These days, as overseas travel becomes free again, many people are taking trips abroad that they have not been able to do before.
And when traveling abroad, duty-free shopping is something that cannot be missed.
Although it is fun to shop at a duty-free shop at the airport on the day of departure, it is also fun to shop through an online duty-free shop in advance before departure.
Because it is literally ‘tax-free’, it is basically cheaper than the market price, and if you make good use of various points and coupons, you can purchase it at a much cheaper price.
In this article, we will summarize the basic methods of using internet duty-free shops, the duty-free limit of $800, and some minor tips that are helpful when shopping at duty-free shops.
When is it possible to use an internet duty-free shop?
If you are leaving overseas, you can use online duty-free shops.
If you go to Jeju Island, you can use duty-free shops, but only Jeju Internet duty-free shops are available. Duty-free shops such as Lotte and Shilla, which are commonly used, can only be used when leaving the country, not overseas.
How to use basic internet duty-free shops
Basically, internet duty-free shops can be used 60 days before departure. There are some differences between duty-free shops, and some say you can make purchases up to 90 days in advance, but most of them seem to allow you to make purchases up to 60 days in advance.
When purchasing, you must enter your passport number, departure date, and flight number, so it is convenient to check in advance.
Purchasing at an online duty-free shop is as easy as regular online shopping. You can pick up the ordered items directly at the designated delivery area on the day of departure.
As a representative internet duty-free shop in Korea,
Lotte Internet Duty Free Shop
Hyundai Department Store Internet Duty Free Shop Shilla Internet Duty Free Shop
Shinsegae Duty Free Shop
Dongwha Duty Free Shop
etc.
Standards related to tax exemption limit of $800
There is no limit when leaving the country, but a duty-free limit of $800 per traveler applies when entering the country. It has been increased from $600 to $800.
The total price of all duty-free items + items acquired overseas must not exceed $800.
If you exceed the duty-free limit of $800, you are required to report it to customs. If you voluntarily declare goods exceeding the duty-free range, 30% of the tariff will be reduced, so it is recommended that you do so.
On the other hand, if you do not voluntarily report, you will have to pay an additional tax of 40% of the tax amount you must pay.
For your reference, there are items excluded from the duty-free limit, as listed below. You can think of the items below as being excluded when calculating your tax exemption limit.
[Items excluded from duty-free limit]
Up to 2 bottles of alcohol (less than 1 liter per bottle, less than $400)
1 carton of cigarettes (200 cigarettes)
Up to 60ml of perfume
How to use the Internet Duty Free Shop: Is it possible to change the departure date after ordering?
If you have already placed an order but your flight has changed, you must request a change in your departure date in advance.
Also, there are some people who arbitrarily enter a date and flight to shop before the duty-free shop is available, but later change it to the actual flight.
However, the criteria for changing the departure date may vary depending on the duty-free shop, so it is important to check carefully in advance. Also, please note that if you apply to change the departure date close to the departure date, it may be difficult to receive the product.
The regulations related to changing the departure date for each major duty-free shop are as follows.
Lotte: Changes cannot be made after 180 days from the first order date. After 90 days from the first order date, changes can be made only after the E-ticket is confirmed.
Hyundai Department Store: Changes cannot be made after 180 days from the date of initial purchase. Departure date change cannot be changed after 60 days from the date of request.
Silla: Changes must be made directly on My Page at least 3 days prior to departure date. Departure information can be changed up to three times.
Shinsegae: Departure information can be changed up to 4 days prior to the existing departure date. Departure information can be changed up to 5 times.
How to use an internet duty-free shop: Minor tips
If you want to enjoy shopping frugally, it is a good idea to research the items you want to buy in advance.
You can save items in advance and purchase them when they go on sale, or purchase them when you can receive points or discount coupons through an event. Also, if the product becomes available at a cheaper price later, you can cancel and purchase it again.
In particular, since you often have to ‘receive’ coupons or points directly from the event page, it is a good idea to periodically look through the event section of the relevant duty-free store.
Also, if you are not used to using online duty-free shops, be sure to check the ‘purchase availability times’ carefully.
Usually, purchases are only possible until a ‘specific time’ on the day before departure. Not only are they different for each duty-free shop, but they are also different for each departure hall (airport) and departure time, so it is a good idea to check carefully before purchasing.
And if you use too many duty-free shops, there may be a delay in receiving duty-free goods. This is especially true on days when there are many people. If you purchased items from 4-5 different duty-free shops or have a large quantity of cotton goods to receive, it is better to move quickly on the day of departure.
So, in my case, I only use about two online duty-free shops.
So far, we have summarized how to use online duty-free shops and the duty-free limit of $800.
I personally have an overseas travel schedule, so I summarized this, but perhaps because it has been so long, there were a lot of parts that were a bit confusing.
Also, it feels like the benefits have been reduced a lot compared to before, and the exchange rate is not good, so I am a bit disappointed.
In any case, most major brand products are basically cheaper than domestic market prices, so if you are planning to leave the country, we recommend that you take advantage of online duty-free shops.