Today, we are going to do a deep dive into where to buy the cheapest Chanel in 2022 since this has been on my mind lately. The U.S. dollar is the strongest that I’ve seen in years and it just makes me what to travel abroad and spend money, especially on luxury goods! I currently have a trip planned for the beginning of November to South Korea and Japan so I was eager to find out how much Chanel cost over there vs. France.
If you don’t already know, a few years ago, Chanel decided that it would align its prices on its popular bags across the world. So, it begs the question if there is any real benefit to shopping abroad for Chanel anymore. Well, hopefully, I can answer that question! I decided that I would do a price comparison between ten major shopping countries to see exactly where to buy the cheapest Chanel and if South Korea or Japan would be a good option. What I found out surprised me!
- Related Post: Where to Buy the Cheapest Chanel in 2023
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Just FYI, since there is a lot of data, this blog post is better viewed on a desktop device than on a mobile device. The charts down below will be squeezed too much for you to read them properly.
Chanel International Websites
If you are curious about certain items and their prices, I’ve listed Chanel’s international websites down below which I used to find all of my prices. Chanel does a pretty decent job of listing their prices online, unlike Goyard, so it was pretty easy to get a quick price comparison.
- United States: https://www.chanel.com/us/
- France: https://www.chanel.com/fr/
- Italy:https://www.chanel.com/it/
- Great Britain: https://www.chanel.com/gb/
- Japan: https://www.chanel.com/jp/
- South Korea: https://www.chanel.com/kr/
- China: https://www.chanel.com/zh_CN/
- Singapore: https://www.chanel.com/sg/
- Malaysia: https://www.chanel.com/my/
- Australia: https://www.chanel.com/au/
Chanel Data Points
For my Chanel data sample, I decided to concentrate on four popular items:
- Mini Flap Bag
- Large Classic Bag
- Brooch
- Espadrilles
Countries in red are deemed to have the cheapest Chanel for that item. Also, the savings reflected below show the amount you save pre-U.S. sales tax. Since every state has a different sales tax, I decided not to include it in the final “savings” amount. This ultimately just means that the savings indicated below are your baseline savings. Your actual savings will be more since you are not going to pay the sales tax you would have otherwise had to if you bought it in the U.S.
Chanel Mini Flap Bag
| Country | Price | U.S. Dollar Conversion as of 10/4/22 | VAT Refund (Luxury Goods) | Grand Total |
| France (1 euro= 1 USD) |  | $4,350 | 12% | $3,828 ($572 savings) |
| Italy (1 euro= 1 USD) |  | $4,350 | 14%* | $3,741 ($659 savings) |
| Great Britain/ U.K. (1 pound = $1.15 USD) |  | $4,197.50 | 0% (Ended on December 31, 2019) | $4,197.50 ($202.50 savings) |
| Japan (1 Yen = 0.0069 USD) |  | $4,105.04 | 8% | $3,776.64 ($623.36 savings) |
| South Korea (1 Won = 0.00071 USD) |  | $4,217.40 | 10% | $3,795.66 ($604.34 savings) |
| China (1 Yuan = 0.14 USD) |  | $4,370.43 | 9% | $3,977.09 ($422.91 savings) |
| Singapore (1 SGD = 0.70 USD) |  | $4,496.01 | 7% | $4,181.29 ($218.71 savings) |
| Malaysia (1 MYR = 0.22 USD) |  | $4,157.22 | 4.81% | $3,957.26 ($442.74 savings) |
| Australia (1 AUD = 0.65 USD) |  | $4,250.19 | Total Amount Divided by 11 386.38 | $3,863.81 ($536.19 savings) |
Chanel Large Classic Bag
| Country | Price | U.S. Dollar Conversion as of 10/4/22 | VAT Refund (Luxury Goods) | Grand Total After Vat Refund |
| France (1 euro= 1 USD) |  | $9,700 | 12% | $8,536 ($964 savings) |
| Italy (1 euro= 1 USD) |  | $9,700 | 15.5%* | $8,196.50 ($1,303.40 savings) |
| Great Britain/ U.K. (1 pound = $1.15 USD) |  | $9,329.13 | 0% (Ended on December 31, 2019) | $9,329.13 ($170.87 savings) |
| Japan (1 Yen = 0.0069 USD) |  | $9,171.34 | 8% | $8,437.63 ($1,062.37 savings) |
| South Korea (1 Won = 0.00071 USD) |  | $9,417.61 | 10% | $8,475.85 ($1,024.15 savings) |
| China (1 Yuan = 0.14 USD) |  | $9,485.67 | 9% | $8,631.96 ($868.04 savings) |
| Singapore (1 SGD = 0.70 USD) |  | $9,978.50 | 7% | $9,280 ($220 savings) |
| Malaysia (1 MYR = 0.22 USD) |  | $9,098.54 | 4.81% | $8,660.90 ($839.10 savings) |
| Australia (1 AUD = 0.65 USD) |  | $9,694.78 | Total Amount Divided by 11 | $8,813.44 ($686.56 savings) |
Chanel Brooch
| Country | Price | U.S. Dollar Conversion as of 10/2/22 | VAT Refund (Luxury Goods) | Grand Total |
| France (1 euro= 1 USD) |  | $610 | 12% | $536.80 ($88.20 savings) |
| Italy (1 euro= 1 USD) |  | $610 | 12.2%* | $533 ($92 savings) |
| Great Britain/ U.K. (1 pound = $1.15 USD) |  | $595.96 | 0% (Ended on December 31, 2019) | $595.96 ($29.04 savings) |
| Japan (1 Yen = 0.0069 USD) |  | $618.55 | 8% | $569.07 ($55.93 savings) |
| South Korea (1 Won = 0.00071 USD) |  | $598.92 | 10% | $539.03 ($85.97 savings) |
| China (1 Yuan = 0.14 USD) |  | $632.38 | 9% | $575.47 ($49.53 savings) |
| Singapore (1 SGD = 0.70 USD) |  | $639.47 | 7% | $594.70 ($30.30 savings) |
| Malaysia (1 MYR = 0.22 USD) |  | $591.65 | 4.81% | $563.10 ($61.90 savings) |
| Australia (1 AUD = 0.65 USD) |  | $617.71 | Total Amount Divided by 11 | $561.55 ($63.45 savings) |
Chanel Espadrilles
| Country | Price | U.S. Dollar Conversion as of 10/2/22 | VAT Refund (Luxury Goods) | Grand Total |
| France (1 euro= 1 USD) |  | $730 | 12% | $642.40 ($157.60 savings) |
| Italy (1 euro= 1 USD) |  | $730 | 12.7%* | $637 ($163 savings) |
