Seeking TRS Advice - Carry-on Baggage or Checked-in?

aman211 on 21/07/2024 - 23:56

Hey all

Just wanted to seek some veteran advice. I am travelling overseas to my home country in a couple of weeks. This will be my first trip in about 5 years and so naturally I had started hoarding gifts for my friends and family.. And a fair bit qualifies for TRS. My question is that the terms and conditions on the TRS website does state that the items should be in the carry on (with exceptions of course). I have bought so many toys (lego sets and hot wheels), that it might get a bit ridiculous if they start to verify every item. High value items, i understand.

So my question is, would it be okay, if i let the toys remain in the checked in luggage and only carry the high value items to the counter?

I understand that it might also depend on who is at the counter and in what mood.

Appreciate any word of advice.

Travel Tourist Refund Scheme

Comments

  • Stifler92 on 22/07/2024 - 00:09
    +3

    Before checking in your luggage there is a trs office where you can show them your gifts and get a stamp on your bills. Then once after a security check you can show the stamped bills

  • sssx on 22/07/2024 - 00:10

    I believe you can get verified ahead of time before you check in your checked luggage, double check the website about it I guess. Go early, specially if it's likely to be a flight with others doing the same thing.

  • Gunnar on 22/07/2024 - 00:38

    You can get verified ahead of time but it can be hit and miss. I tried twice before and on both occasions was told that this should be taken with you to the desk because the item deemed to be okay to carry on. One was hiking boots and the other some clothes. Both times the total value was between $300-500

    Essentially what it implied was that to claim TRS before check in the items need to be large items or things you cannot take on the plane. If you can carry them on your person onto the aircraft then you need to take them with you to the counter

    What I’d do is try for the TRS at the pre checkin desk and then if you don’t get the refund, be prepared to either take goods with you as carry on, or forgo TRS. I did the latter because I didn’t have space in carry on (or in the case of the shoes couldn’t be bothered)

  • theHMASfriendship on 22/07/2024 - 06:18

    In my experience the TRS office before immigration will only tick off very specific items. The website says this office is for “oversized and restricted” items. Things like Lego sets/hot wheels may not qualify.

    • tonester on 22/07/2024 - 08:57

      +1

      only if it can’t be taken on board i.e. oversized/restricted, will ABF sight/verify before check-in

  • Love a bargain on 22/07/2024 - 14:44

    I have bought so many toys (lego sets and hot wheels), that it might get a bit ridiculous if they start to verify every item.

    The rule is the same whether it's 40 $10 items or 1 $400 item. Whether the officer handling your claim on the day does check every single item is a different story. The onerous is on you to have them with you and be able to present them when asked.

    The only exception is if you can't carry them in your carry on due to size, weight, security restrictions, etc. I think some have successfully argued that the amount of smaller items that they have on their TRS claim are collectively too big/ heavy to go into their carry on luggage. YMMV so best to go there early and be prepared to have to pull them out of your check in baggage if you wanna go down this path.

  • aman211 on 22/07/2024 - 16:55

    Seriously appreciate this advice from you all.. Will decide I'm doing my final packing and see if it would at all be possible to store the gifts in the carry on. Might decide to forego if that creates an excess baggage situation.

    Thank you everyone

    • Love a bargain on 23/07/2024 - 14:13

      See what the ABF officer says on the day. Can't see them forcing you to shuff everything into your carry on if it is obvious that doing so would genuinely cause you to go over the carry on limit. I'd imagine one possible scenario could be that they might only be willing to certify some of the bigger/ heavier items for you but not others (which means you'll have to take them as carry on).

      • aman211 on 23/07/2024 - 14:40

        Yeah man.. my problem is most of the items are gifts for young family members.. lego sets, hot wheels and sh!+.. so.. it's more about saving space than weight.. but if it comes to i am not going to waste my energy at the airport oven $30 or so..

        • Love a bargain on 24/07/2024 - 13:45

          Size is one aspect of the carry on limit. If you can't physically fit them inside a bag that is within the size limit, it would not be unreasonable for you to ask ABF to sight them before check-in. (However, if it's just a personal preference to travel with minimal carry-on, they won't entertain you.)

          • aman211 on 24/07/2024 - 14:50

            @Love a bargain: Yup! I got you!
            I will keep an hour or so spare while at the airport to deal with any unforeseen delays..

  • Meridianz on 24/07/2024 - 21:47

    Read through the rules, there are quite a few - some are easily missed. One that caught me out was if an receipt is more than $1k it needs to have your name on it and all items your lego for example needs to be minimum $300 and on the same receipt, you cant have multiple and just add them up. You can have multiple receipts but they all need to be over $300

    Also and possibly the most risky, on return to wherever your home country is, do you need to declare the items (and thus pay tax om them there) NZ for example if your collected items are more than $700 in value your meant to declare them and then pay GST on them. Now most people dont, but if you had a bunch of stuff, you could be picked up and then you will get pinged the GST and a fine to go with it - I got picked up there once for having a bunch of Tshirts in a box for a corporate event which were under the amount but man it was a pain to prove and the onus is on you.

    • aman211 on 25/07/2024 - 05:48

      Yes. I am 100% aware of all thw things you mentioned. Especially the first part.
      About the second part, my destination country just needs me to not sell those items. The solution to that problem is to not have them sealed packed. If it is a phone or laptop. Just having them in your pocket/bag would be enough. Although there is an unsaid limit where if you try to exploit the system by just having too much stuff (say 4 phones 3 laptops), it gets to an unacceptable level and you will be asked to pay excise duty.

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