Ultimate Guide to Shopping at Louis Vuitton in Paris

France

Ultimate Guide to Shopping at Louis Vuitton in Paris

Deals, Designer Goods, France, Louis Vuitton

How can someone not go shopping at Louis Vuitton in Paris? It’s almost like a requirement! Right next to eating a croissant at a cafe or visiting the Eiffel Tower. Out of all the french luxury brands out there, I don’t think there is any name more famous than Louis Vuitton. Louis Vuitton was the first luxury brand that I was interested in and is where I bought my first luxury bag ever. It was a Speedy 25 and it lasted me 10 years! It just goes to show you how buying something of good quality will last you a very long time.

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Louis Vuitton Paris Flagship Store

We ended up visiting a lot of Louis Vuitton stores around Paris, but for this section, I’m just going to concentrate on their flagship store located on Champs-Élysées since I assume most people would want to visit. Otherwise, personally, I don’t really like going to the flagship store because it gets kind of touristy and sometimes the service can be a hit or miss. The only reason I would tell you to go to the flagship store is if this is your first time or if you are looking for the classics. The store is massive and therefore has a wider selection than the smaller boutique stores. In the end, I had to go to the flagship store since none of the other stores had what I was looking for.

Louis Vuitton Paris Flagship Store Hours

You can find the current hours below or on their website here. Please always check before you go.

Photo courtesy of https://us.louisvuitton.com/

How Long is The Wait at the Louis Vuitton Flagship Store?

For this visit, I decided I wanted to get there super early and be one of the first people in line. This is because if you don’t go when the store first opens, your item might sell out by the end of the day. The store refreshes their inventory every day so it’s important to be one of the first people in so you have first dibs on whatever they have in stock.

As part of my research for the blog, I decided to record how busy the line gets before it opens so you have an idea of how to plan for your visit. The opening time is at 10:00 am.

9:06 I arrived and I was second in line. A group of guys was already standing in line.
9:16 Another guy came but was a part of the first group
9:23 Two more groups came (1 guy and an older couple)
9:29 One more guy
9:33 Two girls
9:42 Another group of three girls
9:43 One more guy
9:44 A family of four
9:46 One girl
9:47 Two guys
9:48 A group of four
9:49 A couple
9:53 Another couple
9:57 (I stopped counting at this point since I couldn’t see that far back anymore)
9:58 The security guard came out to set up stanchions
10:01 They started letting appointments or pickups check in first (people not waiting in line)
10:03 They finally started letting people that were in line come inside. They allowed the first few groups to go in at the same time. I was part of the first group.

So, by the time the doors opened, at least 14 groups of people were in line. Again, I was second and got to be let in during the first round of people. Would I say it was worth standing in line for an hour? For me, yes. I would rather stand in line early and get the first pick of the items they have in stock instead of waiting in line later in the day only to have them tell me they sold out.

People standing in line at the Flagship Louis Vuitton in Paris

VAT (Tax) Refund Information

The VAT refund will depend on whether you want it back in cash (euros) or back on your credit card. I’ve chosen credit cards every time thinking that I’m obviously going to get more money back so why would I do cash. The problem is that with credit cards, there is a small processing fee that they don’t really tell you about. In the end, not sure how much the processing fees are, but I definitely didn’t get the full 12% back.

Cash: 10.8%
Credit Card: 12% (minus processing fees)

Is it Cheaper to Buy Louis Vuitton in Paris?

It is definitely cheaper right now to buy Louis Vuitton in Paris than it is to buy it back in the U.S. This has a lot to do with the fact that the dollar is pretty strong against the euro at the moment. When we were there, the currency exchange was $1.16 to 1 euro. This is a great rate for people that want to buy luxury items. I remember when I went to Europe back in 2008, the exchange rate was $1.60 to 1 euro! I still cringe about that to this day. I literally picked the worst time to go to Europe. Luckily now, the exchange rate is in our favor so buying Louis Vuitton in Paris is much cheaper. Even today, as I’m writing this blog, the exchange rate has dropped even further to now $1.13 to 1 euro.

Which is Cheaper for Louis Vuitton: Hawaii or Paris?

It is currently cheaper to buy Louis Vuitton in Paris than it is in Hawaii. After doing all the calculations below, your Paris savings comes out to about 31%-36% while you only save 5%-12% in Hawaii. If you are not going to Paris soon though, then Hawaii is your next best bet. I wrote a whole separate Louis Vuitton Hawaii Shopping Guide if you are interested in reading more about it here.

Louis Vuitton Paris Prices

For the conversion rate, I’m using $1.16 USD for 1 euro. Please keep in mind that the currency fluctuates so the savings may not always be the same. I’m also using the current Los Angeles Sales Tax rate of 9.5%. Of course, if you live in a different city, your taxes may be a different percentage. but since I live in L.A., I thought I would just use it as an example. Lastly, all the savings I’ve calculated below are pre-customs. This means I did not calculate the customs tax that you may have to pay on your way back home.

Louis Vuitton Speedy Bandoulière 25 (Damier Ebene)

Louis Vuitton Paris Price: 1,250 Euros (or ~$1,450 USD)
Mainland U.S. Price: $1,690 + $160.55 (9.5% Los Angeles Sales Tax) = $1,850.55 USD
VAT Refund (~12% Back on Credit Card): 150 Euros or ~$174 USD
Price After VAT Refund: 1,100 Euros or ~$1,276 USD
Louis Vuitton Paris Savings: $1,850.55-$1,276= ~$574.55 (~31% off)

Louis Vuitton Speedy Bandoulière 25 2021 Paris Price

Louis Vuitton Speedy Bandoulière 25 N41368 Photo courtesy of https://us.louisvuitton.com/

Louis Vuitton Speedy Bandoulière 25 (Bicolor Monogram)

Louis Vuitton Paris Price: 2,050 Euros (or ~$2,378 USD)
Mainland U.S. Price: $2,870 + $272.65 (9.5% Los Angeles Sales Tax for example) = $3,142.60 USD
VAT Refund (~12% Back on Credit Card): 246 Euros or ~$285.36 USD
Price After VAT Refund: 1,804 Euros or ~$2,092.64 USD
Louis Vuitton Paris Savings: $3,142.60-$2,092.64= ~$1,049.96 (~33.4% off)

Louis Vuitton Speedy Bandoulière 25 (Bicolor Monogram) 2021 Paris Price

Photo courtesy of https://us.louisvuitton.com/

Louis Vuitton Vavin PM

Louis Vuitton Paris Price: 1,850 Euros (or ~$2,146 USD)
Mainland U.S. Price: $2,500 + $237.50 (9.5% Los Angeles Sales Tax) = $2,737.50 USD
VAT Refund (~12% Back on Credit Card): 222 Euros or ~$257.52 USD
Price After VAT Refund: 1,620 Euros or ~$1,888.48 USD
Louis Vuitton Paris Savings: $2,737.50-$1,888.48= ~$849.02 (~31% off)