Should I shop at T&Co in London or NYC?

[zlauren]

Hello All!

As a holiday gift, I'd like to replace a necklace from Tiffany's that my daughter had stolen a few years ago. It was somewhat sentimental and the same piece is still available, which is perfect. She's in the USA, I live in the Middle East, and I will have a six-hour layover at Heathrow next month on the way for our family winter holiday.

I know that the mark-up on Tiffany items is not the best where I live, so I was thinking of shopping at the Heathrow boutique during my layover or else when I'm in the USA. Does anyone know if there is any price benefit of shopping in one of those locations over the other? The necklace is priced higher in the UK, and I'm really not sure if the VAT refund from purchasing at Heathrow would make it less than the price at the USA boutiques.

Has anyone done the math on this before? Thanks for any advice!

 

[mocktail]

My understanding is that the UK doesn’t do VAT refunds anymore (I think it’s related to brexit). The only way to shop VAT-free in the UK is for the store to ship a purchase outside of the UK.

I live in the US but go to the UK every year and there is no monetary advantage to buying anything in the UK, so I only buy stuff there if I can’t get it in the US (certain sunscreens, etc.).

 

[Tonimichelle]

I don't think you can claim the VAT back when flying from the UK anymore

 

[papertiger]

Prices are less in the US and there's no VAT refund if buying whilst in the UK.

I think you can buy from Selfridges (UK) whilst still in the US and and ship VAT-free.

 

[880]

What a generous gift! Buy in the US. That way, if there are issues, she can deal with them easily.

 

[citykitty24]

This isn't an answer about cost/VAT, but you should stop by the NYC store anyway when you are in town for a quick visit and browse if you get a chance. After the renovation, it really looks beautiful.

 

[zlauren]

What a generous gift! Buy in the US. That way, if there are issues, she can deal with them easily.

Oh thank you for writing this! It makes so much sense!

 

[zlauren]

This isn't an answer about cost/VAT, but you should stop by the NYC store anyway when you are in town for a quick visit and browse if you get a chance. After the renovation, it really looks beautiful.

That is a smart idea - I haven't been seen the renovated boutique yet!

 

[limom]

Remember to account for the 8.875% sales tax in NYC.
I don’t think that there is anyways around it anymore.