Shopping duty Free On Board versus On Ground

Old Jun 20th, 2017, 09:26 PM
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Shopping duty Free On Board versus On Ground

Hello ... am trying to get help with some info from frequent flyers. As I rarely travel and want to get the most out of the duty free shopping during travels. Are there actually any difference between purchasing duty free items on board versus at the airport?
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Old Jun 21st, 2017, 11:26 AM
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There are seldom huge bargains in Duty free. AA and Delta (probably other carriers as well) don't even offer in-flight duty free anymore. What sorts of things are you looking for and which regions of the world/airports?
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Old Jun 21st, 2017, 12:03 PM
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I have always wondered why you'd shop on board the plane--to save time, perhaps? Would welcome an answer to that question.

I like poking around duty free if time permits, there actually ARE good prices on perfume and whisky, but you must know what a normal price is at home, because not everything is a bargain.

janisj, why does it matter what the OP is looking for?
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Old Jun 22nd, 2017, 07:29 AM
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I read the magazine on board if I am bored but don't think I have ever purchased on the plane.

Usually when I come back from abroad I buy something like the le pliage bags which are lower priced in Europe than the US (from what I have seen in local stores) and on top of that shave off the VAT (10% plus) at duty free. Also have gotten some decent prices on Lancome type skin care.

One advantage IMO is not having to schlep items.
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Old Jun 23rd, 2017, 12:31 PM
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I (used to) often look through the duty free catalog to kill time on a flight. And ONCE a very nice bracelet (three colors of gold) which I had never seen before caught my eye and the price appeared to be reasonable. My wife was very appreciative that evening after getting home.

But would I make a practice of that? Nope.
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Old Jun 23rd, 2017, 02:23 PM
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It sort of depends on where you're from, where you're travelling to and what you're planning to buy.

Duty free is better in some parts of the world than others.

For example, if you're flying into Iceland, alcohol prices in duty free are A LOT less expensive than IN Iceland.

Same if you're flying into Singapore. Or into Australia.

I've never found in flight duty free to be very tempting, regardless of where I've flown.

In flight duty free is pretty limited, usually consisting of perfumes, some jewelry items, the odd bottle of booze and occasionally chocolate.

There's only so much they can take on board.

You'll find a much larger variety of items at the airports in duty free, but whether or not they're a deal depends on where you're from and what you're used to paying at home.
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Old Jun 25th, 2017, 09:08 AM
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I never buy on board but have thought about buying a bottle to take to apartment in Ireland where alcohol prices are very expensive. I always buy alcohol at the airport and chocolate. Longchamp does have good duty free prices but the stores in Paris are still better priced and selection larger.
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