did get my refund.

When I purchased the hand bag at Chanel at Le Bon Marche this is on the 1st or 2nd floor. I forget exactly. When you make a purchase you have to go upstairs to the tax refund kiosk or what not. It was getting late and closing time was coming soon.

I was burdened by several shopping bags so I waited on the same floor as the boutique. My wife ran upstairs to deal with the tax refund kiosk. During my purchase my cell phone died as we use security texts on large purchases. So I sent YES to the security text and the purchase went through. Immediately after my phone was dead. (It was a long day of shopping).

So my wife upstairs, equally tired, did not take my credit card with her. The kiosk said it does not matter you can use any card. So she did. One of hers. There was not enough time to run back down nor could she call me. After she was done with that we are both so tired it did not even come up in conversation while we headed back to our apt near Cathedrale Notre-Dame. Just thinking about the walking and train ride and just wanting to get off our feet. I never thought to check for the refund on one of her cards even though I must have saw the credit ages ago as I paid our bills. it just did not register in my head!

I would like to say at this stage Chanel was amazing helping me dig into this. I called the Boutique last week. They sent my info to a Chanel rep who emailed me. I explained I was looking for the serial number on the form. They then had a person at the Boutique call me and worked with the tax refund kiosk to produce the serial number! Amazing help there.

With the serial number Premier actually found the purchase and explained it was sent to my wife's credit card and not mine. What bothers me is that I gave them my wife's information, passport number, etc... and naturally they found nothing with that. Only the serial number helped me. I truly think a computer system should be searchable based on such simple information but.. I guess not???

So this was basically my fault but it was Chanel that helped me solve it! Many thanks to them for the assistance. Thank you for those who replied.

So in the end all major purchases were refunded from Premier, Solpay, and Globalblue.

 

[Katmegdar]

Hi all! For VAT refund can I only process it at Paris CDG only or I can also do it at Heathrow London as all since I will have 3.5 layover time at Heathrow. Thank you!

 

[Iana24]

Hi all! For VAT refund can I only process it at Paris CDG only or I can also do it at Heathrow London as all since I will have 3.5 layover time at Heathrow. Thank you!

I think you can because it’s still EU. I think I’ve done custom stamp on airside at Heathrow, but please re-check. Otherwise you have to exit and process it on landside before security/passport control. Yes you have to go through immigration because it’s not Schengen. You must count the time too. Just make sure you don’t check in the item on CDG. Pack it on your carry-on. But personally I wouldn’t risk have it done in Heathrow. You can’t predict your flight will arrive on time or delay. I have had many flights delayed within Europe. London is most often in my experience. Even 5 hours layover was not enough just to hurry catching the next flight. Besides, tax refund form from France already has barcode so you can just scan it without having it stamp by the officer. All France airports and ports have already equipped with the scanner. Not sure the scanner is available in other EU countries.

 

[Katmegdar]

I think you can because it’s still EU. I think I’ve done custom stamp on airside at Heathrow, but please re-check. Otherwise you have to exit and process it on landside before security/passport control. Yes you have to go through immigration because it’s not Schengen. You must count the time too. Just make sure you don’t check in the item on CDG. Pack it on your carry-on. But personally I wouldn’t risk have it done in Heathrow. You can’t predict your flight will arrive on time or delay. I have had many flights delayed within Europe. London is most often in my experience. Even 5 hours layover was not enough just to hurry catching the next flight. Besides, tax refund form from France already has barcode so you can just scan it without having it stamp by the officer. All France airports and ports have already equipped with the scanner. Not sure the scanner is available in other EU countries.

Thank you lana24 so much for your helpful info. I’ll process my VAT refund in France for the safe side.

 

[k5ml3k]

I’m not sure if this the right place to ask but I was wondering if you can use credit that you have from the US to make purchases in Japan, Korea or Spain? Sorry if this is a stupid question ‍♀️