What is profitable to buy in Poland for Belarusians. What is profitable to bring from Poland to Belarus?

An Intex-press correspondent went on a shopping tour to Bialystok and found out why, despite long queues at the border and expensive Schengen visas, “shopping” in Poland is popular among Belarusians.

My friend and I went shopping in Bialystok for the first time. We didn’t go for specific purchases, but to see what was on sale in Polish shopping centers and markets, find out which products are the most popular among Belarusians, and ask the price. They took $200 with them.

We went to Bialystok by minibus - 38 rubles round trip.

We leave Baranovichi at 10 o’clock on Friday evening and by midnight we arrive at the Berestovitsa checkpoint in the Grodno region.

There are two queues at the border - for cars and buses. The first one is significantly longer. We get in line for buses and it takes about three hours to get to the Belarusian customs. During this time, someone manages to take a nap, and some (probably newbies like us) become noticeably nervous, not understanding why we are standing for so long.

“On weekdays there are practically no queues,” says one of the male passengers. – And on weekends you can stand until the morning.

Duty free: perfumes and alcohol

After passing through Belarusian customs we arrive at duty free. Our driver shows us which of the three stores we need to go to (he has a discount card there) and gives us 20 minutes for shopping.

Most of our fellow travelers buy alcohol. Its prices are 30–50% cheaper than ours. For example, a liter bottle of popular Finnish vodka costs about $16.

“This costs at least 50 rubles here,” says the woman who took two bottles for her husband’s anniversary.

Many people buy alcohol on sale - it turns out even cheaper.

“The price is the same as Belarusian vodka, but the quality is better,” says one of the women who bought three bottles of German vodka.

The store has an abundance of perfumes and cosmetics. The price of 50 ml of eau de toilette made in France starts from 23 euros. Some fragrances are up to 50% off.

Night market: tea, coffee, chocolate

We approach Polish customs. We pass all checks faster than on the Belarusian side. Our passports are checked several times, fingerprints are taken, and the purpose of the trip is clarified. We say that we are going shopping, the customs officers ask how much money each of us has on us (they do not check their availability). When one of the passengers admits that she only has $50, the customs officer replies that it must be at least $200, but puts a stamp and lets the girl through.

We arrive in Bialystok around 6 am (from the border to the city – a 30-minute drive). The first stop is the night market, popular among Belarusians. We leave the bus and see a lot of roller shutters, but not all of them are open. Our fellow travelers, who know what's what here, almost run to go shopping.

“I’m in the 80th, and then in the 130th, we’ll meet in an hour,” one woman says to the other, referring to the roller shutter numbers.

We don’t understand why everyone is in such a hurry, because we were given a whole hour and a half to shop. We go into the nearest working roller shutter. In size it is almost the size of an average store in Baranovichi. On the floor and shelves there are tea, coffee, sweets, seasonings, washing powders and other goods.

The queue is very long - about 50 people, so we don’t even look at the prices and go to the next roller shutter. The assortment there is about the same, but the queue is much shorter. “Probably the prices here are a little higher,” we assume and begin to study the assortment. One of the buyers, seeing our confusion in converting prices from zlotys to Belarusian rubles, says: “multiply by 5 and you get the price in thousands in our old ones, before denomination.”

We take several packs of ground coffee, chocolates, and washing powder. The line moves slowly. People are nervous as many are late for their bus, some leave their shopping baskets on the floor and leave.

The most popular goods in this market are household chemicals, coffee, tea, chocolate, diapers, and seasonings. Prices for everything are lower than ours - some are 20 percent cheaper, and some are 50 percent cheaper.

You can pay in zlotys, dollars, euros (but change is only given in zlotys).

In order to later be able to return the “cotton wool” (in our opinion, VAT), you need to stock up in one place (about 150 Belarusian rubles). Those who come to buy in large quantities try to stock up on goods for this amount; if there is not enough, they urgently buy it with chewing gum, candies or seasonings.

Having stood in line for more than 1.5 hours, we understand why our fellow travelers were in such a hurry to shop and run to certain roller shutters. During this time, many of them managed to stock up several times and bring their purchases to the bus.

Cavalry Market: discounts on winter clothes and polite sellers

The driver gives us two and a half hours to “shop” at the Cavalry Market. You can buy almost everything here - from sweets and coffee and teas to shoes, clothes, dishes and even household appliances.

Already upon entering the market, we realize that it was in vain to stand in line at the night market: all goods at the same price (and some even cheaper) can be bought here.

