'Buy and pick-up' duty-free sales exceed 3b yuan in Hainan

Customers throng a duty-free shopping center in Sanya, Hainan province, on Oct 1, 2024. [Photo/IC]

As of Dec 13, the total sales amount of duty-free purchases under the "buy and pick-up" delivery method generated 3.08 billion yuan ($423.05 million) this year, with 3.49 million items bought by 1.57 million tourists, according to data from Haikou Customs on Saturday.

The sales amount of duty-free purchases via the "buy and pick-up" delivery method has exceeded 5.5 billion yuan since the method has been rolled out on April 1, 2023.

Tourists can choose the "buy and pick-up" method for purchasing duty-free products in 15 categories listed in the annex list with a unit price less than 20,000 yuan. After paying for the goods, they can pick up the goods on site, and the customs will not inspect the physical goods upon departure.

"The 'buy and pick-up' method helps stimulate consumption vitality and enhances the attractiveness of duty-free shopping on the outlying islands," a staff member in charge at the Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex said.

More and more tourists are choosing the "buy and pick-up" method, which is not only enhancing the offshore duty-free shopping experience but also optimizing enterprises' logistics transportation and operation.

To ensure the smooth operation of the "buy and pick-up" method, Haikou's Customs has established a working mechanism for the rapid disposal of abnormal data of tax exemption. Duty-free policy consultation services are provided to tourists.

Meanwhile, Haikou's Customs has realized order examination on a 24-hour interval in auto mode. Besides, remote monitoring and on-site inspection are adopted to supervise the transportation of duty-free goods, greatly improving the efficiency of cargo delivery to make hot-selling duty-free goods on the shopping rack at the same day.