Shopping in Italy
The dream of every woman is infinite shopping in the cities of Italy, because every woman knows that shopping in Italy is not just about walking around the stores. Shopping in Italy becomes a ritual! The purchases, the choice, the assortment, the sales, the visits of different shopping locations – all this becomes science, which is hard to master for someone who has not lived in Italy for quite some time and understood what shopping in Italy is all about.
In general, people go to Italy for all kinds of goods. Some of the things that are usually brought from Italy include straw hats, brooches with various kinds of Venetian masks, fancy ceramic dolls and clowns. There is a wide variety of fur clothes and high quality footwear, You can find very high quality leather goods as well, like coats, jackets, and bags, clothes from Italy's famous designers, knitwear, beautiful bedroom sets, ceramics, crystal, jewelry, souvenirs, old style picture frames or a custom made copy of an ancient statue.
You can also visit the markets in big cities of Italy. The markets do not work all the time, but only 1-2 times a week. Every city chooses its own days of the week. If the price is not written on a product that is sold in the market, it means that you can get a bargain on that item, and probably a good price. There are goods for the household, flowers, clothing, and dishes sold aplenty in the markets. Sometimes the stores in Italy, especially in the open markets, sell the remaining inventory from the warehouses.
It is worth noting that the large stores in Italy and shopping centers have lower prices, as compared to the smaller retailers. You can bargain just about anywhere, except for the supermarkets, where the prices are fixed. And talking about price reductions in boutiques is not customary.
There is a system of seasonal discounts in Italy (sconti) from January 7th through March 1st, and from July 10th to August 31st. The seller is obliged to indicate the basis price of the goods as well as a discount price. There are also commercial discounts in Italy, which entail discounts and price reductions during different times of the year, regardless of the season, as well as stores where goods are sold at a discount year round. Italian people prefer to make their purchases in the markets or small shops further away from downtown, where everything tends to be overpriced.
If you are looking for discounts in Italy you may find small shops near warehouses in provinces, where items and collections from the previous seasons – "prêt-a-porte" –, are on sale. These items, even those by famous designers, are considerably cheaper compared to the capital or other big cities.
At "tax-free" stores in Italy you can obtain a special receipt that gives you the right to obtain a tax refund of the sales tax on all your purchases at the customs, when you leave Italy. A "tax-free" receipt can be issued by a seller if the buyer can present his or her passport, and only for purchases that exceed $160.
It is useful to know that the value added tax (VAT) in Italy is 12% for clothing and 19% for luxury items. When you make a purchase the VAT is usually already included in the price, which might not always be the case for services.
At the airport, port, or at the border you need to have a passport and your purchases (they should be new and unused, in the original wrapping/boxes), in order to ask the custom representative to stamp your tax-Free receipt. And you will receive the reimbursement immediately, in cash (usually around 15% of the product's cost) in accordance with your Tax-Free receipts at any Tax-Free Cash Refund office in the airports of Italy and Europe, sea ports, and other border points. If you prefer to receive the money on a credit card simply mail your stamped receipt using the envelope that already has the address on it.
