50mm APO

[Kaiser Soshe]

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I visited Germany last year and was feeling pretty good that I had avoided buying more Leica gear. Until my last night there... There was a Leica dealer next to my hotel. I looked at the 50mm APO, and given the price, I could not resist. It is an awesome lens that lives up to its reputation.

What clinched the deal was the significant discount vs US prices. $US 7800 vs $6500 after the tax refund. That said, actually making that discount a reality was a daunting, nail biting experience. The salesman at the Leica shop told me to take the tax receipt to customs at the airport to file for the tax refund of $1000 US.

The customs agent looked at it and said- "too big of a refund, you have to file this in London". Uh oh.

Long story short, the flight to London was really delayed, Heathrow looked like the fall of Siagon, and NO ONE at Heathrow could offer help as to how and where I could file for the tax refund. I was faced with the prospect of waiting in eternal lines, going though security and finding the tax office. Heathrow officials looked at me like I was an alien with three heads when I asked for the tax office. One Heathrow official actually told me that such a refund was impossible because the the British people had just voted for Brexit and the English tax codes were different than the Germans. I am not making this up. After literally sprinting through the airport I was able to find the obscure customs office, get the correct form, find the even more obscure kiosk for tax returns and file the paperwork. If my flight out of Heathrow had not been delayed by two hours I would have had to either miss my flight or leave Emgland without filing the paperwork. Neither was appealing.

Once filed, I tracked the refund and after three months I actually got the refund.

 

Was it worth it? Well, it's a great lens, but that was a seriously not fun experience. At least I can take comfort that the US does not have a monopoly on diffident, ill informed officials. But it's a great lens, and that's all I have to say about that.

[pedaes]

Welcome. For clarity - you purchased in Germany and got a VAT refund in England? 

Edited November 9, 2016 by pedaes

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[Peter Kilmister]

I believe it is normal to claim a VAT refund at the final point of departure from the EU. For the time being the UK is still in the EU.

[Kaiser Soshe]

The issue of where the claim the VAT added to the confusion. The tax office at the Berlin airport said they issue claims but that was too big a claim for them to do. The people at Heathrow were just clueless as to how to go about filing a tax refund claim. It took an enormous effort with very little time to solve this situation.

My advise to anyone who is in Germany and purchases gear and want to take advantage of the refund is to do the following:

 

1. If you are connecting through Heathrow make sure you have LOTS of time between flights to attend to this.

2. Once at Heathrow find the Customs Office. In the terminal that British Air uses, the Customs Office is tucked out of the way on the ground floor , down a long hallway. Show them your receipt and they will sign off on it.

3. Then find the kiosk for tax refunds. It was near the Customs Office, but out in the terminal area. It is not well marked.

4. If you paid for the item by cc, then the refund will be credited to that card. Fill out the form and take a few images of it because they do not give you any sort of paper receipt.

5. If you can find both the Customs Office and the refunds kiosk/ desk without difficulty , plan on an hour to get it all done. ( not counting the cluster at security. )

 

I couldn't imagine how difficult this might have been had I not gotten it done at the airport, if at all.

[darylgo]

It's been a quagmire at best for me also, twice, and I seriously wonder if it isn't intended to be so.

[hoolyproductions]

This made me giggle. I was once there on Xmas eve and it was exactly like that, including the machine guns

 Heathrow looked like the fall of Siagon,

[jrp]

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From memory, tax refunds are handled by a private contracter, Travelex,  which acts as an agent for five private sector Refund Agents: Global Blue, Premier, Tax Free Worldwide, GB and Innova.  Some details here:  http://www.heathrow.com/airport-guide/terminal-facilities-and-services/vat-refunds

 

Since the airport is really run as a shopping centre, tax refunding is a non-productive activity that is not given great priority, for obvious commercial reasons.

[albertknappmd]

A hassle but you got your refund!

Enjoy the lens!

Albert     

[LocalHero1953]

My guess is that at Heathrow (a) they are used to dealing with UK tax refund documentation in sterling (and in English) and ( b ) German documentation really does use different codes, references etc.

VAT is a tax applied in a common way across the EU, but at different rates, and at different rates for different items.

 

I have some sympathy for the Heathrow staff, even though it is probably not the first time they have been asked to make a claim from a purchase in another country.

But I also have sympathy for the OP who can only deal with the people in front of him and what they tell him.

Edited November 10, 2016 by LocalHero1953

[EoinC]

Have you ever noticed how much easier it is made to pay tax than to claim refunds? Although, I must admit I recently went on an endurance event of trying to pay duty on an import into Malaysia. I probably paid more in petrol trying to find elusive facilities than I did in the duty handed over.

