When you go to the airport, you’ll always see these huge stores, selling duty-free items, including fragrances. Without tax being charged, these could be very tempting to buy, but are they actually cheaper?
Is duty-free perfume a good deal? Duty-free stores sell their items without duty or taxes being charged. This can make the items they are selling a lot cheaper, but this is not always the case. It often depends on the place you are going, if the deal is actually cheaper then when you buy online or in another store.
There are multiple ways to check if the duty-free offer is actually cheaper. Here are some good ways to go about it.
How To Check If It Is A Good Deal
Every time I’m at an airport, I just can’t get away from the perfume section. It sounds like heaven, tax-free fragrances. And a whole bunch of them as well. I can just picture myself there again, walking through the isles, seeing so many fragrances that I one day hope to own, having to resist myself from buying them all and going broke. The weird thing though is that these fragrances are not necessarily cheaper. Sometimes, they’re even more expensive.
Almost none of the duty-free items are actually cheaper. In fact, only about 10% of all duty-free items sold in airports are cheaper than in other places.
How is this possible? Duty-free should mean no taxes, included, meaning that the price should be somewhere around 20% lower. The thing is that the stores that sell the products don’t actually have to pass on these savings to the customers. This means that, yes, the price is 20% lower, but just for the person selling it. The person can sell the stuff for just under the normal market price or even price it the same while generating a much higher profit for himself.
So now you know that not all products are actually cheaper. Only 10% is actually cheaper. This sounds like a lot. But taking a look at them is probably a good idea, as you might find a good deal.
I do recommend you go there with a plan. Know which fragrance you want to purchase. There is such a large selection for you to choose from, that it will be very difficult to choose one right there on the spot. You wouldn’t want to miss your flight. You don’t have to be set on a specific one, but try to have a general idea of what you want. For example, I have some sort of list in my head of fragrances that I still want. So when I went on a vacation, I asked myself, which one do I want the most. It turned out that I was stuck on two different fragrances. But it is so much easier to just try these two and decide then than to check out all they have to offer and then make a decision.
So before you even go to the airport, find out, what is the average price asked for these fragrances. You can just note them down in your phone or somewhere else. Make sure these prices are from reliable stores. Note down a few of the prices and see what most stores ask.
So you have a general outline of a few fragrances you might want to purchase and the average price of them. When you walk in the perfume section, you’ll see a bunch of testers, along with the white papers on which you can spray the fragrance. These are there for you to check out the fragrance. Here is where you can make a few decisions. I recommend you start with deciding which fragrance, or fragrances, you want to buy. Make a little ‘top x’ list. Then, you should check out the prices of the fragrances. Compare them with the average price of online stores or other places.
Now, the easy part, is the duty-free perfume a good deal? If it is cheaper and you intend to buy it anyway, you should get it. If it is around the same price as the average asking price, decide for yourself. Do you want or need it now, or can you wait and look for a better deal? Your call. If it is more expensive, just wait for when you return and get it at some other place.
Another thing you can do is check out the prices they have in the country you’re going to. They might have it for less than in your country or the airport.
Why You Should Always Check The Perfume Section
The perfume section in airports is usually pretty big. This means that there are most likely quite a lot of fragrances, maybe even some you don’t know or haven’t thought of. Therefore, I’d say you should always check the perfume section out if you like fragrances. Have a look around and try some. You never know what you will find.
In my experience, these airport perfume stores usually have a lot of the more well-known fragrances or some of the cheaper ones. I personally haven’t seen any really expensive fragrance in one of these perfume sections, but I have found many fragrances I absolutely love. To me, the duty-free stores are where I got a lot of my fragrances and is the place where I started getting into fragrances.
Related Questions
Is duty-free tax-free? Duty-free stores are allowed to sell their products without the added taxes. This means these products have the potential to be a lot cheaper. These stores are allowed to do this with the intention that people who are traveling buy these products and take them out of the country.
What are the best things to buy in duty-free stores? The products that have the lowest price, compared to the usual market price, are alcohol, tobacco and beauty products. These have the most notable difference in price. Other things that are great to buy there are magazines.