Are import duties still an issue?

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Re: Are import duties still an issue?

Post by Thegreyman »

To quote an American (Benjamin Franklin). Two things are certain in life, death and taxes.
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Re: Are import duties still an issue?

Post by StrappedUp »

The first post in the following thread from FloridaPhil gives the reason for the postal service switch :thumbup:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=51290&hilit=dhl+royal+mail
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Re: Are import duties still an issue?

Post by H0rati0 »

Oh for $800 import allowance. In the EU (UK included) the import threshold below which no duty or VAT is payable varies from a super generous €22 down to only €10. Not that this helps the OP any, except that misery deserves company!
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Re: Are import duties still an issue?

Post by ScofieldReturns »

For those saying I'm already getting a "discount" by not paying VAT: That is not true. VAT is taxes paid to YOUR government for public services that benefit you. I shouldn't have to pay that because I'm not being benefited by that in any way

For those saying I'm already getting the voucher code discount so it balances out: That is also not true and just a self rationalization. The voucher was not created/designated so that those who have to pay import duties just end up paying "full retail". The voucher is to make the value more appealing on the watch. It's like buying a car with a discount, getting hit with an over the top registration fee and saying "oh well it all balances out". The numbers may balance out, but the two are not correlated. They are separate things. If the registration fee is over the top or incorrect, that should be rectified.

For those saying "just pay the fee and enjoy the watch": I'm more concerned about paying the correct fee. I don't do things blindly and without good reason. If you tell me something is a good value (like a christopher ward watch!) I'm going to do my own research and figure out why that is true for myself, not just blindly purchase the watch because I trust your word (not that I don't think you guys are trustworthy). 11% is an absolute gouge of a price.

So I ended up calling DHL today, the customs expert told me they used a general code: 7117199000 Other Imitation Jewelry Of Base Metal. What they should have used is HS 9102.21.90 which is the code used for automatic watches. The duty on the first is 11% and the duty on the latter is Duty: $1.53 each + 4.2% on the case + 2% on the strap, band or bracelet. I told DHL they were wrong and to make the request to change the code.

The latter is much cheaper and it sounds like DHL was just being lazy with their classification in order to make more money or gouge me. My only regret is not taking care of this earlier, since the watch is ready to be delivered today but I wouldn't get it til this is all cleared up.

Not to sound harsh, but I'm kind of disappointed at the group-think-esque thought processes being displayed here. I'm not trying to cheat anyone out of money (especially not CW), I admit I was a bit blindsided by any duty fees; but my main concern was the high charge of import duties. So hopefully I can get that lowered. I also want to note that for US customers, the duty fee essentially negates the "zero risk" of free shipping/free returns so to understand the fee is extremely important.
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Re: Are import duties still an issue?

Post by watchaholic »

Good job on the phone call! "DHL just being lazy" may be correct at best, dishonest at worst, overcharging you while paying the correct lower amount to customs. Not making any accusations mind you, but I don't trust any of them.

I would think CWwould be very interested in knowing if the shipper/broker they have chosen is causing ANY issues with their customer base. It would seem CW would be particularly vulnerable, when nearly all of their business is done via some form of shipping . DHL certainly isn't the only game in town.
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Re: Are import duties still an issue?

Post by Rice and Gravy »

ScofieldReturns wrote:For those saying I'm already getting a "discount" by not paying VAT: That is not true. VAT is taxes paid to YOUR government for public services that benefit you. I shouldn't have to pay that because I'm not being benefited by that in any way

For those saying I'm already getting the voucher code discount so it balances out: That is also not true and just a self rationalization. The voucher was not created/designated so that those who have to pay import duties just end up paying "full retail". The voucher is to make the value more appealing on the watch. It's like buying a car with a discount, getting hit with an over the top registration fee and saying "oh well it all balances out". The numbers may balance out, but the two are not correlated. They are separate things. If the registration fee is over the top or incorrect, that should be rectified.

