Are designer goods (not fake) cheaper in Dubai? - Dubai Forum (2024)

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So Divine, its not a case of bargaring in the designer shops I have read that people in dubai will ask if there can be a discount applied. I supose the more you buy get a bit knocked off, poss we would do that as well,

I cant understand either why if we pay high vat that doesnt reflect in a duty free country on purchases.

however i had a bag in the US from the LV store and it was the same price here in the UK, as i had to change it when I got back , so i cant work that one out either

I know some of the designers have web sites for the individual country and you can look at prices on line ie some LV stores do..

Contrary to what people think Dubai is not cheap.

Does anyone know if the Dubai summer suprises festival makes a real difference to the prices?

You will proably find that Dubai is like most countries of the world in the selling of the goods.

The Goods are market priced buy the manufacturer, and what this means is they balance out local taxes and charges to allow the goods to valued at a similar level throughout there world markets.

In essence if in the UK it would be £200 inc of VAT (£165 + 17.5%)

The price would most likely be AED1420 tax free or with exchange rate £200 ie: the same price to you and me.

This is a very common practice for all sorts of commodities.

The good thing about Dubai and its designer shopping is that all the fashion houses are present normally in the same Mall with the most up to date designs in all sizes and availability.

This is not to say you might find a bargain.

Happy Holidays

thank you so much tigerdaly..my question answered!

Tigerdaly is correct, the fashion houses/manufacturers set the price by country.

There are some very wealthy people in Dubai who will purchase designer goods and are happy to pay those prices set which just happens to be similar to the UK.

Other parts of the world are cheaper, Thailand and certainly Indonesia are cheaper, I got a Versace tie at Plaza Indonesia much cheaper than it was here in the UK, (Plaza Indonesia for the interested ones is probably similar to the Mall of Emirates but maybe has more designer shops including Lacroix and Oscar De La Renta and everyone else Chanel, Gucci, Prada, Armani etc etc inbetween).

Japan on the other hand subsidise the rest of the world as they pay more - I think 10% - than anywhere else simply because the fashion houses know they can get away with it and the Japanese will happily spend more, indeed the designers all have huge flagship stores in Japan usually Tokyo of course.

If you've been there you'll understand what I mean, you'll see a woman walking down the street literally dripping in Chanel and the like and she's not a high flyer in the business world but a 'normal' office girl!

Sorry to go off topic somewhat, but back on topic, it's been an interesting thread as my wife wanted to pick up a pair of Camper's on our stop off in Dubai but after hearing that prices are similar to UK she might get them elsewhere, probably at our main destination.

Thanks.

Depends on where you're coming from and how your currency stacks up against the dirham.

As an Australian, it is cheaper in Dubai. For example, Louis Vuitton is on average about $100 cheaper for one of their bags, slightly less for a wallet or other small leather good. Comparing it to the price that I'd pay in the US and ultimately pay upon conversion, it's still cheaper. Gucci is also similar in the price saving.

Happy, you took the words right out of my mouth! I bought Armani sunglasses, had the lenses taken out and prescription put in all for about half I would pay here. Grandad also got a good deal on designer specs. We bought a new camera after a great deal of bargaining and thought it was a good price. It was stolen in Nice

( hey that was fun) so bought the exact same in Bangkok in a Dept store for less than we paid in Dubai with no time wasting.

I was dumb enough to go away without taking shoes( because I thought it was shopping heaven) so forced to buy in Dubai, but they were not cheap.

Otaku, I don’t think I left a shoe store unturned and I don’t recall seeing any Campers. I considered buying some in Madrid, and wish I had, as I saw the same ones here in Sydney last week more than twice the price.

Campers are in Mall of the Emirates opposite the Oakley shop. Not cheap, but is all i wear.

DSF can give bargains, but to be honest, we have seen UK prices left on clothes in certain stores that are cheaper than the Dirham price. stores tend to put just a few items on sale now, unlike before where everything was on sale. obviously copying the UK sales strategy.

Watches, Gold, Diamonds, Cameras & electronics cheaper than UK, and in some cases up to 50% cheaper (especially Jewelry)

IPods, PS3 more expensive.

Dubai is getting ridiculously expensive and is NOT the shoppers paradise anymore.

i would definitely recommend keeping in mind what you want and checking the prices out before you leave home.

we are currently looking for a diamond and are getting cheaper prices from the states than here. but we have not started haggling yet.

Before I left I also checked prices. I went to Louis Vuitton and Gucci to work out the price I'd pay after getting my tax back at our airport, and also called the stores in Dubai to get their prices.

If you have your heart set on something, I think that's the best way to go.

KJR42, we downloaded the MOE PDF with the store map on so we know where the Camper shop is but what would you say is the size of the shop?

Would you say that they have a large range or is the selection limited.

My wife also wishes she had bought in Spain. we saw plenty of shops in Seville and Granada, but hey ho.