Posted on Wednesday, 08.26.2009
Miami Deals - Tax-free Shopping in Miami Most of the time, you will find duty-free stores in international airports, ferry stations, cruise ports and border stops. Duty-free describes items that are sold without the local import tax. For example, any tax-free shopping in Miami International Airport does not require you to pay the import fee (which is normally included in the product’s price) for foreign products such as Swedish vodka. The problem with buying duty-free products in Europe or other countries is that if you bring more than $800 worth of items purchased abroad (duty-free or not) back to the U.S., you will have to pay the U.S. duty. As a general rule, Americans returning from overseas will have to pay 3 percent on the first $1,000 worth of merchandise over the $800 allowance.
The best duty-free Miami deals are on items labeled "tax free" and are otherwise taxed heavily such as alcohol and cigarettes. It might be a good idea to go tax-free shopping in Miami if you have some local currency left over that you would rather use than exchange for dollars at a high conversion rate. Snagging a real duty-free deal depends on both geography and currency exchange rates. Thanks to the weak British pound, Heathrow and Gatwick in London have good deals right now, particularly on liquor. You can get a one-liter bottle of Absolut vodka (normally about $30 at a regular US retail shop) for about $15 (after conversion) at duty-free shops in London. Tax-free shopping in Miami has a lot of Miami deals to offer as well. |