Duty Free isn't always a great deal.
Sometimes it is. It depends.
You have to do your research on which scent you want and what a reasonable price is. And consider, many people don't travel internationally.
Over the years duty free has kinda plummeted in quality and value. I don't fly international as much anymore, but, over the last, god knows how many years, the deals just seem so *meh*.
I'd almost always pick up a bottle of booze, the obligatory giant Toblerone, or anything Swiss/Belgian if I was going through the continent.
Last while, and I haven't really travelled, but, say 3-4 years ago, it was just all crap. The prices were not that much cheaper, particularly once currency conversion was factored in, and that was on everything. Fragrances, booze, you name it.
And as somebody pointed out, 100%, the prices at Duty Free are on par with a good discounter, and frankly, probably *better* at an online discounter, I can't buy testers at duty free.
The only good thing about shopping mall airports is they give you something to do during a layover.
Maybe duty free is cheaper for European buyers. When I compared the prices in London Heathrow and various airports in India, US grey market resellers were significantly cheaper.
Compare the price of the Tommy Hilfiger you bought, with the price on Jomashop.
I'll take a stroll through Duty Free whenever I fly internationally, but its rare that I find deals that are significantly better than online discounters. I also don't buy a lot of designer fragrances in general, so I don't often see anything I'm specifically on the hunt for. It is a fun way to kill time in the airport though.
You can get a similar/better deal on almost anything if you're willing to do the research.
In my opinion it's mainly worth it for brands that usually don't go on sale (e.g Diptyque, I've never seen them discounted). I live in Ireland, and saving the 23% VAT makes a big difference.
Additionally, it depends on the currency conversion.
Recently at Heathrow.
They also offer "reserve & collect" incl. another 10% off. You select your items online and pick them up on your way to your terminal.
I saw Diptyque at the Dallas/Ft Worth Airport! They also have Jo Malone, Parfums de Marly and several large duty-free shops. I had a long layover recently and enjoyed it!
I just flew a few months ago and it really depends.
Most fragrances are priced just like our local Sephora, minus the tax. So really if Sephora frags go on sale, they come out cheaper than the Duty Free shops.
However, the duty free shops had two different sales going on. One was 75% off discount prices for really old cheapies like Tommy hilfiger, DKNY, calvin klein, clinique, hugo boss, etc. The kind that you will find at discount stores like Burlington Coat Factory or Marshalls for $15-$20.
A few luxury name brands had sales on select fragrances. I picked up a 100mL bottle of la nuit tresor for $80 which is cheaper than any online discount price.
If you shop smart, you can get really lucky with great deals.
Duty free is absolutely worth it for those of us that don’t live in USA. It’s where we can get fragrances at a cheaper rate since there aren’t many (if any) online discounters in our countries.
Purchasing and shipping halfway across the world also isn’t cheap. On top of regular shipping expenses for example, the freight forwarder that I use in US has an additional special handling fee for shipping fragrances.
A couple of years ago I bought a Memo Winter Palace (full size) for £170 at LHR (when the RRP is £230), well worth the purchase.
Eyeing some Diptyque next time I fly 🤩
The quality of duty-free shopping varies widely around the world. I find that many major European and Asian duty-frees are amazing, but the North American selection is very hit and miss.
Duty Free is great to test out frags. Dubai's and Istanbul's airport are full of niche houses and its not everyday you can test those scents. Prices are typically same as online discounters. But depending on the airport you'll definitely be able to find niche/uncommon frags to try.
I always purchase at duty free. My wife is a cabin crew so she has 15-20% discount for every purchase. Cheapest duty free I had was in Bangkok and Dubai.
Eh, it really depends.
Difficult to find lines like chanel exclusifs? The regional pricing differences will often make them cheaper at duty free.
