Comments on: Buy a Watch Abroad? Don’t Do It!

By: poopy pants

poopy pants — Fri, 18 Nov 2022 22:37:10 +0000

In reply to Anonymous. Anonymous: I totally agree with you there! I just love how some folks call a $700 dollar watch "affordable"! Sure, if you're an instagram "model" or funky YouTuber, they're affordable. BUT there are those of us who pay rent, taxes, medical bills, etc., can't afford to plunk down 700 bucks for a watch! Good news, though. There are nice microbrand (and non-microbrand) watches under $400 out there, AND a whole bunch of these with sapphire crystal and 100-300 meters water resistance. You just have to make time to surf the web and search.

By: joe kolinger

joe kolinger — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 00:48:00 +0000

In reply to Tony G.

Tony – that’s helpful. I plan to visit Switzerland soon. I’d like to get (don’t laugh) a Rolex Daytona Panda. I think they’re about $15k USD, IF one can be found. I guess ship it back to California rather than carry through customs?
Thanks

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 04 Sep 2022 07:24:34 +0000

Sounds like some watches are far to expensive for this average retired wage earner…. I thought a couple of hundred dollars would get me a reasonable time piece…

By: binaryry

binaryry — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 21:13:10 +0000

In reply to Jerry B. Jerry, I may be wrong here, but did you not have to mail a form to the original seller showing that the watch was declared at customs in the U.S. (i.e. proving that it left Spain)? I've read that if you don't do that within several weeks, the foreign retailer will charge your card on file for the amount of the VAT

By: Fobert Rargo

Fobert Rargo — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 18:26:08 +0000

In reply to Robert Farago. Customer service advantages!!! Cute :)

By: Tony G

Tony G — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 14:32:04 +0000

If you are buying a high value Swiss mechanical watch, it if often worth having it shipped, as when the paperwork is completed properly there is not import duty/tax on Swiss mechanical movements. This means that if you were to buy a watch with a tax free price of say $30,000.00 ($36,000.00 inc tax), the movement could make up to 80% of the cost of the watch so the case would be valued at $6,000.00 on which you would be charged 6.5% or $390.00 with shipping costing about $800.00, so saving about $1000.00 against just declaring it on entry to the US. Now for the crazy part a $500,000.00 Patek Philippe minute repeater will have a similar case value the amount of duty would be the same, the shipping would be more for the insurance (maybe $2,000.00) but you would still only have to pay about $500,00 Tax/duty and then have paperwork to show the watch was tax paid.

By: Jerry B

Jerry B — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 12:15:55 +0000

Seems to be a bit of misinformation here. I bought a timepiece worth over Euro 4,000 in Spain in July 2018. I paid VAT of course and was given all the paperwork for the purchase. At the Barcelona airport, I went to the VAT refund desk and showed them the paperwork. Within 5 minutes I got my VAT payment refunded to me in CASH. Got to the US and did not pay any import duties at JFK.