What good is "duty free" for travelers from the US?
Aug 13, 22, 3:02 am
#1
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What good is "duty free" for travelers from the US?
Other than cigarettes, everything I've ever seen at duty free shops (including alcohol) is the same or higher priced than can be purchased in the US.
So what categories of duty free goods are actually a relative "bargain" for American travelers?
So what categories of duty free goods are actually a relative "bargain" for American travelers?
Aug 18, 22, 1:53 pm
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Other duty-free stores just contain expensive last minute souvenirs or last-minute gift items, such as notable local foods, designer accessories and clothing that doesn't need to be tried on or altered to fit (scarves, ties, etc.), watches, jewelry, etc. However, some of these merchants are just stores located in the airport and don't claim to be "duty free."
Aug 18, 22, 1:59 pm
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It can be useful for stuff you will consume overseas. For example, perhaps you want to take a bottle of Scotch as a gift to someone in Japan or to have a supply of good chocolates to eat when you travel. In some countries, duty free purchases can be made by arriving passengers. For example, in Norway, all of the locals head to the duty-free store to maximize the amount of relatively cheap alcohol they bring home.
Other duty-free stores just contain expensive last minute souvenirs or last-minute gift items, such as notable local foods, designer accessories and clothing that doesn't need to be tried on or altered to fit (scarves, ties, etc.), watches, jewelry, etc. However, some of these merchants are just stores located in the airport and don't claim to be "duty free."
Other duty-free stores just contain expensive last minute souvenirs or last-minute gift items, such as notable local foods, designer accessories and clothing that doesn't need to be tried on or altered to fit (scarves, ties, etc.), watches, jewelry, etc. However, some of these merchants are just stores located in the airport and don't claim to be "duty free."
Aug 18, 22, 3:25 pm
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Aug 18, 22, 3:36 pm
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Aug 19, 22, 5:10 pm
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USA customs rules state that any duty free items being brought into the USA on a duty free basis must have been acquired abroad. Technically if you want to consume the duty free stuff upon your return to the USA, you are required to declare and pay duty on it.
Aug 20, 22, 6:15 pm
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Slightly OT but if anyone is interested, the podcast 99% Invisible has an episode (#477) about duty-free and the first duty-free store at SNN.
On the west coast of Ireland, on the banks of an estuary dividing county Limerick from county Clare, lies a small town called Shannon. But Shannon is not a quaint fishing village or farming community. Its industry is its airport. And Shannon Airport is big. It handles up to 1.7 million passengers and 20,000 flights a year, most of them from other countries. It looks like a cosmopolitan international airport, but it has a unique claim to fame: the world's first airport duty-free store.
On the west coast of Ireland, on the banks of an estuary dividing county Limerick from county Clare, lies a small town called Shannon. But Shannon is not a quaint fishing village or farming community. Its industry is its airport. And Shannon Airport is big. It handles up to 1.7 million passengers and 20,000 flights a year, most of them from other countries. It looks like a cosmopolitan international airport, but it has a unique claim to fame: the world's first airport duty-free store.
Aug 21, 22, 1:03 pm
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Aug 21, 22, 3:31 pm
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It’s been a long time since I had class lessons in US import-export regulations, but I’m wondering if you are referring to state sales/excise taxes in parts for such US-purchased “duty free” exports being reimported into the US for personal consumption in the US.
Aug 21, 22, 3:58 pm
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In a nutshell, if an item that was manufactured in the US was exported without duties or taxes levied on it prior to exportation, upon reimportation to the US, it is subject to the same duties and fees that are assessed on the import of similar items which were not previously exported from the US
Aug 21, 22, 11:47 pm
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And here is what CBP says about American goods returned and duty free matters:
https://www.cbp.gov/travel/internati...toms-duty-info
What I see there still lines up with what I remember from pre-CBP period class lessons.
Originally Posted by CBP.gov
Also, anything you bring back that you did not have when you left the United States must be "declared." For example, you would declare alterations made in a foreign country to a suit you already owned, and any gifts you acquired outside the United States. American Goods Returned (AGR) do not have to be declared, but you must be prepared to prove to U.S. Customs and Border Protection the articles are AGR or pay Customs duty.
……
Duty-Free Shop articles sold in a Customs duty-free shop are free only for the country in which that shop is located. Therefore, if your acquired articles exceed your personal exemption/allowance, the articles you purchased in Customs duty-free shop, whether in the United States or abroad, will be subject to Customs duty upon entering your destination country. Articles purchased in a American Customs duty-free shop are also subject to U.S. Customs duty if you bring them into the United States. For example, if you buy alcoholic beverages in a Customs duty-free shop in New York before entering Canada and then bring them back into the United States, they will be subject to Customs duty and Internal Revenue Service tax (IRT).
……
Duty-Free Shop articles sold in a Customs duty-free shop are free only for the country in which that shop is located. Therefore, if your acquired articles exceed your personal exemption/allowance, the articles you purchased in Customs duty-free shop, whether in the United States or abroad, will be subject to Customs duty upon entering your destination country. Articles purchased in a American Customs duty-free shop are also subject to U.S. Customs duty if you bring them into the United States. For example, if you buy alcoholic beverages in a Customs duty-free shop in New York before entering Canada and then bring them back into the United States, they will be subject to Customs duty and Internal Revenue Service tax (IRT).
What I see there still lines up with what I remember from pre-CBP period class lessons.
Last edited by GUWonder; Aug 21, 22 at 11:52 pm