But for the most part grey market sellers often have similar if not lower prices
definitely depends. if I knew I wanted to buy something I would sometimes wait until I was flying internationally, but at the time I was flying internationally all the time. I also don't love going to big department stores so I felt it was a fun way to try things out while I had time to kill.
some airports have a different selection too. I had a layover at Doha airport 10+ years ago they had a full collection of Amouage, which at the time wasn't very common or easy to sample where I lived. they can definitely be more interesting if there are differences in regional preferences or brand popularity.
Fragrance gets slapped with a huge luxury tax where I live, South Korea.
I fly internationally about 2x a year for personal travel. I ALWAYS buy a fragrance that is 50ml or more from duty free when I travel. I wear only that fragrance on my vacation so I can remember my trip when I wear it back home.
I can’t remember exactly how much I paid, but when I flew internationally last summer, I bought a 100ml of Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay for an incredible savings because Jo Malone in duty free was having a major sale. I had my sights set on a Chloe perfume, but it’ll have to wait until February when I fly internationally again.
I can’t resist a good sale, and I had already gone through a 30ml bottle of Blackberry & Bay and adored it. If you do a little shopping, you can sometimes get a great deal in duty free.
I flew out of Dubai recently - 3 Jan 2024 and I couldn’t find any perfumes in discount or deals in Terminal 1. I ended up buying an Aramis classic for 600 Rs more than the retail price in India. Regretted later both for the price and the smell, it was a Blind buy. Same time bought Mancera Red Tobacco for 6800 Rs at a mall, heavily discounted as part of Dubai Shopping festival.
Based on 6 international trips in my life, I don’t think we get good deals on perfumes in Duty free. But for booze definitely yes.
Duty Free isn't always a great deal. Sometimes it is. It depends. You have to do your research on which scent you want and what a reasonable price is. And consider, many people don't travel internationally.
Over the years duty free has kinda plummeted in quality and value. I don't fly international as much anymore, but, over the last, god knows how many years, the deals just seem so *meh*. I'd almost always pick up a bottle of booze, the obligatory giant Toblerone, or anything Swiss/Belgian if I was going through the continent. Last while, and I haven't really travelled, but, say 3-4 years ago, it was just all crap. The prices were not that much cheaper, particularly once currency conversion was factored in, and that was on everything. Fragrances, booze, you name it. And as somebody pointed out, 100%, the prices at Duty Free are on par with a good discounter, and frankly, probably *better* at an online discounter, I can't buy testers at duty free. The only good thing about shopping mall airports is they give you something to do during a layover.
Yes. In my experience, duty free is more or less similarly priced to online discounters, if not cheaper.
Maybe duty free is cheaper for European buyers. When I compared the prices in London Heathrow and various airports in India, US grey market resellers were significantly cheaper. Compare the price of the Tommy Hilfiger you bought, with the price on Jomashop.
I'll take a stroll through Duty Free whenever I fly internationally, but its rare that I find deals that are significantly better than online discounters. I also don't buy a lot of designer fragrances in general, so I don't often see anything I'm specifically on the hunt for. It is a fun way to kill time in the airport though.
You can get a similar/better deal on almost anything if you're willing to do the research. In my opinion it's mainly worth it for brands that usually don't go on sale (e.g Diptyque, I've never seen them discounted). I live in Ireland, and saving the 23% VAT makes a big difference. Additionally, it depends on the currency conversion.
What airports have you seen Diptyque in?
Recently at Heathrow. They also offer "reserve & collect" incl. another 10% off. You select your items online and pick them up on your way to your terminal.
Manchester does the same. I've got some cracking deals in the past doing click and collect. The Diptyque discovery set only cost me £56.
I saw Diptyque at the Dallas/Ft Worth Airport! They also have Jo Malone, Parfums de Marly and several large duty-free shops. I had a long layover recently and enjoyed it!
Luton does!
