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Shipping Omega to Canada

scapa
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gemini4 gemini4
I continue to be amazed at how rough Canadian customs is compared with their neighbor to the south.

First 20 bucks' worth of goods is free. Whatever comes after you pay dearly for. Thus do we seek to protect our bricks-and-mortar, apparently. Against some compelling evidence to the contrary.
 
oddboy
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I once brought back two bottles of wine when my trip only allowed for one. I declared both and got flagged for secondary questioning - which is what I wanted..

When I got to the agents who do the secondary questioning, the guy looked at my card, looked at me and said "seriously? Next time just don't declare it!" and waved me on.

YMMV.

(I did it because I wanted to go through the secondary questioning experience)
 
cholack
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artek artek
Brand new speedy pro.

Unless you have a crazy discount, I would suggest not importing to Canada due to the ridiculous customs and taxes. A BNIB Speedy Pro isn’t hard to find within Canada and if you buy out of province you can save on PST
 
artek
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cholack cholack
Unless you have a crazy discount, I would suggest not importing to Canada due to the ridiculous customs and taxes. A BNIB Speedy Pro isn’t hard to find within Canada and if you buy out of province you can save on PST

Good point. Thank you.
 
mydeafcat
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In Canada, the retail cost of the Speedy Pro with bracelet went up earlier this year ($6200, I believe). That’s pre tax, which here in BC is an additional 12%. Ouch.

I was lucky enough to find a full set, mint condition & very gently used 2011 3570.50 in Calgary on Kijiji. $3800. I knew the original AD personally, had my closest friend transact the exchange...all good. It took time to find it but was worth the wait, especially after my first less than stellar attempt, a BNIB (LNIB, actually) Speedy Pro for $3000US, bought from a reseller in the southern US sent to my mailbox in Blaine, WA.

The exchange rate back then came out to $3965, plus wire cost ($35) and $475 pound of flesh at the border for taxes (like I mentioned above, I told the truth and got a decent tax rate for being upfront). Not including time and gas to drive 40 minutes to my mailbox in Blaine, I was out roughly $4500 CDN. Way cheaper than $6200 + tax!

But. But. But. It was a malfunctioning watch that was welcomed back by the seller who paid for the FedEx return from Canada. Then his bank, rather than wire me $3000 in US funds, thought it best to convert it instead to Canadian first. I was sent $3822CDN, almost $150 less than I paid. By wire, USD would have been just as simple as the conversion. The seller felt bad for the bank’s lazy error and met me in the middle at $75 CDN. He did all he could to make it right. So after I got my $475 refund from CBSA (took 3-4 weeks) the entire debacle cost me $75. Plus fuel and time. Let’s say I was out $100. Finally! I paid the noob tax, just not on a vintage franken!

This is not the norm, of course, and sterling reputation resellers here on OF such as Kringkily, MDGRWL, demollo etc are known for offering brand new perfectly functioning pieces with great customer service. In my case, the seller admitted he did not fully test the watch even though it was LNIB, not BNIB.

Bottom line, you will save money over buying new at a Canadian AD or OB, but should you need a refund, fluctuating exchange rates make buying out of the US a time sucking and very frustrating gamble.
Edited:
 
kgb33
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I looked into this a few years ago , And came across chronext , who ship from Canada and have outlets across Canada , were you can pick the watch up .
Five years later I’m still looking for my second omega lol
I never did contact Chronext but a google search seems to find them a reputable supplier .
I really wanted to go through with the whole AD/OD experience, but just can’t bring myself to pay thousands more for the same product . Good luck , Id be interested in knowing what you end up doing .
 
artek
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kgb33 kgb33
I looked into this a few years ago , And came across chronext , who ship from Canada and have outlets across Canada , were you can pick the watch up .
Five years later I’m still looking for my second omega lol
I never did contact Chronext but a google search seems to find them a reputable supplier .
I really wanted to go through with the whole AD/OD experience, but just can’t bring myself to pay thousands more for the same product . Good luck , Id be interested in knowing what you end up doing .

Yes. I checked Chronext also. Duties and taxes are not included in their price. I ended up calling them and they said to expect another 20% on top when the watch arrives. Which doesn’t put it that far off the AD retail price. I will keep you posted. Cheers.
 
Honza
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Faz Faz
Customs fees and taxes are the norm when importing into Canada. Unfortunately a fact of life. FedEx acts as a customs brokers and usually collects customs fees and directly pass along the bill the the importer.
Shipping with FedEx you will always pay unless you mark it as repair or return.
 
kgb33
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Ah I thought so , I’ve been looking at a DSOTM on their site , it’s around $9K and add 20% brings it up to around 11K so still cheaper than my nearest AD , who have it marked up at over $14K. But then the warranty etc ...
 
artek
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kgb33 kgb33
Ah I thought so , I’ve been looking at a DSOTM on their site , it’s around $9K and add 20% brings it up to around 11K so still cheaper than my nearest AD , who have it marked up at over $14K. But then the warranty etc ...

They sell for $4830 CAD. Plus another 20% makes the total $5796 CAD. Slightly cheaper than AD.
Edited:
 
Sask1Omega
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artek artek
The speedy pro they have for $4830 CAD. Plus another 20% makes the total $5796 CAD. Slightly cheaper than AD.

Yeah, for that reason I bought my Speedy Tuesday from a Canadian seller, Canadian AD watch. The exchange rate, taxes and custom fees are killer. Paid equivalent to $7,000USD with all the extra costs. Pretty much the best I could have done. For those reasons will only buy from Canadian sellers.
 
snunez
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Just wondering: given how cheap flights are, is it worth considering a short holiday to collect a watch from the USA?
 
Sask1Omega
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I usually go to California every couple years, wife has lots of family there. Depends on the watch. But the exchange rate stinks. If it’s a watch other then a Rolex could be worth while. Some watches also depreciate a lot on grey market example is a Breitling, the B01 Chrono which is great. The last watch for my collection is a Batman GMT rolex, I will wait a few years and buy at MRSP, production will go up, there are just too many made.

Thanks,

Craig
 
kgb33
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Also if you buy from outside of the country, there’s something about the warranty being void ? Can’t remember the details , but don’t they ask for the original receipt ? Plus insurance is an issue as well . Again , sorry can’t remember the exact details .
 
scapa
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artek artek
The speedy pro they have for $4830 CAD. Plus another 20% makes the total $5796 CAD. Slightly cheaper than AD.

Chronext are legit (though their trade-in prices can be low). Always worth checking that the watch is actually available within their timeframe, and clarifying what will happen if it isn't. I've had one experience where the transaction was cancelled because the watch wasn't available -- which is fine, but cost me a chance to pick it up somewhere else at that time. No biggie, but worth clarifying.
 
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