Limitation of LV and Gucci
 

Hi,

Is there a limit of LV and Gucci products per person can buy?

Is the limitation apply to the same design? or item bought at the same store?

Thanks.

At those prices, one is too many.

The most I have bought at one time was 2 handbags, 2 men's wallets, and 1 women's billfold. I've heard that there is a limit, but I guess I have never gone over the limit.

Sorry-forgot to say this was at the LV Boutique in Nice.

I've never heard of a limit but have not bought anything since the franc was 10 to the dollar--guess that REALLY ages me. The main LV store in Paris was a trip unto itself--very crowded but organized and when you finally reached a sales assistant it was like having a personal shopper. Hermes was the same. Those were the days!!!

HI cge,

If you are planning on purchasing a lot of expensive stuff with the hope of returning to your home country and selling it at a profit, don't.

((I))

If you are a US citizen and planning to bring your LV/Gucci products back to the US, you have to declare your goods and pay <i>duty</i> to the Customs Officer if you bought more than $800 of goods.

LV, at least, tries to limit purchases if they suspect that someone is buying merchandise for resale abroad (gray market), but exactly how they decide whom they'll limit and how, I'm not sure (in general, in France, if someone wants to buy something that you're selling to the public, you can't refuse). LV prices are much higher abroad than within France, in many cases (such as China), and LV doesn't like to lose any money, even though the Parisian prices already include a handsome margin, so they work to limit gray market purchases.

It is said (although I've not personally been approached) that tourists from the Far East in the vicinity of the store will sometimes ask strangers to take vast amounts of cash into the store and buy as much as possible of certain items, in order to work around LV's attempts to restrict purchases. I can confirm that there are plenty of tourists from the Orient milling about near the store, but how many of them are truly buying for resale on the gray market is hard to say.

If you're American, I don't think they'll care, but you still have to worry about customs in the U.S.

If you mean how many of the same product you can get; depends on the product. LV limits one per customer for their monogram canvas line within a time frame. Not per store, but per purchase and they track you so there's no way of getting around it. And ditto to what yk said.

For what's it worth -- I was approached outside the LV store on the Champs to purchase products for someone else. I don't know how they could prevent them from buying or how they could tell I was buying for them, but the whole thing bothered me so I refused.

In May of 2007 I bought 2 handbags of the same style and 2 men's wallets of the same style. This was in Nice-maybe the shops in Paris are different?

AnthonyA

In March of 2006 I was approached by a well-dressed couple on the Champs Elysee. They said they were from China. They chatted me up for a few minutes and then asked I could do them a favour. They asked me to take some cash Euros and make a purchase in the LV store around the corner. Feeling adventurous I agreed. They gave me 600 Euros and asked me to buy and woman's purse. I went into the store and looked around. I was hesitant to make a purchase in case it was the wrong purse. I went back out to check with my new Asian friends. They said it didn't matter what style. I went back into LV and made my choice. I went to the cash to pay and the security officer approached me and asked if I was purchasing for myself. I said no. Then he said other security officers had seen me talking with an oriental couple. The clerk then said she could not sell any item to me. I asked if I could purchase something for myself. They said no and gently escorted me to the door. I went back to my new friends, gave them their money back and carried on my merry way. I realized later, I could be setting myself up for trouble. The cash could have been counterfeit or I could be part of a sting operation.

Alls well that ends well. It is one more story I can tell my children.

Hi tc,

&gt; I realized later, I could be setting myself up for trouble. The cash could have been counterfeit or I could be part of a sting operation.&lt;

That is why you don't do favors for strangers in foreign countries. :)

((I))

I know someone who had the same experience. An Asian woman (she thought she was Chinese but not sure) asked her if she would make some purchases for her. My friend declined. The Asian woman was not pleased. Best to not do favors for strangers is my motto.

Hi ira,

No, i am purchasing them for my own usages and also helping some friends to buy.

i am quite worried that since some items that i will be getting in pair... not sure whether does LV limit the purchase.

Thanks.

Two of the same thing shouldn't set off any alarms. Ask to have some of them wrapped as cadeaux. If I remember, all purchases are beautifully presented but even if your friends are paying the items you are bringing back, it would be fun to have the items gift wrapped. Do take heed of US Customs--they are mostly looking for drugs and banned agricultural products but they do stop the occasional person for a random check. If you are traveling with other family members, you can combine your total duty free allowances i.e. $800 x 2 or x 3, etc. If you go over the allowance, better to 'fess up and pay the fine which I think is initially 10% depending on how much you are over. All is detailed on the US Customs web site.

Cge: Note the post above which states that you can only buy ONE of each item from the monogram line.

I think that the &quot;helping friends to buy&quot; might be an issue for you on certain items.

Louis Vuitton does limit sales, but what it does is against the law. However, as the largest purveyor of luxury goods in the world, what it does is tolerated by the authorities, since it restrains the parallel market in Asia.

The LV shops in Paris may limit you to ONE monogram of each style, but I know for sure that the shop in Nice does not. I recently bought 2 identical handbags and 2 identical men's wallets in the same shop, same day, same transaction.

The Brussels LV and Gucci stores are also less strict. The LV store on the Blvd. Waterloo is fairly large and has quite an extensive selection, but the Gucci store a few doors down is smaller.
If cge values shopping more than sightseeing in Paris and truly plans to buy several LV items, then it might be worth a 90 minute hop on the Thalys to Brussels.
But...I can think of much better ways to spend a free day in Paris...