Shipping watches internationally

Selling abroad opens up buyers who can't find your watch locally, and sometimes better prices. It also adds a border. Customs paperwork, duties, carrier restrictions, and longer transit all come with the sale, and each is a place where a smooth deal can go wrong after the money has changed hands.

Agree who pays what, in writing

The single most common international problem is a buyer surprised by a bill on delivery. Duties and import taxes are generally the importer's responsibility, and in the US, CBP holds the importer liable for the duty rather than the seller.^[2] Other countries work similarly.

Before you accept the order, state plainly who pays import charges, what shipping costs, and what happens if the buyer refuses the parcel. Put it in the listing and repeat it in the message confirming the sale.

Declare it honestly

Every shipment needs a customs declaration describing the contents and their value. Declare what it is and what it sold for. Understating value or calling a sale a gift is fraud, and it also voids most insurance cover, which means an honest declaration is the only one that protects you.

Keep copies of the declaration and commercial invoice with the watch's record, as the recordkeeping article covers.

Know the current rules

Import rules change, sometimes sharply. In the US, the long-standing duty-free treatment for low-value shipments has been suspended: CBP's rules indefinitely suspend duty-free de minimis treatment for imports valued at $800 or less, and currently all shipments valued at $2,500 or less are subject to applicable duties, with narrow exceptions for genuine gifts and certain articles accompanying travelers.^[1] Shipments over $2,500 generally require a formal entry rather than an informal one.^[2]

That's the US position for watches arriving here, which matters when you buy abroad. For watches you send out, the destination country's rules apply, and you should check them for the countries you ship to most.

Carriers, limits, and insurance

Carriers limit what they'll cover, and those limits differ between domestic and international services. Domestically, insurance on USPS Registered Mail reaches $50,000, against the $100 that comes included with Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express.^[3] With FedEx, eligible shippers using Declared Value Advantage may declare as much as $100,000 on a domestic watch or jewelry shipment.^[4] Confirm the equivalent limits for the international service you plan to use, since they're often lower and some services exclude watches and jewelry entirely.

Whatever you use, ship tracked, insured for the full value, and requiring a signature. The shipping article covers packing and choosing a service.

Price the extra cost and risk

International sales carry costs a domestic sale doesn't: higher shipping, more expensive insurance, currency conversion, and occasionally a return journey. They also take longer, which ties up your money. Put those into your numbers with the max buy calculator before you agree a price, rather than discovering them afterwards.

Payment and disputes

Take payment by a method that works across borders and that you understand. A cross-border dispute is harder and slower to resolve than a local one, and returns are expensive. The payment article and the escrow article cover the options.

Set expectations about time

Customs clearance adds days, sometimes more. Tell the buyer what to expect before they pay, and keep them updated while the parcel is in transit. A buyer who knows a delay is normal will wait; one who doesn't opens a dispute.

When to say no

• The destination has restrictions you can't confirm, or a poor delivery record.
• You can't insure the watch for its full value on any service you'd trust.
• The buyer asks you to misdeclare the value or contents.
• The buyer wants it shipped to a third address unconnected to the payment.

Declining a risky international sale costs you one deal. Getting it wrong can cost you the watch.

Buying from overseas sellers covers the same border from the importing side, including duty and landed cost.