Reasonable Rimowa Prices?
Oct 19, 2016, 11:59 am
#406
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Japan
Posts: 5,577
I think once LVMH takes over marketing and distribution of the Rimowa brand it will attract even more Japanese and Asian buyers. Not so confident that they will allow Costco to continue selling any more Rimowa lines. Who knew?
Oct 20, 2016, 3:54 am
#407
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Philadelphia, LAX, Paris
Programs: UA 1K/2MM, SPG/Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Lifetime HHonors Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, AA Exec Plat
Posts: 3,326
I must have missed something, but I have never seen Rimowa ar any Costco that I shop at. Care to tell us which Costco carries Rimowa? Even the close out items?
Oct 21, 2016, 7:57 am
#408
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: seat 9A
Programs: UA 1K, Flying Blue Plat, HH Diamond, IHG Spire, Marriot Plat (TWA / NWA - million miler)
Posts: 54
Try edisac.com They seem to offer world wide shipping through an external service. They charge for the third party shipping service, but it works, and gets you $400 off a big topas bag compared to the US prices. And you get a german manufacture.
I have also seen online stores from Finland and Sweden that will ship to the US.... worth doing a little home work.
I have also seen online stores from Finland and Sweden that will ship to the US.... worth doing a little home work.
Oct 21, 2016, 10:23 am
#409
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Japan
Posts: 5,577
Nov 2, 2016, 10:08 am
#413
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 5
Try edisac.com They seem to offer world wide shipping through an external service. They charge for the third party shipping service, but it works, and gets you $400 off a big topas bag compared to the US prices. And you get a german manufacture.
I have also seen online stores from Finland and Sweden that will ship to the US.... worth doing a little home work.
I have also seen online stores from Finland and Sweden that will ship to the US.... worth doing a little home work.
Nov 4, 2016, 2:23 pm
#414
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Newport Beach / San Francisco / Seattle
Programs: UA GS 1MM, Amex Centurion, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 289
It's been a while since I've purchased a new Rimowa so just wanted to ask the folks here what best deal for me will be.
I will be in Germany in December...specifically, I'll be flying in to Frankfurt, spending some time in Berlin and then leaving from Hamburg. Looking at buying a couple new Topas carryons to bring home via checked baggage. Ideally, this would be done in Hamburg as that's the airport I'm departing from. It sounds like my options are:
-Call ahead for stock at Lufthansa Worldshop at FRA or HAM, collect at airport, check bag and send home upon departure
-Order from one of the many online shops and have shipped to my hotel
-Call ahead to procure locally at a shop in Hamburg
I'd like to get the VAT refund - does ordering from an online shop and shipping within Germany make that a no-go? Would that mean that the better deal for me is to buy via one of the other two ways I mentioned?
Thanks!
I will be in Germany in December...specifically, I'll be flying in to Frankfurt, spending some time in Berlin and then leaving from Hamburg. Looking at buying a couple new Topas carryons to bring home via checked baggage. Ideally, this would be done in Hamburg as that's the airport I'm departing from. It sounds like my options are:
-Call ahead for stock at Lufthansa Worldshop at FRA or HAM, collect at airport, check bag and send home upon departure
-Order from one of the many online shops and have shipped to my hotel
-Call ahead to procure locally at a shop in Hamburg
I'd like to get the VAT refund - does ordering from an online shop and shipping within Germany make that a no-go? Would that mean that the better deal for me is to buy via one of the other two ways I mentioned?
Thanks!
Nov 4, 2016, 8:00 pm
#415
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Out of position
Programs: Accor, IHG, LH, BAEC, DB
Posts: 266
-Order from one of the many online shops and have shipped to my hotel
I'd like to get the VAT refund - does ordering from an online shop and shipping within Germany make that a no-go?
Nov 4, 2016, 11:45 pm
#416
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Newport Beach / San Francisco / Seattle
Programs: UA GS 1MM, Amex Centurion, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 289
In my experience, the Worldshop sometimes doesn't carry the latest versions. And, of course, some of the items them sell are special-edition baggage with Lufthansa logos.
