Hainan duty-free sales of 'buy and pick-up' hit high

From April 1 to Nov 3rd this year, Haikou Customs supervised 2.3 million purchases and 1.03 million shoppers in the "buy and pick-up" program, with sales totaling 2 billion yuan ($275 million).

On April 1 this year, Hainan's offshore duty-free shops introduced two new methods for picking up purchases: "buy and pick-up" and "guaranteed pickup".

Tourists who purchase duty-free products with a unit price of 50,000 yuan or above before departure from the island are able to choose the "guaranteed pickup "option, which means they can pick up the goods on site after submitting a guarantee equivalent to the import tax.

When purchasing duty-free goods in 15 categories mentioned on the annex list, including cosmetics and clothing, customers can choose the "buy and pickup" option applicable to items that cost less than 20,000 yuan each. After payment, they can pick up the products on site and Customs will not inspect the items during departure from the island.

A visitor from outside the island surnamed Zhang, said: "Before these new policies took effect, I had to pick up the duty-free items I purchased at a designated airport counter. It was time-consuming because of the long lines." She said she hopes duty-free shopping will become easier in the future.

Ye Rong, sales director of the Sanya International Duty Free Complex, said that the new pick-up policy has had a positive impact on warehouse and store logistics, optimizing the speed and flow of goods and reducing delivery time, thereby improving the operational efficiency of stores.

Tourists shop at the Sanya International Duty Free Complex. [Photo/Sanya Daily]