| Great Britain/ U.K. (1 pound = $1.15 USD) |  | $699.11 | 0% (Ended on December 31, 2019) | $699.11 ($100.89 savings) |
| Japan (1 Yen = 0.0069 USD) |  | $763.64 | 8% | $702.55 ($97.45 savings) |
| South Korea (1 Won = 0.00071 USD) |  | $735.77 | 10% | $662.19 ($137.81 savings) |
| China (1 Yuan = 0.14 USD) |  | $772.91 | 9% | $703.35 ($96.65 savings) |
| Singapore (1 SGD = 0.70 USD) |  | $815.14 | 7% | $758.08 ($41.92 savings) |
| Malaysia (1 MYR = 0.22 USD) |  | $731.50 | 4.81% | $696.31 ($103.69 savings) |
| Australia (1 AUD = 0.65 USD) |  | $760.76 | Total Amount Divided by 11 | $691.60 ($108.40 savings) |
Conclusion on Where to Buy the Cheapest Chanel
There are a couple of things that I have concluded from my research on where to buy the cheapest Chanel. First, in all four of my samples, no matter what ten countries I chose, it is cheaper OVERALL to buy Chanel abroad than in the U.S. This is probably because the dollar is so strong right now and you get the added VAT refund. Even buying it in Great Britain where there’s no VAT refund is still cheaper than in the U.S.
Overall Country with the Cheapest Chanel
Out of the ten countries, Italy won in terms of where to buy the cheapest Chanel right now. Surprisingly, not France! I always thought that France would be the cheapest, but since Italy has a higher VAT refund (depending on price), the cost comes out actually lower! The more you spend in Italy, the more cost savings you will receive. You can use this Italy VAT refund calculator here if you really want to find out more.
Second Country with the Cheapest Chanel
The second place winner for the most savings is actually South Korea/Japan/France (depending on the item)! This surprised me because I always thought that Asian countries would be the most expensive since I notice a lot of Asian tourists buying luxury goods in the U.S., especially in Hawaii. Since I won’t be going to Italy any time soon, it’s good to know that I will still be getting a great deal if I bought Chanel in South Korea or Japan, specifically any bags.
Overall Country with the Least Amount of Savings
I would like to reiterate again that buying any Chanel outside the U.S. will still be cheaper overall, but the country that has the least amount of savings for the American tourist would be Great Britain. This is mostly due to the fact that Great Britain got rid of their VAT refund benefit a couple of years ago so the savings aren’t great compared to their European neighbors.
Related
As an enthusiast with a deep understanding of the luxury fashion market and Chanel in particular, I can provide valuable insights into the information presented in the article about where to buy the cheapest Chanel in 2022.
Firstly, the author rightly emphasizes the impact of currency strength on international luxury shopping. The strength of the U.S. dollar can significantly affect the pricing of luxury goods when purchasing them abroad. This is a crucial factor that influences the overall cost savings, as highlighted in the article.
The author mentions Chanel's decision to align prices on popular bags globally. This indicates an attempt by Chanel to create consistency in pricing across different countries. However, the article raises the question of whether there are still benefits to shopping abroad for Chanel products. The subsequent price comparison analysis helps answer this question by examining the costs of specific Chanel items in different countries.
The article introduces Chanel data points, focusing on four popular items: the Mini Flap Bag, Large Classic Bag, Brooch, and Espadrilles. The inclusion of these specific items provides a comprehensive view of the pricing variations across different countries, allowing readers to make informed decisions based on their preferences.
The article incorporates Chanel International Websites as a reliable source for obtaining price information. This demonstrates the author's commitment to accuracy and thorough research. The listed international websites serve as valuable resources for individuals looking to explore Chanel prices in various regions.
The inclusion of currency conversion rates and VAT refund percentages is crucial in the price comparison analysis. The article takes into account the fluctuating exchange rates, providing readers with up-to-date information for better decision-making. Additionally, the consideration of VAT refund percentages adds another layer of understanding to the overall cost savings.
The detailed breakdown of prices for each Chanel item in different countries, along with the calculated savings, provides a clear and transparent view of the potential benefits of buying Chanel abroad. The article suggests that, regardless of the country chosen, purchasing Chanel outside the U.S. is generally more cost-effective due to the current strength of the U.S. dollar and the additional benefit of VAT refunds.
The conclusion of the article highlights the overall country with the cheapest Chanel (Italy) and the second country with the most savings (South Korea/Japan/France, depending on the item). This information challenges preconceived notions and adds a layer of practicality to the decision-making process for potential Chanel buyers.
In summary, the article effectively combines in-depth research, currency analysis, and specific Chanel product pricing to guide readers on where to buy the cheapest Chanel in 2022, showcasing the author's expertise in the luxury fashion market.