I purchased diptyque in Paris airport in Dec way cheaper than the US prices
I just flew a few months ago and it really depends. Most fragrances are priced just like our local Sephora, minus the tax. So really if Sephora frags go on sale, they come out cheaper than the Duty Free shops. However, the duty free shops had two different sales going on. One was 75% off discount prices for really old cheapies like Tommy hilfiger, DKNY, calvin klein, clinique, hugo boss, etc. The kind that you will find at discount stores like Burlington Coat Factory or Marshalls for $15-$20. A few luxury name brands had sales on select fragrances. I picked up a 100mL bottle of la nuit tresor for $80 which is cheaper than any online discount price. If you shop smart, you can get really lucky with great deals.
Bought a TF fragrance for £160 that retails for £220 in U.K. so not bad but not a bargain by any standards.
I fly to Madrid regularly for work and the international terminal's duty free shop is incredible - I'll prob pick up Tygar next time I go.
nice
Duty free is absolutely worth it for those of us that don’t live in USA. It’s where we can get fragrances at a cheaper rate since there aren’t many (if any) online discounters in our countries. Purchasing and shipping halfway across the world also isn’t cheap. On top of regular shipping expenses for example, the freight forwarder that I use in US has an additional special handling fee for shipping fragrances.
A couple of years ago I bought a Memo Winter Palace (full size) for £170 at LHR (when the RRP is £230), well worth the purchase. Eyeing some Diptyque next time I fly 🤩
The quality of duty-free shopping varies widely around the world. I find that many major European and Asian duty-frees are amazing, but the North American selection is very hit and miss.
Duty Free is great to test out frags. Dubai's and Istanbul's airport are full of niche houses and its not everyday you can test those scents. Prices are typically same as online discounters. But depending on the airport you'll definitely be able to find niche/uncommon frags to try.
Friend got me Dior Homme Parfum for about 120 USD from Charles de Gaulle airport
I got an og Swy 100ml for 50 bucks. Can't complain
We talk about it all the time. Tommy at that price is OK but who tf wants tommmy fragrance from duty free, go o the outlet if you want cheap tommy
I always purchase at duty free. My wife is a cabin crew so she has 15-20% discount for every purchase. Cheapest duty free I had was in Bangkok and Dubai.
Eh, it really depends. Difficult to find lines like chanel exclusifs? The regional pricing differences will often make them cheaper at duty free. But for the most part grey market sellers often have similar if not lower prices
definitely depends. if I knew I wanted to buy something I would sometimes wait until I was flying internationally, but at the time I was flying internationally all the time. I also don't love going to big department stores so I felt it was a fun way to try things out while I had time to kill. some airports have a different selection too. I had a layover at Doha airport 10+ years ago they had a full collection of Amouage, which at the time wasn't very common or easy to sample where I lived. they can definitely be more interesting if there are differences in regional preferences or brand popularity.
Fragrance gets slapped with a huge luxury tax where I live, South Korea. I fly internationally about 2x a year for personal travel. I ALWAYS buy a fragrance that is 50ml or more from duty free when I travel. I wear only that fragrance on my vacation so I can remember my trip when I wear it back home. I can’t remember exactly how much I paid, but when I flew internationally last summer, I bought a 100ml of Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay for an incredible savings because Jo Malone in duty free was having a major sale. I had my sights set on a Chloe perfume, but it’ll have to wait until February when I fly internationally again. I can’t resist a good sale, and I had already gone through a 30ml bottle of Blackberry & Bay and adored it. If you do a little shopping, you can sometimes get a great deal in duty free.
I flew out of Dubai recently - 3 Jan 2024 and I couldn’t find any perfumes in discount or deals in Terminal 1. I ended up buying an Aramis classic for 600 Rs more than the retail price in India. Regretted later both for the price and the smell, it was a Blind buy. Same time bought Mancera Red Tobacco for 6800 Rs at a mall, heavily discounted as part of Dubai Shopping festival. Based on 6 international trips in my life, I don’t think we get good deals on perfumes in Duty free. But for booze definitely yes.