Cheap Duty Free Liquor Airports - the JW Black Index

[Mrmaxwell]

One Litre JW Black Duty Free Index ~Price in Local Currency Vol Location Notes Approx. AUD/L Last Date AU$50 (1L) Sydney Duty Free SYD $50 07APR12 £30.99 (1L) World Duty Free LHR $52 12JUN13 €48.90 (2x1L) Heinemann Duty Free FRA $36 €32.90 (1L) Heinemann Duty Free HAM $48 NZ$48 (1L) Duty Free Stores NZ - pre order NZ $38 SG$39 (1L) Singapore SIN $30 13FEB13 US$34 (1L) Dubai DXB $32 US$39 (1lL) Buckaroo DFW $36 US$75 2x(1L) Buckaroo DFW $31 US$70 (2x1L) Buckaroo DFW $28 NZ$60 (1L) JR Duty Free Arrival AKL $47 AU$50 (1L) F1rst Departures MEL $50 AU$43 (1L) F1rst Arrivals MEL $43 THB1150 (1L) King Power BKK $37 13JUL12 US$38 (1L) DFS Galleria (TBIT) LAX $36 12MAR12 US$30 (1lL) Yangon International Airport RGN $28 21DEC12 CHF42 (1L) Zurich ZRH $44 23DEC12 ZAR410 (1L) tba JNB $45 2APR18 HKD320 (1L) Hong Kong airport HKG $46 12JUL13 DHS143 (1L) Abu Dhabi AUH $43 12JUN13 USD35 (1L) Ho Chi Min SGN $38 12JUL13 MYR108 (1L) Airport KUL $38 12JUL13 AUD49.99 (1L) Perth PER $50 12JUL13 QAR160 (1L) . DOH $57 2APR18 I'd like some more info on where are the cheaper places to purchase (duty free) liquor? As I am based in SYD I find Sydney Airport to be the absolute worst, so always try to avoid giving them a cent. I'm starting to explore the more expensive single malts and blends, so need all the pricing help I can get (I will be doing my first NAN run end of the month - any decent pricing to be found there?)

[TR][/tr]

 

[xt_20]

I made the mistake of purchasing some duty free whiskey from Perth Airport last week -- found it 15% cheaper on the D7 plane to KUL.

 

[serfty]

Singapore is the generally cheapest place I have seen in recent times.

That and the NZ www.dutyfreestores.co.nz pre-orders.

Even USA retail (taxed) seems generally cheaper that MEL/SYD/BNE/PER Duty Free.

 

[NM]

Singapore is the generally cheapest place I have seen in recent times.

Which is one reason I was happy to route through SIN this time

 

[blackcat20]

Even USA retail (taxed) seems generally cheaper that MEL/SYD/BNE/PER Duty Free.

True; picked up a 1.75L bottle of spirits for $USD18...

 

[Danger]

I concur with Singapore. Perth is a joke. Embarrassing, really.

 

[yohy?!]

+1 on SIN, great thread idea too maybe worth a sticky?

 

[joeymelb]

+1 on SIN, great thread idea too maybe worth a sticky?

+2 Changi is not only good liquor, also iPad2/iPhone4! I can tell you that Absolut Vodka is SGD22 in Changi.... ( cos, I just bought 4 bottles....) Note: Aussie wine are more expensive in Changi than Liquorland. For example, Wolf Blass Gold label is A$18 here, SGD$42 in Changi.

 

[Mrmaxwell]

SIN seems to be the place to go...

I've also purchased liquor at Costco in the USA....great pricing.

Good to see Sydney Duty Free current 'special' is JW Red (1L) only $29.99...about the same price as Dan Murphy's WITH duty!

 

[Chrisd26]

Heading towards gate 123A at LAX - small duty free - 2x 1litre Baileys $37!! At Sydney $35 each.

In US most supermarkets eg Jewel and Dominicks have large bottles of gin, vodka etc for less than $20

Nice bottle shop is Binnys - binnys.com for comparison

 

[sweens]

Unfortunatly we here in AU are getting rorted by our local Duty Free stores, so much so they can hardly justify the claim of being duty free!

The following are some recent examples I have come accross recently:

• I was traveling to the U.S. earlier this year and my son requested me to purchase him a bottle of Silver Patron Tequila - price at SYD DF departures A$75, I bought it at Ralphs supermarket in downtown San Diego for $42 USD inc tax, ($39 AUD) normal price not on special.
• 2 weeks ago I bought a 700 mil bottle of JW Black at my local Dan M's for $36.85 this is basically the same price as DF $49.95 for a Litre...sure it was on promo at Dans but with spirits the tax here is very high so no doubt the margins for our Duty Free operators must be huge!
• Last month at LAX I purchased 2 x 1 litre bottles of Chivas for $62 USD at DFS in terminal 4, the price in SYD is around A$99.

