Question about buying from Duty Free

maman

As your friend wants a specific brand, I'd be inclined to buy them in Birmingham if you see them there rather than risk them being in stock in Spain on the way back.

I'd think of it as a thank you gift for the work done. 😊

Easyjet77

Archergirl said:

TELLIT01 said:

mdann52 said:

I won't be popular for this, but the duty free allowances only apply when you at purchasing items for personal use or for gifts. An arrangement such as the one proposed above is not legal, and the items would need to have duty paid at the border.

Not saying that anything would happen... But in theory, the duty free allowances don't apply in this instance.

Strictly speaking you are absolutely correct, but I doubt anybody carrying 400 cigarettes is going to be high on the list to be stopped, although it's not impossible.  Buying on the way out to Spain and bringing them home at the end of the holiday might raise questions as a smoker would be expected to smoke at least some while away.  Wouldn't it be better to buy at the airport in Spain on the way home, and to buy 200 each?  Just don't say you are bringing them back for a friend!

Sounds like a gift to me...........

It is legal to bring back tobacco products as gifts for friends, relatives , whoever ( within the limits). 

powerful_Rogue

Archergirl said:

TELLIT01 said:

mdann52 said:

I won't be popular for this, but the duty free allowances only apply when you at purchasing items for personal use or for gifts. An arrangement such as the one proposed above is not legal, and the items would need to have duty paid at the border.

Not saying that anything would happen... But in theory, the duty free allowances don't apply in this instance.

Strictly speaking you are absolutely correct, but I doubt anybody carrying 400 cigarettes is going to be high on the list to be stopped, although it's not impossible.  Buying on the way out to Spain and bringing them home at the end of the holiday might raise questions as a smoker would be expected to smoke at least some while away.  Wouldn't it be better to buy at the airport in Spain on the way home, and to buy 200 each?  Just don't say you are bringing them back for a friend!

Sounds like a gift to me...........

It's not a gift if it's being given as 'part payment'.

phatbear

In legal terms it would be defined as a "payment in kind" as other have previously stated the importation under these circumstances is illegal but as others have said the likelihood of owt coming of it is almost 0%, i for one wouldn't be moved to do owt about.

Also another consideration is if this part payment for work done then its also tax avoidance as the workman would obviously not declare these items as part of his income.

Abbafan1972

From what I can gather he’s giving us the money for the cigarettes and the money that he would save on them would cover the work he’s done for us. But who would know that unless we tell people at customs lol. They are a gift lol. 

la531983

Lots of overthinking going on in this thread.

I brought 45 pouches of 50g Amber Leaf back from Cape Verde a few months ago, mostly in my hand luggage, and nobody batted an eyelid, not even the staff at the airport in Cape Verde who werent at all bothered I was buying 30 of them. 

My experience of the staff in large airports is they dont generally care, my only experience of them caring was once at Aberdeen when they got all the staff in for their weekly (at the time) non-UK and EU flight, and searched every single case. Easy to do that in a small airport with only one international arrival coming in though.

maman

Of course the staff in duty free don't care how much you buy @la531983. They've made a sale and had your money. You took a risk and got away with it. I'd just say that OP is taking a much smaller risk because the cigarettes are not for personal use. 

la531983

maman said:

Of course the staff in duty free don't care how much you buy @la531983. They've made a sale and had your money. You took a risk and got away with it. I'd just say that OP is taking a much smaller risk because the cigarettes are not for personal use. 

And neither was my tobacco. The chances of being stopped are minimal, and quite frankly they wont care if someone has one whole sleeve of fags and certainly wont start giving you the Spanish Inquisition about who they are for.

NoodleDoodleMan

Don't try this approach to bring DF cigs into the UK !!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4bhTCrDCeU