Reply With QuoteIf a watch I wanted was 7 grand in the UK and less than 5 in Spain, I would jump on an Easyjet flight (200 quid?) and go and fetch the watch myself, also no duty or VAT to pay, unlike sourcing the watch in the US.
Hi, obviously there are some great savings to be made through buying watches from overseas, but is it worth it when you consider the risks involved and import tax duties etc?
I'm interested to know people's thoughts and experiences of buying watches from overseas and whether any import tax duties have been applied etc...
If bought on a credit card will you incur charges due to a conversion rate?
Also, risks regarding the item not being as expected and having to possibly return the item.
There is a watch I really like which is a Breitling Chronomat 44 GMT and over here in the UK it retails for over £7000 but from the states I've seen it for about £4500 and from Spain I've seen it going for around £3750...
Is there anything in particular one needs to look out for?
It's tempting but I'm worried about import duties and other risks involved including anything I may not have taken into consideration.
Tony
If a watch I wanted was 7 grand in the UK and less than 5 in Spain, I would jump on an Easyjet flight (200 quid?) and go and fetch the watch myself, also no duty or VAT to pay, unlike sourcing the watch in the US.
European union - no import duty
US / Asia = import duty
I love buying from Europe, generally a very pleasant experience.
I agree there's a risk, so you need to consider each transaction on its individual merits rather than just say yes/no on principle. I feel that if I was not saving £400 or more I'd rather buy in the UK from someone like Iconic. The other main factors are standing/reputation of the seller and shipping/tax costs.
Thanks for your input guys.
We're actually going on a family holiday to Spain at the end of August. Though we're going to Alicante, the watch in question is in Madrid which is a 4 hour drive away. Then got the hassle of actually finding the place lol.
If there is no import duty I may consider getting it sent depending on postage costs.
This is the seller and advert for the watch in Spain... What do you think? Okay and would you trust them?
http://www.chrono24.com/en/breitling...arch/index.htm
Tony
I've brought a watch from Crono24 but did a lot of checking as it was a private sale. This looks like a dealer as it has the trusted checkout which I would use. I think it's an extra 2% but worth it. Spanish trains can be very fast so you might consider that rather than a long drive. Good luck.
Go and collect it when you are there!
It will be a great day out and adventure....
Could you fly from Alicante to Madrid? I can understand the reluctance and Chrono24 can be a minefield; but the trusted checkout thing is well worth the 2% for your own protection. In EU - no duty apart from shipping costs.
Definitely a dealer, here's their shop on Street View - https://www.google.es/maps/@40.42500...2!8i6656?hl=es. Certainly doesn't look up-market but at least there is one.
Travel costs will soon mount up (trains or fight/taxi) if you're not comfortable driving in Madrid.
I have purchased from Europe many times without issue ( and obviously from Europe it does not attract VAT and customs charges ) . Just ensure that the seller insures the watch for the value of the watch and you exercise the same level of due diligence you are comfortable with from buying within the UK and you should be fine.
Glad the chrono24 purchase worked for you - it didn't for me. After the payment had gone through the seller was kind enough to inform me that the watch was not in stock so I had to get a refund from chrono24. The Euro conversion rate and various bank charges relating to the transfer meant I lost £193.Originally Posted by Naesuk
Thanks for the replies.
I asked the seller for a quote on the shipping and they said it's fully insured and would cost and additional €80.
The watch has now changes to 'reserved' status on the chrono24 site and the offer is valid for 24hrs should I wish to proceed.
Also, reading up on the t&c's the fee for trusted checkout is actually 2.5%.
Tony
This^^^^a holiday should be an adventure and Madrid is a great place, set off early, have lunch somewhere, buy a few things including a nice watch, a grand day out.Go and collect it when you are there!
It will be a great day out and adventure....
After my recent experience with (on the face of it) equally trusted seller as yours, I would urge a bit of caution. Maybe email and ask the seller to send you a picture of the watch on today's newspaper (or ask them to set the watch to a particular time & take a picture) to make sure they actually have it in stock. As I said earlier in this thread, I got burned by nearly £200 when the seller claimed the watch was in stock, but wasn't.
Email the Alicante Breitling dealers, ask them what their best price would be.
This^ - i have bought quite a few watches from ADs in Italy and they are much nicer to deal with than UK ADs.
This, definitely :)Go and collect it when you are there!
It will be a great day out and adventure....
Doesn't seem to be risk free by the sounds of some of your experiences.
I may try what 'Ozzyblackbeard' suggested and see if I can locate a Breitling dealer in Alicante (if there is one that is) and see if I can contact them nearer my holiday and find out their best price.
As stated earlier the dealer which allegedly has the watch in Madrid doesn't look very up market and I'm a sceptical kind of guy so it doesn't fill me with confidence.
Tony
Breitling dealer in Alicante
AMAYA JOYEROS
PLAZA CALVO SOTELO, 13
03001 ALICANTE
Phone+34 965217141Fax+34 965207997E-mailinfo@amayajoyeros.com
And just up the road in Valencia
RAFAEL TORRES JOYERO
PAZ, 5
46003 VALENCIA
Phone+34 963 922840
Fax+34 963 922488E-mailinfo@rafaeltorresjoyero.com
RABAT
COLON, 41
46004 VALENCIA
Phone+34 963 527 678E-mailvalencia@rabat.net
I just bought an X-33 from a German seller who had advertised it on Chrono24. After looking through the terms for the "trusted checkout", it didn't appear that it gave me any real protection (it is nothing like the protection that paying by PayPal gives you!), so I agreed with the seller not to use this facility and saved myself 2%. I had done a reasonable amount of due diligence on the seller and I was happy dealing with him. Apart from a delay in arriving (which was down to the Calais blockade, so not exactly the seller's fault!), it arrived here and is perfect, at a substantial saving over UK prices.
