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

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#1,186
hi everyone.. I’ll be traveling to the U.S for the first time in August and I need information on buying Chanel there.
As a tourist , will I have to pay any tax or will I get a tax refund like we get in Europe?
I live in Dubai.
For example, if the retail price of a mini flap is $3500, will I have to pay tax over it?
Or will I get tax refund coming back to Dubai?
Thanks
 
#1,187
youngster said:
If you've got a 4 hour layover at LHR, you should be fine but I'd probably just take care of it in Athens for peace of mind. I've never processed a refund in Athens airport so I don't know how easy or reliable it is. Btw, sometimes the Customs departments don't open until 6 AM or 7 AM so hopefully your flight isn't around that time.
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Update! Got the small flap in London! Woot woot! I’ll submit the VAT in Athens and take it with me ( the SA was kind enough to give me the unfolded box so it doesn’t get damaged). Now, Im buying a Rolex in Santorini. Upon entering the US, will ir also be taxed at 8% or is it a different tax for these items? Just want to make sure the price difference is worth it when taking into consideration the US tax. Thankss!!!
 
#1,188
CCShi said:
Update! Got the small flap in London! Woot woot! I’ll submit the VAT in Athens and take it with me ( the SA was kind enough to give me the unfolded box so it doesn’t get damaged). Now, Im buying a Rolex in Santorini. Upon entering the US, will ir also be taxed at 8% or is it a different tax for these items? Just want to make sure the price difference is worth it when taking into consideration the US tax. Thankss!!!
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Congrats! Regarding watches, I know that you are allowed to bring a Rolex back to the U.S. and I think that it is taxed at a slightly lower 5%, at least that is what I found doing a quick search on the Rolex forums. You might look around there for further information as those guys are constantly buying Rolexes lol. They are TPF of the Rolex world.
 
#1,189
Shopaholic 1705 said:
hi everyone.. I’ll be traveling to the U.S for the first time in August and I need information on buying Chanel there.
As a tourist , will I have to pay any tax or will I get a tax refund like we get in Europe?
I live in Dubai.
For example, if the retail price of a mini flap is $3500, will I have to pay tax over it?
Or will I get tax refund coming back to Dubai?
Thanks
Click to expand...

You will be charged "sales tax" on the purchase price, which varies by state (and in some instances, that tax rate varies by counties within each state). The only states with no sales tax are New Hampshire, Delaware, Montana and Oregon. New York, California, Nevada and Illinois have some of the highest sales tax rates in the US. There is no refund.
 
#1,191
Hello,

For those of you who have purchased from Spain, how long approximately did it take for your VAT to be refunded back to your credit card? I received some other refunds that were processed at the same time already through Global Blue but eager for my refund from my Chanel purchase since that's a big one. I don't remember if Chanel used Global Blue or the other company but perhaps the difference in processing time is because it is not Global Blue.

Thanks!
 
#1,192
Not sure if you guys follow LVlovercc on youtube.
She shared her recent huge ( and i mean HUGE ) purchases refund process and thoughts on tax savings.
(which isn't as much as she thought it'll be)
She lives in the US.
 
#1,193
I hope this helps someone...
I recently went to Europe for the first time in April 2019. I purchased my first LV in the Galeries Lafayette department store. The SA completed my tax form in store. I elected to get the refund back to my credit card, since it would be slightly more than if I received it by cash. I flew out of Heathrow airport in London on April 30, 2019. The line to get the tax form validated was out of this world. Thank goodness I got to the airport early. Once I got to the desk, I didn’t think the agent did anything with the tax form because he handed it back to me so quickly. He told me the refund was already processed and that I should get it back in a month. I didn’t mail anything off. A month passed and nothing happened...until June 3, 2019. On that day I received a text message saying my refund was approved. The refund was applied to my credit card this morning, 6/5/19. My tip of completing VAT at Heathrow is to get there super early, at least 5 -6 hours before your departure flight. I didn’t see any mailboxes for global blue. There may be some, but I didn’t see any while I was there.
 
#1,194
I went through Heathrow myself a couple weeks ago and in the early morning, there is really no one in line for the customs stamp/VAT refund after Security. This was similar to my last trip through Heathrow a couple years ago. The processing point after Security is for people who have already checked their luggage and are carrying their purchases on the plane with them, which is always what I do with expensive items. I think if you arrive and are through Security before 8 or 8:30 AM at Heathrow, you will be fine. Literally, there was no one ahead of me at 7:30 AM and it took all of 5 minutes to get through the inspection (which they were a bit more thorough about this time) and process the paperwork at the VAT desk.

There is also a huge VAT refund desk at the entrance to Terminal 3 for those people who are checking items in their luggage and need to process their paperwork before they check in and go through Security. When we arrived at about 7 AM, there was literally no one in line there either.
 
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#1,199
I'm in the US and interested in getting a classic Chanel bag in Europe at the end of the year. I'm going to be in Berlin and Vienna, the Seychelles, and then Rome and Florence before heading home. Since I'm leaving the EU twice within 2 weeks, I could either:
1) buy it in Berlin (or possibly Vienna) and drop off forms at VIE or FLR or
2) buy in Rome (or possibly Florence), off the tax forms at or before FLR [all my connecting flights are at non-EU airports]
I know that I'd get a higher VAT refund in Italy than in Germany or Austria, but I'm taking into account other factors. Mainly, is generally better to get the VAT refund on your credit card or in cash?
I've heard the argument that you can't spend the Euros/foreign currency at the airport as your heading back home, but if I were to buy the bag in Berlin and do all the customs at/before VIE, I can spend the refunded cash during the Italian leg of my trip. We also go to Europe quite often, so don't mind taking home some Euros and using on a future trip.
I also know that there is a fee charged for instant cash refunds, but am weary of an unfavorable [to me] exchange rate Global Blue or Premier Tax Free is using to get/convert a Euro refund on my USD credit card.

Last year, I bought a Louis Vuitton bag at Printemps in Paris, went to the tax refund office in the store, and took the cash. We spent it during the remainder of our stay and got the customs stamp (and I believe dropped off the forms) at CDG.
 
#1,200
IsobelE said:
I am pretty sure it's around 17% but it's only when flying out of the EU. Based on the prices I saw in T3 last week, the standard ballet flats for example normally retail for £530, the outside EU price was £440 so a saving of 16.98%

Hope this helps
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Just a quick correction but some stores will give you the vat tax back even when flying in the EU or even UK for that matter. I’m not exactly sure why or how but I know my personal shopper told me this and it was true for Tiffany’s and Gucci. I believe she said most French houses don’t allow it ie chanel etc)
 
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