Is Duty Free Booze Worth Getting?

[Scuttler]

May have been a duty free store employee fearing that they had made a mistake by not charging the right amount or forgetting to charge something, or a customs employee that realized too late that you may have brought in more than the acceptable limit (which I believe is one bottle). Of course that's just a guess, but I do admit it's odd.as Bangkok's main airport does not seem like the type of place that lets employees run in and out of secure areas to try and scam people... That part usually begin once you've left the airport or start taking 10 bath tuk tuks :P

It was a bag from Dubai duty free.

 

Wouldn't be the first time the airport has been known for scams:

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8154497.stm

Or a taxi company looking for business hence her look when you went off in a car.

Defo customs girl, she was wearing a dark blue uniform Willow.

[orbital]

I always bring 2 bottles of wine with me, as a decent drop costs a bomb in BKK.

[simagu]

It may have been lucky on the Canadian connection but the bag did exactly as intended for getting through US customs. My neighbour is a Canada Border agent. I'll ask her for clarification.

 

However, I normally don't buy duty-free as I find the prices to be jacked up. My example is Santo Domingo coffee in Dom Rep. At the resorts, it's $15US/pound. At the duty-free, it's $10US/pound. At a local grocery store, its about 200 pesos ($4.60US)/pound.

 

Also, what is the deal with duty-free in Thailand? You can buy duty-free after arrival - even downtown, as long as you have a foreign passport. Is this normal elsewhere?

Did you get an answer from your neighbour? I seriously doubt they'd let you do through a US checkpoint with a bottle of liquor, sealed or not, unless you're transiting through the same terminal and don't need to go through any of the endless search routines. And honestly, even if I was told that I could do it, I probably wouldn't risk it. The amount of money you'll save is not worth the trouble. On the other hand, if I was coming from Cambodia or the Dominican Republic, I would consider bringing back a few bottles as you can save quite a few $ (usually a lot more than half the price). In those rare cases, I usually place a few bottles in my checked luggage and tell the customs agent flat out what I've got and provide a receipt (I don't lie about what I have). I know they can charge additional costs, but in most cases, when they see what a pitiful amount it is (I think I had a receipt of about 30$ for 5 bottles of Rhum from the Dominican Republic), they often just seem annoyed and end up letting you keep it without extra charges. I think it really depends on the customs agent you get.

 

That being said, another possibility may have to do wuth where you've cleared customs. For example, if you leave from Montreal, you clear US customs at the Montreal airport even if you are still on Canadian soil, so your luggage should go directly to its destination. This may explain why I was told I couldn't buy any liquor as I was connecting to the US, and then onward to Tokyo and then Bangkok without picking up my luggage in the US. However, If you are doing the same kind of trip going backward, for example from Japan to Chicago, it may be possible to purchase duty-free liquids and other items in Japan and then add them to your checked luggage which you will need to pick up your luggage upon arrival at the US. I remember having done this in the past. 

 

I also agree about your duty-free comments. I think genuinely good deals are a thing of the past and it's just become a big scam in most countries to suck a little bit more money out of your wallet during the numerous hours you spend waiting before boarding the plane. Might save a couple of $, but rarely anything significant. Duty-free Thailand and Duty-Free Cambodia are good examples of trying to screw you on departure and arrival by leading you to believe that you're getting a great deal when you're not. In Cambodia, airport duty-free prices are actually more EXPENSIVE than prices in local stores as the tax on liquor is minimal compared to Thailand.

[house516]

>>Simagu

I spoke to the CATSA guys at the airport I work at. They accept the tamper-proof bags from duty free shops and duty free purchases made on airplanes. Also, they thought the TSA tape to re-seal a bag was unusual but that they would accept it as CATSA has their own tape for doing the same thing. So, no problems making a connection in Canada with a duty-free purchase if it was sealed by the people who sold it to you.

 

One caveat: You must not leave the airport. You must go through security soon after passing through Border Services. If you leave the airport or take too long to go through security, you will have to re-pack your purchase into checked luggage.

[SunSeeker]

I brought a duty free bottle for a friend coming back to Sydney only to find that it was being advertised for much the same price at local discount liquor stores.  No point really.

[serpent1uk]

Is this a total of 1 bottle or can you have 1 in checked baggage and 1 from duty free?

 

I will be heading back to Malaysia after my week in BKK and usually bring a bottle with me in my checked baggage.

 

JR