Buying Cartier in France - cheaper than in U.S.??

[LLJsmom]

Hi PS'ers,
Does anyone know if it is cheaper to buy Cartier pieces in France than in U.S.? Thanks so much!

P.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

How are you??

I am Canadian, but when I bought my Cartier ring in Paris; it was priced exactly what I would have purchased it for here. Hence there was no price advantage buying in Paris--just the happy memories and the beautiful service that is Cartier.

cheers--Sharon

 

[sonnyjane]

I bought my Trinity ring in Grand Cayman and it was about $300 cheaper! Don't know about Paris though.

 

[LLJsmom]

HI:

How are you??

I am Canadian, but when I bought my Cartier ring in Paris; it was priced exactly what I would have purchased it for here. Hence there was no price advantage buying in Paris--just the happy memories and the beautiful service that is Cartier.

cheers--Sharon

Hi Sharon, thank you for letting me know. . I'm doing well, been doing a lot of running. And I'm really enjoying all my pieces. I wear my ering, studs, and tennis bracelet every day. How are you? I understand that you sold a major piece.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

How are you??

I am Canadian, but when I bought my Cartier ring in Paris; it was priced exactly what I would have purchased it for here. Hence there was no price advantage buying in Paris--just the happy memories and the beautiful service that is Cartier.

cheers--Sharon

Hi Sharon, thank you for letting me know. . I'm doing well, been doing a lot of running. And I'm really enjoying all my pieces. I wear my ering, studs, and tennis bracelet every day. How are you? I understand that you sold a major piece.

HI:

Glad you are well and enjoying running. Yes, my ER is gone but I still have my large eternity ring and enjoy it immensely. Like new cuz I never wore it!

Are you travelling to France? Such a wonderful place and nothing like a visit to Cartier to buy a little gift! You get the VAT back as long as you have the piece in hand with the proper documents--Customs needs to see both.

cheers--Sharon

 

[azstonie]

Sharon, may we hear more about beautiful service that is Cartier Paris?

Very little beautiful service left in the US....

 

[tweeter8177]

Hi!

I priced out a Tiffany’s circlet ring while in Spain last month. The US price was $5650 including tax and it was 5400 Euro in Spain. After VAT refund and conversion rate, it would have been about $5100 USD. But that was when the US dollar was a bit stronger versus the Euro than today’s rate (1.08 when I went).

I didn’t check out the Cartier website and I don't know if their pricing/conversions are comparable, but if they show pricing on the piece you want in USD, you can go to Cartier.fr website and usually get the Euro price, then do the math. It looks like France has a 12% VAT refund…you can go to the Global Blue Refund Calculator and it will calculate the refund for you.

I didn’t buy the Tiffany’s piece but I did save nearly 40% on 2 Prada handbags. If you are in the market for a handbag, it was awesome savings!

It so depends on the exchange rate! It looks like the Tiffany’s ring would now be $5500, so not a big savings anymore. Here is wishing for dollar strengthening before your trip!!!

 

[Jambalaya]

It's my understanding that Cartier is less expensive in Europe than in the US. I researched it a couple of years ago, while thinking about a Cartier piece.

I've also noticed that Cartier US prices have dropped a little. The sweet trinity necklace was $15-something and now it's $14-something. Maybe the price of gold went way down, I don't know. But Cartier's price increases are international and across the board, so perhaps price decreases are, too.

I think the dollar is still weak? All told, seems like a good time to buy.

Check and see if Cartier is sold at the French airport. Then you'd get the tax-free price on the way home without having to go through the refund hassle. I've heard it can be a pain to get the refund. (If there is indeed a Cartier store at the airport, call ahead and check though to see if they have your piece, otherwise you'd be out of options since you'd be on the way home.)

 

[Jambalaya]

Just googled about a Cartier price decrease and found these articles. I haven't read them all, just skimmed.

http://forum.purseblog.com/cartier/cartier-price-increase-thread-746152-64.html

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=11&art_id=156102&sid=44262601&con_type=1&d_str=20150415&fc=4

 

[lambskin]

Although you may save 12% on VAT, you will have to pay tax on the home front when you cross customs. I used to check out prices at home and then abroad when there is a favorable exchange rate. These international design houses are no fools. EVERYONE would buy in the cheaper country if that was the case. There is a international market price with minimal fluctuation. I have found that jewelry is expensive in Europe. I did miss out on a beautiful Cartier gold and diamond watch at the Dubai Airport. It was right before gold took the sky high jump (and never looked back) in 1999.

