{"id":37281,"date":"2026-03-18T17:27:36","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T09:27:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=37281"},"modified":"2026-03-18T17:27:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T09:27:36","slug":"spore-netizen-frustrated-by-friends-requests-to-buy-luxury-goods-from-europe-to-avoid-paying-gst","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=37281","title":{"rendered":"S\u2019pore netizen frustrated by friends\u2019 requests to buy luxury goods from Europe &#038; to avoid paying GST"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<h2>Singapore Redditor upset that friends ask to buy luxury goods from Europe, but unwilling to pay GST<\/h2>\n<p>A Singapore Redditor has expressed their frustration about friends constantly asking them to purchase luxury items from Europe, as these friends also expect the items to be brought back without paying Goods and Services Tax (GST).<\/p>\n<h3>GST payable if value exceeds personal relief allowance<\/h3>\n<p>The r\/askSingapore post on 15 March described how <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/askSingapore\/comments\/1rufzvo\/friends_asking_me_to_buy_luxury_goods_from_europe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">such requests often arise whenever the Redditor travels to Europe<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>According to the Original Poster (OP), friends or relatives sometimes ask them to help purchase branded items overseas.<\/p>\n<p>This is because luxury goods can be cheaper in Europe due to tax refunds such as Value-Added Tax (VAT).<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"reddit-embed-bq\" style=\"height:316px\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/askSingapore\/comments\/1rufzvo\/friends_asking_me_to_buy_luxury_goods_from_europe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Friends asking me to buy luxury goods from Europe but expecting me to \u201ctry\u201d not paying GST when coming back\u2026 anyone else find this annoying?<\/a><br \/>by<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/user\/BraveJackfruit1350\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">u\/BraveJackfruit1350<\/a> in<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/askSingapore\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">askSingapore<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>However, things get awkward when the OP explains that GST is payable when the items exceed the traveller\u2019s personal relief allowance on returning to Singapore.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of understanding, the response they often get is along the lines of: \u201cJust try lah, usually nobody checks.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Risk borne entirely by traveller<\/h3>\n<p>While the OP acknowledged that people are simply trying to save money, they said the expectation makes them uncomfortable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf anything happens at customs, I\u2019m the one who has to deal with it,\u201d the OP wrote.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_711041\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-711041\" class=\"wp-image-711041 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/customs.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"558\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/customs.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/customs-600x335.jpg 600w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/customs-150x84.jpg 150w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1000px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1000\/558;\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-711041\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: roafly.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The OP also pointed out that they do not mind helping friends or family buy items while overseas.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t<iframe id=\"answers-client-69ba6bd9ea8e4\" class=\"answers-client\" src=\"\" height=\"500\" loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>However, the expectation that they should \u201cpurposely\u201d avoid declaring GST feels unfair, especially since they would also be responsible if the item is lost during the trip.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy is there even this expectation that I shall incur risk just because they can save a bit more money?\u201d the OP asked.<\/p>\n<h3>Netizens empathise with OP<\/h3>\n<p>The post quickly resonated with netizens, many of whom expressed sympathy with the OP\u2019s situation.<\/p>\n<p>One netizen advised the OP to simply say \u201cno\u201d and avoid making the purchase for their friends altogether.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_711024\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-711024\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-711024 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/comment-1-21-600x148.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"148\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/comment-1-21-600x148.jpg 600w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/comment-1-21-150x37.jpg 150w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/comment-1-21.jpg 663w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 600px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 600\/148;\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-711024\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: Reddit<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Another commenter pointed out that breaking the law for luxury bags wasn\u2019t worth it.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_711025\" style=\"width: 811px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-711025\" class=\"wp-image-711025 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/comment-2-21.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"801\" height=\"166\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/comment-2-21.jpg 801w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/comment-2-21-600x124.jpg 600w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/comment-2-21-150x31.jpg 150w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 801px) 100vw, 801px\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 801px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 801\/166;\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-711025\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: Reddit<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>One Redditor shared a personal experience where their friend got caught and fined for trying to avoid paying GST.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_711026\" style=\"width: 655px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-711026\" class=\"wp-image-711026 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/comment-3-23.