Do you really think that duty free makes it cheaper?

[miched]

Just got off of the Eclipse.

 

The Photo Shop had a had a Go Pro Camera on board selling for $399. It is the black model with the remote.

 

In St Thomas a store was selling the same for $429 and was going to throw in a extra memoery card to sweeten the deal. There is also a cheaper model without the remote that sells for $100 less.

 

Got off the ship and stopped at Costco along I95 to buy some liquor that is about the same price as the "duty free" but much easier to handle than that trying to cart off the ship. Had to take a a quick walk thru the store and seen the Go Pro selling for $329. It was the black model with the remote.

 

Just a word of caution about the so called bargains on a cruise.

 

 

🚢

[ghstudio]

We live in a world economy. Cameras have been cheaper in the us since the 1970's. Most duty in the us has been eliminated in the interest of free trade. For us passengers duty free means nothing and you can buy anything for less in the us if it's sold in the us. However, duty free can be a big deal for those living in countries that have a vat or high duties.

[Phxazzcruisers]

Duty free goods are usually not less expensive, you just avoid sales taxes. For us in Arizona it it like getting 9% off.. Not a big deal. We would rather purchase items locally so if there is a problem we know who to see.

[RickT]

Duty Free doesn't mean what it used to. Sometimes you can get great savings, other times not so much. Like always, buyer beware. Know what you are buying and what it is worth. It's not always a "deal" because it's being sold in Duty Free stores.

[notsomadhatter]

With liquor the answer is YES… sometimes. You definitely need to take into account that prices vary between counties and states widely. For example, here in Florida we have pretty good pricing. Pick a state with a state-run liquor store and the cost can be double or more over what we pay. Yay taxes!

 

Most of the time duty free liquor is not a good deal for us. I have a list of brands I purchase and my favorite store has a quarterly catalog. It's easy enough to slip into my handbag to bring for comparison.

[Beanb41]

In our part of the world with the exception of booze and cigarettes Duty Free means less GST. NZ GST (Goods and Services Tax) is 15% and Australia 10%. Economies of scale mean greater choice and more competition hence in large department stores where there is large turnover prices are normally cheaper than small boutique stores with a far less turnover. I would consider all stores on ships as boutique hence unlikely to get a real bargain

[The_Big_M]

The main things duty free are alcohol and tobacco.

 

Other things you might save in duty at one place, but this can be outweighed at other places saving margin due to competition.

[SFL]

The main things duty free are alcohol and tobacco.

 

Other things you might save in duty at one place, but this can be outweighed at other places saving margin due to competition.

 

Duty free in the states means saving local sales taxes and a few bucks on the item in question. Widely distributed Liquor is generally a few bucks less duty free. Jewlery is a question of sales tax savings. Mostly there are no "bargains" on the ship or in the port-side stores.

If you know your pricing before you go on the item(s) you want to purchase, you can determine if it is indeed a bargain and worth giving up valueable luggage space and weight.

Travel well my friends

[Photo_Traveler]

I purchased a Citizen Titanium Eco tech watch that was consistently above US$700 on Amazon and Ebay for $550 on the Eclipse.....

 

My wife will be shopping on the Infinity for a similar find....

 

Mike

[potterduck]

Looks like a great price from over here. UK pricing is £399, which is over $600 !!!!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[dkjretired]

Duty free in the states means saving local sales taxes and a few bucks on the item in question. Widely distributed Liquor is generally a few bucks less duty free. Jewlery is a question of sales tax savings. Mostly there are no "bargains" on the ship or in the port-side stores.

If you know your pricing before you go on the item(s) you want to purchase, you can determine if it is indeed a bargain and worth giving up valueable luggage space and weight.

Travel well my friends

 

The stuff in the I store is tax free, we bought a mini Ipad, same price as home but no tax. You do however in some places have to watch when you buy things. If you buy an item while still in port, you may be charged the sales tax or in some places the VAT.

[Lsimon]

One more point about duty free: Duty free means the price does not include duty. It does not mean you don't have to pay duty if you bring it back into the country. There is no such thing as duty free as far as bringing items back into your home country. With that said in the USA there is a personal, or family exemption, and you only have to pay duty if the items exceed the exemption but you need to declare them on your form even if under.

 

And if you make an expensive purchase on the ship which you're considering not declaring then forget it as you WILL be caught. The ship turns over a listing of all sales over a certain amount to customs at the end of the voyage. Customs will be looking for you to declare those items. I noticed them checking declarations off a list once when I went to declare some purchases at the end of a cruise a few years ago.