I've bought a number of watches from Europe, Australia and the USA. The only problem that I've ever had was receiving the wrong Timex from a US seller in the early days of eBay.
Seems I have a lot to consider. I really appreciate all your informative input guys. Many thanks.
I'll let you know what I decide and what progress I make...
Tony
Take the 4hr drive up the Spanish countryside. Beats the balls off trawling up or down the M6 here....
I've got an Omega Seamaster incoming from a company called Chronext based in Germany, the 41mm version of the one you had a problem with. Ordered off their website by credit card in pounds with no conversion charge, so I get section 75 protection. Can't say I'm not a little nervous, but communication has been good throughout and the saving was too good to ignore.
Should get it sometime this week so I'll probably update a thread with my experience.
Definitely worth a trip if its going to save you a bit. One thing to be careful of watches bough from Switzerland and sent to the UK. I though was part of the EU, turns out its part of the single market not the full EU. I had to shell out 800 quid in tax on a watch - would have been better to jump on a plane. Lesson learned research, research and then some more research. As always buy the seller and look for trusted status on chrono24. When you buy on there you get a follow up e-mail from the website asking you if you had any issues. If the seller mucks you around he'll probably lose his trusted status.
You would still have been required to pay the import duty and VAT on the watch when you arrived back in the UK.
As has been mentioned on here several times, "Trusted Status" on Chrono24 only means that the seller has paid Chrono24 to have that logo on their adverts, and absolutely nothing else. There are numerous documented cases of sellers with ongoing and unresolved disputes, which Chrono24 are aware of, but who still have Trusted Seller status. You must do your due diligence on the seller - Chrono24 is purely an advertising web site, where anybody in the world can advertise a watch for sale (whether or not that watch actually exists!); they do not do anything to help buyers. All their fees are paid by sellers, not buyers, so they have no incentive to take any action against any but the most egregious sellers.
Well that's something I didn't realise!
I, like many that are not informed assume that if it states that the seller is a 'Trusted Seller', they are indeed a trusted seller and assume that they have earned that accolade due to previous selling history and a good reputation etc... And so would happily click the purchase button thinking you have the price of mind that they have a good proven track record.
Now I know that the seller can just buy this 'Trusted Seller' status from Chrono24, it really doesn't fill me with confidence and is very misleading to be honest...
I wanted to know what trusted seller or seller meant.
Therefore I have sent chrono24 a message pretending that I am a watch dealer and what my advertising options were.
A private seller pays for every watch he posts ( a huge amount of money by the way, think I paid €150 for a €2000 watch). However a seller starts a subscription at €100 (?) a month in which he/ she can post more watched every month.
They do however want your address and something which is called in holland "kvk inschrijving", is it called trade register? Anyway to prove that you actually own a business.
When you are a seller for over 6 months you can ask chrono24 to become "trusted seller". You become this when chrono24 at that point does not have any unsolved disputes between chrono24 and the seller or the seller and any buyers.
If a seller on Chrono24 has the watch you want at a good price then why not, apply due diligence like any other transaction as advised.
I've bought a Sinn from Germany at a very decent saving, not before I asked for pictures of the watch set to certain times to ensure it was stock etc. The seller didn't mind, it was all good.
Might be worth checking out the warranty situation if the card is pre-stamped and you don't have the bill of sale from that AD e.g watch has been traded on to a grey dealer.
I would go & visit if you were in the same country on holiday.
Good luck,
Jg
I pop in this shop regularly, it stocks some real top end loveliness. Regardless to whether you take the trip to Madrid, pop in, they are very friendly and knowledgeable. They don't have much on display, you need to have a list of watches you want to see and try on and they disappear and return from upstairs with them! The prices are VERY competitive as well, with the euro as it is today, even better.
^ So there's your answer - an email to this shop asking for a price of the model you want and then if it's good ask them to have one available for you for the dates you are in the vicinity.
That's what I think I'm going to do.
Loving this forum btw... Some very helpful people on here!!
I bought through a dealer in Germany who advertised through Chrono24. The dealer has a store in Germany which gave me some comfort and I also used Chrono24's "Trusted Checkout". It was all very straightforward. The watch was exactly as described (namely, brand new) and included the warranty card issued by the original dealer giving me 22 months of warranty. In terms of price I saved 60% compared to UK RRP so it was definitely worthwhile.
Finally, the dealer was also a pleasure to deal with having a real sense of humour. In short, it was a good experience.
+1......wise words.
If you really want a good deal (and are prepared to take a liberal view about Customs etc) the Canary Islands is a good bet, particularly if you combine the purchase with a holiday. Can`t beat buying face to face and making sure the watch is in perfect condition, NOT shop-soiled stock that's proving hard to sell. Gibralter's another one that's worth looking at, and the sellers I spoke to were prepared to be 'helpful' and post the box & papers home. Jersey's worth a look too.
What I wouldn`t do is buy unseen in an effort to get the best price. Far too many pitfalls IMO.
Paul
I agree on that!
If you´re willing to spend about 7k and you can save about 40% I would do it like that!
Have a nice weekend in Spain and go home with some nice memories AND a nice watch!
More than 90% of my purchases are from overseas sellers.
Provided you have appropriate postal insurance, plus charge-back potential via credit card, PayPal and the like, I don't see a problem.
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