Looking for a bargain on Chanel No. 5 or Dior? Had a bottle of Johnnie Walker on your mind but you’re looking for a better deal? Want the newest Apple products? Your best chance at a good deal might be at an airport near you. That’s right, it’s your local duty free! But what is duty free? And what’s the best way to take advantage of it?
Duty free shopping has a lot more variety to it than you’d think! It’s an interesting and complex mish-mash of tax exemptions and products, so there’s a lot to untangle. From allowances and limits to amazing bargains, there’s a lot going on at your airport’s duty free! Here’s a little look at the duty free shopping in Perth, Australia.
RELATED: Duty free shopping at Sydney Airport
What Does Duty Free Mean?
These airport shops tend to be ‘duty-free’ shops. When a shop is duty free, they carry products that are exempt from national taxes and duties. There is a catch, and that is these products should be sold to travellers on their way out of a country. The practice of duty free shopping dates back to 1947 when the first shop of this kind was opened in Shannon airport in Ireland. The practice began spreading around the globe and by the 1960s, it was an established concept. Now there’s hardly an international airport without a shop of this kind.
How does duty free work? It actually takes advantage of a very convenient loophole. Airports live in this grey area between being part of a country and not being part of it. Because of that, products sold within airports are exempt from taxes. The same applies to products taken out of that country too.
Duty Free in Perth
If you’re at the Perth Airport, your duty free shopping takes place at Dufry, a global retailer present in 64 countries. The Perth Dufry is one of three of their shops located in Australian airports. They opened this year in June, replacing the previous JR Duty Free store. They have a store in arrivals and departures. In the airport’s T3 level, there is a duty free store operated by Aelia.
Conveniently, you can go and shop duty free online on their website. Just browse the online catalogue and confirm your order and pick it up on the day of your flight. You can order your products ahead of time, and now you even have the choice of getting your products upon arrival.
Tourist Refund Scheme
Thinking about claiming duty free in Australia before you leave? The Tourist Refund Scheme is a government-operated program open to all overseas visitors and Australian residents (except for operating air and sea crew). You can claim a refund of the Goods and Services Tax and Wine Equalisation Tax paid on certain items you buy in Australia and then take out of the country.
You can claim this refund at TRS facilities located around Perth Airport!
Duty Free Allowances and Limits in Perth
Duty free limits will apply as long as you bought an item from a duty free shop before boarding a flight leaving Australia. If you’re arriving in Perth, duty free limits will still apply, but you will have to comply with the following limits:
Alcohol
The duty free limit for alcohol is set at 2.25L total for every adult passenger (18 years old and above). This covers your liquors such as gin and whisky, to wines and champagnes, and all other kinds of alcoholic beverage. For hand-carried baggage, you can’t take more than 100mL of alcohol on the plane with you.
Cigarettes and Tobacco
You can’t have more than 25 individual cigarettes or 25g of tobacco or cigars on you. Smokeless tobacco on the other hand has a limit of 1.5kg.
Personal Items
All personal items such as grooming implements, footwear, or clothing are exempt from duties and taxes as long as you’ve owned and used them for at least 12 months. Other items you bring in can be brought in tax-free but may be subject to some duty free allowances.
Miscellaneous Goods
Anything else amounting to AUD$900 can be brought in by an adult traveller without taxes or duty. A person under the age of 18 can bring in general goods amounting to AUD$450 without incurring costs. These may be gifts and souvenirs, electronics, watches, perfumes, and the like.
What’s Worth Buying Duty Free?
Sometimes, airports will use the duty free image to trick customers into paying high prices without their knowledge. Some items however, are a better deal at duty free stores than you’d think. Here are a few items to consider the next time you happen to be shopping duty free.
1. Make-Up and Skincare
If you’re looking for some concealer or eye cream at attractively low prices, chances are you might find it at a duty free. While not always consistent, you’re more likely than not to find a good deal on something you’d want.
2. Sunglasses and Luxury Goods
These tend to go much below normal value, just make sure you know your prices! If you’re thrifty, you can get yourself a pair of Chanel shades for way less than what you’d shell out over the counter.
3. Liquor and Tobacco
Without things like ‘sin taxes’ holding them down, the price of alcohol and tobacco drops in a duty free environment.
Get Yourself A Bargain!
Taking advantage of duty free shopping can lead to some amazing bargains. Whether frequent flyer or rare vacation-goer, take a little stroll through the duty free stores in Perth. Maybe you’ll find something you like!
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