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Import Duties

Dan S
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As suggested above, duties are charged separately on movement, case, and bracelet/strap, and the details depend on the type of watch, the number of jewels, the material of the case, etc. Google the harmonized tariff schedule for watches (chapter 91) and read it carefully. All the details are there.
 
Evitzee
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I paid $145 on a new $7,014 Speedmaster on Chrono 24 from an experienced Japanese dealer in Feb. 2022, so 2%. Shipped via DHL. It's important the watch worksheet is filled in rationally. Watch worksheet broke the value down as: $700 case, $700 steel bracelet, $5614 movement. (My state sales tax was also charged, that's standard procedure for Chrono 24, but that didn't enter into the declared value for duty purposes.)

Charges broken down as:
Merchandise processing: $28
Import/export dutes: $100
Duty tax receiver: $17
 
watch_my_six
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__ryan__ __ryan__
I went through this recently, so it's still fresh in my mind. Here's a summary:

For a declared value of less than $800 (usd), there is no import duty.

Above $800:
Merchandise processing fee: ~0.3% of declared value; but there's a minimum of ~$30.
Import duty: ~$2 for the movement, ~10% of the bracelet value, ~4% of the case value.
Broker fee: about $10-$20 if you use DHL or Fedex.

Add all of that up, and that's about what they will ask from you. As mentioned above, you probably want realistic valuations for the bracelet and case, with the balance put on the movement.

As has been mentioned by a few people, it can vary by importer (i.e. DHL, FedEx, USPS), but technically, I believe if the value is over $800 (mentioned above), you will potentially have to pay duty. In my experience, I recently purchased two watches around $800-$1200 from dealers in Europe via Chrono24 who shipped them via DHL and FedEx but didn't have to pay anything, although for other purchases of mine for thousands of dollars via DHL from a private seller in Europe and a dealer in Asia, I did have to pay duty.

In those cases, I was charged in accordance with the watch worksheet that either accompanied the watch and was filled out by the sender, or that I was asked to fill out by DHL once the watch was stateside (https://mydhl.express.dhl/us/en/forms/clocks-watches.html). The worksheet breaks the watch down by case, movement, and strap, and you can assess how much you will owe using the following form starting on page 9 (typically ranging from 3-6%): https://hts.usitc.gov/view/Chapter 91.
 
Shabbaz
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Evitzee Evitzee
I paid $145 on a new $7,014 Speedmaster on Chrono 24 from an experienced Japanese dealer in Feb. 2022, so 2%.
That's not fair! I need to pay 21% in the Netherlands!
 
YY77
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Shabbaz Shabbaz
That's not fair! I need to pay 21% in the Netherlands!
But we have a better/cheaper healthcare plan.
 
EuroDriver
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I paid $130 in duties on a $1,200 watch through FedEx. Then I paid about $100 on a $5,500 watch through DHL
 
B
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Great info but unfortunately I got hit harder on import fees as of April 2024..

I bought a great condition Omega Polaris Chrono. Not even titanium. It's SS and the movement is a quartz. I paid 900$ plus state taxes and shipping of 30$ from Japan to usa..

Well DHL made me pay 146$ in import fees. I thought that was very high!!!!!

Can't understand how they justified it. ... now I just ordered same which but titanium bracelet with 18kt gold. I am afraid to find out what that fee will cost!!
 
twizit
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B blademan
Great info but unfortunately I got hit harder on import fees as of April 2024..

I bought a great condition Omega Polaris Chrono. Not even titanium. It's SS and the movement is a quartz. I paid 900$ plus state taxes and shipping of 30$ from Japan to usa..

Well DHL made me pay 146$ in import fees. I thought that was very high!!!!!

Can't understand how they justified it. ... now I just ordered same which but titanium bracelet with 18kt gold. I am afraid to find out what that fee will cost!!

Be grateful you’re not in the UK - imports from Japan (and most places actually) will have 20% VAT added for watches. Had to factor that in when buying my Rising Sun, but it was still more than worth it.
 
