raph

Hi,

I just treated myself to my first Rimowa. Doing some research, I found that it has been mentioned several times that they are cheaper in Germany than in other countries (quite a surprise for me, I buy most high value goods abroad ).

I found Koffer-Direkt ("Luggage Direct") in Germany and thought it might be worth sharing with you.

For example:
Rimowa Topas Jumbo Trolley (74cm / 29")
US Price (what froogle displayed): $1050
Price at Koffer-Direkt (ex. Tax for Non-EU): €427,73 - 6% (automatically on orders over €350!) = €402,07.

Shipping to the US, Japan and Romania is €50 with DHL, so that makes €452 = ~$612 delivered (plus applicable import taxes / fees).

Additionally, there are some Vouchercodes out there (e.g. €5 if you sign up for their newsletter) and if you are willing and able to pay in advance into their bank account, you would get another 5% off!

Please note that I am in no way affiliated with them and just thought it's worth sharing since I saw this question before (for example here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...wa-prices.html )

It appears however, that they got excellent Service. I ordered a Rimowa on Sunday, paid in advance (onlinebanking via the same bank in Germany), they received and confirmed the payment on Monday and it arrived today! I am seriously impressed about that. Unfortunately I couldn't check the delivery yet, since I had it delivered to my German office and am abroad until Friday.

The only downside seems to be that that their website is in German only.

www.koffer-direkt.de


Regards
raph

tfar

Thanks for going through the whole exercise, Raph. You basically did what I pointed out as a solution in some of the Rimowa threads we had. I'm glad it worked.

$1050 vs. $612 is one heck of a nice price difference.

Suppose you were traveling to Germany anyway, you could even subtract the shipping cost. Then you'd look at a price difference of around $500 on that piece. Almost enough to buy you a ticket if you live on the east coast.

Till

raph

True... I would consider BMW European Delivery in Germany, but doing that for a Rimowa sounds like an awesome idea.

tfar

If you are interested in European Delivery for BMW, talk to jspira here. He has done that.

Basically, if as an American you are going to Germany regularly you could outfit all your friends and relatives with Rimowa luggage and make a good deal on both sides.

Till

RoarAhead

It is easier sometimes to just route a long-haul through FRA airport - are these German "bargain" prices to be had there does anyone know?

tfar

Yes, I'm quite sure you can get those prices in FRA. Possibly even directly at the airport. Doesn't Lufthansa have a shop there, too? They have a special LH Rimowa series. Very spiffy. Basically the price at Koffer Direkt is the German recommended sales price. Everything else is tax cut and negotiation. Would help to speak German but I bet they would be very forthcoming if you just entered a shop. Pay cash, ask for 5%. That's after you ask for a better price and a tax form. If you aren't quite that daring, don't ask for the extra 5. Remember you might be hit with foreign use fees on your CC. But we are penny pinching here.

Till

raph

I very much doubt you would get 11% at FRA. Also you would have to pay Tax (unless you are airside) and claim it back afterwards.

The collection at Lufthansa is generally more expensive (e.g. Topas IATA LH: €489, Topas IATA KD: €449 - 11%) and has the LH Badge on them. Next time I'm around FRA, I will compare the retailer prices there.

Lufthansas Shop for (price) comparison is www.worldshop.eu

oliver2002

More info came out in this thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...frankfurt.html

raph

Interesting, I linked back to this one also. I wonder, shouldn't the other thread be moved here since it isn't Miles and More related?

dko3tgk

Hey FT'ers. With the Euro dropping against the dollar, might this be the best time to buy a Rimowa from Germany in Euro's?

Any FT'ers in the Forex field know if we should buy now, or will the Euro continue to weaken against the dollar?

Sebastian_R

If I knew that for sure, I would be a billionaire right now

However, I think that the Euro is very cheap right now - so if that makes a Rimowa affordable, go for it!

tfar

With the friggin' mess going on in Greece, Portugal and Spain (to a lesser extent) the Euro might well drop even more. Also most of the Eurozone has large export figures. So they like it if the E isn't too strong.

Till

blnmswj

Thank you for the useful information!
I wonder how I could make payment to koffer direkt if I do not have a bank account in German.

smbrown

Have you tried this site for luggage 'supaswap dot org'??

dko3tgk

After a year of waiting I finally bought a Rimowa Topas. The 70cm 2 wheel model. Without this sub-forum, and star member Till, I would have never known it was possible to get a Rimowa for $600's instead of $1000's.

I tried koffer-direkt first. They have a 6% sale, and if you sign up for the newsletter you get 5 Euro discount. Came out to 470.76 Euro total
However German language aside, I could not complete the transaction. I kept getting errors messages when trying to pay by credit card (my most valuable Schwab Visa). Then I tried PayPal and I got a different error. I emailed Koffer Direkt they said they have been having fraud issues and have a credit card security system in place that probably doesn't work with my US credit card. They said that I should try bank transfer. I was frustrated at this point and went to Koffer 24

Koffer 24 has an English website. I purchased it very quickly and easy using my credit card (awesome Schwab Visa), and it came out to 502.94 Euro. But it was so hassle free, I dont' mind paying slightly more.

Converted to dollars I paid $43 more with Koffer24, but at least the online purchase experience is easy.

Now I can't wait to use it.