Interesting concept..........I have no idea if it would work, but I'd love to hear a definitive answer!

Is it legally possible? I doubt if it's legal, but it might be possible.

I thought duty free purchases were delivered to you as you board the plane. That would ruin your plan I imagine.

Yes, duty-free items are delivered to you as you board the plane or once you are already on board.

Why would you even think of doing anything like this when it has to do with US customs? Being blacklisted or your passport flagged comes to mind?
Duty free items are always bought after security and then brought to your flight's door with an exchange of your receipt for the bag.

I believe you have to show a boarding pass for an international flight in order to purchase from duty free.

Sorry, I just noticed that you have an international trip.

As mentioned, dutyfree items are delivered to you when you board the plane. Not at the store.

When I buy my duty free stuff in the international departure terminal I am handed it in the store????

How much duty are you saving, and at what retail markup? Duty free does not mean cheap.

Last time I did a check a few years ago the net price for the exact same wine, whiskey, and perfume in the expensive airport shop was about 30% higher than I could get a my local liquor store or department store. The difference was even greater when I applied a dept store coupon for the perfume.

Ok, so you have the international boarding pass and can legally shop duty free. Most purchases made will be given to purchaser right away. This may be a gray area, but since you are actually flying international, it may be ok. What really is the difference if you purchase the items on the way home and carry them with you. I would check the customs web site just to be sure.

Most of the purposes of my idea is:
#1: To buy them, store them in my car while I'm overseas (obviously no perishable items!) so I don't have to lug them around with me my entire trip. The will be in my car when I get back to Chicago.
#2: I like to travel very light...only a carry-on+personal bag ( to avoid extra $$ and another long line)
#3: Yes, cost savings!

Don't know 100%, but what I've been told is at ORD (O'Hare at Chicago...fyi) has duty-free shops in almost all areas, but you can look, but only purchase buy showing a valid boarding pass (which I would have obviously)

U.S. does not have "duty-free arrivals" laws yet...only a hand-full of countries do right now.

My cousin told me you can get a case of cigarettes (that's 10 cartons!) for about the same price as a carton at a gas-station.

Have you considered strapping illegal drugs to your body under your clothes too? If you're looking to do something illegal and against international customs, this could be a far more profitable venture than just a few cigarettes or perfume.

Add....I'm just going on gut instinct here, maybe different countries, maybe different airports, maybe even different airlines...have different policies regarding duty-free stuff and if they are required to "personally deliver" the stuff to you once you are actually on the dpearting aircraft.

As I would be a departing passenger on an international flight...there would be no involvement with US customs, going through customs only applies to arriving international passengers.

Hey Neo...I have a good supply of condoms, so I'm prepared!

Oh, good. Then you practice safe smuggling?

The laws on duty free in the US indicate that you cannot bring those items back into the US (even if you carry them around for weeks while you are traveling).

Whether your duty-free items are delivered to your aircraft or whether you can take them with you from the shop depends on how the international gates are set up.

My experience with duty-free shops in the US is that the prices aren't much different from retail. I don't know about cigarettes. But you may find duty free shops outside the US have beter prices than US duty-free on some items. So you may want to buy your cigaretts at duty free at your international airport and bring them back with you.

Well, from a different travel forum, I might have found a detail that I didn't think of that might kill my whole idea:

Do my idea, but your boarding-pass gets stampted (after purchase of duty-free stuff) with some sort of ink, so when you re-enter your terminal, TSA will see that and possibly deny you entry past that point.

I'm not trying to do anything illegal, just trying to save $$ on cigarettes for my own use!

I can tell you as someone who lives in the Chicago area and flies alot that our liquor in Chicago is usually way cheaper than at a dutyfree store.Places like Jewel/Osco are less expensive than at the airport and you don't have to be hauling anything. Seriously,in all my years of flying for the airlines I cannot think of one "deal" that is worth buying or that I couldn't have gotten cheaper at home. Just saying....

Somehow I think the immigration/customs would be suspicious of someone lugging twenty tons of merchandise out of a secure area to go to their car. I have no idea how to even get out of the immigration area once I have had all of my documents processed.

I agree with someone above. Duty free is not cheap!!!

There would be a record of what you have purchased I am sure as you have to show your boarding pass. When you come back in to the country they might be wondering where your 5 cameras, 3 video cams, 4 ipads and 30 bottles of perfume are!!

Why would you not want to make the duty-free purchases on your back?

The purpose and spirit of "duty-free" is that one buys some items in Country A (or onboard), but is taken into Country B for use in Country B. There will not be any duty from Country A, because the goods won't be consumed there.

The OP clearly doesn't understand this idea. He thinks it means it's a perk for someone who purchases an international ticket and can therefore not pay duty on items bought and used in Country A, as long as it's for personal use. That's simply silly.

In the UK you can buy duty-free goods on the way out of the UK and collect them when you return.

Yes, and many airports have duty-free in the international arrivals area, but BEFORE customs. Point is, the international traveler returning to Country A can buy his duty-free items for Country A wherever available, but the items still have to go through customs of Country A. If over the limit imposed, then they need to be declared and duty charged.

For the OP, since he's planning to use his cigarettes after he returns to the US, he just need to buy them at the last airport before he boards his flight to the US, or on board. For flights from airports with US pre-clearance like many Canadian or Irish airports, have to buy them at those airports before US Customs.