So the bottom line is do not DF shop in AU if you have a choice.

As for recomendations, Singapore is a good DF option, other good DF ports that I have visited in the past year include Mauritius and Sri Lanka, where the prices are sharp!

 

[serfty]

Note that the following stores are all owned by the Nuance Group:

SYD Tax & Duty Free
F1RST Tax & Duty Free - Brisbane Duty Free
F1RST Tax & Duty Free - Melbourne Duty Free
F1RST Tax & Duty Free - Perth Duty Free
F1RST Tax & Duty Free - Cairns Duty Free

They missed on Adelaide somehow ... nothing like a neo monopoly!

 

[Foreigner]

It's no wonder duty free shops shut shop downtown. They could see opportunity to rort travelers, both departing and arriving, at the airports.Last December, I bought JW Black at Honolulu. Can't recall price now but was far cheaper than in Sydney airport. You purchase landside and delivery in sealed bags is given just prior to boarding.

 

[Sprucegoose]

Why does everyone think that duty-free will be cheaper.As a wise hongkong sop owner once said to me, Ah duty free, not profit free!!

 

[medhead]

Why does everyone think that duty-free will be cheaper.As a wise hongkong sop owner once said to me, Ah duty free, not profit free!!

Well in theory it can be cheaper by the amount of the duty that isn't charged. But that doesn't take into account the overheads of an airport location, or the costs involved in running a bond store. I wonder how a non-airport located DF store compares on cost?

 

[serfty]

The thing is that the seller of "Duty Free" do not have to pay government excise or tax.

On a cigarette stick this is about 40¢ - that carton of 250 Cigarettes that retails landside at Woolworths for $120 has a Tax/Excise component of around $102, so the cost of manufacture/distribution/sale comes from the remaining $18.

So maybe they could sell for say, $25 and make a reasonable profit?

No; These are being sold for $80 "Duty Free" so there's at least $60 being pocketed by the Airport/DutyFree store - that's a gigantic mark-up.

With Spirits it's similar, but no so graphic. OZ excise/gst on booze over 10% (other than "Brandy") is ~$80 per litre of alcohol.

So that 1 litre bottle of spirit with 40% Alcohol/volume has base taxes of $32 (inc $3.20 GST on the excise). Now add the actual cost of the product and it's GST on that and you are getting there.

Schedule - (1 February 2011)

 

[ermen]

+1 SIN
Bought a bottle fo Baileys for c.SGD$25 thereabouts...
Couldn't believe how expensive AU Duty free was - selling at A$35!!!

 

[sweens]

The thing is that the seller of "Duty Free" do not have to pay government excise or tax.

On a cigarette stick this is about 40¢ - that carton of 250 Cigarettes that retails landside at Woolworths for $120 has a Tax/Excise component of around $102, so the cost of manufacture/distribution/sale comes from the remaining $18.

S maybe they could sell for say, $25?

No; These are being sold for $80 "Duty Free" so there's at least $60 being pocketed by the Airport/DutyFree store - that's a relatively gigantic mark-up.

With Spirits it's similar, but no so graphic.

I agree re the gigantic mark-up...the cost to the retailer of a 1 litre bottle of JW Black without excise or tax would be around $10 ...so with a RSP of $50 there is a massive GP here!

 

[Foreigner]

The thing is that the seller of "Duty Free" do not have to pay government excise or tax.On a cigarette stick this is about 40¢ - that carton of 250 Cigarettes that retails landside at Woolworths for $120 has a Tax/Excise component of around $102, so the cost of manufacture/distribution/sale comes from the remaining $18.So maybe they could sell for say, $25 and make a reasonable profit?No; These are being sold for $80 "Duty Free" so there's at least $60 being pocketed by the Airport/DutyFree store - that's a gigantic mark-up.With Spirits it's similar, but no so graphic. OZ excise/gst on booze over 10% (other than "Brandy") is ~$80 per litre of alcohol. So that 1 litre bottle of spirit with 40% Alcohol/volume has base taxes of $32 (inc $3.20 GST on the excise). Now add the actual cost of the product and it's GST on that and you are getting there.Schedule - (1 February 2011)

Being an airport concessionaire, their overheads may be far greater than retailers elsewhere, hence their higher markups. A case of passing costs from airport owners to consumers.

 

[Sprucegoose]

Being an airport concessionaire, their overheads may be far greater than retailers elsewhere, hence their higher markups. A case of passing costs from airport owners to consumers.

In DC smokes are $4 a pack.I bought a carton as a gift, of course, at that terrible LAX for $31.