Reply With Quote20% + the fees that the courier nabs for the pleasure of taking the 20% -ish....
How much on top of the cost of a £2600 watch would I expect to pay on a chrono sourced watch into the U.K. from America.
What if any are the pitfalls?
Should I just buy off a reputable UK dealer instead?
Thanks
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20% + the fees that the courier nabs for the pleasure of taking the 20% -ish....
Maybe stick to this side of the pond.
Many thanks.
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Best to stick to UK.
I've just done this. Watch turned up on Thursday via UPS. No VAT/handling fee demand yet, but I'm bracing myself for one. Never used UPS before, but Fedex send a bill a week or so later.
I planned on 25%.
Regards
Gerard
Interesting. All my packages have been held to ransom until I paid!Originally Posted by gerard
Same here, in fact DHL let's you pay in advance which was nice. No waiting for a slip and redelivery then.
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Depends what it is - stuff like alpina, rado, B&M is often still much cheaper even after you fact in taxes if you keep yours eyes open to flash deals on sites like gemnation.
FedEx deliver - and you think you have got away with it, then an invoice arrives a week later demanding payment.
To answer the OPs question - like others, expect to pay 20% vat and anything up to £20 couriers handling fee.
I don't think an additional £520 on top of the asking price is a good deal.
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I think you have to calculate the worst case scenario and see if the deal works for you. It sounds like it doesn't, so look elsewhere. I also think what if there are issues later on and your dealer is in the US, do they wipe their hands and tell you to liaise with the manufacturer direct. Not quite as direct as popping back to Goldsmiths for a good gripe.
Fair point. The numbers just don't add up to make the transaction viable.
Thanks.
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Note the VAT is calculated on the TOTAL PAID including postage/shipping & any insurance - not on just the item value.
Kev
Quite right. It was conclusively proven in another thread that watches bought in the UK are intrinsically more valuable.
I ordered two Rolex, a couple of AirKings I recall, from the USA.
Stolen from the package in transit, so all I received was a ripped open and taped shut box.
Months of expensive telephone calls / emails to the seller (a business called Glencoe Pawn which neither believed me nor wished to communicate much / help me investigate), to the American courier firm and also to the U.K. delivery arm followed, before I got some of my money refunded.
I wrote off the rest rather than waste months more of my time, and decided never to deal with Glencoe Pawn again, nor indeed to buy from overseas. If it hits the fan, you risk a mountain of obstacles before, if ever, receiving full restitution.
Haywood
Last edited by Haywood_Milton; 22nd July 2017 at 22:35.
Ha, yes. I had some stuff sent to me in Norway that were free postage. Customs there charged me 25% vat on the items and 25% on a number they made up that they thought postage should be.
...and over there you don't fight city hall!
Has anyone imported using USPS to Royal Mail? I've never been hit up for taxes when the seller ships Royal Mail who then hands off to USPS once it's in the USA. I wonder if it's similar in reverse.
I'll never import again from anywhere
I ordered some gorgeous skateboard decks at almost £120 each got hit with import duty etc
When I got the packGe home from pick up the box had been tampered with and the boards gone
It's still trying to be resolved but was. Leverkusen done
Never cross my mind that the box was light as had no idea how heavy or large they would be
The boards themselves carried ltd edition. Porsche images on the underside and are sold as wall art
You will always be hit for VAT when importing by USPS -> Royal Mail. (Well, always hit unless the customs declaration is falsely under-valued).
The reason that there were no import taxes when sending by Royal Mail to USPS is that USA import taxes are much lower than the UK's and I believe have a much higher threshold (and also, anecdotally, have not historically been well-enforced).
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