Best to buy in the USA or England?

[Bushbaby]

Hi Everybody.

I'm new to this forum and am hoping for some advice.

I've decided I can no longer live without a Rolex. At the risk of upsetting a few people, I'll be going for a new GMT Master II. It was the Master or the Sub but the Master won out in the end. I haven't quite decided between the Steel or the Bi-Metal model yet (black dial). Any thoughts on this choice would be appreciated.

My main question is I'll be going out to Florida this Christmas with my family. Is it worth waiting until then before I buy? I'm not sure whether the cost will be the same and whether there will be more choice. I've already seen some watches on USA sites that I have never seen in England. I saw a Black Carbon Fibre Master the other day. I assume it was a genuine Rolex? Any other factors that I should consider?

Thanks for your help.

[Kingair]

Have a look here on TRF and compare the prices to UK.
You'll learn fast ;-)

[dysondiver]

unless your over , or have friends who are ,, watch out for import duty ..... it can ruin a good deal , price wise.

[FremStar]

Andre, the exchange rate works in your favor! I would wait until you touch down in Florida and contact DavidSW and/or Oscar (bodybump). They are the Florida connects that will satisfy your thirst for your first Rolex!

[The Joker]

Originally Posted by FremStar

Andre, the exchange rate works in your favor! I would wait until you touch down in Florida and contact DavidSW and/or Oscar (bodybump). They are the Florida connects that will satisfy your thirst for your first Rolex!

Yep I would say deal with these guys, sure they will ship to blighty.

Can you wait till xmas, I couldn't.

Alternatively get from a U.K AD and take 0% finance.

[gwalker]

LOL Wait to Christmas, not. No way I'd wait. The 3 months I'm waiting to pick up an AP is wayyyy to long. The VAT sucks.

[The GMT Master]

Bear in mind you may well be liable for 23% import duty returning into the country. There's a good reason why a lot of people are buying in the UK right now, our prices are competitive even after VAT

[Bushbaby]

Originally Posted by The GMT Master

Bear in mind you may well be liable for 23% import duty returning into the country. There's a good reason why a lot of people are buying in the UK right now, our prices are competitive even after VAT

Thanks Chris. I did also post on your very popular thread, but I think I may have pushed the wrong buttons there. My post doesn't seem to be there now.

I'm down here in Dorset. I know you don't want to say publicly where you are, but would you mind sending me a PM? I might be able to pay you a personal visit and get the benefit of your advice first hand.

And thanks to everyone else who has repled so far. I wasn't expecting so many replies so quickly.

Head says wait until Christmas, heart says, "You're never going to wait!!!"

[Lanfor]

Retail here is £8110 I beleive, so I'm not sure how that compares to the US with import duty. Personally I would buy here, avoid the import duty and go 0% finance if possible

[A.I.]

Originally Posted by Lanfor

Retail here is £8110 I beleive, so I'm not sure how that compares to the US with import duty. Personally I would buy here, avoid the import duty and go 0% finance if possible

+1.

Tax avoidance can be a dangerous business plus anytime you go abroad with your new ticker you can be asked for proof of purchase etc......

Not worth the grief - get 0% Finance

[Lanfor]

Originally Posted by Lanfor

Retail here is £8110 I beleive, so I'm not sure how that compares to the US with import duty. Personally I would buy here, avoid the import duty and go 0% finance if possible

I meant £7830 for the bi-metal and £5250 for the steel over here. It's £8110 for the bi-metal sub date, my apologies

[Alan G]

Hi Andre welome to the TRF

You have some good feedback to ponder through,

I have bought both abroad and in the UK, in my opinion with a mega deal you can wear it on the way back and post the box before you leave, but to be honest I have found new prices very similar and as mentioned if customs do stop you you can be in for 25% import duty plus 20%vat making it a very expensive purchase.

I have also looke in the Caribbean a few times and found Rolex to be not much cheaper e ither (although I have seen Tags and Breitlings with good savings ex tax)and was once told that Rolex adust their prices along side exchange rates to keep a good world wide balance, I believe most peoples savings are via tax free options depending on their country of origin.