See...problem with that is, as I stated before, I travel very light....don't want to check baggage (layover means 4X probablility of lost luggage), and there is no way of added carry-on even bribing ailine with money (I already called airline and asked).

You buy your cartoon of 200 cigarettes on board while you return. They won't count as your carry-on. Trust me. Seriously, how much do you save on duty on 10 packs of cigarettes? If luggage and all are so troublesome, then you just have to forget it.

First of all, duty-free doesn't count toward your carry-on allowance, so you can buy your duty-free cigarettes in your last airport before arriving in the U.S. and pick them up at the gate without any problems. And if you buy the cigarettes on the plane that is doubly true, though potentially more expensive.

Second, you are obviously trying to do something illegal despite your protestations; it's illegal to consume duty-free products in the country of purchase. Illegal without any question.

Third, I'm not convinced you can even do what you want. Duty-free shops are post-security, and in order to legally bring duty-free goods back into the U.S. you have to go through customs (and pay duty on anything over your duty-free limit). I suppose you could stroll out of the airport (though I think it's highly unlikely). Liquor and tobacco products are almost always brought to the plane. Perfume is often not simply because it's not actually cheaper in a duty-free store than elsewhere in most cases (i.e., there are no longer special duties on perfume, just VAT, and most perfume is cheaper in the U.S. than in other countries).

Flying out of the US, you will get your duty free purchases at the gate, you won't be able to bring back to the car.

Buy your cigs, 2 cartons on way out and carry on, if they have the 3 or 4 carton savings box of cigarettes, you can buy the whole lot and leave the US with 3-4 cartons. You will pay approx $33/carton in US at duty free. Bring a zip out duffle for on the way home, or an expandable bag and pack that in your carry on. Also, pack light and leave room to bring back your purchases - this will just make things easier for you.

Buy more cigarettes at duty free on your return flight to the US. You will be able to walk out of the Dufry store with these. Take out your folding duffle/bag after you purchase and fill up the bag so you don't have to carry around giant plastic Dufry bags around the airport and on the plane.

I buy 8 - 10 cartons/per person at a time (yes, you can legally do this, BUT you need to declare the value - it is considerably less than purchasing in the US. Remember, you are declaring the value or cost you paid, not quantity, so you are clean to clear customs with your 8-10 cartons, or whatever you are buying). Avg cost, depending on country, is $25USD/carton - I could probably tell you if I knew what country you were going to.

If you are going to a country where cigarettes are not heavily taxed, you can circumvent some of the hassle at duty free by just purchasing in a regular store and packing with your stuff. Again, you do need to declare the value of your purchase on your customs form. So say you bought 10 cartons at $25 USD or the equivalent of that price, you would mark on your customs form:
Item: Cigarettes, Value: $250

This is legal. Do know, however, that if asked about your purchase, you may be required to pay the US tax if the quantity is deemed to be over the limit, though I have never had this happen, it could.

Other items, as suggested by others, cosmetics, booze, food, are not any cheaper in the duty free shops compared to purchasing outright.

"there is no way of added carry-on even bribing airline with money (I already called airline and asked).

I should have read all the way prior to replying, bribe the airline, srsly?

Why did I waste my time trying to be helpful?

Actually, CherryBomb...your responses have been more educational/useful than anyone else so far!! FYI, my ittinerary will be...Chicago(ORD), layover at Heathrow, then to Berlin (Tegal). Return is Berlin, layover at Heathrow, then to Chicago. My vehicle will have stayed at the ORD airport parking lot for a week.

As far as cigarette prices, Cook County (that's Chicago and surrounding suburbs) is going to add another $1 per PACK tax soon...so just a single pack of cigs would cost ~$11.

If I can legaly purchase a case (or 2 or 3 etc..) of cigarettes for personal consumption at your aforementioned price, than it would definately be worth it to me financialy speaking....but only if I can do it legaly! As much research as I've done...there has to be a legal loophole somewhere!

"it's illegal to consume duty-free products in the country of purchase. Illegal without any question."

No it isn't. See alanrow's post above plus there is no UK requirement to consume goods purchased in an outbound "Duty Free" shop in a UK airport before returning to the UK.

As I tell the fine passengers on my international flights when I sell duty free items and they complain about the price of the cigarettes-"have you thought about quitting and saving your health and money"? Just saying.....

My thoughts exactly dutyfree. You would save all this hassle if you just quit smoking.

I know many people who do smoke (though I do not). Of those in this category who are over the age of 30, I know exactly zero people who would not quit if they could, and none of them find gratuitous advice especially helpful.

Quitting is too hard. The OP should move away from Cook County. And find a new place - maybe in some other country - with no cigarette tax.

If you really want to save money on cigarettes - rent an 18 wheeler and go visit North Carolina or another southern states where cigarettes are dirt cheap. Buy a truckload and return to Chicago. Oh wait, that's like bootlegging too.

However, as another poster mentioned, Chicago has cheap prices on liquor and other things. I am confident if you look around and ask carefully, you can find a wise guy who has some to sell that "fell" off someone else's truck.

I agree with all who advise you to quit smoking. I also know people who will tell you that its "impossible" to quit. Its not. I did it. Its hard....there's a difference. But this isn't a non-smoking forum.

Can't you buy cheap cigarettes at the Indian reservation casinos in Wisconsin? That's were everyone who is still addicted in Minnesota buys there stash - the reservation casinos here.