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Buying an ebay watch from Japan (USA buyer)

blueteg
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Guys in the USA that have won ebay auctions from Japanese sellers: did you have to pay any additional fees/duties that were not included in your winning auction bid?

Thanks in advance!
 
Dan S
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There's always the possibility of paying customs duties when importing a watch. It has nothing specifically to do with Japan.
 
Evitzee
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OP, it's the luck of the draw. Most likely it will pass through with no problems, but you never know. Correct paperwork helps to hasten its way through the process.
 
SkunkPrince
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Importing to the US regardless of where it comes from means above a certain dollar limit, which I do not recall, means filling out a lot of forms (pain in the butt) and paying duty. So keep it below that limit.
 
gemini4
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EMS shipping from Japan to USA is a bit slower but generally customs hassle free
 
abrod520
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It depends on where you live. In my experience, the feds don't really care much about the odd import but certain states like California watch with eagle eyes so they can get every penny. New York on the other hand doesn't care. So YMMV

Another thing is, Japanese sellers in particular categorically refuse to mark with lower values.
 
Spruce
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It’s always worth cross referencing the same watch on Chrono24.

I bought a watch on Chrono24 that a third party in Japan was selling on eBay on the basis that if he’d sold it through eBay, he’d have bought it from the Chrono24 seller who was also in Japan.

Naturally, I paid UK duty.
 
Amg786s
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I believe the import duties are a small price to pay for buying from Japanese sellers. I've purchased a few pieces from there and have always found the sellers to be very reliable and most watches to have been looked after really well.
 
gemini4
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Amg786s Amg786s
I believe the import duties are a small price to pay for buying from Japanese sellers. I've purchased a few pieces from there and have always found the sellers to be very reliable and most watches to have been looked after really well.

I’ve purchased more than a few watches from Japan and you have to maintain the same level of due diligence as buying from anywhere else.
 
pIoNeErOfThEnILe
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it depends on how it's shipped

dhl is a good chance it's flagged. fedex you might have to as well. ems should be good though.

always try and have it shipped ems
 
krogerfoot
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Be aware that EMS shipping to Canada and North America has been suspended for a year now. Delivery services like DHL and FedEx charge exorbitant prices in Japan.
 
T
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I have wondered about this myself. There are always so many omegas on eBay from Japan that are very tempting and I guess are less bid due to possible import fees.
 
ckhaing
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yes, i required to pay import duty.
dhl process everything, i just have to pay.
 
B
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Anyone have experience with this now that eBay is sending watches to an Authenticator first? Does DHL know to collect the duty from the buyer rather than the recipient? How long does that take to get an invoice?
 
N
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Having viewed quite a few watch listings in Japan, it strikes me that sellers are often liable to (over) polish watches to get them ready for sale.
 
Evitzee
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B BartenderSteve
Anyone have experience with this now that eBay is sending watches to an Authenticator first? Does DHL know to collect the duty from the buyer rather than the recipient? How long does that take to get an invoice?
It's up to the seller to provide the correctly filled in Watch Worksheet so the inbound customs folks can correctly calculate the duty required. Default position is to always charge duty to the recipient unless the seller has made specific instructions for the customs clearance agent to backcharge the seller. (I've bought one watch from Europe where the seller paid the US customs duty, but he had a standing order with FedEx to charge him the duty and not the buyer.) But expect to pay duty if you are the importer. The last watch I bought from Japan in early 2022 was handled smoothly, the seller had provided the watch worksheet to DHL on consignment and they forwarded that to the DHL agents in the US and I got an invoice for the duty while the watch was still over the Pacific. Paid via credit card and that was that, about 2% total and that included the DHL processing fee. It was a total of five days from the time DHL received it in Japan until it was delivered to me in the US. Others have had customs issues, so anything can happen. Don't know how the eBay authentification system works on international shipments.
Edited:
 
Evitzee
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N nickjust
Having viewed quite a few watch listings in Japan, it strikes me that sellers are often liable to (over) polish watches to get them ready for sale.
Overpolishing and often missing links on metal bracelets. It's always best to know exactly how many links are in the bracelet you are getting and compare that to the factory spec.
 
Rjay8
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As others have mentioned, i find duties and service fees more a luck of the draw that your package is "selected" for inspection when going through customs. In my experience, private couriers like Fedex, UPS, and DHL will almost always (in my case every time) charge duties and their service fees before releasing the package for delivery. Try and have them ship with Japan Post if possible since that seems to be their USPS equivalent if you want to roll the dice on possibly dodging duties and service fees.

Evitzee Evitzee
Overpolishing and often missing links on metal bracelets. It's always best to know exactly how many links are in the bracelet you are getting and compare that to the factory spec.
This is also important. Since many Japanese resellers dont provide the box and papers, and seem to just have a watch in hand, make sure you count the links! I've seen some listings with just the watch sized for a ~6 inch wrist.
Lastly, i will say that i've had great experience with Japanese sellers. They've all been honest with the description and will take the time to give further details if you message them. The products all come well packaged and looking like they did in the photos or better.
 
gatsuk
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Last I checked, US customs duties are capped at $1,600, but like everyone said it’s a random thing. Japanese sellers however does not put in a lower value in the customs form.
 
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