The Loop Dublin Airport

Craggy Jon

Maybe I'm stupid. I understood that the Click and Collect facility at The Loop in Dublin Airport was designed for passengers to purchase their duty free goods, at duty free prices, and rather than hauling the purchases with you as you travelled, leave them in Dublin Airport, and collect them from The Loop desk on your return.

I ordered a bottle of spirits and a bottle of perfume online a couple of days before I travelled to the UK. When I arrived back into Dublin Airport, they had my goods ready, but they had charged me at High Street prices, rather than Duty Free prices. When I queried this, I was told 'Duty free prices do no apply when collecting on arrival into Ireland. In order to get duty free you must be leaving Ireland and travelling through a non EU destination. As you selected to collect on your arrival, the duty paid price applies as the good have not left the country'.

If nothing else, let this be a warning to anybody who was under the same impression as me.

L1011

Duty free can only apply on products you personally remove from the state, so you were charged the legally correct price

AndyBoBandy

I know it's called The Loop, but the click and collect service they offer isn't a loophole to avoid paying tax on items you will receive/consume in Ireland...

Spook_ie

Maybe we're both stupid but I'd read it that way to

I have hand baggage only, will I be able to travel with my shopping?

• When you purchase items either in store or online, your goods are packed in a special clear plastic bag so that it can pass through Customs. Once you fly, this packaging covers you for 24 hours travel, including connections (once it remains sealed). If you intend flying back with your liquid items, you will need to ensure that they comply with the liquid size restrictions. To avoid this scenario when shopping online, you can select to collect your purchases at Arrivals on the return leg of your journey. Alternatively, when shopping in store, you can use our ‘Shop & Collect’ service and store your shopping with us for collection on your return to Ireland.

skallywag

Don't think you can bring duty free goods back into the state? In that case you need to pay the duty on them I guess?

AndyBoBandy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121509689#Comment_121509689

There's nothing stopping you bringing any goods you buy back into the state, but if they are Duty Free goods purchased in the state, then they should be declared and duty paid on them... so all they are offering here is to hold onto your purchases for you and charging you the tax up front to save you having to do it later upon your return with the goods...

Spook_ie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121509704#Comment_121509704

Not sure, if you buy duty free in one of their sealed see through bags, is it still duty free when you return and the bag is still sealed?

• How much Duty-Free product am I allowed to bring on my return journey from the UK back into Ireland?
• Alcohol
• 16 litres of beer, 4 litres of still wine, 1 litre of spirits OR 2 litres of sparkling wine, fortified wine or any alcoholic beverage less than 22% ABV.

• Tobacco
• 200 cigarettes OR 100 cigarillos OR 50 cigars OR 250g tobacco OR any propportional combination of the above.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121509745#Comment_121509745

Customs would probably not see it as such, even though the impact is exactly the same. But that'll be customs decision anyway.

You can actually use the loop collect service without flying at all. It's duty paid only

AndyBoBandy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121509745#Comment_121509745

is it still duty free when you return and the bag is still sealed

not if you are returning to it's original place of purchase. but the chances of being pulled for it would be slim in my opinion.... you just need your return flight to be within 24 hours of point/time of sale... or just have a check in bag for your return flight...

Spook_ie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121509761#Comment_121509761

Not according to their website Q&A

Do I need to be flying to use the 'Click & Collect' or the 'Shop & Collect' service?

• Yes, you must be flying and in possession of a valid boarding card to use these services.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121509770#Comment_121509770

Not been the case since the pickup was moved beyond the baggage hall in t1. It's opposite the car hire now

Foggy Jew

It's very misleading. They should point this 'loophole' (see what I did there?) to the flying public.

tnegun

I agree its is misleading I flew at the weekend and was offered by the sales person to collect the purchases on my return rather than carry them with me. No mention that in doing so I was loosing the Duty free status I promptly paid for both my and my wifes purchases and it was only when I saw the receipt upon collection I realised what happened and that we had been charged including taxes.

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121509769#Comment_121509769

From the point of view of Customs it's irrelevant whether you carry it on or have it in a checked in bag. The sealed bag is just because of airline security restrictions on carry-on liquids.

Also if I am entering Ireland from a non-EU state with a litre of duty-free spirits, it shouldn't matter whether I bought it in Dublin on the way out and brought it back on my return, or I bought it at my destination. The effect is the same and I am allowed bring 1L of duty-free spirits into the country. (I 'exported' it on my outbound trip as required by law, and now I am importing it within my duty-free allowance on my return)

What you definitely can't do is buy 1L on the way out and then another on the way back and bring both back (although plenty of booze cruisers seem to do this)

Caranica

Shop and collect is only available to people travelling within the EU according to signage in the Loop shops.

Hotblack Desiato

I'm not too sure why people would avail of Dublin's wonderful duty-free spirits prices though, given that in pretty much anywhere outside the EU it's cheaper to buy at your destination and bring it back.

Even in the days when duty-free was allowed within the EU, it was often cheaper to buy duty-paid at the destination rather than duty-free in Dublin.

If you're desperate to buy a posh Irish whiskey as a gift for your friend in $DESTINATION where it can't be got, then maybe.

OP you could have rejected the purchase under online selling rules if you'd ordered it less than 14 days prior. Actually I think that 14 day period starts upon obtaining the goods so you still could 😁