Sometimes those shipping charges can be a form of deterrent for the seller - they may prefer to deal in person so you can see it in the flesh, and also reduce the risk of postal scammers.
There is a watch I want to buy on Chrono24 which is brand new being sold by jewellers / grey market watch dealer. But the shipping is £80 which seems extortionate. I'm used to getting watches delivered for free when brand new. They have a physical store but I live 200 miles away. I'm pretty sure when I bought my brand new Omega Speedmaster the AD sent it by Royal Mail Special Delivery. But that service only seems to be insured up to £2500.
I'm wondering how much does it actually cost to send a watch of value £5000 by courier? Which couriers actually offer insurance for watches of this value (excluding Evri and Yodel)?
Sometimes those shipping charges can be a form of deterrent for the seller - they may prefer to deal in person so you can see it in the flesh, and also reduce the risk of postal scammers.
I'd be pretty tempted to make the journey before I dropped the 5K. Even by train. You might be able to negotiate F2F as well.
I reckon it will cost them £55 for costs (courier + full insurance)7
Add in packaging of the elaborate Omega box etc - I think they are approaching £70.
Any VAT involved there?
I'm not seeing much slack or 'extortion' to be honest.
Under normal circumstances I would have got the train to buy it. But I can't get time off work during the week. I have to go to a wedding this weekend and the Saturday after next my son has a big football match. They are closed on Sundays. My wife would kill me if I missed that to buy a watch. Besides don't want to wait in case its sold to someone else.
I think I'll buy it and try to get free delivery or ask them if they'll let me leave a deposit so I can buy it in person.
Last edited by Distorted Vision; 12th March 2024 at 15:45.
The asking price of £5000 is the RRP. I was going to make an offer on it but its was discontinued a few years ago and used ones on Chrono24 and eBay are priced at just £200 to £300 less than £5000. I've never seen a brand new one come up for sale and I've been looking for over a year. But I don't think there's any harm in trying for 10% discount including free delivery.
You would definitely be able to get a better deal in store as a sale through Chrono24 would incur the dealer hefty fees. Circa 10% from memory.
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If you can make a deal why not pay a deposit to hold it and collect once you’re able to?
Alternatively the postage cost will be based on the size and weight of the item and then add the insurance cost which is £50 on a £5k watch with Secursus.
Lastly, maybe you can arrange one of the members here to collect on your behalf and meet up. You’ll be surprised what is actually achievable if you ask for help.
Good luck!
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What watch are we talking about?
The last domestic I shipped using Fedex and 3rd party insurance was 2kg with 15k insurance and cost just shy of £120.
It's not cheap.
£280–£380 for NOS from a dealer on a £5k watch seems a very small price to pay.
Good luck if you can get it cheaper than £80.
Why not deal direct (not in person, just direct) with the dealer - they'll be saving some pretty significant fees that way, meaning you can haggle more than just free shipping.
400 mile round trip or £80 and all the protection that comes with distance selling.
I'd pay the £80.
Secursus charge £50 to insure a parcel of £5k value, and you've got your shipping rate on top of that, so that price doesn't actually seem all that bad really
I wouldn’t for a moment have considered £80 remarkable, let alone extortionate, on a £5k watch, particularly if it saved me the time and expense of a 200-mile round trip when I had no free time….
What am I missing here?
And what’s the watch anyway, I’m sure we’re all as keen as OLT to hear more of the substance 👍
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400 mile round trip!
Where the dealer ,maybe the Tz community can get it to you.
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A 6k watch fully insured last year cost me RMSD £16.75 plus Securus £44.30 total £61.05
So I know I went into radio silence but....
I got it!
I now have some explaining to do.
Firstly, I know you're all thinking what all the fuss was about since its only a Breitling Chronomat. Yes I know its nothing special at all but it is to me. The Breitling Chronomat was the first Swiss watch I ever wanted back from around 2000, 14 years before I actually started collecting watches properly. It was the year after I graduated and even though I had a good job at an investment bank I didn't have much disposable income as I bought my first house in London and started a pension plan at 21.
I deliberately didn't say what watch it was or post any links as I was paranoid that it might peak someone's interest and buy it before I could. I also have to confess to telling two white lies. The asking price of the watch was £4000 not £5000 and the delivery charge was £75. Again not to be able to identify the watch.
But here are the links:
https://www.hyjewellery.co.uk/breitl...f1a1-2814.html
https://www.chrono24.co.uk/breitling...id17400137.htm
We agreed a price of £3900 but I couldn't buy it immediately as my wife said I could only buy it on an interest free credit card and not from our savings. The seller said he could only keep it if I left a 25% non-refundable deposit and paid in full within 7 days. So I was waiting for a new credit card to arrive.
Hope that explains a few things.
Last edited by Distorted Vision; 24th March 2024 at 11:42.
That is a super choice. I am a bit of a Breitling fanboy for all of the brand’s faults and I have always been a sucker for the Chronomat, mainly because I just love that beautiful crown. The Chronomat Evo was the one to pique my interest years ago and I’ve never had one - one day I suspect that will change.
Congratulations on the watch. You were an EXTREMELY sensible 21 year old and that is paying dividends now. Enjoy it - you deserve it.
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Thanks. Unfortunately, there is a dent in the case in the watch. I posted on Watchus**k and most people said I should return it for a refund. But I accepted £300 compensation from the retailer. I've asked Breitling if a a polishing service on top of a maintenance service (£235 + £140 = £375) would cover the repair of the dent by laser welding.
As you know no third party independent service centres will repair or service Breitling since they removed their accreditation in November 2022 and no longer supply them with parts even gaskets. Watch is still under warranty so wouldn't get it done by an independent as it would invalidate it.
There are some around
https://www.prestigetimeservices.co.uk/get-in-touch/
“ Ford... you're turning into a penguin. Stop it.” HHGTTG
Last edited by Distorted Vision; 1st April 2024 at 00:20.
Every watch brand I've experienced has at least one fault. Just a few examples:
Rolex - Availability / shortage of stock.
Audemars Piguet - Servicing cost
Omega - Price rises. Ridiculous number of variants of the same model especially the Speedmaster.
Breitling - Manufacturer only repairs / services
Seiko - Price and QC issues
Maybe nirvana has been reached with one the Holy Trinity brands like Vacheron Constantin.