Duty free within the EU
Oct 12, 2017, 10:26 am
#1
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Duty free within the EU
I have always thought one can't buy spirits at duty free when travelling within the EU. However, CPH duty free website lets me pre-order them even when selecting Vienna as my destination.
Is this just an IT glitch or is it really allowed?
Is this just an IT glitch or is it really allowed?
Oct 12, 2017, 10:38 am
#2
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Are you sure it's a duty free bottle? Most alcohol sold in places like CPH actually has duty applied. In terms of spirits, you'll often see the 700ml bottles have duty applied, but the 1 liter bottles are only for duty free, though that's not a rule.
You definitely will not be able to buy duty free alcohol, in any case.
You definitely will not be able to buy duty free alcohol, in any case.
Oct 12, 2017, 12:17 pm
#3
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Thank you.
It says "tax free" during check out and at least some of bottles are 1 liter. I don't really care about price but I want to buy some products that are not easily available outside of Scandinavia.
It says "tax free" during check out and at least some of bottles are 1 liter. I don't really care about price but I want to buy some products that are not easily available outside of Scandinavia.
Oct 12, 2017, 7:24 pm
#4
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The duty free in Europe is a big scam. Prices tend to be higher that at the local main street store. and yes you can buy alcohol and cigarettes but you should remember that the taxes are already included in the price
Oct 13, 2017, 2:54 am
#5
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It's not always a scam in that you can find relative bargains if traveling to an EU country with higher taxes and you are HBO. Otherwise just buy from a supermarket in the origin country and pack it in your suitcase.
Oct 13, 2017, 7:41 am
#6
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there are several news articles printed in Europe explaining how the duty Free stores at the European airports cheating the system. So it is a documented scam
Oct 13, 2017, 2:00 pm
#7
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For the millions of Swedes who have used CPH as a primary international gateway airport, and for the many Norwegians who use CPH as a transit airport on the way back to Norway, buying alcohol at CPH can mean cheaper alcohol to take home than would otherwise be the case.
Oct 13, 2017, 2:52 pm
#8
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For future reference, I was able to buy the stuff I wanted without any issue. There seem to be some restriction on certain items, but not much of them, at least as far as alcohol is concerned.
Prices are indeed comparable to regular stores, but my goal was to purchase items I can't get in other places rather than to save money.
Thanks for all the inputs!
Prices are indeed comparable to regular stores, but my goal was to purchase items I can't get in other places rather than to save money.
Thanks for all the inputs!
Oct 15, 2017, 9:00 pm
#9
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Cheating the system is a scam towards the system but not necessarily against the customer. The question remains whether buying in the duty free store is a good deal even if it is not duty free. And the answer remains that it can be depending upon the circumstances.
Oct 20, 2017, 2:31 pm
#10
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If you fly an internal flight, then I would assume the shop has to pay a duty on the goods sold, right?* How they advertise it, or whether the buyer is getting a legitimate savings compared to your best local liquor-shopping option, is another story.
*Or do airport shops strike deals with their local governments to not pay taxes, even when the shoppers aren't leaving the EU? I've never fully understood how this arrangement works, only that a 1 litre of Scotch at LHR generally costs around the same as a comparable 750 mL bottle in Kansas; thus I'm a buyer. I've never paid attention to whether intra-EU shops are any different.
*Or do airport shops strike deals with their local governments to not pay taxes, even when the shoppers aren't leaving the EU? I've never fully understood how this arrangement works, only that a 1 litre of Scotch at LHR generally costs around the same as a comparable 750 mL bottle in Kansas; thus I'm a buyer. I've never paid attention to whether intra-EU shops are any different.
Oct 20, 2017, 2:58 pm
#11
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If you fly an internal flight, then I would assume the shop has to pay a duty on the goods sold, right?* How they advertise it, or whether the buyer is getting a legitimate savings compared to your best local liquor-shopping option, is another story.
*Or do airport shops strike deals with their local governments to not pay taxes, even when the shoppers aren't leaving the EU? I've never fully understood how this arrangement works, only that a 1 litre of Scotch at LHR generally costs around the same as a comparable 750 mL bottle in Kansas; thus I'm a buyer. I've never paid attention to whether intra-EU shops are any different.
*Or do airport shops strike deals with their local governments to not pay taxes, even when the shoppers aren't leaving the EU? I've never fully understood how this arrangement works, only that a 1 litre of Scotch at LHR generally costs around the same as a comparable 750 mL bottle in Kansas; thus I'm a buyer. I've never paid attention to whether intra-EU shops are any different.
1. prices vary depending on the final destination of the buyer
2. prices are the same
In case 1, an intra-EU customs customer would pay the duty and whatever other taxes are needed
In case 2 either the retailer eats the duty (to get the sale and still make a profit), or there is no duty to be paid.
There is another possibility - alcohol sold that will be exported out of the country may not have to pay duty/vat/... even when within EU. Whether or not this is in accordance with EU regs is an interesting question.