Problems sending watches back to china?

[MrC]

I have 2 watches going back to China and neither dealer has received them. One I put his english name and the post office wont let him pick it up, so thats comming back, and the other watch has yet to make it

Anyone else have problems shipping back to china? I just hope I dont lose my watches

[dadog13]

it is a sort of rule not to send back the watches back to china if the watch can be repaired locally or if the price/value of the rep(s) are high...it happens often that the watches sent back become confiscated by the chinese customs...it is risky to send them back...that's all...if the dealer is willing to risk and if he will replace it with a new one...than no probl at all!

[luisik]

Please help me to understand it.... Why someone living in huge city as LA, with thousands of watchsmiths need to send back to china a watch ??? Why is it worth to do that ?

[hank7502]

It sucks! Last time I had to send a watch back to Josh it had to go Fed Ex at $65.00.

[MrC]

I had a montblanc chrono and the chrono button fell off, I couldn't find the peice anywhere and someone suggested to get it fixed so I sent it back

[Dizzy]

I bought a faulty Daytona sec@6 back to Paul at Pam111 (trusted collector here) and it says it was "delivered" 5 weeks ago yet he says he never received it. I would never send another watch back to China. Thats TWO from Paul that I'm out $ on now. Never again. See the link in my signature for more info.

Does anyone know what the tracking info will say if the watch was snagged by customs? Will it say "confiscated" or something??

Lonnie

[lanikai]

I (knock on wood) .. have not had problems sending watches back to China...

there are a lot of watch smiths here also .. but you cannot walk into a certified dealer asking him to work on a watch that he will question you about .. unless you know the repair person personally. and most of them are not as good or even close to Ziggy... plus not to mention what they will charge you..

and why spend money if your collector offers to fix it .. granted it usually takes a month before you get it back but that's one of the fact's of life when it comes to the reps we buy.

If you follow the instructions that is laid down to a T .... you should not have a problem .. if you put another name or don't declare it as costume jewlery 10 usd (for example) you will have problems.

I send everything registered mail .. not with tracking as this only adds to the cost... after it arrives you can look at the history.. and most of all don't insure it ... for obvious reasons...

If you are shipping from the US give it 10 to 14 day's (business day's) .. I don't know about China but in the US if something is confiscated you will recieve a letter stating this and inquiring if you want to dispute it.. do not reply.. plain and simple.. take the hit. .. this will rarely happen with the reps though .. more for reptile straps , (which will go to the forensic lab) .. and tobaco products.

I send the watches back without the straps or lug screws .... your collector will instruct you on the information to fill the declaration with ... do not deviate..

sometimes it will sit in customs (China) for a long time.. this only means they have not gotten to it yet.. they are not real speedy on their end..

Good luck

[Dizzy]

my tracking # said it was delivered to china 5 weeks ago but the collector says he has not received it, nor have i recieved any letters from Chinese customs.. are they that slow that it could still be sitting at customs in CHina???

Lonnie

[Guest Carl]

Just shipped one back today by registered mail, as requested.

Hoping for the best....

[lanikai]

Just shipped one back today by registered mail, as requested.

Hoping for the best....

I'tll be all good Carl.. just try not to think about it .. just think of it as something to look forward to

[lanikai]

my tracking # said it was delivered to china 5 weeks ago but the collector says he has not received it, nor have i recieved any letters from Chinese customs.. are they that slow that it could still be sitting at customs in CHina???

Lonnie

NO not "that" slow .. I would get in touch with your collector and ask him to "advise" .. did you fill out the declaration as you were instructed to ????

[jdavis]

In my experience, sending watches back to China is an expensive PIA. Most of the time it takes months to get things repaired and shipped back and even then repairs aren't necessarily completed properly. I think that if you are into this hobby, part of it is developing basic watch making skills. This leads to more involvement and enjoyment as well as saving the aggravation of returning the watch to the seller. There will be cases where the watches must be sent back for major problems but, for minor things, get it done locally or DIY.

[Guest Carl]

"I'tll be all good Carl.. just try not to think about it .. just think of it as something to look forward to"

Thanks- I'm sure it will be good and it is a good dealer. I'm willing to stand a complete loss once in a while to support an amazing hobby!

The pleasant surprises have far out weighed the little heart breakers so far.

Carl

[Steve G]

I sent two back to Josh sucessfully. One he just shipped a new one befroe getting mine. The other was a Daytona I got off a member on another board. It died one me. My watdhmaker requested I ask Josh for a replacement movement he could use to swap in for me. Josh told me just to send back the watch and he would have it fixed for me for no charge. Overall back and forth took a month. I honestly expected just to get a new watch, figuring econoically it might be cheaper. My excact watch was returned to me working. I know it was mine because it was missing the hologram, that I accidently destroyed, bracelet still sized to my wrist, and scratches on said bracelet where I remembered them.

Totally impressed by Josh's generocity, that's why I like him. Cartel or not.

[MrC]

Does anyone know how long a watch will sit at the chinese post office before it is delivered back?

[lanikai]

Does anyone know how long a watch will sit at the chinese post office before it is delivered back?

