02-07-2016, 12:41 PM
I bought my carry-on-sized Topas at a department store that had a (modest) sale on them, and filled out the VAT refund paperwork; it wasn't in a box, just had the tags on it. I then went to the customs office before checking in, actually the night before the flight, and they stamped the VAT paperwork. The next day, after checking in, I showed the stamped paperwork to the VAT refund office to get the refund. No one actually checked whether I was using the suitcase to carry my things back. (If your goods need to be checked in, practically no one can verify that anyway.)