Is it risky to buy from overseas?

[ckpeh]

saw many sites selling rollies... are they safe to purchase?
I saw many units for sale with foreign papers.. are they purchase online overseas?

[trailblazer]

some things cant afford to be penny smart and pound foolish =)

[kenlinliu1419]

If you mean buying through the internet, then there is always an inherent risk.
Unless you are buying through a trusted overseas source, then it's best to steer clear.

[ckpeh]

Yes, from internet.. has anyone done that before? Interested in some models that are not seen here...

[breitling77]

Better not!

[Ryan289]

Unless you are buying through a trusted overseas source

Are there examples of a trusted overseas source?

[ckpeh]

there are sellers with good references...anyone try before? our local market limited models leh....

[triton]

i always say, take your risk if you are willing. if the deal goes wrong, then you lose the money.

a seller can have good reference. but all it takes is one bad deal. also, are you willing to pay full insurance on the watch to sg?

Nothing beats having the watch on hand and have a physical look.

as you highlight, our local market has limited models. what brand and which model you referring to?

im always willing to pay reasonable extra for someone else to take the risk. what is reasonable is up to individual.

[clokwerk oranje]

If you have strong aversion to dealing over the net with an overseas dealer due to the inherent risk, why not try the grey dealers in SG first? Ask if they are able to bring in the models that you're interested in... From there you negotiate a finder's fee with them... A small price to pay for minimizing your risk exposure...

[TTGMTIIC]

Hi bros, I see world of luxury is advertised in this forum. I presume it is 'safe' to buy from them ? Any one have made purchase with them ?

[ckpeh]

seems like not much pple have experiences in buying from overseas. risk is the key factor then.

[wind128]

I bought a few before through Ebay. But the one that i paid the most, was the ONE that disappointed me most.

I was looking for a vintage chronograph movement that was discontinued for many years and I found one in a watch from an established british brand at that time (but now it is no longer around) sold by a seller with a lot of references (like our iTrader).

After the watch arrived, I checked with my trusted watchmaker on the authenticity. He was diplomatic and said the movement was correct but he is "not sure" if this particular brand produced a chronograph using this movement before but it is a good watch for "study". The watchmaker has serviced thousands of watches in his career, I guess if this were a real model with 100% original parts, he would definitely tell me so. So, basically what he was saying is that this is a vintage "frankenwatch".

I checked with the seller and he said he was just selling off someone's estate and he has no knowledge on the heritage of the watch and that he has described everything at the point of sale, and he was right. Unfortunately the watch is a vintage so no one can verify its linage. I know I was to take full responsibility for my actions so I did not blame him. I should have suspected something was wrong because the final closing bid (that I won) was much lower than the market rate.

So I advice those who wish to buy watches online (especially bidding) to really, really do you own homework first, especially for vintage pieces. If it is too good to be true, it probably is.