Official worldwide thread - Tips/Advice for customs, VAT, etc...

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#737
I just got an invoice in the mail for a bag I bought fom Italy a month ago. The item was $700 and the fee was $48. I bought an item for $300 from Japan about 2 months ago but never got a customs charge for it.

The customs charge delivery was DHL.
 
#738
Hello all! I'm new to the forum and am looking for advice on purchasing internationally. I've had my eye on a bag for some time now and it is $500 cheaper if I purchase it from the UK. I'm curious about the duty and tax though. The store I'm purchasing from ships by DHL. Does anyone have any experience shipping from the UK to the US? And if so, what fees did you incur?
 
#739
Hi everyone. I have a question regarding VAT (Value Added Taxes) on purchases made abroad and brought back to the USA. I have a friend that is in Germany right now and has tracked down the Lockit MM with Python Handles for me. My HG bag has been located and I am so excited as it is sold out in the US right now.

It is priced at 3300 Euros. Which is a considerable difference in price after you convert to US dollars. Does this price of 3300 euros include the VAT already? The bag is at the Luxembourg Louis Vuitton so it will be purchased there and he will be leaving from Germany to come home to the US in a couple of weeks. Does Louis Vuitton process VAT paperwork for him to present at the airport when he goes through customs to claim a refund? Any advice or info you can pass on to us is much appreciated on how the refund and tax is figured into this purchase.
 
#740
From what I remember when I was in Europe last spring - VAT is like their sales tax, I don't believe it's included in the listed price. Just like here, tax is always extra. LV will give you a form then you have to get it stamped when you're leaving the EU from customs then you either mail it in (that's what I did) or find a booth where they may process it directly at the airport and give you the refund. I had to mail mine in because the booth at Charles de Gaulle was closed before my flight - I ended up waiting somewhere around 4-6 weeks to receive my cheque.
 
#741
In Europe, VAT is always included in the price. So the price listed on the pricetag, is the price you pay in the store. How much VAT you get back varies form country to country, but it is somewhere between 10 and 15 % usually.
I buy most of my luxury-items in Amsterdam. In the store, when purchasing, I ask for a VAT form. In this form I have to fill in some information; my passport-number etc. At the airport I have to bring and show the goods I bought, first to one office to get the forms stamped, and then to another office to get the refund. I can choose to get the refund in cash or refunded to my creditcard.
Hope this was helpful; good luck!!
 
#742
VAT is always included in the price, it is a consumption tax that is added at different stages of production. It is called value added tax because at each stage there is tax associated with the value added to the item, that is why it differs from sales tax and it is not added at the end. EU countries have varying VAT rates of up to I believe 25% and most have reduced rates that apply to certain goods and services. It is not like US sales tax.

LV will provide the necessary instructions and paperwork as all luxury shops do this every day.

Anyway, here is a link to calculate how much you will get refunded. You just choose the country you are buying from, and the purchase price and it will calculate for you. HTH.

http://www.globalblue.com/customer-services/tax-free-shopping/refund-calculator/
 
#743
I'm from the U.S. and purchased a LV in Vienna last year while on vacation. I took my passport to the LV store with me. I paid with my charge card and requested to be billed in euros. The sales associate filled in all the paperwork for getting reimbursed the VAT (which is included in price listed). I left the European Union from the Prague airport. Before going through security, I went to the VAT refund window at the airport, and they issued me a form that I took to another window for my cash refund. I believe, in my circumstance, it was about 13% after fees. This was my experience and it was very simple. Allow extra time at the airport.
 
#744
Purse Junky said:
I'm from the U.S. and purchased a LV in Vienna last year while on vacation. I took my passport to the LV store with me. I paid with my charge card and requested to be billed in euros. The sales associate filled in all the paperwork for getting reimbursed the VAT (which is included in price listed). I left the European Union from the Prague airport. Before going through security, I went to the VAT refund window at the airport, and they issued me a form that I took to another window for my cash refund. I believe, in my circumstance, it was about 13% after fees. This was my experience and it was very simple. Allow extra time at the airport.
Click to expand...
Good information. Thanks
 
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#745
Oryx816 said:
VAT is always included in the price, it is a consumption tax that is added at different stages of production. It is called value added tax because at each stage there is tax associated with the value added to the item, that is why it differs from sales tax and it is not added at the end. EU countries have varying VAT rates of up to I believe 25% and most have reduced rates that apply to certain goods and services. It is not like US sales tax.

LV will provide the necessary instructions and paperwork as all luxury shops do this every day.

Anyway, here is a link to calculate how much you will get refunded. You just choose the country you are buying from, and the purchase price and it will calculate for you. HTH.

http://www.globalblue.com/customer-services/tax-free-shopping/refund-calculator/
Click to expand...
thanks so much for the information and the link
 
#746
Sunna said:
In Europe, VAT is always included in the price. So the price listed on the pricetag, is the price you pay in the store. How much VAT you get back varies form country to country, but it is somewhere between 10 and 15 % usually.
I buy most of my luxury-items in Amsterdam. In the store, when purchasing, I ask for a VAT form. In this form I have to fill in some information; my passport-number etc. At the airport I have to bring and show the goods I bought, first to one office to get the forms stamped, and then to another office to get the refund. I can choose to get the refund in cash or refunded to my creditcard.
Hope this was helpful; good luck!!
Click to expand...
thank you for the information. if i chose to have refund by credit card do you know how long it takes? thanks so much
 
#747
Purse Junky said:
I'm from the U.S. and purchased a LV in Vienna last year while on vacation. I took my passport to the LV store with me. I paid with my charge card and requested to be billed in euros. The sales associate filled in all the paperwork for getting reimbursed the VAT (which is included in price listed). I left the European Union from the Prague airport. Before going through security, I went to the VAT refund window at the airport, and they issued me a form that I took to another window for my cash refund. I believe, in my circumstance, it was about 13% after fees. This was my experience and it was very simple. Allow extra time at the airport.
Click to expand...
thanks for the info. you mentioned i should ask to be billed in euros when the purchase is made. does it make a difference if I say charge it in US Dollars? Or will the credit card company automatically change it from Euros to US Dollars since dollars is my home currency?
 
#748
yakuzabear said:
thank you for the information. if i chose to have refund by credit card do you know how long it takes? thanks so much
Click to expand...

My aunt bought my bag for me this week in Barcelona and was told it would only take a few days. I was quite surprised by this as I've read threads on here that it takes a couple weeks. It could vary by country or by the processing company??

She said the whole process was quite easy. She said the LV SA was very helpful with the VAT paperwork and he did tell her to have the bag with her in case it needed to be inspected. My bag was 1490 Euros and I got back either 204 or 206 Euros in VAT.
 
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#750
yakuzabear said:
thanks for the info. you mentioned i should ask to be billed in euros when the purchase is made. does it make a difference if I say charge it in US Dollars? Or will the credit card company automatically change it from Euros to US Dollars since dollars is my home currency?
Click to expand...

You don't have a choice. You pay the store in Euros (if they are a Euro country, we're not for example). When you receive your credit card statement then your CC provider will have made the conversion to dollars. It will likely be a few dollars more than any online conversion you look up due to exchange rate fluctuations and processing fees when buying in another currency but there will still be quite a saving.

VAT is included in the price as advertised.

As for your refund, allow a few weeks although I'm not sure how you're going to get the refund if you're not the one in Germany?
 
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