Whether you are a tourist visiting Australia or an international student, airport duty-free shops are a must-visit destination. Renowned worldwide for their significant tax exemptions, extensive range of goods, and high-quality services, Australia’s duty-free shopping experience is highly regarded. Apart from duty-free shops located within airports, several large duty-free shops can be found in major Australian cities such as Sydney and Melbourne.
So, what are the worthwhile purchases in these places, and what offers the best value for money? If you’re struggling to find duty-free shop addresses, unsure about how to claim tax refunds, or simply want to experience different duty-free shops, today uhomes has compiled a guide to shopping experiences and avoiding pitfalls in Australia’s famous duty-free shops, hoping to assist you
1. Five Places for Duty-free Shopping
1.1 T Galleria by DFS, Duty-free shopping Sydney
DFS Galleria is the world’s largest duty-free shop, with locations in 14 countries, offering many luxury items that are exclusive to its stores. The DFS Galleria in Australia is located in two cities: Sydney and Cairns. And the DFS Galleria Sydney is situated in The Rocks, the most historically and culturally rich area of Sydney. It features four floors of retail space with a total area of 4000 square meters, making it the largest downtown duty-free shop in Australia. In the Sydney DFS store, the main watch brands include Omega, Bulgari, Cartier, Hermes, and Longines, along with a variety of globally renowned jewelry, leather goods, cosmetics, sunglasses, and locally sourced souvenirs.
Address: The Rocks, 155 George Street, Sydney, Australia
Phone: +61 2 8243 8666
Business Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM (hours may vary depending on the season)
1.2 DFS Galleria Cairns, Duty-free shopping Cairns
The Cairns DFS, like other branches of DFS duty-free stores, is located in the lively streets of Cairns, at the intersection of Abbott Street and Spence Street. This store has two levels and offers a wide range of products, including top-tier branded watches, jewelry, cosmetics, perfumes, leather goods, fashion accessories, and the latest European and American fashion items, ensuring an unforgettable shopping experience.
Address: Abbott Street & Spence Street, Cairns, Australia (Intersection of Abbott Street and Spence Street, Cairns, Queensland, Australia)
Phone: +61 7 4031 2446
Business Hours: Currently temporarily closed
1.3 Heinemann Tax & Duty Free, Sydney Airport Duty-free Shops
The Heinemann Duty-Free Store at Sydney Airport offers a wide range of high-quality products at attractive prices. During promotions, customers can enjoy an additional 30% off on top of the duty-free prices, making it very cost-effective. The store features boutique counters of renowned brands such as Lancôme and Estée Lauder.
Heinemann offers a comprehensive range of products, including liquor, champagne, electronics, perfumes, cosmetics, watches, eyewear, confectionery, fashion bags, and clothing. For online purchases, they provide a service where you can collect your pre-packed items upon departure or upon returning to the airport. It’s worth noting that the store accepts cash and credit cards only.
Address: International Terminal 1, Sydney Airport, Mascot NSW 2020
Phone: +61 1800 464 666
Business Hours: 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM
1.4 Lotte Duty Free
Lotte Duty Free was established in February 1980 and is the world’s second-largest travel retailer. It operates 20 duty-free stores across seven international locations, including Australia, Guam, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Thailand, and Vietnam. In Australia, Lotte Duty Free has outlets in Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, and Melbourne. The stores offer a wide range of duty-free retail products and provide a pre-order service for all items with ‘click and collect’ options. At Lotte Duty Free, you can purchase various items such as alcohol, food, watches, perfumes, skincare products, souvenirs, electronics, cigarettes, and other travel goods. Shopping is available both before and after security screening.
Brisbane Store
Address: Airport Dr, Eagle Farm QLD 4009
Phone: +61 1300 388 937
Business Hours: 4:00 AM – 2:30 PM
Canberra Store
Address: International Terminal, Canberra Airport, Canberra ACT 2609
Phone: +61 1300 388 937
Business Hours: Closed temporarily
Darwin Store
Address: Henry Wrigley Dr, Marrara NT 0812
Phone: +61 1300 388 937
Business Hours: Open 24 hour
Melbourne Store
Address: 185 Swanston St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: +61 1300 388 937
Business Hours: 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM
1.5 Perth Duty Free, Duty-free shop Perth Airport
Perth Duty Free is a duty-free shop owned by Dufry, the world’s largest travel retail company. In Australia, there are two locations, one in the departure lounge and one in the arrival hall of Perth International Airport. The store offers over 100 internationally renowned brands, duty-free goods, and exclusive products, including cigarettes, alcohol, perfumes and cosmetics, health products, and specialty foods.