Not sure of your question .. if it is a new order once it is posted it usually is diapatched from the "sorting center" the next day (EMS).. not sure on how long they take for registered..

I just had a EMS package sitting in US customs (San Fran) for 5 day's.... if Homeland security has other priorities ie: drug intervention etc. .. small parcels are generally put on the side .. this comes from people I am acquainted with that work Homeland security..

[lanikai]

"I'tll be all good Carl.. just try not to think about it .. just think of it as something to look forward to"

Thanks- I'm sure it will be good and it is a good dealer. I'm willing to stand a complete loss once in a while to support an amazing hobby!

The pleasant surprises have far out weighed the little heart breakers so far.

Carl

the only loss I experienced was with a defective watch and the collector ignored my mail loss

2 watches .. but i still have them and plan on getting them "repaired" at some

point .. every single watch that I sent back to Joshua has been either repaired or replaced ..

As far as the cost of shipping .. i look at this as just a cost of buying reps.... but with that said Joshua has ALWAYS made it up to me without me asking..ie.ss bracelet n/c .. or free shipping on my next order .. I have never ended up in the "RED" .. in fact I alway's come out ahead

[TWP]

I have sent many watches back to my supplier that were broke. Turn around time is about two weeks. So they usually have mine fixed in a couple of days and back in the mail. I cannot speak for others though, just my own experiences.

Cheers

T

[Dizzy]

Yes exactly as instructed

NO not "that" slow .. I would get in touch with your collector and ask him to "advise" .. did you fill out the declaration as you were instructed to ????

[Jawo]

I have sent back about 6 watches to both Andrew and Joshua. Not too bad considering I bought over 50. I shipped via Canada Post Xpresspost/EMS. It takes about 4-5 days for them to receive them. I get an email from Joshua/Andrew immediately when their watchsmith receives them. I pay $20 extra just so I can get EMS shipping back to me. Turn around time is 3-5 days for the repair. EMS shipping is 4 days back to me. Total turn around time is about 2 weeks including the shipping. I have never had a single problem shipping watches back to China. The dealers in China deal with returns on a daily basis. I am sure they know how to get around customs to a certain degree. I suggest that the best shipping method is by goverment carriers like Canapost or USPS. The carrier is transfered over to EMS once the package hits China. Registered mail is ok too but takes a very long time, 2-3 weeks to reach there and no tracking is available. I now send back the case only without straps or bracelets. If the watch is packaged properly, it should avoid detection. During the package scan, a watch complete with straps might warrant a seizure for inspection, especially if only $10-20 is declared. If a watch is ever lost or seized, at least you still have the bracelets and straps left. I have absolutely no hesitation sending watches back to Andrew and Joshua. All watches returned to me are working awesome and this is why I continue to support them.

[Victoria]

I have 2 watches going back to China and neither dealer has received them. One I put his english name and the post office wont let him pick it up, so thats comming back, and the other watch has yet to make it

Anyone else have problems shipping back to china? I just hope I dont lose my watches

Hey MrC.

Until this very last night, I couldn't reply to your distress post. Today, having been informed by Andrew and Davidsen that both the watches I sent them, have arrived safely, I feel I can give you some idea what to expect.

First, you don't mention if your dealer gave you specific instructions on how to send the items. Because both Andrew and Davidsen did -- to the letter. I won't say what those were, but Andrew even had me fill out a form!

And obviously, full name, address, instructions on Customs description, the works.

(It would seem not, since you mentioned you used their English name, which was incorrect)

They both asked that it be sent registered airmail, instead of Priority -- thus costing me around U$20.25 each (I added a $2 received confirmation receipt to the order, just in case), instead of the usual $40-60.

Being careful, I even choose from which Post Office to send my international packages: there is one many miles from my home which I use, which has NEVER failed me (the one near my home in Miami Beach has...). So I went there.

I sent them out Friday, 7 September. I immediately emailed them with the tracking info, and the Customs form number.

Andrew emailed me last night, Wednesday, 19 September his time. Davidsen didn't email me, but confirmed last night that he had received the watch too, so I'm not sure how long his took exactly.

Either way, that's a great turnaround for regular airmail -- less than 2 weeks, including non-working Sundays, for BOTH packages.

I would say that it all depends on your dealer, and Andrew and Davidsen are amongst THE BEST, so I never had any worries in shipping back to them (they confirmed that if the watch didn't arrive, it wouldn't be my fault; they would still honour the exchange, etc.).

For example, I would NEVER send any watch back to Paul. You already read what L-Dizzle said. That's why. I knew that even before he posted his situation -- because you know how a dealer REALLY is when stuff goes wrong. And I smelt a rat.

To answer Luisik, it took me 3 watchmakers in the metropolitan area of South Florida (circa 5.4 million people), before I got one who would fix my rep watches. One guy gave me attitude, the other said he didn't want to mess with a movement he couldn't guarantee, and the third was a bit judgemental, but fixed it. I'll return to him. Sometimes it's not easy.

I hope this info has helped, MrC. Send back watches to China/HK only if the collector is serious. When in doubt, ask first. Good luck!