Buying from Japan. Some friendly advice.

Dakar

New Member
Hi all, for anyone out there thinking of importing from Japan here is my first experience.
First of all is it necessary? Be sure to get an estimate of tax payable to Customs and your parcel carrier in your country this can be done online just Google 'customs charge' for more info.

I had been considering a g9300nv to add to my meagre collection and after trawling through Amazon UK etc I was tempted by a few at the £190+postage mark. Be warned, descriptions and photos can have a strange way of lying! Of the two suppliers showing gw9300 atomic mudman watches in the picture and the description not mentioning 'atomic' further investigation showed both to be 'g' not 'gw' models and indeed not in the UK but Spain and Italy. So time to look at the Japanese market!

I guess there are several options here so I looked for sellers using payment methods I could trust ie paypal. Be sure to work out the payment method exchange rate, I chose a gw9300nv advertised in US dollars which worked out as £204 plus paypals expenses around £214.

Ordering was simple in fact almost too simple (could make this a habit!).
The Japanese post track and trace has proved very accurate and once Google translate had helped very informative.

Two days after ordering the track and trace showed the watch to have arrived on the UK and in the hands of Customs UK. This seems to be the painful part. Watching the track and trace the package has spent best part of a week being processed and in 'storage'
Today I received this document
a6apy2av.jpg
so £214+56 that's a grand total of £270.
I think if you look at some Japanese sites you will find some hard to find (in the UK at least) models brand new for less than what you see them second hand on the bay.

I have paid my Customs charge and parcelforce's (my countries parcel carrier) £56 on line and now await my Japanese domestic market watch, which should be in Tuesdays post.

So to sum up not a painful experience if you are prepared to wait that little longer for what you really want. Go try it, it's quite nice interesting way to buy

HAPPY SHOPPING (JAPANESE STYLE) B-)

All the way from the sunny UK
 

Dakar

New Member
Hi all, for anyone out there thinking of importing from Japan here is my first experience.
First of all is it necessary? Be sure to get an estimate of tax payable to Customs and your parcel carrier in your country this can be done online just Google 'customs charge' for more info.

I had been considering a g9300nv to add to my meagre collection and after trawling through Amazon UK etc I was tempted by a few at the £190+postage mark. Be warned, descriptions and photos can have a strange way of lying! Of the two suppliers showing gw9300 atomic mudman in the picture and the description not mentioning 'atomic' further investigation showed both to be 'g' not 'gw' models and indeed not in the UK but Spain and Italy. So time to look at the Japanese market!

I guess there are several options here so I looked for sellers using payment methods I could trust ie paypal. Be sure to work out the payment method exchange rate, I chose a gw9300nv advertised in US dollars which worked out as £204 plus paypals expenses around £214.

Ordering was simple in fact almost too simple (could make this a habit!).
The Japanese post track and trace has proved very accurate and once Google translate had helped very informative.

Two days after ordering the track and trace showed the watch to have arrived on the UK and in the hands of Customs UK. This seems to be the painful part. Watching the track and trace the package has spent best part of a week being processed and in 'storage'
Today I received this document
a6apy2av.jpg
so £214+56 that's a grand total of £270.
I think if you look at some Japanese sites you will find some hard to find (in the UK at least) models brand new for less than what you see them second hand on the bay.

I have paid my Customs charge and parcelforce's (my countries parcel carrier) £56 on line and now await my Japanese domestic market watch, which should be in Tuesdays post.

So to sum up not a painful experience if you are prepared to wait that little longer for what you really want. Go try it, it's quite nice interesting way to buy.

HAPPY SHOPPING (JAPANESE STYLE) B-)

All the way from the sunny UK



All the way from the sunny UK
 

Dakar

New Member
Thanks Sean, Tuesday seems so far away. I have a navy gulfman but the colour on the mud/range/frogman looks so much more vivid.

All the way from the sunny UK
 

Sengyoku

New Member
I've bought many G's from Japan, alway a great experience, and EMS shipping never takes more than 4 days

it also helps that we in the states don't pay any taxes or customs.

No taxes or customs!? Is that a Miami thing or is it like that anywhere in the US?

I am super envious Will! No tax and the best retail prices on Gs on thr planet... I seriously need to consider moving across the pond haha :)

In the UK I don't think we will ever see a 4 day ems delivery, the taxman will serve you a notice of tax due with a grin and parcel force will keep it for an extra week and charge us for shaking hands with the taxman! the joke's certainly on us here, sure Dakar knows exactly what I mean :D

Sent from the 'droid.
 

BACKBLAST72

Well-Known Member
I have never bought anything from Japan. However, I did purchase my GX-56 from Singapore. It shipped via FedEx and it arrived in three days. I had no problem with the shipment or the merchandise at all. ;)

Sent from my VS930 4G using Tapatalk
 

Dakar

New Member
Sengyoko, exactly! The watch took two days from Tokyo to Coventry and then a week at customs before being released to Basingstoke where it was lost in storage for 3 days before parcelforce charged my £10:50 for their 200 mile part of the process. All that said I will defo do it again :)

All the way from the sunny UK
 
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