Hermes in Paris and Barcelona-Import Taxes?

#61
Talking about credit cards, anywhere I shop around the world, especially in Europe, the charge always appear on the same day!!!

When I'm travelling, I normally check regularly with my credit card company just in case there are some dubious charges ... you'll never know!
 
#63
Greentea - absolutely - I was always being searched or my stuff was searched I mean - not my body LOL and one day I got really ticked off and asked the customs person - why me? They admitted the following: you look rich. I answered - I think that is called discrimination - at that point they let me go LOL
 
#64
So let me see if I have the facts correct.....

1) You apply for your VAT refund before you leave Europe for all your big purchases which can be substantial if you're buying Birkins and Kellys etc. You can also ask for the purchase to be tax-free at the store.

2) You could not declare the Birkin coming back to the U.S. if you hand carry it as if you had brought it with you. The only drawback is that you won't have your box. There really isn't a way the US customs would know that you bought it in Europe, is there?

I haven't made any large purchases in Europe, just souvenirs from museums etc., however I plan on buying something at the H mothership someday. Would love to get the most information before doing so. Thanks!
 
#65
Greentea said:
Also, do you guys think they pay more attention to you if you're wearing what looks like very expensive clothing and jewelry or carrying, say, LV monogram carry-on luggage when you walk through customs?
Does it pay to be more low-key?
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I know for sure that they do. It happened friends of mine. They even tried to tax my friend for a Rolex his wife had given him as a wedding gift (and they were just returning from the honeymoon so the watch didn't have so many scratches yet). He had to prove it was an "old" wedding gift by showing them the wedding date engraved on the watch.
I also know someone who was stopped because he was very fashionably dressed and had an enormous expensive suitcase on a return trip from Milan. The suitcase was, unfortunately, full of taxable stuff! This person also told me that after being stopped that time for undeclared goods, every single time he flew in to JFK he got stopped.
A word of caution about claiming VAT refund in Europe: It sounds like a simple thing to do, just to get your purchase inspected and claim your refund, but there can be glitches. A few years ago I nearly didn't get mine because there were two very long lines (in Rome) and no one told us which line was the right one. Then the Italian custom officer just said people were supposed to go to another line which was already long. People were getting really mad, cursing at the officer, because they were about to miss their planes. And at that point you just had two very bad choices, do you want to miss your plane or skip your refund. It was a big refund so I took the chance and barely made my plane. I was only offered Italian lira cash or credit card credit and I didn't want lira so I took the credit, and it took soooooo long for the credit to show up on my card, I thought it wasn't ever going to come. My sister did the same thing in Vienna and had the nicest, fastest service, with choices of several currencies or credit card credit. I was scared off buying big ticket items with VAT refund expectation for years.
 
#66
^ Last time I was in Paris (before Hermes addiction) it was easy to get the VAT refund. There was a counter for this right before the check-in area and I just got the forms stamped and went on my way.

Do these customs agents REALLY know what the heck a Birkin or Kelly bag IS? I'm not planning on brandishing any big orange bags or anything. I just want to use my (hopefully) new purse as my carry-on (stuffed in a tote like I would do with my purse anyway.)
Also, here is an idea. Perhaps, hang a charm, old H pochette or something like that on your bag to make it look more "used?"
 
#68
gazoo said:
I have a sad tale for you. We went into a watch store in Milan during our trip and my husband bought me a Patek Phillipe watch. We were quoted $4,700USD so we bought it in the spot since it's much more here in the states. Well for 2 months the charge never showed up on our credit card. FOUR months later the watch store finally charged us. The dollar had dropped much more and our credit card was charged close to $7,000 for this purchase. Just a word of caution, either pay cash or demand that the charge be charged the same day. I don't want to go so far as to claim that the store did it on purpose to get a better exchange for themselves, but the entire thing left a bad taste in my mouth.
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That's international bank fraud! They didn't present you a receipt when you walked out of the store?
I'm so sorry darling.:sad:
 
#69
Yes my receipt stated the amount of euro's that were charged but the dollar shifted significantly during the many weeks long wait. Short of claiming that I did not purchase the watch I had no recourse. I personally think it is sneaky and done on purpose but have no proof.
 
#70
a word of warning - if you are planning on "carrying" home your purchase - destroy receipts - that's what they look for. I always had a lot of receipts with me when I was searched - and they honed in on them like a hawk - they even scrutinized dry cleaning receipts. I don't think the customs is that much when you consider the alternatives if you are caught!
 
#72
I know this scenario isn't quite the same as landing and declaring a bag, but I just received one ordered from overseas (delivered by Fedex). The value declared on the package was $250, and I now have to pay Fedex a customs fee of $52.00.
 
#75
Greentea said:
^ Don't you need the receipt to get the VAT refund at the airport? I can't remember!
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YUP!
It's a catch 22.

By the way, when I bought my watch I received my VAT at the airport in Milan and the officer scrutinized the watch to ensure it hadn't been worn. If it is used, then you don't get the VAT. I was only able to wear it after he approved the VAT just as the watch boutique predicted.
 
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