You can save over a thousand dollars per bag when purchasing them overseas. Below is my step-by-step guide on how to plan for this, as you do need to plan and have some patience.
As you read through this, I purchased my Chanel in London and my Louis Vuitton in Paris. If you are traveling to both cities, that is where I recommend you purchase each of those brands. I will tell you why below.
1. Research the prices before you travel.
Luxury items are less expensive in Europe because you do not have to pay the luxury tax or the shipping costs to get the items overseas. It is very easy to look up what you would pay in London or France before traveling.
Here is how you can research your savings. I have already done the research for you. Chanel is less expensive in London than Paris and both are less expensive than the U.S.
Let's use Chanel as an example. In the US. you shop at https://www.chanel.com/us/
Let's shop for a small classic handbag.
https://www.chanel.com/us/fashion/p/A01113Y33352NK291/small-classic-handbag-grained-shiny-calfskin-gold-tone-metal/ The price in the U.S would be $8,200.
But let's compare it to buying it in London. You would shop this website: https://www.chanel.com/gb/fashion/handbags/c/1x1x1/ - Notice the change from US to GB in the URL.
You can find the same bag on this page: https://www.chanel.com/gb/fashion/p/A01113Y33352NK291/small-classic-handbag-grained-shiny-calfskin-gold-tone-metal/ The price when buying it in the UK is $7,090.
You already save $1,000, and you also do not have to pay taxes. When you purchase luxury goods in the U.K., you are not charged the tax.
2. bring a list of what you are interested in buying
Make sure you have multiple bags in mind. You can find a lot of bags that are out of stock in the U.S. but available in London or Paris. I found Paris to have a larger selection at Louis Vuitton. I had a list of 4 bags I was interested in, and the Chanel stores in London were out of 3 of the 4 I had chosen.
3. Plan to wait
London Chanel Purchase
In London, we went to the Chanel store in the Selfridges department store. Expect to get in line to put your name into the reservation queue. The wait time we were given was 45 min to 1 hour. We decided to wait upstairs in the restaurant Aubaine . On a side note, I highly recommend dining here or having coffee. The restaurant was beautiful, and the food was delicious. It was an unexpected hidden gem. We ended up dining for dinner there out of necessity and hunger, and it was one of our favorite meals! Best yet, we did not need a reservation.
After waiting for an hour, we decided we needed to leave, or we would miss our Harry Potter Studio tour time slot. Fortunately, the sales clerk gave me her cell #, and I was able to text her on our way back from Harry Potter and get right into the store.
Paris Louis Vuitton Purchase
The wait in Paris was quite a bit different. The lines outside of the stores start up to 30 min before the store opens.
4. Bring your passport to save on the taxes
In London, you will not have to pay taxes if you take the bag out of the country, but make sure you bring your passport to the store. You will need to show validation of citizenship.
In Paris, you will also need your passport at the time of purchase, but you are charged taxes at the time of sale. Once you go through customs, there will be a kiosk where you can submit the paperwork from the sale (the sales clerk will talk you through the process, make sure you keep your paperwork handy at the train station or airport as you will need to present it in customs.
If you are traveling via high-speed train, the customs kiosk is after you get through security and to the waiting area to board the train.
5. Which stores are the best?
In London
There are a handful of Chanel stores, be forewarned, The Chanel store in Covenant Garden does not carry handbags, but it is an excellent place for cosmetics. And it is a cute area to walk around. The only two Chanel stores in London that carry handbags are Selfridges and the flagship store on Bond street.
In Paris
Stay away from Champs de Elysees. It is incredibly crowded, and you will wait quite a bit longer. We found the store on Montagnie to not be very friendly, and once they found out we were American, they said we would wait extra time. Our best experience was at the store on St. Germain right next to Cafe de Flore. The store was friendly, and we had the shortest wait time at this location. We also found they had quite a few bags that were out of stock in the U.S.
Happy Shopping! If you are looking for other luxury brands, they will be less expensive than the U.S. and have similar experiences in both cities.
Cheers,
Lisa @ bites_andflights
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