For those saying "just pay the fee and enjoy the watch": I'm more concerned about paying the correct fee. I don't do things blindly and without good reason. If you tell me something is a good value (like a christopher ward watch!) I'm going to do my own research and figure out why that is true for myself, not just blindly purchase the watch because I trust your word (not that I don't think you guys are trustworthy). 11% is an absolute gouge of a price.

So I ended up calling DHL today, the customs expert told me they used a general code: 7117199000 Other Imitation Jewelry Of Base Metal. What they should have used is HS 9102.21.90 which is the code used for automatic watches. The duty on the first is 11% and the duty on the latter is Duty: $1.53 each + 4.2% on the case + 2% on the strap, band or bracelet. I told DHL they were wrong and to make the request to change the code.

The latter is much cheaper and it sounds like DHL was just being lazy with their classification in order to make more money or gouge me. My only regret is not taking care of this earlier, since the watch is ready to be delivered today but I wouldn't get it til this is all cleared up.

Not to sound harsh, but I'm kind of disappointed at the group-think-esque thought processes being displayed here. I'm not trying to cheat anyone out of money (especially not CW), I admit I was a bit blindsided by any duty fees; but my main concern was the high charge of import duties. So hopefully I can get that lowered. I also want to note that for US customers, the duty fee essentially negates the "zero risk" of free shipping/free returns so to understand the fee is extremely important.
Agreed with all your sentiments here and great job chasing this down and pushing DHL on it. I'll be watching this closely.

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Re: Are import duties still an issue?

Post by Lavaine »

Remember as a purchaser outside the EU you have already benefited from a price that is outside the scope of UK VAT, which means you do not pay the 20% tax that all UK and EU buyers have to pay. That equates to a 16% discount.
No. Purchasers outside the EU are not getting any discount. All purchasers pay the same retail price. Taxes vary from country to country, and have nothing to do with anyone getting a discount or paying a premium.

As for the reason for the change, I already detailed in the other thread why the reason given by CW isn't valid, and won't waste bandwidth repeating it here. It now seems that, in addition to customers paying higher brokerage fees than when CW used RM, we are, at least in some cases, also paying fraudulent duties to the chosen shipper. CW is in no way benefiting from this fraud, but the customer is getting screwed.
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Re: Are import duties still an issue?

Post by Evanspa »

Well I just got my watch today, USA. I was charged $119.00 by DHL
The bummer is I am not going to keep the watch.
I got the new Trident 600 Pro, I am a little bummed.
Unfortunately it wears way too big. With the size of the dial and bezel, it actually looks as big as the 44.5 MAKO XL I am trying to downsize. And its taller.
The bracelet is very nice, love the clasp and quick release. The packaging is also very nice.
The dial gets smudges and fingerprints all over it out of the blue. There is clearly something on the crystal.

Has anyone used the 60 day return? Will they actually pay for return shipping?
What about the $120.00 I had to pay customs?
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Re: Are import duties still an issue?

Post by watchaholic »

Seems like CW may need to set up and distribute from inside the US such as Damasko. Just picked them as an example because I am not aware of any AD network set up by them inside the US. This kind of confusion in a market this size surely can't be good for business. Too many other choices.
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Re: Are import duties still an issue?

Post by ScofieldReturns »

I've also sent an email to cward to make them aware of the issue. Will update tmrw, expecting DHL to get back to me early and hoping to get delivery late tmrw or fri at the latest
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Re: Are import duties still an issue?

