mdj1

Hi All,

I'm planning on purchasing a special ring for an up and coming trip to New York.

I have just found out that Tiffany's have and outlet in T5.

Does anyone know if the prices are genuinely 20% off / Tax Free?

I'm wondering if I can get the right ring from one of the London stores and then get it sent to T5 for payment and collection. It's not as though tiffany's are loosing out, just the exchequer.

20% on 3 or 4K is a big wack!

stimpy

I haven't compared prices with Tiffany, but I was looking at something similar with Cartier. T5 was indeed cheaper than in town. And they even said that if you were flying from another terminal, they would bring the ring to you and handle the purchase there. They will also bring it up to the BA F lounge if you don't want to bother walking into their shop.

jimcbob

The last time I did this (which was over a year ago) it was exactly the VAT cheaper than the High Street. You can ring up and they will tell you the price and put the item on hold for you.

airbus_7005

I confirm what others have said it is cheaper.

The down side to that, as explained to me by a member of their staff, is that you may only choose from the stock they have in. So you cannot request them to order an item in specifically. As I understand it, this has to do with the rules of offering tax free goods. Makes some sense I suppose.

Fortuately for me they had just the engagement ring and wedding bands I was looking for.

Raffles

It isn't 20% off, it is 16.7% off

eg £80 + VAT = £96 in the shop therefore if you pay £80 at the airport you save 16.7%

LondonAndy

Now, don't go all accountant on us

Another alternative is to check the price of the item in New York before you travel - depending on the exchange rate (and if the item isn't in stock in LHR) it may be better to get it on the New York high street than the London high street. Just don't be an idiot like me - I thought I was being a dutiful husband, bought my wife a present in Tiffanys in NYC, and then, when she didn't like it, I couldn't take it back to the London store due to the different hallmarks - d'oh

Yorkshire Traveller

We purchased some earrings and a pendant at Tiffanys T3 last year (birthday present for Aunt). The savings were considerable over their London store (and New York for that matter). More than just the VAT off - perhaps we were just lucky with the items we bought.

Suggest checking out the retail price of what you want before going to the airport (or check the Tiffanys website whilst at the airport which is what we did).

Note that stock can be quite limited in comparison to the retail outlets, may be best to phone in advance to see if they stock what you want and if they can hold it for you.

efamous

But don't forget about the sales tax in NY--I don't remember what it is exactly, but it's definitely about 9% these days.

Yahillwe

Very very bad news.... You shouldn't have mention this service

And if you buy it in NY, and have a friend who lives in NJ, DC even CT, you can have it shipped there and won't have to pay the sales tax.

Flying Lawyer

But don't forget that you need to pay VAT and duty when bringing it into the EU....

I remember a wonderful case when a hotel guest tried to screw one of my hotel clients: She pretended that a Cartier watch had been stolen from her hotel room and showed an invoice from DBX duty free show - pretty expensive. However, at the end of the day we could make evidence that nobody had entered into her room during the relevant period. Pls. the district attorney asked her for the VAT and duty receipt which did not exist. At the end of the day she ended up with a fraud and trafficing case....

Greg66

+1. I've done this twice now (ouch, ouch) and on both occasions the T5 price was to within a pound or two the landside retail price divided by 1.175. Which was in turn cheaper than Tiffany in NY.

Ringing ahead to get them to get the stock in is also v handy, although if you are buying a ring, you'll need to know your OH's ring size.

On a related note, my best man got engaged in NY with a ring bought from Tiffany in NY. His fiancee found the whole ring wearing thing so hard to get used to that she took the ring off and placed it on her chest for the duration of the UD CW flight home (derrrr!, you might rightly think). When she awoke, it was nowhere to be found. They stayed on board after the other pax had disembarked, and waited for an engineer who removed the side of the Club seat, and there, amongst the dust, crumbs and uneaten macadamia nuts was her ring.

I don't think he's let her take it off since...

choirgirl

I think (although can't be sure as my computer and the Tiffanys website aren't playing well together right now) that the prices of those osrts of special rings aren't shown on line.

If you're concerned to get a specific ring design, would it work for you to buy it as a UK store, so you're sure you've got the one you want, and then return it later if you're able to secure the same design either in Duty Free or NYC?

More Champagne Sir?

I would call them and confirm price and availability of any specific items:

Tiffany & Co.
Location: Terminal 5, After Security
Opening Hours: 05:30 – 21:30
Telephone: +44 (0)208 283 7005

zoosh

[QUOTE=Greg66;15674042They stayed on board after the other pax had disembarked, and waited for an engineer who removed the side of the Club seat, and there, amongst the dust, crumbs and uneaten macadamia nuts was her ring.[/QUOTE]

Borrowing from the "Blanket Thread"....do you think that the uneaten macadamia nuts went back into the bag in the galley for the next flight???

babunny

LMAO - Brilliant

Tiffany T5 would tell me the price of what i wanted, but they wouldnt hold it for me or arrange for the item to be shipped in for me. It was very much hit and miss. Fortuately though they did have the item in stock on the day I travelled.

There is also Mappin and Webb in T5. Doesn't have the Tiffany name or the Tiffany price tag!

I have a ring from M&W is a bigger and better quality Diamond that the one I was being bought at Tiffany but a 3rd of the price. (Just so you know all your jewllerey options.)

Don't forget to negotiate as well. We usually get the VAT off a standard but then a little bit more because we asked. if the price tag is £10k and you're offering £9.5k they won't be saying no.