Probably many of you saw this, and I got helpful advice from a couple Dynamic fans on this site... I think I did well, but would like to hear opinions - $550 delivered from UK to US. I like it a whole lot, it has a great feel. I need to add one link to the bracelet - I am not positive what I need, I see a couple of things on ebay that look similar but wanted to get feedback.
Yes, my first Omega. I have a couple of vintage Seiko's, but decided it was time to step up. I have wanted a Dynamic for a long time, and just loved how this one looked - most of the Dynamics have printed only faces, and I really liked the purity of this one with the omega and number furniture. After my Seiko's, I am a little taken aback by the quality - it is just really nice. I shouldn't be surprised, but it's just really nice to wear such a great watch. It is keeping great time and just feels like it was a great deal for what it is.
I always wonder how this international buying works! Can you please tell me your experience - 1- Do you need to pay any custom/duty etc? 2- Are you protected even when you are buying from ebay.uk for eg while being in US ? Thank you.
Congratulations on your acquisition! These Dynamics are great, aren’t they?! Yours looks to be manual, yes? How long will it run on a full wind? I was lamenting on my own thread that my eBay Dynamic purchase will only go for about 12 hours. Thus, +$300 to the purchase price!
So far, I’ve had three watches shipped to the USA after purchasing online from an overseas vendor. All arrived with no duty. None was very expensive to begin with, so I thought that might be the reason. Later I bought a painting at auction from Canada and it too arrived without a duty fee, despite costing 10 times the watch values. I guess it’s pure dumb luck!
The only time I have paid duty was when the seller used FedEx. I got a bill from them a few weeks later.
I’ve bought a couple of Dynamics from the USA and from Canada (I’m in the UK). I’ve been collared for duty each time. On the other hand I’ve imported from Brazil and Australia and they’ve come without being stopped at customs. In the UK it’s the luck (or unluck) of the draw.
I'm finding somewhat the same thing, but not quite that bad...yes, it is a manual, which I like. It'll run about a day and a half on a full wind, however there is a fair amount of winding resistance, and it has been stopping a little randomly; a little tap gets it going again. It seems like it needs a service. I've emailed Simon Freese.
I live in Germany and I've been nobbled by duty every time for items from US, Thailand or Australia..except really small stuff like watch parts and straps. Only envelope size items seem to get through. Its kinda put me off buying outside this trade zone as duty is really high and the customs office down in the "harbour" (banks of the river) is frinking miles away and seems to be where civil servants are sent as punishment and consequently go to die. They intermittently slope between the deathly silent offices along the underlit 60's corridor with the vibrancy and urgency of a Sloth climbing down to have it's weekly pee. Then you gotta open the box in front of them, get the ok and a chit, and go back outside and sit until the cashier guy (with a bun usually stuck in his mouth) eventually shambles up and fiddles endlessly with keys to the payment window. After you've handed him the papers , you may as well go and sit down again as he warms up the computer to print you out an official customs receipt- all the time hacking a gargling cough carefully cultivated from 40 odd years of chain smoking. If the Harry Potter life sucking dementors had a clubhouse, the Nürnberg customs house, (skulking away behind giant towers of containers) would be it.
Funny thing, here in Europe the germans have a good reputation for efficiency... It seems civil servants are similar all over the world...
Complete myth. Living on the reputation of past form of pre-millennial Germany . Most Germans will also readily admit to the downturn in efficiency.... Civil servants or those lucky enough to be "Beamte" as they are referred to here, are universally envied for their job for life security, sickness leave/benefits, private health insurance , and very generous pension plans...They can even take a year out once in their careers and go and do a world tour or whatever , and STILL have the same job to go back to!!! ..they are a complete throwback to the attitudes of the 1950's without the work ethic to match. After living 10 years i Thailand I was genuinely aghast at the bureaucracy when i came here....(I think it's mostly about pushing unnecessary amounts of paperwork around in order to maintain the illusion of actually being busy.)