Post by watchaholic »

Great that you held DHL's feet to the fire. Hopefully CW will address this. Way to much confusion. People have a right to know what the final costs will be. Being blindsided by the carrier/broker will create a bad experience every time, and that will be reflected back on CW. If they need to adjust pricing to reflect the costs or duties incurred from country to country on the website with a dropdown menu, they better get started. I was lucky enough to have made my last purchase before this recent dustup. I believe I saw something about a personal exemption as this item was not purchased commercially for resale. I can research this more next week when I return to work. As I know the law, if the manufacturer imports the item , be it a watch or a car the duty is paid by the manufacturer, and passed on to the consumer. If I buy a watch in the Caymens, and bring it home I am required to declare it at customs upon arrival home and pay duty. If ordered abroad and paid for abroad, duty should be paid, and here it gets messy. If collected by the carrier, rates for this service may vary. If CW has adopted DHL as their "in house" carrier, they need to have an agreement with DHL for all shipments. They HAVE to avoid random clerks, making off the cuff decisions, which may vary from clerk to clerk, as to classification. Believe me, this does occur, and may well be what happened here. CW needs to wrap their arms around this with something more than a blanket statement saying things like

"Express’ courier shipments are more likely to be examined by local authorities therefore increasing the chance of an additional charge."

While certainly not intentionally misleading, it is a vague statement at best. If duty is owed, then duty should be paid, and not left to a random exam.
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Re: Are import duties still an issue?

Post by watchaholic »

Evanspa wrote: Thu May 16, 2019 3:03 am Well I just got my watch today, USA. I was charged $119.00 by DHL
The bummer is I am not going to keep the watch.
I got the new Trident 600 Pro, I am a little bummed.
Unfortunately it wears way too big. With the size of the dial and bezel, it actually looks as big as the 44.5 MAKO XL I am trying to downsize. And its taller.
The bracelet is very nice, love the clasp and quick release. The packaging is also very nice.
The dial gets smudges and fingerprints all over it out of the blue. There is clearly something on the crystal.

Has anyone used the 60 day return? Will they actually pay for return shipping?
What about the $120.00 I had to pay customs?
The customs process is called Drawback. Try this link https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail ... uty%20paid
CW will accept your return IF it is returned in "as new" condition. If you really want to return it for full value, put it back in the box.
The process will be slow, govt. after all, but can be done. Duty can even be recovered on an item that is destroyed as witnessed by an officer, if proof of payment is provided. Customs can be daunting, but the agency does try to be fair. Good luck, keep us posted :thumbup:
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Re: Are import duties still an issue?

Post by ScofieldReturns »

Evanspa wrote: Thu May 16, 2019 3:03 am Well I just got my watch today, USA. I was charged $119.00 by DHL
The bummer is I am not going to keep the watch.
I got the new Trident 600 Pro, I am a little bummed.
Unfortunately it wears way too big. With the size of the dial and bezel, it actually looks as big as the 44.5 MAKO XL I am trying to downsize. And its taller.
The bracelet is very nice, love the clasp and quick release. The packaging is also very nice.
The dial gets smudges and fingerprints all over it out of the blue. There is clearly something on the crystal.

Has anyone used the 60 day return? Will they actually pay for return shipping?
What about the $120.00 I had to pay customs?
interesting to see you were charged the same percentages i was. CW will cover the return shipping. AFAIK they probably wouldn't cover import duties. That's a major downside, free shipping/returns loses just about all its luster when you are stuck with a $100+ non-refundable fee. You should probably try the 38mm
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Re: Are import duties still an issue?

Post by Essex Paul »

OP.

OK. Don’t use the $100 discount and pay $100 more, your call.
Taxes/duties/fees are a way of life. Live with it or buy from a brand within the US.
CW is still great value even with the charges.
If you don’t wanna pay up, buy a cheaper watch.
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Re: Are import duties still an issue?

Post by ScofieldReturns »

Essex Paul wrote: Thu May 16, 2019 7:51 am OP.

OK. Don’t use the $100 discount and pay $100 more, your call.
Taxes/duties/fees are a way of life. Live with it or buy from a brand within the US.
CW is still great value even with the charges.
If you don’t wanna pay up, buy a cheaper watch.
:thumbup:
I did use the voucher. You may want to read thru the topic, I already addressed everything you said and why everything you said is incorrect
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