A service for the transportation of luxury brand items to Russia has appeared

The other day, a passenger on a flight from Baku was detained in Moscow, in whose luggage a pile of clothes and accessories of premium brands was found – of course, new and bought for resale in Russia. The approximate cost of goods is more than 9.3 million rubles. Since the lady did not fill out the customs declaration, she faces a criminal case on smuggling. However, such smugglers are perhaps the only opportunity for many Muscovites to still get a luxury item.

The MK correspondent found out what the situation is in the capital’s boutiques today, and how you can still get premium items.

Of course, talking about the fact that, they say, everything, well, absolutely everyone is gone is an artistic exaggeration. Indeed, many luxury brands have left Russia, but enough of those who have remained. For example, boutiques with Italian very (without exaggeration!) expensive items made of natural wool, cashmere and cotton still operate in the center of Moscow, where an unremarkable outwardly dress can cost more than 500 thousand rubles, and woolen trousers are sold for 250-300 thousand.

These brands have regular customers. They create demand. Of course, no one expects that a random person from the street will suddenly come in and impulsively buy such a thing, succinctly explains one of the saleswomen of a large department store.

Now let’s look at bags. The common name for expensive investment bags, as stylists call them, has long been “Louis Vuitton”, and it really is no longer on Moscow shelves, just like there is no Chanel or Dior. However, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Armani, Givenchy, Prada and many other brands are still available to buyers – not the second row, no, but still the first, simply choosing a different position. So for those who are determined to spend 200-250 thousand on a handbag, there is still plenty to choose from.

– We expect a surge in purchases closer to the New Year. People will come, there is no doubt about it. There are always those who intend to spend money and choose a gift – no matter for themselves or loved ones. And you need to understand: now there are fewer opportunities to make a gift. Someone can easily argue like this: they say, yes, I wanted to buy Chanel, but I didn’t have time, which means we need to take Prada as soon as possible! – comments another saleswoman.

The consultant emphasizes that the handbags that are on the counter are from the spring-summer collection. Not last year’s, of course, but not quite fresh either. Most of the novelties of the autumn-winter season have not yet reached Russia (even if we are talking about those brands that have remained). Whether it will arrive in the future is unknown: according to the sellers, it all resembles a lottery.

“Hey, you can ask the girls in the beauty department. Two French brands with the same position, Guerlain and Chanel. New items “Guerlain” have recently been brought, but “Chanel” is not. We ourselves cannot understand what it depends on,” the consultant adds.

However, one should not forget about an important nuance: according to the requirements of one of the packages of anti-Russian sanctions, it is forbidden to import luxury goods into Russia, including clothes and accessories, more than 300 euros per unit of goods. 90% of luxury accessories and clothing fall under this restriction, so they may well disappear due to natural causes.

Whether parallel imports will succeed is an open question: expensive handbags are definitely not on the list of goods that can be considered important and necessary. Accordingly, due to the same limitation, it is worth saying goodbye to the idea of ​​ordering such goods directly from abroad.

There is still such an opportunity – as one of the employees of a large transport company previously explained in a conversation with an MK correspondent, it is possible that a client places an order on the website of a foreign online store and indicates the address of the warehouse in the country where the store is located as the delivery point . Then he transfers all checks to the transport company and waits for delivery. However, recently (after the imposition of sanctions), the attention of customs services to parcels to Russia has become much closer, so it’s not worth expecting that it will be possible to smuggle a thing more expensive than 300 euros across the border in this way – even if the parcel goes through third countries.

For those who are still determined to get a particular new piece of a luxury brand bypassing all the rules, there remains a slippery option: ask someone who travels abroad to buy there and bring it back.

Why is the option slippery? Firstly, because some brands turned out to be so principled that they generally refuse to serve Russian citizens – disappointed Chanel customers reported this. Moreover, even in duty-free stores, some brands refused to sell their goods to those whose boarding pass indicated a Russian city as their destination. Such messages came from passengers at Istanbul Airport.

Secondly, even if the thing can be bought, it will need to be transported across the border. If the border guard asks to open the suitcase at customs and sees a purchase more expensive than 300 euros, he may well withdraw it. A possible way to “save” a thing is to cut off all the price tags and disguise it among those already worn (so that it is not clear that it was just bought in the EU).

The ideal option is to put the thing on yourself while going through customs. But it is unlikely that those who are waiting for a custom-made coat of an expensive brand will like the idea that the “courier” (even if it is a close friend) will fly to Moscow in this coat. Of course, in this case, you will have to forget about branded packaging, checks, tags and other signs of belonging to a fashion house. You will also have to forget about the possibility of issuing a “tax-free” (VAT refund when crossing the border), because we carry almost smuggling … but these are, perhaps, mere trifles.

Such offers are already flickering on the Internet: they say, one of these days I will be in Paris, I will bring for you any goods of Chanel, Moncler, Miu Miu, Celine, YSL and other brands, an advance payment of only 10%, and already at the end of November the item will supposedly be available to pick up . The question of how the “sanctioned” goods will pass through the border remains on the conscience of the deliverer. True, the prices here are clearly biting: after all, a person must add his own benefit to the boutique price, right?

There is another option for those who are indifferent to external tinsel – a branded box, the rustle of wrapping paper, and so on, but want a specific branded item: buying from hand. In recent months, on sites that sell hand-to-hand items, you can increasingly see offers for the sale of branded accessories. Prices are close to store prices. People who find themselves in a difficult financial situation do not mind exchanging a handbag for a couple of hundred thousand rubles. At the same time, they understand that the demand will be great, because there is no alternative – you can’t buy a new one in the store. So, for example, Chanel handbags with small defects like a speck of powder on the lining are estimated by sellers from 50 to 120 thousand rubles.