 

[MrsWhitney]

Although you may save 12% on VAT, you will have to pay tax on the home front when you cross customs. I used to check out prices at home and then abroad when there is a favorable exchange rate. These international design houses are no fools. EVERYONE would buy in the cheaper country if that was the case. There is a international market price with minimal fluctuation. I have found that jewelry is expensive in Europe. I did miss out on a beautiful Cartier gold and diamond watch at the Dubai Airport. It was right before gold took the sky high jump (and never looked back) in 1999.

As someone who lived abroad for a few years, I have to agree- first look at GBP, or Euro in this case, and then convert but usually after taxes (and hassle) I never found it much more beneficial. And since I lived in England I tried NOT to buy ever in the UK, it was about 1.6 then. And the Euro was 1.3/4....

EDIT: I do want to note though, if it is a souvenir and something to remember for years to come- and it matters to you to purchase a French piece in Paris, France then I find it worth it.

 

[tweeter8177]

Just a note, even if you don't want to go through the VAT refund process, there certainly are items that are much cheaper to buy in Europe right now vs. the US. The dollar hasn't been this strong against the Euro in 10+ years. Also, VAT refunds are quite easy right now...I have been able to get cash back instantly at the airport my last few trips.

I didn't think about the customs duty exemption for jewelry, which is still $800 per person coming from France to the US...

 

[Jambalaya]

Well, people I know who vacation abroad have just worn jewelry they bought abroad through customs. Naughty, but when questioned two of them said they'd already paid tax on it in the country of purchase, so didn't want to pay two lots of tax. You'd wonder about the tax refund, but apparently tax refunds can involve a lot of paperwork depending on the country (in one place, can't remember where, the paperwork would circle back to the store and the store refused to do it, so no refund was possible) and at least one EU country won't give the tax back on a secondhand stone. Since one friend bought an antique stone....

 

[Jambalaya]

Just want to make clear that when I wrote above "when questioned" I mean when "I" asked them about it, not that they were questioned at customs.

 

[MarionC]

I know almost less than nothing about this, but I did read recently that sometimes the person you have to see at the airport get a VAT refund is not available and that it can be a hassle.

 

[Rubies-R-Me]

Hi!
Here is the Cartier site in France that give the exact prices in euros. It's in French but you will be able to figure out what you are looking for if you first look at the USA site.
http://www.cartier.fr/
Then to see exactly how much it will cost after the VAT is refunded go to
http://www.globalblue.com/customer-services/tax-free-shopping/refund-calculator/
Put in "France" as the country.. how much your item is and then you subtract the refund from the initial price.. convert it to USD and viola!!! Exactly how much it will cost vs the price in the USA.
Hope that helps.

 

[Jambalaya]

I don't know which airport you're going through or which terminal, but there's a Cartier store at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. If you can get your item at the airport there would be no hassle about tax refunds. You'd just have to call ahead and make sure they have what you want. Since this store has constant international travelers, I'd imagine they speak English.

http://www.cartier.us/find-boutique/store-locator-listing/france/roissy-charles-de-gaulle/boutique-cartier-roissy-2e

 

[Jambalaya]

And these: http://www.mystore411.com/store/list_city/2181/Paris%20Charles-de-gaulle%20Airport/Paris%20Charles-de-gaulle%20Airport/France/Cartier-store-locations

 

[Jambalaya]

Apparently all these stores are at Charles de Gaulles. So there are several Cartier locations at the Paris airport. Hope you transit through one of them!

 

[AGBF]

Well...this is off-topic, but the thread reminded me of it. When my husband and I got engaged we were living in France and he was working there for an Italian man who had expanded a business into France. His boss and his wife (who had gone to the university with my husband) gave us a Cartier clock and me a Cartier necklace-just an enamel elephant with a tiny diamond eye-for a wedding present. About two years later both were stolen when our first house was burgled! So much for Cartier and me!

Deb/AGBF

 

[asmiya]

cartier is cheaper in Dubai, UAE. I bought my cartier ring in France and when i checkd the same ring in Dubai it was 200 euros cheaper. I asked them and they said France raised their prices for 8%. Overall Gold is always cheaper in Dubai. So i guess il be buying Cartier from here no on!!