Address: Level 1, Terminal 1 International, Perth Airport WA 6105
Phone: +61 1800 733 000
Business Hours: Open 24 hours
2. Tips for Duty-free Shopping, Australia
1. Avoid purchasing large quantities of chocolate
While chocolates on duty-free shelves are much cheaper compared to other items, the same chocolates are often priced at less than half the price in supermarkets, and supermarkets frequently offer discounts. It is recommended to purchase chocolate products from supermarkets such as Coles and Woolworths.
2. Skincare and beauty products offer minimal discounts
The prices of cosmetics and skincare products in duty-free shops are similar to those during major promotions like Black Friday, and the only advantage is that duty-free shops often offer many samples for free.
3. Electronics: Compare Prices in Advance
When it comes to electronic products, thorough research is necessary. Some products are suitable to buy at duty-free stores, while for others, it may be more cost-effective to purchase them from regular stores and claim a tax refund afterward.
4. Tobacco and Alcohol: Must-Buy Items
Tobacco and alcohol, heavily taxed products within Australia, are best purchased at duty-free stores. In Australia, a pack of cigarettes costs over 20 dollars. Comparatively, cigarettes sold at duty-free stores are much cheaper as they are exempt from tobacco tax. Therefore, it is advisable for tourists to stock up on tobacco products.
Regarding alcohol, if purchasing Australian wine, it is recommended to visit a bottle shop where you can claim a tax refund of 14.5% upon departure. Therefore, tourists intending to buy wine should avoid purchasing it at the airport!
However, the situation is different for spirits. Spirits bought at retail stores cannot be refunded upon departure like other goods. In contrast, spirits at the airport’s duty-free stores are very cost-effective.
3. How to Claim Tax Refund After Shopping？
For items purchased outside of airport duty-free shops, tax refund can be claimed upon departure: Australian residents and overseas visitors leaving Australia can apply for a refund of Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Wine Equalisation Tax (WET) on goods purchased in Australia and carried as accompanied baggage overseas.
3.1 Requirments for Tax Refund
Goods purchased within 60 days prior to leaving Australia are eligible for tax refund, based on the invoice date.
A minimum spend of $300 AUD is required for tax refund: This refers to purchasing items totaling over $300 AUD (including GST) from a single retailer. (Note: It doesn’t have to be a single purchase of $300 AUD. Accumulating purchases totaling over $300 AUD is also acceptable, but the condition is that the ABN number on the invoices must be the same. For some chain stores, different branches may have the same ABN number, so purchases can be accumulated in such cases.)
3.2 Items Eligible for Tax Refund
Items subject to GST (Value Added Tax): such as computers, mobile phones, cosmetics, designer bags, jewelry, watches, electronics, etc.
Items not eligible for tax refund:
- Beer, spirits, tobacco, and tobacco products cannot be refunded.
- GST-free items cannot be refunded (e.g., medicine, food), and services cannot be refunded (e.g., accommodation fees, car rental fees, travel insurance, etc.).
- Gift vouchers, discount vouchers, etc.
- Items that have been used in Australia (perfume, chocolate, wine must not be opened, or else they cannot be refunded).
- Dangerous goods.
- Receipts dated more than 60 days before departure are not eligible for tax refunds.
Additionally, for purchases over $1000, certain conditions apply: the purchaser’s name and Australian address must be provided on the receipt to ensure that the person claiming the refund is the same as the purchaser. When claiming the refund, the individual must present their passport and boarding pass. If the name on the receipt does not match the name on the passport, the Australian Customs will not process the refund.
During the refund process, non-valuable or checked baggage items do not need to be carried and inspected personally. People can handle the checked baggage process before going through security checks.
3.3 Tax refund locations and procedures
Upon arrival at the airport, locate the Customs and Quarantine Office and hand over the items requiring tax refund to the staff for inspection. After inspection, you will receive a “Goods Sighted” stamp on the invoice.
However, luxury items, electronics, jewelry, watches, and other valuable items cannot be checked in directly. They must be carried through security and then processed at the tax refund counter.
After passing through security, proceed through customs and find the counter marked with TRS.
When processing the tax refund, present your passport, boarding pass, purchase invoices, etc., to the staff to initiate the refund process. The TRS Tax Refund app is available for use at major airports in Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney. The app allows you to input the information from your refund receipt in advance, saving you time. It is highly recommended! Simply search “TRS” in your phone’s app store to download.
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FAQ
To claim a tax refund, you must have a valid paper tax invoice in English containing your name (for purchases over $1000), a description of the goods, the retailer’s name, address, and ABN, the amount of GST or WET paid, and the date of purchase. You’ll also need to present your passport, boarding pass, and original tax invoices to the TRS Facility on the day of departure.
No, you cannot claim a tax refund for goods purchased online in Australia. The tax refund scheme applies only to goods bought in physical stores within Australia and taken out of the country with you.
No, the tax refund scheme is not applicable to purchases made for business purposes. Only purchases made for personal use and taken out of the country by international travelers, including Australians, are eligible for tax refunds.
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