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"645\" height=\"165\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/comment-3-23.jpg 645w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/comment-3-23-600x153.jpg 600w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/comment-3-23-150x38.jpg 150w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 645px) 100vw, 645px\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 645px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 645\/165;\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-711026\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: Reddit<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Another netizen shared their own solution, saying they stopped telling people they were travelling to avoid such requests altogether.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_711030\" style=\"width: 1202px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-711030\" class=\"wp-image-711030 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/comment-4-21.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1192\" height=\"234\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/comment-4-21.jpg 1192w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/comment-4-21-600x118.jpg 600w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/comment-4-21-1024x201.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/comment-4-21-150x29.jpg 150w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1192px) 100vw, 1192px\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1192px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1192\/234;\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-711030\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: Reddit<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<article class=\"text-token-text-primary w-full focus:outline-none [--shadow-height:45px] has-data-writing-block:pointer-events-none has-data-writing-block:-mt-(--shadow-height) has-data-writing-block:pt-(--shadow-height) [&amp;:has([data-writing-block])&gt;*]:pointer-events-auto scroll-mt-(--header-height)\" dir=\"auto\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-turn-id=\"8ae7d354-fcac-424f-8375-88614fcc4f4b\" data-testid=\"conversation-turn-1\" data-scroll-anchor=\"false\" data-turn=\"user\"\/>\n<article class=\"text-token-text-primary w-full focus:outline-none [--shadow-height:45px] has-data-writing-block:pointer-events-none has-data-writing-block:-mt-(--shadow-height) has-data-writing-block:pt-(--shadow-height) [&amp;:has([data-writing-block])&gt;*]:pointer-events-auto [content-visibility:auto] supports-[content-visibility:auto]:[contain-intrinsic-size:auto_100lvh] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]\" dir=\"auto\" tabindex=\"-1\" data-turn-id=\"request-WEB:252cce33-4a89-4428-956e-ba36bff41c8b-7\" data-testid=\"conversation-turn-2\" data-scroll-anchor=\"true\" data-turn=\"assistant\">\n<div class=\"text-base my-auto mx-auto pb-10 [--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-xs,calc(var(--spacing)*4))] @w-sm\/main:[--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-sm,calc(var(--spacing)*6))] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-lg,calc(var(--spacing)*16))] px-(--thread-content-margin)\">\n<div class=\"[--thread-content-max-width:40rem] @w-lg\/main:[--thread-content-max-width:48rem] mx-auto max-w-(--thread-content-max-width) flex-1 group\/turn-messages focus-visible:outline-hidden relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn\" tabindex=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col gap-4 grow\">\n<div class=\"min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal [.text-message+&amp;]:mt-1\" dir=\"auto\" data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"900a9f9b-1c0c-42eb-bb0b-cce967bc032b\" data-message-model-slug=\"gpt-5-mini\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden\">\n<div class=\"markdown prose dark:prose-invert w-full wrap-break-word light markdown-new-styling\">\n<h3>Heavy penalties for evading GST<\/h3>\n<p>In Singapore, individuals who evade duty and GST may face serious consequences under the Customs Act.<\/p>\n<p>Offenders can be <a href=\"https:\/\/sso.agc.gov.sg\/Act\/CA1960?ProvIds=P115-\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fined up to 20 times the amount owed<\/a> or face imprisonment for up to two years.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u00a0MS News<\/em> has reached out to the OP for more information.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><b>Also read: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/woman-evading-gst\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>S\u2019pore woman evades GST for luxury goods &amp; teaches others how to do the same, gets S$18K fine<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"On2igYl3PT\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/woman-evading-gst\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">S\u2019pore woman evades GST for luxury goods &amp; teaches others how to do the same, gets S$18K fine<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"\u201cS\u2019pore woman evades GST for luxury goods &amp; teaches others how to do the same, gets S$18K fine\u201d \u2014 MS News - Independent News For Singaporeans\" src=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/woman-evading-gst\/embed\/#?secret=fZdY1oUD16#?secret=On2igYl3PT\" data-secret=\"On2igYl3PT\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><i>Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/luxury-goods-gst-singapore\/mailto:news@mustsharenews.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news@mustsharenews.com<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>Featured image adapted from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.customs.gov.sg\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Singapore Customs<\/a>, for illustration purposes only.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 1 --><\/p><\/div>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js?ver=6.8.3#xfbml=1&amp;version=v3.2\" id=\"facebook-js\"><\/script><script>\n!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\nn.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\nif(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\nn.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\nt.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\ns.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',\n'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\nfbq('init', '1213643350275810');\nfbq('track', 'PageView');\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/mustsharenews.com\/luxury-goods-gst-singapore\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article At Source <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Singapore Redditor upset that friends ask to buy luxury goods from Europe, but unwilling to pay GST A Singapore Redditor has expressed their frustration about&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37282,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=37281"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37281\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/37282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=37281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=37281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=37281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}