There is practically no language barrier between sellers and Belarusian buyers. Mostly women trade. The sellers are very friendly and actively attract buyers into their roller shutters.

- Tso pani htse? – asks a woman selling outerwear (with these words they greet female buyers in almost every roller shutter).

Having estimated the size, she is already taking off several demi-season coats and offers to try them on.

The very wide range of products is surprising: more than 20 styles and even more coat colors. The price starts from 180 rubles with our money.

We decide to walk around the market again and ask the price.

In the next roller shutter there are winter outerwear. An insulated coat with a natural collar is priced like a spring one: all winter clothes are 30% off here.

Much cheaper than jeans. Good women's models can be bought for 23 Belarusian rubles, if on sale - even cheaper.

The saleswoman takes off a few jeans and takes us to the fitting room (so we don't get cold trying them on in her tent). The fitting room is about ten meters from the tent, it is very warm, clean, there are many booths with large mirrors.

My friend and I are buying a pair of jeans each.

The market has an abundance of not only clothes and shoes, but also “small things” - wallets, umbrellas, scarves, handbags. Here you can also buy eau de toilette a la Chanel for 13–15 rubles with our money and even jewelry.

There are two exchangers on the market, but most sellers accept any money for payment.

After wandering around the market for about an hour, we return to the bus. After some time, all the other passengers with full bags gather. Purchases include tulle, curtains, kitchen towels, ironing boards, clothing and much more. From conversations we understand that many people do not stock it for themselves, but bring goods from Poland to order and make good money from it.

“I’ll give you 100 rubles for 10 cans of coffee, and I’ll sell it in Baranovichi for 200, and then I’ll return the cotton wool,” says one of our fellow travelers.

Discounts and promotions in Auchan

We head to the Auchan hypermarket. The assortment is huge, but we don’t have much time, so we go have a snack. This shopping center has several catering establishments like our cafes. We choose where the queue is smaller. For mashed potatoes, breaded fish fillets, fresh cabbage salad and lemonade we pay about 6 rubles. The food not only looks appetizing, but is also very tasty.

In the huge shopping center you can buy groceries, clothes, dishes, shoes, washing powders, flowers and even household appliances. Prices differ slightly from market prices. Lots of promotions and sales.

One of our fellow travelers buys a cooktop for $300.

- These cost us 400 dollars. And then I’ll return the cotton wool, and it will cost me another 50 dollars less,” says the man.

We turn out to be the most modest participants in the shopping tour - we have two small packages of purchases. The trunk of the bus is filled to capacity with goods of different weights and sizes.

“At least take my chocolates and frying pan.”

We arrive at the border at approximately 16.00. Seeing that there is only one bus in front of us in the queue (by the way, from the Baranovichi bus fleet), we hope that all customs procedures will be completed quickly. We are very tired, we want to sleep. Bus passengers are checked for a very long time - first documents, then purchases. Some people fill out declarations, draw up “cottage bills” - all these procedures take time. The bus goes through customs for more than an hour. We are waiting.

At this time, an Ecolines bus stops next to us. Our driver says that he is a regular driver, so he goes to customs without a queue - in front of us.

“There are about five regular buses at this time, if we don’t have time to get past them, we’ll have to wait until the night,” says one of the women, who has been shopping in Bialystok more than once.

Ecolines check for about 40 minutes, and finally it’s our turn.

Customs officers ask all passengers to leave the bus with their purchases and go into the building to check the purchased goods. Those traveling for the first time in three months can carry a maximum of 50 kg of goods, others - up to 20 kg.

Passengers with impressive bags begin to look for fellow travelers traveling light in order to give them some of the goods for a while.

“Man, you have 10 kilograms, no more, maybe you could at least take my chocolates and a frying pan, otherwise I’ll probably have an over-limit,” asks one of the women with three large bags.

The man agrees.

Another woman comes up with another way to lighten her bag - she opens cans of coffee and starts pouring it into bags. Coffee spills right in the customs hall. Another passenger's bottle of alcohol breaks. The customs officers are silently watching all this.

Then each of us has their passport checked again, our bags are weighed, and some of us have their contents checked. The main thing, according to customs officers, is that the weight of the purchased item does not exceed the norm, and the quantity of goods of the same type (for example, coffee, chocolates) is not very large.

We leave the border at about 18.30, arriving in Baranovichi at 21.00. The driver takes the passengers home, and we experience all the “delights” of Baranovichi roads, especially in the private sector, and mentally compare them with Polish roads, which for some reason are in perfect condition even after winter.

