Buying Abroad

[mickyd329]

If I buy a watch in either France or Switzerland while traveling, how do the taxes work? VAT refund? Is there a price advantage? How about import duties upon returning to the US? Thanks is advance.

[tyler1980]

Originally Posted by mickyd329

If I buy a watch in either France or Switzerland while traveling, how do the taxes work? VAT refund? Is there a price advantage? How about import duties upon returning to the US? Thanks is advance.

AFAIK and last time I checked UK pricing (including VAT) is almost the same as US pricing (including sales tax) so with a VAT refund you get the best deal. Europe pricing (France) is higher than US pricing but with a VAT refund you save money but not as much as the UK. Switzerland I dont know but the VAT is only 8% vs 20% in most of Europe. I'm only speaking to AP's prices as i assume that is what you are after.

There will be import duties if you declare the watch but im not sure about how much it is.

[OP15]

I purchased a watch in France to bring back to the US. A few things...

The boutique will fill out all the necessary paperwork for the VAT refund for you to take to the airport.

Make sure you list a "credit card" to receive the VAT refund - for whatever reason, the system is not debit card friendly.

If you declare the item, there will be import duties. They have specific formulas depending on the type of item. I don't remember exactly, but I paid under $2k for a watch over $50k.