Dan S
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B blademan
Great info but unfortunately I got hit harder on import fees as of April 2024..

I bought a great condition Omega Polaris Chrono. Not even titanium. It's SS and the movement is a quartz. I paid 900$ plus state taxes and shipping of 30$ from Japan to usa..

Well DHL made me pay 146$ in import fees. I thought that was very high!!!!!

Can't understand how they justified it. ... now I just ordered same which but titanium bracelet with 18kt gold. I am afraid to find out what that fee will cost!!
That does sound pretty high. If you look closely at the invoice, you will see a breakdown into fees and import duty. The import duty is related to the watch, but some of the fees are just fixed amounts.
 
B
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twizit twizit
Be grateful you’re not in the UK - imports from Japan (and most places actually) will have 20% VAT added for watches. Had to factor that in when buying my Rising Sun, but it was still more than worth it.
Ouch. Brother. Thst rough. After reading this thread it appears atleast for watch guys living in USA it depends on
Carrier and what the seller writes on the form...

I will report back on my 2600usd purchase from Switzerland
 
B
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D drster
US import fees vary. Several factors enter into the final cost.
Yup. Learning hard way. I will def have to use better judgements on my future purchases. Cause this 2600 watch might end up costing me 7% sales tax plus 15% customs. So additional 600$ for that I will save up and buy a highend model. Still for those rare watches it still worth it
 
scapa
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twizit twizit
Be grateful you’re not in the UK - imports from Japan (and most places actually) will have 20% VAT added for watches. Had to factor that in when buying my Rising Sun, but it was still more than worth it.

Or Canada. Up to 22% depending on item(s) and province, excluding brokerage fees that can range from reasonable to outlandish.

Can make "trying out" a watch imported from anywhere a miserable proposition, especially via UPS or FedEx.

Recently paid CAD 47.00 in duties on a fairly basic fitted rubber strap.

I just factor it into any purchase.
 
twizit
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scapa scapa
Or Canada. Up to 22% depending on item(s) and province, excluding brokerage fees that can range from reasonable to outlandish.

Can make "trying out" a watch imported from anywhere a miserable proposition, especially via UPS or FedEx.

Recently paid CAD 47.00 in duties on a fairly basic fitted rubber strap.

I just factor it into any purchase.

Ouch!!
 
Larry S
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S Sluggo
Gentlemen,

Thank you very much!

This has been an incredible amount of information. Certainly, a potentially significant economic factor when looking at your 'import' options. It's a sleeper that could smack you in the head hard if you didn't know.

But overall, in my short time here, this has been a wonderful forum.

On another note: I'll be tilting a glass in my freezer later tonight. Cheers!
In the US, it’s a few hundred. Big chunk of my collection came from offshore. In other countries it’s a horror show.
 
Poppyboy
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After having been hit hard with these crazy fees a couple of times, I will now only buy from continental US sellers. Fortunately, watches I like have been manufactured en masse so there’s plenty of inventory.
 
Dan S
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To be honest, a $1k watch is probably the worst case scenario to import because of the fixed portion of the fees charged at customs (e.g. "Merchandise Processing Fee" and "Duty Tax Receiver Fee"). Even if declared properly, the duty and fees could total 10%. For a $5k watch, declared properly, the fixed fees become a very small percentage of the value, and the total should probably be only about 3%. $800 or below, there is no duty, IIRC.
Edited:
 
NotJackson
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I was about to post the same thing that a few others have posted … IMO it’s a total crapshoot. I’m in the US and have paid anywhere from zero dollars to maybe a hundred bucks for similarly valued items. It’s all about how the item is described and shipped. FWIW, it was usually DHL that was hitting me up for duties.
 
Zman4eva
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Another data point to this thread. I'm in the US.

I paid $90 import taxes on a $1,400 watch from the EU. Shipped by DHL.

Zero was collected on a $1,800 watch from Brazil. Shipped by FedEx.
 
gbesq
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Paid 4.27% in duty and fees on a watch imported to the U.S. from the UK. Delivery via DHL.
 
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