In case you go that route, check with the hotel first. Do they accept big packages for customers? Generally speaking, ordering from big online vendors such as koffer-direkt.de will be 10-15 percent cheaper. (Check the coupon code thread.)
Not that I am aware of. VAT in Germany is 19%. If it wasn't possible to get VAT back on online purchases, that would indeed make that option financially inferior to buying in a B&M store.
In case you go that route, check with the hotel first. Do they accept big packages for customers? Generally speaking, ordering from big online vendors such as koffer-direkt.de will be 10-15 percent cheaper. (Check the coupon code thread.)
Not that I am aware of. VAT in Germany is 19%. If it wasn't possible to get VAT back on online purchases, that would indeed make that option financially inferior to buying in a B&M store.
Nov 5, 2016, 12:00 am
#417
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Newport Beach / San Francisco / Seattle
Programs: UA GS 1MM, Amex Centurion, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 289
In case anyone else is looking for this info, I found this thread:
Urgent help german vat refund online rimowa shop
which seems to have good info.
cliffs: It appears that I can order on koffer-direkt (or whichever site you prefer), have it shipped to my hotel, make sure that my receipt shows a billing address outside of the EU, and then go and export my goods at the airport and then submit to koffer-direkt for a VAT refund back to my credit card.
Urgent help german vat refund online rimowa shop
which seems to have good info.
cliffs: It appears that I can order on koffer-direkt (or whichever site you prefer), have it shipped to my hotel, make sure that my receipt shows a billing address outside of the EU, and then go and export my goods at the airport and then submit to koffer-direkt for a VAT refund back to my credit card.
Nov 6, 2016, 7:08 pm
#418
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Philadelphia, LAX, Paris
Programs: UA 1K/2MM, SPG/Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Lifetime HHonors Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, AA Exec Plat
Posts: 3,326
I just came back from Paris and bought a really nice Rimowa Limbo Cabin, midnight blue, 4 wheels, 56 cm, 49 liters (Ref 881.56.21.4) at La Voyagerie located at 37 Rue Saint Didier, near the Trocadero area.
It's a small shop which seems to specialize in Rimowa and the manager Mathieu Weber is really nice and he was very accommodating with processing the paperwork for the VAT refund, which turns out to be perhaps the best part of the buying process.
The only thing to be aware of is that all the discussion were in French (I'm fluent so it was not issue for me) but Mathieu told me that he speaks English reasonably well also.
My Rimowa Limbo Cabin cost 569€ in the store and my price after the VAT refund (detaxe in French) is 494€ which works out to be $550 or so (depending on the exchange rate), not bad at all when compared to US prices!
The best part was how this store handles the VAT refund:
1. You give Mathieu your passport, then pay for the purchase with a credit card and specify that you want your detax reimbursement by a refund to your credit card
2. He uses his laptop to do EVERYTHING online, and prints you out a form called "Bordereau de Vente a l'Exportation" (basically a Sale Slip of Goods for Export)- the form is entirely in French but there may be a possibility that he could print out the Sale Slip in English - not sure, but one could and should ask Mathieu. Do note that you will not get all of the 20% VAT back but something like 15% which is still not bad!
3. His Sales Slip of Goods for Export features a bar code which can be read by French Customs' automated PABLO barcode reader located at Paris CDG airport (as well as at other airports and other border crossings to leave the EU). I believe that this PABLO system is rather new as I was not aware of this before
4. On the day of your departure, you still need to arrive at the airport a bit early (but not as early as in the past) and you can go to the French Customs area to find that PABLO bar code reader to have your Sale Slip of Goods for Export scanned - you get to KEEP this form with you! It took me about 3 minutes to have everything done and that's because I took the time to read all the instructions on the PABLO screen
^
No more waiting in line to talk to a French Customs officer to have your form stamped!!! ^ The entire area is under video surveillance and French Customs will ask to see your merchandise purchased for export at random so don't think that you can beat their system!
All in all, I recommend La Voyagerie if you want to buy a Rimowa case while in Paris and want to have a hassle-free VAT refund experience. I was told that it takes between 30 to 60 days to have the VAT refund shows up on my credit card statement, which is fine with me.
UPDATE: received my VAT tax refund as a credit to my AMEX card on 12/30/2016, so I am a very satisfied customer now.
