Is Polene Cheaper in Paris?

Polène! I went home for three months came back and there were 1000 Polène boutiques in my neighborhood (actually: one, but it’s huge.) So: Is Polene cheaper in Paris? Let’s do some math!

First, of course, we need to load up our shopping carts. Let’s grab: the Tonca Edition Duo Camel ($580), the Nodde Hobo Edition Smooth Cognac ($680), and the Numéro Dix Edition Onda Black ($720) (seen in that order below). Total: $1980, plus $60 shipping — 5 days, via DHL. Fair enough.

Sidenote: All Polène products are priced to include sales tax in the U.S. Indeed: See these two carts here. The one going to a test NYC address (on the left) shows a message that the original total price includes “$160.59 in taxes.” (And that, yes, is 8.875% of the adjusted, pre-tax price.) With a delivery address in Delaware, you can see the message about taxes has been changed to note that you’re not paying anything.

So! For these three pieces, you’re paying $2040, wherever you are in the U.S.

However! And a very big however. According to Polène’s website, U.S. buyers will have no additional customs fees, though anecdotal reports on Reddit suggest otherwise. These have been haphazardly applied, assessed, and communicated. For the purposes of this post, we shall pretend they just don’t exist.

Now! Let’s head to the French shop. In France, the Tonca is 420€, the Numéro Dix in Onda Black is 520€, and the Nodde Hobo is 490€, for a total of 1430€, or $1601 — a sizable difference.

Notably, the prices on all three U.S. bags went up — only one of the euro-priced bags went up (the Tonca) since we last looked at prices, two years ago.

Two complicating factors!

#1: Longtime American shoppers in Europe pretty much automatically calculate their VAT refund as they shop. VAT refunds apply to most purchases over 100.01€ at a single shop, for most Americans (not including students or others in France permanently or on a visa). (Here’s an extremely comprehensive explanation of how VAT refunds work, if you’re interested!) If you go to through the VAT refund process (and again, reference this post to see how to do it — it’s easy), you’ll get 12% back of your purchase price. Twelve percent off 1430€ is 1258€.

#2: We cannot forget foreign transaction fees. Unless someone hands you 1430€ in cash, or you have a very generous sponsor, you’ll probably be making that purchase with a foreign (i.e. U.S.) credit card, which will add a small percentage to your purchase — many hover around 3%, so we’ll use that, too. A 3% bump on 1430€ is 1472€.

Thus, our final price for the U.S. shopper in France:

• Total goods: 1430€
• Plus 3% credit card fee: $48
• Minus a rebate of 12% of 1430€: 171€

Cost of bags: 1430€, or $1601, + $48 (credit card transaction fee) = $1649

Minus VAT rebate of 171€, or $191

Total cost of bags in Paris: $1458

As a reminder, our final purchase price in the U.S., including delivery but not slightly chaotically applied tariffs, was $2040.

Our final math — and our answer to the question of is Polene cheaper in Paris: Yes. At today’s conversion rate, we’d save $582 by shopping in Paris versus in the U.S. — or 28.5%, just a tiny bit below the roughly 30% savings we’ve seen throughout our various inquiries, listed below.

Completists might want to know that this is just a touch more than it was when we first did this story two years again, when U.S. shoppers in France saved about 26% shopping in Europe.

Quick, Polène-themed FAQ:

Is Polène cheaper in Paris?

Yes. As we’ve just proven above.

Does Polène include sales tax in U.S. prices?

Yes. A possibly significant savings for those of us in high-tax states! We can enjoy libraries and slightly less expensive expensive handbags.

Can Americans get a VAT refund on Polène in Paris?

Most can — just ask store staff for help. In the meantime, please see our thorough guide to navigating VAT in France and getting your rebate.

Do U.S. customers pay customs on Polène orders?

Probably yes, but recent reports suggest they have been assessed inconsistently.