bookit Posted August 25, 2019 Report Share Posted August 25, 2019 I wanted to know which port has best shopping for jewelry or whatever, St. Maarten or St. Thomas, or are they overpriced altogether - I purchased a gold ring along time ago but forgot which port it was- I know prices are different since back then but was curious to hear opinions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted August 25, 2019 Report Share Posted August 25, 2019 In my opinion St Thomas has the best concentration of duty free shops in close proximity to each other "downtown" Charlotte Amalie but it's not walking distance from the ships. However I don't think you are going to find a big difference with shopping between the two islands. It's not like the jewelry is farmed fresh on the island and comes fresh from the jewelry fields so it's a lot of the same stuff around the same prices with the same sales tactics. Whichever fits better into your cruise schedule based on other activities you have planned should yield similar results. tiny260, MotleyCruiser and PRebecca 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChessE4 Posted August 25, 2019 Report Share Posted August 25, 2019 20 minutes ago, bookit said: I wanted to know which port has best shopping for jewelry or whatever, St. Maarten or St. Thomas, or are they overpriced altogether - I purchased a gold ring along time ago but forgot which port it was- I know prices are different since back then but was curious to hear opinions Concur with @twangster based on our experience at both ports and elsewhere in the Caribbean. You need to know what you are buying (quality) and what the approximate price for a similar item would be at home. DMLM 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted August 25, 2019 Report Share Posted August 25, 2019 I agree with @twangster in that St. Thomas has the highest amount of shops in one particular area, making shopping easier. However, I do find the prices better in St. Maarten in that they are slightly more willing to bargain. IMO, the best in Cozumel because you get 8% back. It takes a while but you end up getting it so win-win all around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMLM Posted August 25, 2019 Report Share Posted August 25, 2019 I would say the shopping is far more commercialized/organized from 20 years ago. Back then you really could find the bargain but now the prices seem consistent among the islands. I also agree with ChessE4 as I have found the prices are getting to be the same as home or sometimes more. D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted August 25, 2019 Report Share Posted August 25, 2019 I buy nearly all of my good jewelry in St Thomas. I have the jewelers to be reputable but as with any expensive investment, you must know what you’re looking at. tiny260 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bokx2 Posted August 26, 2019 Report Share Posted August 26, 2019 I agree with what people have said so far. If you are targeting something specific, I would canvas pricing of the item where you live and determine if the pricing in the Caribbean is worth it. You can get good deals but it doesn't mean cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabarwolf Posted August 26, 2019 Report Share Posted August 26, 2019 My feeling is that if you're looking for something specific, then it may well be worth going with the shopping tour on the ship. We did go to the shopping seminars on Allure, during our recent sailing (more to get the freebies than anything else), but it seemed like there was a lot of coupons and discounts offered through the Port and Shopping person aboard. (And these were RC sponsored dealers.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotleyCruiser Posted August 26, 2019 Report Share Posted August 26, 2019 St. Thomas is notorious for it's shopping. Go to the 'shopping seminar', typically the day before you dock, they throw out freebies, and will have a special group you can join to get off the ship early and cut the line disembarking. Then cut the line again at the ferry and get a discount ferry ticket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Planeprincess Posted August 27, 2019 Report Share Posted August 27, 2019 St Maarten. Where else can you buy booze , cheese and jewelry in the same store. Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fonemanbob Posted August 27, 2019 Report Share Posted August 27, 2019 St. Thomas for sure. And if there is a trunk show going on either on board or in port. We have hit those on 4 occasions and purchased some very nice items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolly Ogre Posted August 27, 2019 Report Share Posted August 27, 2019 On 8/25/2019 at 5:44 PM, WAAAYTOOO said: I buy nearly all of my good jewelry in St Thomas. I have the jewelers to be reputable but as with any expensive investment, you must know what you’re looking at. I don't understand the investment aspect of buying jewelry. Do you plan on the price going up so that you can sell it in the future? What kind of ROI are you expecting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted August 27, 2019 Report Share Posted August 27, 2019 12 minutes ago, Jolly Ogre said: I don't understand the investment aspect of buying jewelry. Do you plan on the price going up so that you can sell it in the future? What kind of ROI are you expecting? I just like jewelry. Not really an investment for a ROI. As it turns out, I have purchased wisely as my jewelry appraises for well over double what I paid for it (for insurance purposes) but I don’t buy jewelry to make money. I buy jewelry because I love sparkly things ! Kinda like a crow that way, I guess ! PRebecca, cdixon22 and Ladyxsuebee 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolly Ogre Posted August 27, 2019 Report Share Posted August 27, 2019 58 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said: I just like jewelry. Not really an investment for a ROI. As it turns out, I have purchased wisely as my jewelry appraises for well over double what I paid for it (for insurance purposes) but I don’t buy jewelry to make money. I buy jewelry because I love sparkly things ! Kinda like a crow that way, I guess ! Yeah ok...same here and I like the way it looks on my wife and how she feels wearing it. That is why I did not understand the investment part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted August 27, 2019 Report Share Posted August 27, 2019 Ok now I Understand your confusion. I went and re-read my original post. “Investment” was probably a poor choice of words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flacruiser99 Posted August 27, 2019 Report Share Posted August 27, 2019 Cozumel has the largest amount of silver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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