It's a small shop which seems to specialize in Rimowa and the manager Mathieu Weber is really nice and he was very accommodating with processing the paperwork for the VAT refund, which turns out to be perhaps the best part of the buying process.
The only thing to be aware of is that all the discussion were in French (I'm fluent so it was not issue for me) but Mathieu told me that he speaks English reasonably well also.
My Rimowa Limbo Cabin cost 569€ in the store and my price after the VAT refund (detaxe in French) is 494€ which works out to be $550 or so (depending on the exchange rate), not bad at all when compared to US prices!
The best part was how this store handles the VAT refund:
1. You give Mathieu your passport, then pay for the purchase with a credit card and specify that you want your detax reimbursement by a refund to your credit card
2. He uses his laptop to do EVERYTHING online, and prints you out a form called "Bordereau de Vente a l'Exportation" (basically a Sale Slip of Goods for Export)- the form is entirely in French but there may be a possibility that he could print out the Sale Slip in English - not sure, but one could and should ask Mathieu. Do note that you will not get all of the 20% VAT back but something like 15% which is still not bad!
3. His Sales Slip of Goods for Export features a bar code which can be read by French Customs' automated PABLO barcode reader located at Paris CDG airport (as well as at other airports and other border crossings to leave the EU). I believe that this PABLO system is rather new as I was not aware of this before
4. On the day of your departure, you still need to arrive at the airport a bit early (but not as early as in the past) and you can go to the French Customs area to find that PABLO bar code reader to have your Sale Slip of Goods for Export scanned - you get to KEEP this form with you! It took me about 3 minutes to have everything done and that's because I took the time to read all the instructions on the PABLO screen
^No more waiting in line to talk to a French Customs officer to have your form stamped!!! ^ The entire area is under video surveillance and French Customs will ask to see your merchandise purchased for export at random so don't think that you can beat their system!
All in all, I recommend La Voyagerie if you want to buy a Rimowa case while in Paris and want to have a hassle-free VAT refund experience. I was told that it takes between 30 to 60 days to have the VAT refund shows up on my credit card statement, which is fine with me.
UPDATE: received my VAT tax refund as a credit to my AMEX card on 12/30/2016, so I am a very satisfied customer now.
Last edited by sapguy; Dec 31, 2016 at 10:32 am
Nov 6, 2016, 7:25 pm
#419
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Philadelphia, LAX, Paris
Programs: UA 1K/2MM, SPG/Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Lifetime HHonors Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, AA Exec Plat
Posts: 3,326
MAJOR UPDATE: I was just told that La Voyagerie will NO LONGER ship any Rimowa product outside of Europe.
My post about my purchase of the Rimowa Limbo Cabin 56cm 49 liters in Paris (above) was getting long, so I thought that I create a separate post about the possibility that La Voyagerie could ship Rimowa cases to North America, Asia, and other non-European Union countries.
However, La Voyagerie no longer ships Rimowa products to countries outside of Europe.
But if you are in Paris, and you want to buy Rimowa with excellent service including hassle-free VAT tax refund, then by all means stop by to visit their store. You can call or email in advance to reserve your case (you may need to provide a credit card) for a quick and easy pick up and VAT paperwork processing like I did.
You will receive the VAT refund approximately 60 days after you have left the EU and have your VAT paperwork scanned by the PABLO system (if you leave from France).
My post about my purchase of the Rimowa Limbo Cabin 56cm 49 liters in Paris (above) was getting long, so I thought that I create a separate post about the possibility that La Voyagerie could ship Rimowa cases to North America, Asia, and other non-European Union countries.
However, La Voyagerie no longer ships Rimowa products to countries outside of Europe.
But if you are in Paris, and you want to buy Rimowa with excellent service including hassle-free VAT tax refund, then by all means stop by to visit their store. You can call or email in advance to reserve your case (you may need to provide a credit card) for a quick and easy pick up and VAT paperwork processing like I did.
You will receive the VAT refund approximately 60 days after you have left the EU and have your VAT paperwork scanned by the PABLO system (if you leave from France).
Last edited by sapguy; Jan 4, 2017 at 8:19 am Reason: MAJOR CHANGE