This doesn't strike me as a forum full of people who live to shop on vacation, but just on the off chance that you were planning a major luxury purchase in Europe, today's WSJ is noting that since London dropped the VAT refund scheme a few years ago people are instead buying their designer wares in Paris and elsewhere on the continent. I was surprised when I was there to see conflicting signage in the major British department stores, some just didn't bother to take down the refund decals on their doors. So if you live for LVMH, don't succumb in the UK. And of course you need to already know prices before you indulge at the duty free airport stores, which now make Heathrow and CDG feel more like upscale shopping malls than airports.
Posted by
Baltimore
115 posts
Huh. I didn't even know they'd dropped the VAT refund, unfortunately haven't traveled overseas in several years.
Of course, the one and only time I had a large enough purchase to get a VAT refund, we brought everything to the airport, showed it to whoever we needed to, got everything stamped and supposedly mailed and never received any kind of refund at all. Total waste of time to even try to get it.
PS - there may not be a lot of shoppers but I bring an extra collapsible duffel bag so I can bring back treasures from my travels. I have to physically stop myself from buying too much :D
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8337 posts
We do no shopping in Europe. Virtually everything they have is available in the U.S.--for less money.
World commerce moves very fast today--with air freight being so quick and efficient.