Duty Free/Bahamas shopping

Is shopping duty free, worth the trouble of transporting the items?

Also, can someone give me some shopping tips for Nassau? Looking for bargains on quality items.

Thanks! :)

It all depends on what you're thinking of buying. Duty free just means you get the savings on the store not having to pay import taxes. It doesn't mean you don't have to declare the purchases to US Customs. For some reason, and I'm not meaning you personally, people think that Duty Free means you don't have to pay US duty on the items when you get back to the US. That's not the case. You're just saving the import tax on any items you purchase. If you're talking about things like perfume, that can be a decent savings, but for most other things like jewelry, Nassau isn't that great of a bargain. I actually think things are more expensive in Nassau than on other islands.

It all depends on what you're thinking of buying. Duty free just means you get the savings on the store not having to pay import taxes. It doesn't mean you don't have to declare the purchases to US Customs. For some reason, and I'm not meaning you personally, people think that Duty Free means you don't have to pay US duty on the items when you get back to the US. That's not the case. You're just saving the import tax on any items you purchase. If you're talking about things like perfume, that can be a decent savings, but for most other things like jewelry, Nassau isn't that great of a bargain. I actually think things are more expensive in Nassau than on other islands.

You ARE allowed a certain amount of duty free product back into the US without paying duty on them.. It depends on where you are coming from .. In most cases it's around $600- 800 per person. You can also bring in a limited amount of alcohol (bahamian rum is delicious).

Of course, you can't bring in restricted items such as fresh fruits and vegetables, cuban cigars and tortise shells. I'm sure there are others.

Thanks Kitty9 & Scubagirrl! I appreciate your info.:)

I was thinking about possibly picking up some porcelain figurines, perfume and/or some small jewelry items.

Thanks Kitty9 & Scubagirrl! I appreciate your info.:)

 

I was thinking about possibly picking up some porcelain figurines, perfume and/or some small jewelry items.

I've purchased all of my waterford crystal in Nassau and the prices are better than I've found in the states or online. LLadro also has some decent prices.. if you know your prices.