My advice would be the same as Chris buy in the UK , haggle for a bit of discount in worst case consider a reputable grey dealer.

Buy now and put it away if its too early for you.

I would expect a price increase before the end of the year as we hav'nt had one for a while and remember dealer numbers are being reduced with a strong push away from discounts in the future which is good for owners but not buyers.
Lets be honest they are unlikley to go down and I also read dealer margins are being reduced.

Good Luck

enjoy it

Alan

[Clutch Cargo]

Don't forget to figure in Florida sales tax. I'm not sure what the rate is, but 8% is rather common here in the US.

[Rollie2011]

Originally Posted by Clutch Cargo

Don't forget to figure in Florida sales tax. I'm not sure what the rate is, but 8% is rather common here in the US.

6% in Palm Beach County

[jay1988]

Am I wrong in saying that if you bought from USA you could technically claim the VAT back at the airport ?
Also you don't have to declare it when you come back. Nobody at customs is gonna ask about a watch on your wrist are they ? Not to mention the fact I've never been stopped at customs. You just walk right on through and then there's the slim chance you get stopped and the slimmer chance that they work out the Rolex on your wrist was bought abroad...
Assuming the Rolex was for personal use you wouldn't technically be breaking the law by not declaring it.

[astrazen]

You would get a very good deal off some of the UK trusted sellers. Far cheaper than the US

[gimpex]

Originally Posted by astrazen

You would get a very good deal off some of the UK trusted sellers. Far cheaper than the US

Any suggestions ? I am in a similar boat , but seems that just the US sellers are well known here. Still to find a frequent / trusted EU or UK seller here ...... Or is there a different site ? Lots of sellers on chrono24 but there is no telling who they are ( I know some have the trusted logo , but personal recommendations like here for davidsw etc are much more convincing )

[jay1988]

Originally Posted by astrazen

You would get a very good deal off some of the UK trusted sellers. Far cheaper than the US

UK trusted sellers ? Who are they ?

I check the sales section almost daily and I remember seeing maybe one sale that looked close to being legit and nothing that I'd be too comfortable dealing with because they don't have the same presence on the sales forum as any US people.

[astrazen]

Originally Posted by jay1988

UK trusted sellers ? Who are they ?

I check the sales section almost daily and I remember seeing maybe one sale that looked close to being legit and nothing that I'd be too comfortable dealing with because they don't have the same presence on the sales forum as any US people.

PM me.

[A.I.]

Originally Posted by astrazen

You would get a very good deal off some of the UK trusted sellers. Far cheaper than the US

USA is cheaper by a mile IMHO

.........but I would LOVE to be pointed in the right direction this side of the big pond

Anyone?

BTW I have a friend who travels extensively and gets asked at least once a year to produce proof of purchase

Maybe he has a guilty face

[astrazen]

Originally Posted by A.I.

USA is cheaper by a mile IMHO

.........but I would LOVE to be pointed in the right direction this side of the big pond

Anyone?

BTW I have a friend who travels extensively and gets asked at least once a year to produce proof of purchase

Maybe he has a guilty face

Your asking the wrong people. Way cheaper over here of a trusted seller.

pm me

[Woody]

Originally Posted by jay1988

Am I wrong in saying that if you bought from USA you could technically claim the VAT back at the airport ?
Also you don't have to declare it when you come back. Nobody at customs is gonna ask about a watch on your wrist are they ? Not to mention the fact I've never been stopped at customs. You just walk right on through and then there's the slim chance you get stopped and the slimmer chance that they work out the Rolex on your wrist was bought abroad...
Assuming the Rolex was for personal use you wouldn't technically be breaking the law by not declaring it.

Customs may very well ask you to provide proof of purchase/payment of duty & VAT and if you can't they can seize the watch. You might be surprised about how much many Customs Officers know about watches and their value etc. As far as personal use is concerned then it makes no difference....you are still smuggling and are required to declare any goods purchased in excess of your personal allowance (£390).