After arriving home, we realize that we could have bought a lot more things. Due to fatigue and inexperience, we spent a long time asking prices, and we weren’t going for specific goods, but to find out why many city residents so often go shopping in Poland. Next time we'll make a list.

What and at what price did I buy in Poland?

Women's double-sided demi-season jacket – 85 rub.
Teenage long jacket – 66.5 rub.
Umbrella – 15 rubles.
Jeans – 25 rub.
Washing powder, 6 kg – 15 rub.
Two 100-gram packages of cappuccino – 1.3 rubles. for each
Pack of 12 100-gram bags of canned cat food – 5.7 rubles.
Chicken sausages, 1 kg – 3 rubles.
Chocolate spread, 400 grams – 2 rubles.
Three 300-gram chocolates with whole nuts – 4 rubles. for each
Three packages of ground coffee, 250 grams each - 7.6 rubles. for each

Total: 255 rubles

A source of information:: Elena ZELENKO, photo Sergey IVANOV - Intex-press

Durable goods must be declared at Belarusian customs.

Some goods are allowed to be transported duty free once every 3 years. Set of tires 1 time in 2 years:

In this paragraph, one unit of items refers to goods that are traditionally used in more than one unit, for example, 2 (4) tires, 4 car mats.

2. (Applicable from March 10, 2015) The following categories of goods are allowed to be imported as goods for personal use, with the exception of those imported with payment of a cumulative customs duty:

For three calendar years - 1 unit each of the following categories of goods: gas (or electric) kitchen stoves, hobs, household hoods, food processors, microwave ovens, ovens, bathtubs, shower cabins, sinks for water drainage, washbasins, bidets, toilets, cisterns, household refrigerators-freezers, household refrigerators, household freezers, dishwashers, household washing machines, household coffee machines, household sewing machines, household water heaters, color computer monitors with LCD screens, laptops (netbooks), tablet PCs , photocopiers, television reception equipment, air conditioners, lawn mowers (trimmers), vacuum cleaners, household welding machines, household electric generators, household car washing equipment, baby strollers (each type depending on the age of the child), boat motors , civilian smooth-bore or rifled weapons and their parts;
- within two calendar years - up to 4 units (up to 2 or 3 (if there is a sidecar) units in relation to motorcycles, mopeds, scooters) of summer pneumatic tires (or wheels with summer tires, including used ones) or up to 4 units (up to 2 or 3 (if there is a stroller) winter pneumatic tires (or wheels with winter tires, including used ones) for each vehicle for personal use owned by an individual moving such goods, subject to documentary confirmation by an official to the customs office, ownership of a vehicle for personal use, up to 4 disks for vehicles for personal use.

You can bring no more than three large purchases across the border from one trip.

If the frequency of an individual crossing the customs border of the Eurasian Economic Union is once a calendar month or more often, it is allowed to import 1 unit of no more than 3 items of durable items (spare parts for vehicles, including used, outerwear, doors, windows (double-glazed windows), as well as other durable goods not listed below), as well as building materials of no more than 3 items per calendar month. At the same time, durable goods are understood as goods that, based on traditional use, have a service life of more than a year, as well as washing powders, rinse aids, cleaning agents (detergents) in packages weighing more than 5 k

Everyone has their own understanding of shopping tours: for some, this is the cheapest way to “print” a visa (that is, make the first entry into the country that issued it, so that later you can go to any other parts of Schengen without any questions). Some people have their own small business selling Belarusian cigarettes in Poland, and Polish goods here in Zhdanovichi. Some are looking for gifts for the holidays, some are going to buy equipment at a profit, while others are out of curiosity, simply because it is not very far and inexpensive.

Choosing a tour: checking for a shopaholic

Companies offering shopping tours to Bialystok and Warsaw are eye-opening. Prices start at 35 rubles, and most companies offer travel at this price. Shops and markets also offer a standard set - “FASTY”, “MAKRO”, market on Kavaleriyskaya, “Alfa”, “Biala”, “Auchan”. That is, the difference will lie primarily in what day of the week you decide to devote to rustling candies and numerous “Persils” (for future use!).

Sometimes there are minor differences in tour prices (not counting individual offers, which can be significantly more expensive). We compared prices and departure times in the main companies that appeared at the top in the search. Typically, companies offer a short and a long program. Long programs are listed in the table in the bottom line.

