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Bringing home a bottle of special perfume or a liter of liquor has long been a tradition for visitors returning from México. Los Cabos offers a rich opportunity for shoppers, much of it “duty free,” but just what are you allowed to take back home and what does “duty free” mean? And, here’s the real question: How much can you save?
The world's first duty free shop was established in Ireland in 1950, and is in service to this date. Designed to provide a diversion for Trans-Atlantic airline passengers, typically traveling between Europe and North America, whose flights stopped for refueling on both legs of their journeys, it was an immediate success. The idea was soon copied and implemented worldwide. Duty free shopping was in its infancy when two American entrepreneurs, Charles Feeney and Robert Miller, created what is now Duty Free Shops (DFS) in 1960. DFS started operations in Hong Kong and spread to Europe and other places around the globe. Securing the exclusive concession for duty free sales in Hawaii, which catered mostly to the Japanese vacationers in the early 1960s, created a business breakthrough for DFS. DFS continued to innovate, expanding into off-airport duty free stores, and eventually grew to become the world’s largest travel retailer.
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Quite simply, duty free is a way to save money on an array of merchandise, ranging from dazzling jewelry to premium liquor. Duty free shopping allows fabulous deals on cosmetics, fragrances, candy, cigarettes and more. “Duty” refers to a tax or fee placed on goods by government entities. Merchants who import goods and sell them to consumers who are leaving the country aren’t charged a duty on these products. This allows sellers to pass savings along to their customers, and gives shoppers the opportunity to take advantage of bargain prices on fantastic merchandise. Theoretically, foreign-made goods available in airport duty free shops should be cheaper than similar goods on the shelf of your local department store in the U.S. But, are they really? The only way to know is to comparison-shop, and your ability to comparison-shop is obviously limited when you are on a flight that will leave within the hour. So, know before you go.
Almost everything made in México is available in Los Cabos: pottery, serapes, pure silver, genuine Talavera, blown glass, fine leather goods, original paintings and other art pieces, and of course, a stunning array of native arts and crafts. A good number of these items can be found at Plaza Puerto Paraíso, and many international brand names can be purchased at the new and sophisticated Luxury Avenue boutique mall, both located on the marina in Cabo San Lucas. Think everything from Tiffany’s, Cartier, and Louis Vuitton, to Lancôme, Chanel, and Christian Dior.
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Buying anything in a duty free store usually requires showing a boarding pass. Stores are often located in international zones of airports, seaports or onboard passenger ships. As a returning resident to the U.S. over the age of 21 who has been out of the country for at least 48 hours, you are entitled to a duty free exemption for newly purchased goods, up to the value of $800, if the goods accompany you when you arrive in the U.S. However, a few rules need to be followed regarding size and content of some purchases, due to laws imposed by Travel Security Administration (TSA). Passengers are allowed to carry beverages, purchased inside what TSA refers to as “security sanitized areas,” onto planes. These are things you have bought at the shops that line the waiting areas and beckon you to come look around.
At a connecting airport, arriving international passengers must clear customs with their luggage, then recheck their bags and proceed to catch a domestic flight. Flight connections entail clearing security again. Unless you adhere to current restrictions, items will be confiscated from carry-on bags and discarded at the security points. This would apply to duty free liquor, perfume, gels, lotions, etc. So if you can’t pack it in your checked bags, don’t buy it. Too many travelers have been disappointed when they saw their new purchases dumped into a trash barrel because it did not meet TSA requirements, or they didn’t take time to repack the items bought within the departing international airport’s “security sanitized areas” after clearing customs at their arriving airport.
Whether you are in port for a day or at a resort for a week, shopping is a vacation ritual, and Los Cabos is an ideal place for that shopping spree. Gifts for the folks back home, or a fabulous souvenir of your memorable visit, means looking for unique treasures at prices you can’t find at your local merchants back home. Whether it’s sunshades from Sunglass Island or magnificent earrings from Diamonds International, you’ll find items and prices that are just right for every budget, and irresistible for all.
By Sandra Berry
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Copyright © 2009 - Joseph A. Tyson - All Rights Reserved - www.loscabosmagazine.com
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Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico - Last Revision - January 28, 2009 - fap
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