[jay1988]

Originally Posted by Woody

Customs may very well ask you to provide proof of purchase/payment of duty & VAT and if you can't they can seize the watch. You might be surprised about how much many Customs Officers know about watches and their value etc. As far as personal use is concerned then it makes no difference....you are still smuggling and are required to declare any goods purchased in excess of your personal allowance (£390).

So whenever people go abroad with their Rolex they need to take proof of purchase with them ? I never carry proof of purchase for any of my watches and don't know anyone who does. I've never heard of anyone having a watch seized either and my boss carries nine watches worth around £200k between them.

I'm not saying you're wrong but what I'm saying is I'm sure this seizing thing is more of a something they can do opposed to something they actually do. If buying in America was such a bad idea then I'm sure there would be some stories of people that got taxed.

[zeuloa]

You can buy from say DAVIDSW while in Florida tax free, ship the empty box to UK in case they open your bags upon return and want to haggle you for VAT, and wear your watch back.

Or buy now, but I'm not sure if the trusted US sellers will ship to UK.

Good luck!

[Bushbaby]

Thanks guys. You've been so helpful.

I have to admit I've been considering a couple of the options above.

1. Buy one from a trusted dealer over here in England. There are a couple of sites that have caught my eye including the one where Chris (The GMT Master) works. This would seem to avoid any complications about taxes and checks at customs etc.

2. Buy one in Florida from one of the guys already mentioned in this thread e.g. Oscar (Bodypump). Still not sure about the rights and wrongs of posting the box back home and wearing the watch back. Knowing my luck, I would be stopped and asked for proof of purchase.

I appreciate all your help though.

It's something I will need to ponder a while longer.

Cheers.

Bushbaby

[jay1988]

Originally Posted by Bushbaby

Thanks guys. You've been so helpful.

I have to admit I've been considering a couple of the options above.

1. Buy one from a trusted dealer over here in England. There are a couple of sites that have caught my eye including the one where Chris (The GMT Master) works. This would seem to avoid any complications about taxes and checks at customs etc.

2. Buy one in Florida from one of the guys already mentioned in this thread e.g. Oscar (Bodypump). Still not sure about the rights and wrongs of posting the box back home and wearing the watch back. Knowing my luck, I would be stopped and asked for proof of purchase.

I appreciate all your help though.

It's something I will need to ponder a while longer.

Cheers.

Bushbaby

When they ask you for proof of purchase you just say it was a gift.

If you are buying from a TRF seller there's no way that they could prove you had bought it there. You can legally carry up to 10,000 Euros without having any reason so unless you are buying a really expensive watch there is no need.

You also don't need a reason to have the box (in reference to the people saying you would need to ship the watch back). You just say the watch was a gift from a friend/relative and you carry the box around to store it in when you aren't wearing it. If they ask if your friend declared the watch you just say "you'd have to ask him".

My cousin was stopped bringing a $3000 guitar into the country from America and when asked for proof of purchase he said his uncle had brought it from America a while back as a gift for him. He was then asked if his uncle had declared it to which he just said "how would I know ?".

Don't get me wrong if you're planning on bringing back 10 subs in boxes with papers people are going to get suspicious but when you're wearing the watch in question and all they have to go of is a box. You don't need to worry.

Every time I come back from America I have so much stuff like clothes,jewellery etc. and I've never had a problem. Your problem would come when you looked like you were bringing in things to sell. This would only come up if you had multiples of the same item. Three watches that look exactly the same would raise suspicion.

[Yoda]

I am sorry to take the high ground here but you live in the UK and your plan is to smuggle a watch back into the UK to avoid duty. Buy from a trusted seller in the UK and go to sleep at night and not worry. Karma.

[Chris B]

Go to Florida & wear it back.

Bought a Gillette Fat Boy razor for £60 from the US & was stiffed £28 duty today, Import Tax is a bitter pill to swallow,

[Lanfor]

I wouldn't risk it because if you do get caught you'll regret it it's up to you though my friend

[InTime]

hmmmm maybe in the states it is summer time or December.

make sure u beat the price hike stages where price increases go up. these happen pretty much annually now a days.