Have any of you bought off of Chrono24?

Seems legit. I was interested in a watch I saw on there last week. The seller is in the US but…

Individual seller
First time seller
Rookie error in the description

Hard pass.

 

I used Eddie twice, more confidence and he is (somewhat) local.

Highly recommended over scrolling through the internet (which I did as well).

 

There is only two sources I would purchase a pre-owned high end watch from - @Cigarzman and @flat_plane_eddie - And they are IMHO both experts in the market and would trust their advice- Chrono24 and Bobs Watches are reputable grey market players and I'm sure you would be fine- But given our FChat community depth of expertise would work internally- We have some amazing resources-

 

Yep- Would scare me away big time -

 

I bought on chrono. No issues. I think you actually get some time to inspect watch and make sure satisfactory (with some sellers. - esp if dealers)

 

I too bought off chrono. Was nervous as it was close to 20k watch. Your money is held in escrow for 14 days from when you receive watch in which you can return it minus shipping cost. During those 14 days, I took to local Rolex AD and had their watchmaker verify authenticity. Had box and papers. After 14 days, money goes to seller.

 

Ditto, except it was for a Girard Perregaux 8020 which I bought from a dealer in Barcelona Spain.

More details:
My 1997 Girard Perregaux Ferrari model 8020 chronograph wristwatch

 

I bought one watch, and the transaction was fine. At $13k you're going to get hit with a hefty import duty.

 

I had to pay state sales tax as part of purchase(escrow) then got hit with import duty that was kinda steep. Have bought watches while traveling and just worn them thru customs. Mailed warranty/receipt to home address so it wouldn’t be in my possession if stopped by customs. Dealer mailed boxes to home address as well.

 

Sales tax plus import duty. Google "import duty for watches" for info. I think it was Long Island Watch that did a good explanation on YouTube.

 

Yes, import duty for anything outside of states. On my 20k watch, the duty was a little over $500 which shocked me. Knew it would be high but not that high. If watch I brought wasn’t that rare and hard to find in excellent condition I might have returned it to Italy.

 

I didn't consider anything other than the purchase price when buying an Omega Speedmaster three years ago online from Japan. Earlier this year, I received a letter from the State of Illinois describing the watch in detail and telling me to call and pay what I owed the state, plus interest.

 

FWIW, I have bought a few watches on Chrono24 and had pretty good luck so far.

My Sub had JUST come back from a service when I bought it and I got a killer deal on my GMT which is now off getting a service - but I knew that it needed it when I bought it.



PDG

 

For what it’s worth importing the watch isn’t a big deal. I’ve got a few fairly expensive watches from overseas dealers via chrono and the watch shows up no issue then you get a self reporting or duty due bill in the mail a few weeks later. Just make sure it’s a reputable dealer with good fb selling and you should be good. If you’re nervous use Amex to pay for it to get their insurance too and list it on your insurance policy before it ships.

 

That was not my experience. I had to pay the duty bill before the shipper (I think it was Fedex) released the watch to me. Plus I had to fill out all the paperwork, which I had to research how to fill out. It was a huge hassle.

 

And I had a third type of experience. DHL paid the duty & tax for me and sent me a bill. Admittedly it was a small amount since the watch was only $2k.

 

Sounds like importing a watch thru chrono is very variable and depends on shipper and seller. Fwiw, sounds like a hassle to me

 

I believe it comes down to what state you’re in as to who is responsible for the reporting. For example in Florida I received a “use tax” notice for the import and yet in NY I received nothing at all. YMMV

 

My experience was using to Ferrari Group for shipping. They are known for shipping high value items. They partner with FedEx. Person called me from FedEx Memphis hub and asked questions about watch and emailed me documents to sign before release. FedEx sent me import bill a few weeks later based on value. Was little over $500.

 

I highly recommend Eddie. I dealt with him many times. First class.

 

I’ve bought five watches through Chrono24, from both professional dealers and private sellers, and have had no problems to speak of. However, they were all inexpensive ($1K - $6K) by Fchat standards.