Duty Free Travel Help out of Australia

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  k-rokfm on 27/06/2017 - 10:53

  +3

  generally speaking - it would be cheaper to buy the product IN Australia and then claim the gst going out. This is mainly due to the fact that you can shop around for the best deal outside of the airport - and these days the duty free isn't nearly as good as it used to be. Also you cant guarantee that someone will stock it / have it in stock at the airport as well.

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  mhillary on 27/06/2017 - 10:53

  +2

  When you leave Australia you can get the GST (10%)back at the airport. The amount of the product must be above $300, and the item must be bought within 60 days before departure.
  You must show the item and the receipt at the airport.Make sure the the receipt has the amount of GST on it.
  You can look up on the net where the office is situated at the airport from where you are leaving from.
  I hope this is help full.

• 

  Archi on 27/06/2017 - 11:34

  technically you are not suppose to bring the item back…

  TRS (tourist Refund Scheme) is mainly for tourists that come to Australia who make large purchases to claim back GST when they leave the country.

  if your travelling with someone.. give them the watch when you come back through customs and immigration. don't have the TRS or tax invoice of your item with you when you come back.

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  Halo375 on 27/06/2017 - 11:42

  Shopping through Ozbargain for electronics is normally cheaper than shopping at the airport. Totally agree with the TRS approach - buy here on sale, get a further 10% off, then bring it back. Give it to someone else if you're really paranoid but in most cases they don't give a damn.

  • 

    solidice on 27/06/2017 - 12:31

    So I was just checking the TRS website and it says you can bring up to $900 words of goods back into Australia for which you previously claimed the TRS refund for. Am I misinterpreting this with regards to people saying to give the item to someone else?

    • 

      sph on 28/06/2017 - 06:57

      Your understanding is correct. As value is less than $900 there is no need to declare on your return.
      Just bring the watch back as you would normally do, no issue.

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  ZippyRoo on 27/06/2017 - 11:58

  They're pretty strict in major airports these days, but I don't know if they'll bother to put a marker on you if you're only claiming something that's a few hundred dollars. However, having said that, watches go through a slightly different process. They actually record down the serial number and when you come back, if you're wearing a watch that's similar to the one you claimed TRS for, they actually request you to take it off and verify the serial number. Again, I'm not sure if they do that with smart watches, but all I'm saying is just be careful with that. Like everyone else said, probably easier to claim the TRS yourself, and if you're travelling with someone else, get that person to wear it (make sure they wear it, don't put it in the original box). Technically you're allowed to bring back up to $900 worth of duty free items but that's for things you've purchased overseas. Depending on where you're going, maybe you can even consider the option of buying the apple watch overseas.