‘Did I commit a crime?’: Woman buys Louis Vuitton bag at Paris airport. Then she gets flagged by customs
Looking to score a deal on a luxury item? You might be thinking about going abroad—but you’ve got to be careful.
For years, people in search of discount luxury goods have saved some cash by purchasing these items abroad. As noted by CNBC, many high-end items have lower base prices in Europe. Plus, with favorable currency conversion rates in some countries, paired with the possibility of getting VAT refunded, one can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars by buying their goods abroad.
That doesn’t mean that they’ll be completely free from taxes, however. One shopper learned that the hard way after trying to re-enter the United States with a Louis Vuitton bag she bought in Paris.
What Happened With This Louis Vuitton Luxury Purchase?
In a video with over 47,000 views, TikTok user Lexi (@lexiii_locs) says, “Did y’all know that when you go shopping overseas legally, only $800 of that is tax free? And if you buy something that is more than $800, technically you’re supposed to declare it and pay additional taxes when you get back to the U.S.?”
According to Lexi, she recently took a trip to Morocco. On the way back, she had an overnight layover in Paris. Seeing an opportunity, she decided to do some luxury shopping—specifically, shopping for a specific Louis Vuitton she had been eyeing.
“Buying designer overseas is, like, literally thousands of dollars cheaper than buying it in the States,” she explains.
While she wasn’t able to find the bag she wanted in the city, she managed to locate her specific bag in the Louis Vuitton store at the Paris airport. Satisfied, Lexi purchased the bag and boarded her flight to the United States.
A Customs Clearance Disaster For A Luxury Shopper
When the plane landed, Lexi believed that “everything is good.” But when she tried to exit the airport, she got “flagged by the customs people.”
What followed was a long wait. Lexi was confused.
“I was like, ‘Did I commit a crime? Did I commit a crime for buying this Louis Vuitton bag?’” she recalls. “I am so confused and befuddled and pissed off, frankly, ’cause I’m tired.”
Eventually, an agent came to Lexi. The agent removed the TikToker’s bag and inspected it—a process that involved unwrapping it and looking at the receipt. Finally, the agent explained to Lexi what was going on. In short, Lexi’s purchase was subject to customs duties.
How Do Customs Duties Work?
Lexi says that, according to the agent, “only $800 of a purchase is tax-free.”
“After the $800, an additional thousand dollars is taxed at 3%, and then after that, for the U.S., they tax at 9%,” Lexi states.
This is not entirely true. Collectively, up to $800 in goods is tax-free, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The next $1,000 on top of that initial $800 is taxed at just 3%. Whatever value above $1,800 is not taxed at a flat 9%, as Lexi claims. Instead, duty is assessed in accordance with the item’s Harmonized Tariff Schedule classification number. That duty for leather bags specifically is around 9%.
“Long story short, ended up having to pay an additional 130-ish dollars in taxes that didn’t have nothing to do with the United States,” Lexi summarizes.
“I’m so mad, because why the [expletive] y’all worried about what I did in Paris?” she continues. “Like, that didn’t have nothing to do with y’all…Y’all just thirsty, just greedy. But, I still ended up saving close to $1,000, even after paying the additional tax.”
She concludes by saying that, if she were to do this again, she would simply pack these items in her checked bag.
Can You Simply Not Declare Your Louis Vuitton?
Lexi seems to imply that these minor taxes can be avoided by simply not declaring one’s newly purchased item.
This is illegal. While the chances of getting caught aren’t certain, those who are caught are likely to have the item in question seized. Not only that, but the person may be penalized for the value of the item.
For example, if one is caught trying to sneak a $3,000 bag through customs undeclared, they may have their bag seized—and then be asked to pay $3,000 on top of that. They may also lose benefits like Global Entry or TSA PreCheck.
In short, even with the additional duties upon arrival, it’s likely that one is saving a significant amount of money by buying abroad. If they want to keep their purchase, they should probably just pay the duties.
@lexiii_locs This truly pissed off my #girlmath but a win is a win. #lv #customs #capitalism #shopping ♬ original sound – Lex
Commenters Try To Get Out Of Taxes
In the comments section, many users admitted to attempting to circumvent the United States’ taxes on items purchased abroad.
“I spent over $20k last year coming back in Houston they taxed me,” wrote a user. “Went back this year came back trough Canada with $15k in goods but didn’t pay a thing lol.”
“Girl yes the ATL airport almost had me coming back from Japan,” offered another. “The customs officer only let me go because they didn’t want to fill out the paperwork.”
That said, others countered that trying to get around duties was simply a bad idea.
“If you ever don’t declare abs they catch you – you could loose global entry and pre-check. I would rather declare it all and pay the difference,” noted a commenter.
“Purchases are tied to your passport and it’s always best to declare,” stated a second. “I’ve purchased overseas twice and they never made me actually declare but the officer appreciated that I told him.”
The Mary Sue reached out to Lexi via TikTok direct message and comment.
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