	Price	Days of the week	Departure to Bialystok	Return to Minsk
yavashshoptur.bel				Next night, 05.00-06.00
				23.00-01.30, next night
	Wed – 50r, Fri – 60r		Wed – 21.00-21.15, Fri – 19.00	From 4.00 next night
				Not indicated. Departure from Bialystok at 16.30
		38 rubles (on promotion 35)			From Bialystok at 20.00
					Estimated arrival at midnight the next day (departure at 16.30)
	38 rubles (on promotion 35)			Estimated arrival at midnight the next day (departure at 18.10)
		December: 1.8, 15, 22, 29		Departure to Minsk at 15.30
		Mon, Wed, Fri	Changes, need to check on the website
		Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sun

				Departure to Minsk at 16.30
	38 rubles (35 on promotion)

		Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sun

Most companies offer to spend two nights on the road according to the following scheme: overnight transfer to Poland, a day for shopping, a night for the return journey. This is a popular option for a shopping tour, but two nights on the road seemed like an unaffordable torment to us, so the deciding factor was the schedule: half a day for shopping, it seemed to us, would be quite enough. This kind of shopping tour is called express. It costs 40 rubles and includes visiting only the market on Kavaleriyskaya, the FASTY night market and the Makro hypermarket.

For real shopaholics, there is an option to spend the night in a hotel: then you can devote the entire weekend to cheap (or not so cheap?) Polish goods. Such tours usually cost from 55 rubles excluding hotel. The program for everyone is standard: in the evening of the first day - departure, arrival early in the morning on the second day, on the third day around noon - departure to Minsk.

Shopping tours to Bialystok with overnight stay

	Price	Days of the week	Departure to Bialystok	Return to Minsk	Cost of living
				Departure from Bialystok on the third day at 12.30 (Sun)
				Departure at 12.30 on the third day (Sun)	65 zl with breakfast
				13.40 on Sunday – departure from Bialystok (Sunday)	75 zl+15 zl breakfast
				12.30 departure from Bialystok
				13.10 – departure from Bialystok

So, we turned out to be not the most avid shopaholics and chose an express tour, deciding that in half a day we could easily find all the teas and chocolates we needed.

Road, contingent and important nuances

At the bus station, a Mercedes minibus was waiting for us - an ordinary minivan - with a trailer familiar to regulars (to fit more purchases), more or less comfortable and at the same time packed to capacity - and this despite the fact that the departure was on Tuesday . The company we chose offered two minibuses, and the second one also quickly filled up. Contingent – women over 45 years old; judging by the conversations, this is not the first trip for them. This means that experienced buyers are on the hunt for Polish goods.

The driver asked about the availability of passports, told about the travel plan and reminded several important nuances: “If you have not traveled abroad in the last 3 months, you can import 50 kilograms of things. If you recently traveled, then 20. Whoever is found to have an advantage will fill out paperwork at the border, thereby delaying the entire group. And, accordingly, he will pay additional money for the advantage. And check the cash: now the Poles at the border sometimes behave rather harshly; the other day they did not let a woman through because she did not carry enough cash with her. She needed to take with her at least 500 zlotys, that is, about 120 euros.”

By one o'clock in the morning we arrived at the border. The Belarusian customs officers passed through with minor problems: one of the future buyers had a poorly visible stamp in her passport. They found fault and advised me to change my passport, but they still let me through. Well, after the border, everyone headed to duty-free - they chose one or looked at both at once (the prices there turned out to be the same, at least for alcohol).

Here, by the way, there is also a small nuance: you can import into Poland a liter of strong alcohol and 2 packs of cigarettes per person. This is what local bottling businessmen do for a living: regulars say that prices for our cigarettes start from 5-6 zlotys - this is the cheapest - that is, they are 2-2.5 times more expensive.

The Poles hardly inspected things: they glanced at them as they walked along the bus. Then – departure, it’s about an hour’s drive from the border to Bialystok.

Markets and shops

When visiting shops and markets, there is a time limit: they tell you what time to return to the bus. You can communicate with sellers without problems - mainly due to the similarity of Belarusian and Polish, but some also know a couple of basic phrases in Russian. Both in the market and in the hypermarket you can pay in both zlotys and euros.

We went to Bialystok by minibus - 38 rubles round trip.

We leave Baranovichi at 10 o’clock on Friday evening and by midnight we arrive at the Berestovitsa checkpoint in the Grodno region.

“On weekdays there are practically no queues,” says one of the male passengers. – And on weekends you can stand until the morning.

Duty free: perfumes and alcohol

After passing through Belarusian customs we arrive at duty free. Our driver shows us which of the three stores we need to go to (he has a discount card there), and gives us 20 minutes for shopping.