ken Posted March 18, 2007 Report Share Posted March 18, 2007 okay, i have A LOT of questions about shipping/customs and whatever. and i know that i BARELY have any posts and experience, but it's my first time. i live in TEXAS, USA. are there any problems about customs/charges? and i PLAN to order a rep from TTime, please remove name if breaking rules, what should i expect? what should i request? should i be this worried? i know this is buying a rep. i emailed the owner and he said no custom problems. i'm just really scared because of the horror stories i read on this forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken Posted March 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2007 also i read that EMS/reg airmail is the safest way to get it shipped? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retep Posted March 18, 2007 Report Share Posted March 18, 2007 Hi Ken and welcome. So much questions and so little time it seems. If you want to do yourself a favour do some reading before ordering. Texas isn`t the best place to be if you want to order reps. I believe some dealers will not ship to texas due to the fact that customs are a [censored]. Andrew from Trustytime is one of the trusted dealers on this board and has manyyyyyyyyyy satisfied customers. Be sure to know what he will do if the package is confiscated. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Award Posted March 18, 2007 Report Share Posted March 18, 2007 Well I don't have any experience with Texas customs. But both Andrew (trusty time) and Paul have delivered when I ordered from them. So I'd say just go ahead with it! What are you planning to order? /Award Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken Posted March 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2007 are you located in texas? i plan to order a dj, plain and simple, but doesn't scream rolex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted March 18, 2007 Report Share Posted March 18, 2007 (edited) Ken -- I do not live in TX either, but I have been very satisfied with both the watches and service I received from Andrew. The DJ is a very good first rep, but I would recommend getting an all stainless steel (SS) model without gold or jewels. CZ 'diamonds', at least the grade used on most rep watches, tend to look cheap and fake (to be fair, I think the real diamonds on gen Rolexes make the wearer look cheap and fake). And, with very few exceptions, the 'wrapped', 'plated', 'vapor-deposited' (or whatever the sales pitcher comes up with) gold usually doesn't look quite right; and, either way, it WILL wear off in a matter of weeks or months, depending on how the watch is worn and cared for. And once the underlying metal below the thin layer of gold becomes visible, the watch is virtually useless as-is (unless you want to advertise the fact that you're wearing a 'fake Rolex'). The more 'plain jane' the watch, the easier it is for the rep makers to faithfully replicate the original design, and the less likely it is that your watch will be 'outted' as a fake, replica or whatever you want to call a non-genuine Rolex. My first rep watch, purchased more than 20 years ago (which I still have), was a TT (two-tone - gold and SS) DJ with a beautiful brushed gold face (it was a rare model in the early 80s and I don't think I have seen a rep like it since). It was also one of the first to be fitted with a Swiss-made ETA movement instead of the usual (at that time) Japanese or Chinese movements. The first thing I did was to hightail it to my local Rolex dealer to buy a replacement bracelet buckle and TT end pieces (the small metal pieces that fit between the bracelet and the watch body). The addition of these small items made a big difference in closing the gap towards making the watch look (and feel) like the genuine DJ in the store. (Later, Rolex figured out that people like me were buying parts from dealers to fit to rep watches and stopped selling parts through dealers. Pity.) Unfortunately, within a few months, the 'heavily plated' gold on the bracelet and bezel (the ring that fits around the crystal) began to wear away. So I threw the watch in a drawer and never wore it again. About 5 years ago, I tried another TT, but with the same result. (I actually do have a couple of (non-Rolex) gold watches, but these were purchased to stare at (because of their beautiful design) and not to wear.) Good luck and congratulations on your entry into the world of reps. Edited March 18, 2007 by freddy333 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken Posted March 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2007 i agree with you on the gold part. i plan on order a 16200 black stick dial, as soon as my other watches sell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KB Posted March 18, 2007 Report Share Posted March 18, 2007 Ken at the end of the day it would be better if you have a contact outside of Texas who can receive your watch and then just post it to you by regular mail. Cheers Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Award Posted March 18, 2007 Report Share Posted March 18, 2007 Doesn't it depend on wether it's gold plated or solied. Think I've read some place that the solid bracelets are available, and then the gold waering off shouldn't be a problem? /Award Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken Posted March 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2007 wow i knew living in dallas had many upsides.. is there anyone offering to do this? i mean downsides Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligoat Posted March 18, 2007 Report Share Posted March 18, 2007 I live in Texas and I haven't had any troubles receiving reps. I've ordered from TWG, Paul, TTK, Josh, Angus, Silix and a bunch of the parts guys over in Hong Kong. The only suggestion I would make is to order your watches one at a time to minimize your exposure. I did notice this week that River doesn't ship to Texas. He didn't give me a reason, but he must have had more than a few watches seized by customs. But I can't see why Texas would any different than any other state in the USA. Once it comes thru San Francisco or NYC, it's in the states and home free so to speak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken Posted March 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2007 maybe because soem of the watches go through dfw airport? i am only going to order 1, but i'm just scared that my watch will be the one out of say 50 that day that they search, and i'll get a nasty letter and get blacklisted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
who Posted March 19, 2007 Report Share Posted March 19, 2007 just ask the dealer to see if he/she will "cover" the lost in the event of custom seizure, if they say no problem....why else you need to worry? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken Posted March 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2007 the dreaded letter + being blacklisted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted March 19, 2007 Report Share Posted March 19, 2007 just ask the dealer to see if he/she will "cover" the lost in the event of custom seizure, if they say no problem....why else you need to worry? I think that is a very good idea. I think that most of the dealers here do that anyway. Check their FAQ or Shipping Instruction pages for their policy regarding lost shipments. If it is not clear, email the dealer and go from there. Over the years, I have seen many rep dealers that advertise their watches (or parts of them) as being 'solid gold' or some other description that infers the same thing. Have you checked the price of gold recently? The point is that the dealer's cost for a solid gold bracelet would be far more than the retail price the dealer is charging for the entire watch. You should also beware that terms like '1:1' or 'Perfect' or 'exact copy of the original' or anything else that suggests a replica is an exact copy of the genuine are just marketing (subjective hyperbole). All commercially made replicas have errors and inaccuracies that can be identified if you know what to look for. The number and type of errors are what separate the best reps from the worst. And most of the dealers here offer at least some reps within their collections that are very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken Posted March 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2007 well i was planning to order from TTime, but they're based in China, and i was just scared about if my watch got seized in customs and i got one of those letters. then i get blacklisted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Award Posted March 19, 2007 Report Share Posted March 19, 2007 The dealers does all sorts of trick to avoid custom seizing it. And most of them are fair when it comes to shipping a new watch, or refunding. If you are as worried as this every time, then you will never get a watch! Talk to the dealer, and explain the customs situation - and then work something out! /Award Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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