Minimizing customs/tax HAM-MRU with 2d stopover in JNB
Sep 16, 2019, 7:45 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: next to HAM
Programs: LH M+M
Posts: 960
Minimizing customs/tax HAM-MRU with 2d stopover in JNB
Dear FT,
((inb4: only asking for legal ways to get this done!))
flying from Germany to Mauritius for a three week trip and I need to bring my preferred tobacco
with me since it's not sold in MU.
Declaring the amount (~500 cigs) in MU is a no-brainer and will do so.
"But", I am flying through JNB with a two day stopover. What I am asking for is how not to
pay twice for the whole lot - depending on the actual tax vs effort to avoid/minimize.
So following questions/approaches I've looked at:
- Airside lockers; from what I gather "store-teck" is landside(?)
- pay + reclaim (on JNB-MRU): would the latter even qualify for "foreign tax badged" packs?
- just pay: but.. how much is it? RSA customs is telling a lot about free admittance, but
if I want to pay for over the limit, they wont tell online? (had the same with TW on another trip).
So who is in the knows here?
- buy in JNB (where 'Moods' *are* sold) - again, at what price/tax level?
- send a parcel to MU. Not fun on cost/paperwork/destination address and so on.
- ...?
Thanks for ideas/insights.
((inb4: only asking for legal ways to get this done!))
flying from Germany to Mauritius for a three week trip and I need to bring my preferred tobacco
with me since it's not sold in MU.
Declaring the amount (~500 cigs) in MU is a no-brainer and will do so.
"But", I am flying through JNB with a two day stopover. What I am asking for is how not to
pay twice for the whole lot - depending on the actual tax vs effort to avoid/minimize.
So following questions/approaches I've looked at:
- Airside lockers; from what I gather "store-teck" is landside(?)
- pay + reclaim (on JNB-MRU): would the latter even qualify for "foreign tax badged" packs?
- just pay: but.. how much is it? RSA customs is telling a lot about free admittance, but
if I want to pay for over the limit, they wont tell online? (had the same with TW on another trip).
So who is in the knows here?
- buy in JNB (where 'Moods' *are* sold) - again, at what price/tax level?
- send a parcel to MU. Not fun on cost/paperwork/destination address and so on.
- ...?
Thanks for ideas/insights.
Sep 16, 2019, 8:06 am
#2
Ambassador: World of Hyatt
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: UK - the nearest airport is named after a motorway !
Posts: 4,232
Smokes on JHB are cheap - c $1.50 for a pack of eg Marlboro, duty paid in the shops in town- so if you can get your preferred smoke there then that would be the easiest way.
post here what exactly your looking for and I/someone can check in DF but JNB has a limited selection of DF ime
post here what exactly your looking for and I/someone can check in DF but JNB has a limited selection of DF ime
Sep 16, 2019, 8:12 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: next to HAM
Programs: LH M+M
Posts: 960
It's Moods, per vendor hotline it's marketed under the brand of Ritmeester.
Like this: https://static-8232.kxcdn.com/wp-con...351_base_v.jpg
Like this: https://static-8232.kxcdn.com/wp-con...351_base_v.jpg
Oct 14, 2019, 9:49 am
#4
Ambassador: World of Hyatt
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: UK - the nearest airport is named after a motorway !
Posts: 4,232
Here now in SA, with some partial answers:
Airside lockers - no chance as an individual, I think. Probably you could leave them in the int'l side lounge for 48 hours, but the hassle of getting a refundable ticket, heading through int'l transit, then trying to immigrate, refund the ticket, etc probably counts that out.
Pay & reclaim/just pay the duty. I asked at customs on the way in this morning, the idea of pay & reclaim got a totally blank look, think you have no chance of that. Paying the duty - would be 20% of retail price for anything over your tax free allowance, not sure what they'd take as retail, probably any receipt that you could offer would be accepted.
Buy in JHB. I found Moods just like you want at Norman Goodfellows (liquor store with half dozen outlets), pack below, at ZAR 170 for a pack of 10. They also had the double filter version, as did 'House of Sweets', so guess that they're quite widely available. I can swing by a tobacconist tomorrow and check prices there too.
I don't know what price you can buy them at home/intl DF, so maybe bring in 200 duty free and buy the balance in JHB?
Hope that helps.
Hope that's helpful.
Airside lockers - no chance as an individual, I think. Probably you could leave them in the int'l side lounge for 48 hours, but the hassle of getting a refundable ticket, heading through int'l transit, then trying to immigrate, refund the ticket, etc probably counts that out.
Pay & reclaim/just pay the duty. I asked at customs on the way in this morning, the idea of pay & reclaim got a totally blank look, think you have no chance of that. Paying the duty - would be 20% of retail price for anything over your tax free allowance, not sure what they'd take as retail, probably any receipt that you could offer would be accepted.
Buy in JHB. I found Moods just like you want at Norman Goodfellows (liquor store with half dozen outlets), pack below, at ZAR 170 for a pack of 10. They also had the double filter version, as did 'House of Sweets', so guess that they're quite widely available. I can swing by a tobacconist tomorrow and check prices there too.
I don't know what price you can buy them at home/intl DF, so maybe bring in 200 duty free and buy the balance in JHB?
Hope that helps.
Hope that's helpful.