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SHOPPING Saint Martin's economy went on an upswing after it became a duty-free port over fifty years ago and very little has changed since. Thousands of cruise ship passengers descend on Saint Martin each year specifically for the great deals to be had here, but tourists staying on the island are certainly welcome to get in on the Saint Martin shopping bargains as well. Duty-free Saint Martin shopping can save the buyer up to 50% regular North American prices, especially on luxury goods such as crystal, leather, jewelry, perfumes, and liquor. 
The best places to find a cluster of Saint Martin shopping outlets are in Marigot on the French side and Philipsburg on the Dutch. Front Street is Philipsburg's main duty-free drag, with dozens of quaint shops and elegant boutiques to choose from. French Saint Martin shopping destinations provide a charming jumble of architecture houses the city's chic shops and duty-free boutiques. Quality Saint Martin handicrafts are few and far between, so if your Saint Martin shopping trip needs to include local goods, you may be disappointed. One local product worth making a detour for is Guavaberry liqueur, a combination of rum and guavaberries made at the Guavaberry Company Shop in Philipsburg. Not only is Saint Martin a free port, but it has no local sales taxes. Prices are sometimes lower here than anywhere else in the Caribbean, except possibly St. Thomas. On some items (fine liqueurs, cigarettes, Irish linen, German cameras, French perfumes), we've found prices 30% to 50% lower than in the United States or Canada. Many well-known shops on Curaçao have branches here. Except for the boutiques at resort hotels, the main shopping area is in the center of Philipsburg. Most of the shops are on Front Street (called Voorstraat in Dutch), which stretches for about 2km (1 mile) and is lined with stores. More shops are along the little lanes, known as steegijes, that connect Front Street with Back Street (Achterstraat), another shoppers' haven. In general, the prices marked on the merchandise are firm, though at some small, very personally run shops, where the owner is on site, some bargaining might be in order. CustomsCustoms For Returning U.S. CitizensRecent changes in customs regulations have made shopping on Saint Martin even more attractive. Loose gemstones, for example, are exempt from customs duties. That means unset precious stones (diamonds, tanzanite, rubies, sapphires, emeralds) do not count toward the allowance total. Spend as much as you like on a loose diamond, for example, and you won't pay a penny of duty. Customs Guides: Know Before You GoReturning from the Netherland Antilles (Saint Martin) your allowance includes $600 per person exemption, ie; $2,400 for a family of four. Included in the exemption are a max of two liters of alcoholic beverages, (as long as one of the liters was produced in the Caribbean Basin Countries). Guavaberry Liqueur is a good example of a locally produced alcoholic beverage. And 200 Cigarettes - 1 carton.How Much Am I Saving?Saint Martin is the Caribbean’s only true duty-free destination. What does that mean? It means the price you pay does not include all those government taxes imposed on imported foreign luxury items. How much can you save by buying duty-free items? Below are typical savings on Saint Martin, compared with U.S. retail prices of major brand-name products.Transactions in the main hotels, shops, and restaurants on both sides of the island can be made in US dollars. On the French side, you may receive your change in Euros. Traveler checks and major credit cards are widely accepted. ATM machines are located all over the island. |
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