 

Well done on getting the Summicron, and the Raiders-of-the-lost-Ark adventures in closing out the tax will lend the lens a personal attachment.

[FeralCoton]

for the VAT refund you need the proper form from the vendor, which I'm sure leica must have provided. You obtain the customs stamp at the airport in the EU from which your flight home originates. So, in your case customs stamps your form in Berlin when you present your passport and boarding pass. There is no refund provided at customs, they stamp your form and, for larger ticket items such as the noctilux, often ask to see the merchandise. You then drop the form in the mail. The vendor receives the notice from the agency (e.g. Global Blue) and then issues the VAT refund.

 

It is all a hassle, especially with the lines and trying to find the office. In parts of the EU they use PABLO kiosks, where you scan the barcode and obtain the stamp.

 

As an aside, make a photo of your receipt and VAT refund form. if you have problems with a refund Global Blue is very helpful with posts on their Facebook page.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Peter Kilmister]

As you received a VAT refund in the EU, I hope you declared it at customs when you arrived at your destination and paid their Sales Tax. If not then you are a smuggler. So my advice is to delete this thread before you get a knock on the door.

[Kaiser Soshe]

Yes, I was quickly learning that the Heathrow staff were ill equipped to deal with this. One actually said that I couldn't file a refund claim because British tax laws were different then Germany. Yikes.

Btw to answer the post above, I am not a smuggler, I pay all appropriate taxes. And I have a killer lens.

[pedaes]

Yes, I was quickly learning that the Heathrow staff were ill equipped to deal with this. One actually said that I couldn't file a refund claim because British tax laws were different then Germany. Yikes.

Btw to answer the post above, I am not a smuggler, I pay all appropriate taxes. And I have a killer lens.

If you paid Import Duty what was the net saving, and was it worth the hassle? You would also have a 'killer lens' if you had bought in US.

Edited November 11, 2016 by pedaes

[Kaiser Soshe]

Net saving was just over $1000. Yes it was worth it, albeit it was not fun at the time.

[indergaard]

As you received a VAT refund in the EU, I hope you declared it at customs when you arrived at your destination and paid their Sales Tax. If not then you are a smuggler. So my advice is to delete this thread before you get a knock on the door.

Maybe you should mind your own business and stop assuming the worst of people? I wish I could express what I feel about judgemental people like you, but I would probably be breaking a forum rule then.

[darylgo]

Well done Kaiser, you have a great lens and an interesting experience to go along with it.  My acquisition was not nearly as gripping,  arrived via UPS and boxes were easy to open.   For such a niche player in the market Leica is readily available while traveling, that's cool, it's fun to run into the increasing number of stores selling it.  

[Peter Kilmister]

Maybe you should mind your own business and stop assuming the worst of people? I wish I could express what I feel about judgemental people like you, but I would probably be breaking a forum rule then.

 

"... judgemental people like you ..." That is exactly what you are saying about me. Hoist by your own petard.

The OP thanked me for my contribution. Please respect the fact that people are required to pay tax. The OP paid tax. He isn't a smuggler. I respect him.

 

None of your business. Enough said.

[Guest]

Not sure how I happened to read this thread today. However, VAT refunds on leaving the EU can really be much easier than discussed here — all you have to do is have the refund credited to your credit card, which you can do even if you paid in cash. The newest system is that there is a bar code on the tax refund form and you can have this scanned at the VAT refund counter at the airport from which you leave the EU. If the refund is over a certain amount the scanning machine will ask you to see the customs officer, who will then verify whether you have the item with you and scan the barcode on your form. A few days later, could be a week or so, your credit card is credited with the VAT refund.

 

Peter Kilmister's exhortation is strange. He says to declare the item to customs at your destination and "pay their Sales Tax"..."If not then you are a smuggler." First, in the United States there is no import duty on still cameras and their lenses; second, sales tax is charged by states or municipalities and there is no provision or possibility to pay sales on items purchased abroad. 

 

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Edited April 1, 2017 by Guest

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[Leicauser7]

For reasons that I have never looked into -- perhaps someone can elucidate -- in my experience when good are purchased within EU and then VAT tax refund provided upon exit, the refunded amount is generally far inferior to the total VAT amount. By contrast, if goods are purchased from abroad and shipped, the purchase price is reduced by the full amount of the VAT (and necessarily no refund necessary). Something to keep in mind for those seeking to take advantage of currently stretched currency relationships, in particular the USD-GBP cross.

 

 

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Edited April 1, 2017 by Leicauser7