Experience buying watches from overseas website or private seller

[wslee]

Anyone has the experience buying watches from overseas website or private seller?
Saw quite a good deal from overseas website, not sure how reliable tho. Is subject to GST also upon reaching malaysia?

[koryong]

Most importantly, "buy the seller", meaning buy from someone you trust. At least that will clear any doubts about the authenticity of the watch.

Then shipping-related issues really depend on your luck. I recently had a vintage Zenith delayed for over a month, and then found it working erratically.  I believed the seller had it fully serviced beforehand, so it could have been caused by being bumped around in transit.

Lastly Customs .... high value items usually catch their attention, and 6% GST is not the only thing they charge. There is also some other "import-related" charge, but you could always try appealing to the officer in charge to reduce the total amount.

Just my humble 2 cents 

[ExplorerII]

my one time experience buying from a US private seller.

1) Ensure lots of pics of the watch and accompanying papers/box
2) Ensure the watch comes with all the original items including the receipt
3) Do a search of the sellers username in the forum to ensure that he/she has been posting for a long time (for my seller, he had been posting on that watch forum for past 10 years).
4) Last always trust your gut - if the price is too good to be true then it probably isn't.
5) Always insure the shipment.

[Cocas]

Just an additional point from my experience.

After you place the order but before making any payments, I always ask them to send me the close-up photos with hands pointing certain time, and  the movement closed-up photos.

[rnsm1979]

just for sharing, i had once ask for the photo taken with the watch and today newspaper with date, so i can make sure the guy actually do own the watch

[wslee]

Thanks all for the advise and tips.

Now still searching for the right piece

[Timeless]

Try explore in relevance forum, platform, blog to seek for reference.

[wslee]

HAs anyone try to buy watch for oneself as a gift via overseas website and manage to avoid paying tax.

Now I’m thinking ways to avoid paying gst and other tax

[maxthecat80]

Ive bought from Stowa online, Ebay and HQmilton. Good experiences so far (touch wood)...

[rnsm1979]

HAs anyone try to buy watch for oneself as a gift via overseas website and manage to avoid paying tax.

Now I’m thinking ways to avoid paying gst and other tax

u cant do that anymore
the only way i could think off so far is by lower down the value of the watch whereby you paying lower tax.
However this is not advisable as you might face further problem if you need to do a claim later.

[wslee]

Ive bought from Stowa online, Ebay and HQmilton. Good experiences so far (touch wood)...

What about when it reached Malaysia custom?Everything smooth?

[wslee]

HAs anyone try to buy watch for oneself as a gift via overseas website and manage to avoid paying tax.

Now I’m thinking ways to avoid paying gst and other tax

u cant do that anymore
the only way i could think off so far is by lower down the value of the watch whereby you paying lower tax.
However this is not advisable as you might face further problem if you need to do a claim later.

Thanks anyway but I miss out the good deal,too much hesitation

[maxthecat80]

Ive bought from Stowa online, Ebay and HQmilton. Good experiences so far (touch wood)...

What about when it reached Malaysia custom?Everything smooth?

Yeap. Pretty straightforward actually.

You can ask the seller to give u a tracking number and u can track the location of the parcel (watch) as its being delivered to you.

Once it arrives here, there will be separate bill for tax (if its not being declared as gift), which you can pay to the courier company.

Unless you buy from an individual seller, you definitely can't get away by asking the seller to declare it as gift.

Even then, it may not be worth the risk, because if customs think u are "under-declaring" or trying to avoid tax, i have heard of cases where they slap a tax amount based on their estimate of the value..which is even worse..

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

[wslee]

Ive bought from Stowa online, Ebay and HQmilton. Good experiences so far (touch wood)...

What about when it reached Malaysia custom?Everything smooth?

Yeap. Pretty straightforward actually.

You can ask the seller to give u a tracking number and u can track the location of the parcel (watch) as its being delivered to you.

Once it arrives here, there will be separate bill for tax (if its not being declared as gift), which you can pay to the courier company.

Unless you buy from an individual seller, you definitely can't get away by asking the seller to declare it as gift.

Even then, it may not be worth the risk, because if customs think u are "under-declaring" or trying to avoid tax, i have heard of cases where they slap a tax amount based on their estimate of the value..which is even worse..

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

Thanks for the input i will keep that in mind

[maxthecat80]

Ive bought from Stowa online, Ebay and HQmilton. Good experiences so far (touch wood)...

What about when it reached Malaysia custom?Everything smooth?

Yeap. Pretty straightforward actually.

You can ask the seller to give u a tracking number and u can track the location of the parcel (watch) as its being delivered to you.

Once it arrives here, there will be separate bill for tax (if its not being declared as gift), which you can pay to the courier company.

Unless you buy from an individual seller, you definitely can't get away by asking the seller to declare it as gift.

Even then, it may not be worth the risk, because if customs think u are "under-declaring" or trying to avoid tax, i have heard of cases where they slap a tax amount based on their estimate of the value..which is even worse..

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

Thanks for the input i will keep that in mind

no probs bro, happy hunting!!

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk