Authentic Louis Vuitton Bags At 35% Off? If you’re a fan of European designer brands, you know that some of them you will never NEVER find on sale. Louis Vuitton is one of these brands, so your assumption may be that the title of this post is intended to grab your attention with a falsehood. I assure you I am being quite honest with you! If you are travelling internationally, our current unique financial conditions can lead to a huge discount on designer merchandise. Before I continue on the topic of savings, I want to be sure you know you will really need an appointment to shop the Louis Vuitton Champs-Élysées location (or any Louis Vuitton Paris location for that matter).
Back in the early ‘naughts, my husband and I embarked on our first trip to Europe around this same time of year. The USD to EUR ratio was not favorable at all, and the USD to GBP exchange was even worse. On the surface it would appear purchases in France and Italy at that point in time would be cheaper than in the United Kingdom. What we found was that local prices were sometimes different to the point that when you factored in the exchange rate you were paying roughly the same amount. I have a vivid memory of buying a Starbucks coffee in London and doing the mental math. The markup due to the exchange rate actually resulted in me paying the same amount for a cup of coffee that I would have paid in Seattle at that time.
While I hoped the exchange rate would be favorable on Italian merchandise, it was not. The prices in EUR were slightly lower than what we’d see in the US, but once you calculated the exchange rate even a VAT refund didn’t make purchasing anything significant in Europe compelling. It was way cheaper and much less of a hassle to just buy Italian fashion at home. Fast forward to today. The Euro and US Dollar are at near parity, but the prices of some merchandise in Europe still seem to be based on a higher EUR. As the relationship between the EUR and USD has changed rapidly, it seems some brands haven’t adjusted accordingly, leaving YOU an opportunity to profit!
How Do I Save 35% On A Louis Vuitton Bag?
I’ll give you an example of how this works. Louis Vuitton recently launched the Multi Pochette Accessories in a new limited-edition print for Fall 2022. This bag is priced at $2,350 here in the USA. In any EU country, however, the bag is priced at €1,700. With the current exchange rate of 1:1.02 you’re already saving a huge amount of money just purchasing the bag in Europe. Providing you are not a resident of an EU country and your intent is to use the bag outside of the EU, you are actually due a refund. Some simple instructions need to be followed here, starting with this most important rule: you must abstain from using your new purchase until after you leave the EU.
What Is Value Added Tax (aka VAT)?
In Europe, a Value Added Tax (otherwise known as VAT) is already included in the price of every items you purchase. Tourists purchasing these items are not responsible for paying VAT providing they are items that will be used outside of the EU. If you purchase the bag I use in the example above and keep it in new condition until you leave the EU, and you are not a resident of a country within the EU, you are due a VAT refund! In the case of the new Louis Vuitton Multi Pochette Accessories bag, that Price is actually €1,700=€1,360 (bag price) + €340 (VAT). Before you get really excited, and think you’ll be able to walk away with the bag for €1,360 remember that while you are due the entirety of the VAT as a refund, you will need to pay the people who work to process your refund for you! That amount can vary based on what service you use, but a safe estimate is that roughly 1/3 of your refund will be to pay the company processing the paperwork to refund your money. In the case of the bag I used above, this ends up as a 38% discount on the full price you’d pay here in the USA! Crazy, right?
How Do I Get My VAT Refund When I Leave Europe?
The process to receive a VAT refund can be a bit confusing, and I don’t want to see you struggle with it the way that I did! If you’re leaving the EU from a major international airport, the process is much easier. I had done some research on how to get back as much money as possible and then the store in Paris wasn’t familiar with that method of refund. To ensure all went smoothly, I used something they are more familiar with.& I installed the “Global Blue” app, and took the paperwork required to finish the process when I left France. I love that there’s an app for you to track your refund! A bonus is you can request a refund to a credit card rather than cash back (which means avoiding an extra line when you are leaving the EU). I can’t state this strongly enough. Be sure in the Global Blue app you have your refund method set to a credit card and that you actually have an active credit card number entered.Because this process is digital, you can even set up this account long before you shop for your goodies!
How Do I Get A VAT Refund At Gare Du Nord?
At Customs, you will see small machines that look almost like ATMs. This is where you will scan the receipt provided by your retailer at the time of your purchase. Unless a customs agent wants to talk to you, there’s nothing else needed to clear customs! One final step is left to receive your refund. I wanted to include a paragraph specifically on Gare Du Nord here because I had a tough time with this. You’re required to submit a paper copy of the refund documents provided by your retailer. Mounted to a post in Gare Du Nord near the Customs machines are two very tiny boxes with a mailbox-style slot. This is where you will deliver your envelope with the completed documents. That’s the end of the process!
Your app will show you when your refund is in process and finalized… and you’re done!
I certainly hope this post has made it easy for you to score the deal of a lifetime on your designer treat!
This post may contain affiliate links. Click HERE to read my full disclosure statement. If you loved this post, don’t forget to hop on over for my information on how to shop at the Louis Vuitton on Champs-Elysées without waiting in a line!
