Buying booze outside EU - limits etc

[CheeseSlice]

I'm about 5,500 miles away from london and saw some nice (and discontinued) Scotch in a local shop for an absolute bargain. (JW Green Label).

When buying 'duty free' (air side) I know there is a 1 litre limit for spirits, but what about just buying from this shop and chucking a couple of bottles in my hold luggage? Got a feeling its not that simple. Guess the limit still applies and I need to declare the excess back in UK?

Any frequent travellers to outside the UK/EU have any tips?

Cheers
CS

[SueEllen]

The limit still applies.

It depends on where you are whether you will get searched on your way back in as they target flights from particular countries no matter what time of day or night it is.

Also with how they treat luggage you risk it breaking and going over not only your clothes but someone else’s. One of my mates years ago ended up with beer all over her clothes. Luckily it was on the way back in.

BTW have you confirmed the Scotch isn't a fake?

[barrydidit]

Never done it myself, but hector says;

Alcohol and tobacco

If you order purchase goods of alcohol or tobacco you have to pay:

Excise Duty on the whole consignment
Customs Duty on the whole consignment
import VAT on the whole consignment

Cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco must bear the appropriate and recognised health warnings and fiscal marks and containers of spirits that are larger than 35cl must bear a legal duty stamp.

I suspect it means you have to go down the red channel to 'declare' your stuff. You never know, it mught turn out quicker! Whether it's cheaper depends on exactly what the above taxes come to, but if the stuff is discontinued it might still be worth it?

Out of interest, the stuff is available for £70 a bottle on amazon.

[SueEllen]

I suspect it means you have to go down the red channel to 'declare' your stuff. You never know, it mught turn out quicker!

Sometimes the red channel has no-one there to examine your luggage.

It depends on where your flight is coming from....

[PurpleGorilla]

I once brought back 8 bottles of bourbon from the us. Bought in liquor stores and fed taxes paid. If you pay the duty, the limit was 4 or 5 litres. This was 10 years ago. I bought some bubble wrap and wrapped each one up - half carry on half luggage.

[CheeseSlice]

Never done it myself, but hector says;



I suspect it means you have to go down the red channel to 'declare' your stuff. You never know, it mught turn out quicker! Whether it's cheaper depends on exactly what the above taxes come to, but if the stuff is discontinued it might still be worth it?

Out of interest, the stuff is available for £70 a bottle on amazon.

£70..hmm.. would have been worth it.
I actually gave it a miss and flew out of that region today (Laos) empty handed. The bottles were going for 350,000 Kips which is about 26 quid. I'm not 100% sure but I think the duty would have been 11quid based on the rate on spirits adjusted for percentage and volume. So would have been good anyway. However as SE had pointed out there is the fake product risk. The bottles were being stored in open air at about 30-35 degC most of the year and collecting a lot of dust. The bottles were also questionably sealed as in they looked sealed around the neck but the little sticker on top had lifted off away so it was only attached to the cap. Could be age and lack of stickyness, but who knows.

Oh well, I'll see what the duty free is like in Hong Kong before flying back to Blighty.