Doing the very same thing next week & have already sent a couple of submariner related emails off to Bobs watches in LA. I also plan on having alook in Vegas but not sure if it's the right place to buy a used Rolex.
More generally, there seems to be some value in purchasing used in the US despite the unfavourable exchange but the savings on subs are in the hundreds as opposed to the thousands.
Look for US brands like Bulova, Elgin and Waltham. Lots out there so prices stay low
The exchange rate is awful right now, and don't forget to factor cash withdrawal or foreign transaction charges too. 2.5% on £3k is a fair amount to give to the bank.
Partly depends on if you plan to declare it when you come back and get charged the VAT. Do you have any particular watch in mind? If so you should easily find an AD website to check out prices and generally you should be able to negotiate a decent discount (maybe not for Rolex).
The exchange rate has improved a bit since all the hurricane damage although still not great.
As an example, the Grand Seiko Sring Drive Diver in Titanium is listed at £6500 on Jura watches. The USA rrp is $6700 which is about £5150 at current rates and if declared that would work out at £6180 with VAT. If you negotiated a 20% discount and forgot to declare it on your return then you would end up paying about £4120. - a saving of just under £2400. If USA and UK prices were similar on a £650 UK watch then you would maybe save £240 if not declared.
Savings will obviously be lower as no doubt the watch would be declared. :thumbsup:
It's also worth remembering that there are state and local taxes which unlike our VAT varies and isn't always on the window price and I seem to remember in some places it was also applicable on second hand purchases but not so sure about that one.
I bought a lot of car stuff when I worked over there and it usually evened out to what you paid in $$$ ended up being the same in £££ by the time it got here.
Not always the good deal it first appeared and that's not withstanding any issues with warranty claims that might not be so easy to sort out.
It's also worth remembering that there are state and local taxes which unlike our VAT varies and isn't always on the window price and I seem to remember in some places it was also applicable on second hand purchases but not so sure about that one.
I bought a lot of car stuff when I worked over there and it usually evened out to what you paid in $$$ ended up being the same in £££ by the time it got here.
Not always the good deal it first appeared and that's not withstanding any issues with warranty claims that might not be so easy to sort out.
Despite the garbage exchange rate, keep an eye on authenticwatches.com and Ashford.com as both have regular sales with big discounts on well known brands.
They always seem good to me..., oh wait..., I live in the States.
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