 

The only item I've ever seen which is consistently cheaper on board, or Caribbean port of call, duty free sales is liquor. Electronics and jewelry are not often less expensive and could very well be priced higher than prices you'll find at home. So you have to be well aware of prices, or not concerned about them, when purchasing on board or during your cruise.

Edited April 10, 2014 by Lsimon

[Clydesmom7865]

With liquor the answer is YES… sometimes. You definitely need to take into account that prices vary between counties and states widely. For example, here in Florida we have pretty good pricing. Pick a state with a state-run liquor store and the cost can be double or more over what we pay. Yay taxes!

 

Most of the time duty free liquor is not a good deal for us. I have a list of brands I purchase and my favorite store has a quarterly catalog. It's easy enough to slip into my handbag to bring for comparison.

 

THIS. My father used to save a bundle on certain brands of alcohol he liked to stock his bar with and would get a couple bottles on each cruise to save money. I have other friends who are smokers who do the same with cigarettes and a couple of non-smoking cruising friends who grab the duty free cigs for their smoking friends at home.

[Suzy Smith]

One more point about duty free: Duty free means the price does not include duty. It does not mean you don't have to pay duty if you bring it back into the country. There is no such thing as duty free as far as bringing items back into your home country. With that said in the USA there is a personal, or family exemption, and you only have to pay duty if the items exceed the exemption but you need to declare them on your form even if under.

 

And if you make an expensive purchase on the ship which you're considering not declaring then forget it as you WILL be caught. The ship turns over a listing of all sales over a certain amount to customs at the end of the voyage. Customs will be looking for you to declare those items. I noticed them checking declarations off a list once when I went to declare some purchases at the end of a cruise a few years ago.

 

The situation is a little different in the UK. If you have cruised within the EU, there is no limit on the goods you can bring back, provided they are for your personal use. If you are carrying large quantities of alcohol or cigarettes, you may be questioned by Customs, so they can satisfy themselves that you are not bringing the items into the country with the intention of selling them, but anything that is just for your own use is allowed.

 

For travel outside the EU, there is a duty-free allowance for alcohol, cigarettes, etc and you will be charged if you are found to have exceeded the allowance.

Edited April 10, 2014 by Suzy Smith

[itzmered]

You need to know what your pricing is. I have bought camera lenses in St Thomas a couple of times. I shop around at home and online so I know what the pricing is and then when I get there see what they are offering. I save almost $300 on one lens and about $100 on another, plus the sales tax I would have paid if I purchased at home. And yes they were name brand under warranty from the manufacturer lenses.

[rbsmithpaige]

For example, here in Florida we have pretty good pricing. Pick a state with a state-run liquor store and the cost can be double or more over what we pay. Yay taxes!

 

New Hampshire liquor stores are state run and have astonishingly low prices compared to where I live in Wisconsin, which is itself cheaper than most other places. I'm considering a bi-yearly field trip. </smugglingcanbefun>

[miched]

New Hampshire liquor stores are state run and have astonishingly low prices compared to where I live in Wisconsin, which is itself cheaper than most other places. I'm considering a bi-yearly field trip. </smugglingcanbefun>

 

I had relatives that lived in the Racine area. They use to drive to Chicago to buy liquor and when we visited from Detroit we would also stop there and get a few bottles. At the time it didn't amount to much as our family wasn't really hard core drinkers. A bottle would probably evaporate more than what was ever drank from it.

 

 

🍸🍻

[Charles4515]

One more point about duty free: Duty free means the price does not include duty. It does not mean you don't have to pay duty if you bring it back into the country. There is no such thing as duty free as far as bringing items back into your home country. With that said in the USA there is a personal, or family exemption, and you only have to pay duty if the items exceed the exemption but you need to declare them on your form even if under.

 

And if you make an expensive purchase on the ship which you're considering not declaring then forget it as you WILL be caught. The ship turns over a listing of all sales over a certain amount to customs at the end of the voyage. Customs will be looking for you to declare those items. I noticed them checking declarations off a list once when I went to declare some purchases at the end of a cruise a few years ago.

 

 

That happened to a friend of mine. She bought an expensive watch onbaord and thought duty free meant she did not have to declare. The shop pitched it that way to her. Duty free....no taxes. She honestly didn't know any better. So when she debarked and swiped her card the buzzer went off. As you say the ship reports all purchases that are over a certain amount. She had to go pay duty. So much for duty free. It does not mean what many think. What it means is the shop did not pay taxes.

 

Also the shops in some ports report the purchases to customs. For a reward if a passenger gets caught not declaring.