question about customs bringing LV into US
- Thread starter spylove22
- Start date
That would be great. You get $ back at the already cheaper price!!! A few posts above mentioned something about a week's stay or something though. Does it matter if you're only on a stopover or you can't claim it unless you stay a certain period of time?lordguinny said:
lordguinny said:
Yes, you will be alright. I go to Italy every year and always buy stuff to bring back so I've been doing this for awhile. As long as it's under $800, you don't have to pay anything. When filling out the customs form, if and only if you are over $800 do you actually have to list the items and prices of your purchases. The flight attendants are usually very helpful though. Hope this helps a little!
SuzyZ said:
When we went to Italy we came back with a lot of stuff including some of my parents' Murano glass items that were over $1000 and customs didn't even stop us or say anything.. they just stamped our passports and all was well. I think they only get technical and scrutinize you if you declare that you went over the limit alotted?
The only time I was deathly scared of customs was in Germany.. I half expected customs to tear us apart right then and there, but they didn't say anything at all.
whoa, this is so confusing. I'm planning to go to Paris next year and buy some LV purses. But now i realize that u can only buy up to $800 amount w/o having to declare it. If you don't declare, can u still get the 12% VAT back??? or u only get the VAT back if u declare.
How much do they charge if the item costs more than $800???
How about i just carry the purse on my shoulder, would they know???
How much do they charge if the item costs more than $800???
How about i just carry the purse on my shoulder, would they know???
Does people really check this? As long as you hide the reciept or carry it as a handbag, they can't really find out when you bought it either.. When I came back from my shopping trip abroad, I had most of my new things in my keepall, but I also had two huuuuge gucci-bags, and they didn't stop me or anything and that was in a small airport with lots of custom officers to check.. I think they're really after alcohol and stuff..
vuittonGirl said:
Getting your VAT back and going through US customs are to totally unrelated issues. You claim your VAT before you leave Paris. When you go to Vuitton they will ask for your passport and give you some forms to be stamped at CDG airport before you leave. Make sure you have the items with you in case the EU customs agent asks to see them. The agent will stamp the forms and you will put the stamped forms into an envelope provided to you by LV to be forwarded to the VAT department at LV which will then issue you a check or a credit to your credit card. You also have the option to get cash back at the airport.
Before you land in the US, you will receive a customs form for US immigration. You can choose to declare your items or not. Whatever you choose to do it will not affect your VAT refund. You will still get that.
My husband, daughter and I just got back from Malaysia and we bought lots of clothes and handbags and pewter. We declared about 400usd worth of goods. The only question the custom asked my husband was: do you bring any chicken?
US custom are usually pretty lenient, they are more interested in drugs and illegal stuff. An LV bag or two wont be a problem.
US custom are usually pretty lenient, they are more interested in drugs and illegal stuff. An LV bag or two wont be a problem.
stllove said:
If they do search you for whatever reasons, and they find a receipt, you are in trouble. This happened to a guy we talked to while on vacation. He was coming back to the US from a cruise and he wore his newly purchased gold chains. The customs guys asked him and he said he bought them a while ago in the US. Well they searched his bags and found the receipt!
ush:
dianagrace said:
just wanted to say ditto on this as it has been my experience as well. the airport in amsterdam didn't even ask my mom to show the goods we had purchased in paris. we did declare all our items (since there was 3 of us we could declare up to $2400) and no questions were asked. my mom did ask the customs agent if they get that often and the agent said they do.
as far as the VAT is concerned, you have to spend at least 200 euros (it might be slightly less, you can find out that info if you google for the VAT website and also in travel books). and you have to spend it in one place in the same day to qualify. meaning you can't spend 50 here and there on different days (which is impossible at LV lol). you MUST have your passport (a driver's license won't do. i remember these chinese tourists who didn't have the right documents and could not qualify for the VAT).
the VAT refund comes in a few months. it is best to use a credit card when purchasing since you get good exchange rates through credit cards.
just saying that this is my experience and i'm sure it slightly differs from person to person
