NY becomes Europe's Flea Market!

[Rubber Duck]

"As the Brits happily point out, an exchange rate of over $2 to £1 makes clothes, cosmetics and electronic goods so much cheaper that it seems worth paying for a flight and hotel."


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7102428.stm

[bwhhisc]

FROM ARTICLE:
However, one cloud may loom on the horizon for Britain's happy shoppers: import duty. Not all travellers may realise that they are only allowed to bring in £145-worth of shopping from the US into the UK, including gifts and souvenirs, without declaring what they have bought.

If this limit is breached, HM Revenue and Customs can insist on the payment of import duty and VAT of up to 20% on many items, which may include those prized jeans or iPods.

[jacksonm]

Customs are quite tight in Heathrow, too. But if you fly into another European city, they hardly even look at you.

Hell, they don't even man the gates in Finland unless they get a fax-ahead from Switzerland that somebody applied for a large VAT refund.

.

[Rubber Duck]

If the wrapping and labels are removed, it is very difficult for them to know whether it is new or not. They are really on looking to apply tax to new purchases, otherwise businessmen would get hammered for their laptops and phones every time they leave and re-enter.

[bwhhisc]

If the wrapping and labels are removed, it is very difficult for them to know whether it is new or not. They are really on looking to apply tax to new purchases, otherwise businessmen would get hammered for their laptops and phones every time they leave and re-enter.

I lived and worked Europe for a few years, going thru "customs" was just part of the fun of travelling :)
In Greece, importing and the handling of "customs" was an absolute art run by businessmen since it was
almost impossible to "export" drachmas back in the mid-80's to bring foreign goods into the country.
Our hotel was full of European and American manufactured equipment (dish machines, ovens etc.) and it
damn near took an act of the Greek Parliament just to get permits to import spare parts!

[domainguru]

Customs are quite tight in Heathrow, too. But if you fly into another European city, they hardly even look at you.

Hell, they don't even man the gates in Finland unless they get a fax-ahead from Switzerland that somebody applied for a large VAT refund.

.

Been through customs at Heathrow hundred times - never been stopped - they seem to focus almost exclusively on people from "other continents"....

[Rubber Duck]

Yes, but don't let your perceptions get stuck in a time warp.

There is a Tesco in every sizeable town in Czech Repubic, things are changing fast in the countries that have recently joined. The Greek Drachma has of course been consigned to history.

I lived and worked Europe for a few years, going thru "customs" was just part of the fun of travelling :)
In Greece, importing and the handling of "customs" was an absolute art run by businessmen since it was
almost impossible to "export" drachmas back in the mid-80's to bring foreign goods into the country.
Our hotel was full of European and American manufactured equipment (dish machines, ovens etc.) and it
damn near took an act of the Greek Parliament just to get permits to import spare parts!

[domainguru]

Yes, but don't let your perceptions get stuck in a time warp.

There is a Tesco in every sizeable town in Czech Repubic, things are changing fast in the countries that have recently joined. The Greek Drachma has of course been consigned to history.

There's also a Tesco in most towns in Thailand. Change isn't limited to the EU.

[yanni]

In Greece, importing and the handling of "customs" was an absolute art run by businessmen since it was
almost impossible to "export" drachmas back in the mid-80's to bring foreign goods into the country.
Our hotel was full of European and American manufactured equipment (dish machines, ovens etc.) and it
damn near took an act of the Greek Parliament just to get permits to import spare parts!

So true.

It's been a 180 degree turn since then. Now it's cheaper for a person from Thessaloniki to fly to New York, stay for a week and do their shopping there, than going to Athens for the same thing and duration.

Ermou street (you should remember it as you worked close thereby), is the 9th most expensive street in the world to do business in.
Rent is 3,600 Euro (edited) per square meter per year.

As for the importing thing: Back in '83 I tied to bring a metal detector in, and I had to go to the Nuclear Research Center to get an o.k. before I could get it out of customs.

[bwhhisc]

As for the importing thing: Back in '83 I tied to bring a metal detector in, and I had to go to the Nuclear Research Center to get an o.k. before I could get it out of customs.

We always found it friendliest to pass thru customs on Sundays :)