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How to ship watches abroad?

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  • 03-08-2018 11:51am
    #1
    Eoin
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 21,238 CMod ✭✭✭✭


    This has been asked a few times here, so I thought I'd give a quick update.

    "Mailboxes etc" on Lombard Street, Dublin 2 will ship watches and insure them. I emailed them last night, and here's the reply I got.
    We do ship watches to the EU and also provide insurance for loss and damage to the outer parts of the watch. Insurance is 2% of the value, minimum price to pay would be €10.00.

    If a watch is of high value it can only be shipped express if insurance is required and the watches would need to be packed in separate boxes, we will provide the packaging.

    It won't be cheap. But given that An Post won't accept them, and it can be a pain selling high value watches in Ireland, this might be a good option for some of you.

    You could gamble with An Post - but I nearly got caught out a few months ago. I sent a watch to Poland, but they made a typo with the tracking number so it appeared to have never left the post office when I checked it online. On top of that, it took the guts of a month to get there. In that time, I refunded the buyer, thinking I would be entirely out of pocket. He then paid me again, so thankfully it worked out - but I won't risk it again. They never even got back to me when I filled in the missing parcel form.


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    #2
    IrishPlayer
    Registered Users Posts: 705 ✭✭✭IrishPlayer


    Great timing for this thread,currently onto Richard Askham in the UK about getting my Bell-Matic serviced and will be posting my watch next week.Never posted a watch before so a little nervous,wasn't aware An Post won't accept them.Any advice would be great,
    Thanks.


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    #3
    Eoin
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 21,238 CMod ✭✭✭✭Eoin


    You can roll the dice and call it "time keeping equipment", but it's probably effectively uninsured if it gets lost with An Post. For what it's worth, that's the first issue I've ever had sending anything with An Post, but I'm thinking of selling a few watches with a combined value of around 5K, so I'm just not comfortable taking a risk.


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    #4
    893bet
    Registered Users Posts: 8,767 ✭✭✭893bet


    Eoin wrote: »
    You can roll the dice and call it "time keeping equipment", but it's probably effectively uninsured if it gets lost with An Post. For what it's worth, that's the first issue I've ever had sending anything with An Post, but I'm thinking of selling a few watches with a combined value of around 5K, so I'm just not comfortable taking a risk.


    Is max value for an post not 250?


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    #5
    Eoin
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 21,238 CMod ✭✭✭✭Eoin


    Nope, as it happens I just sent my phone to be repaired with An Post and they let me insure it for the full value which was a good bit over 250. I don't know if they have different limits depending on the time of item or destination.


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    #6
    saccades
    Registered Users Posts: 1,256 ✭✭✭saccades


    IrishPlayer wrote: »
    Great timing for this thread,currently onto Richard Askham in the UK about getting my Bell-Matic serviced and will be posting my watch next week.Never posted a watch before so a little nervous,wasn't aware An Post won't accept them.Any advice would be great,
    Thanks.

    I put horology equipment when I sent my bellmatic to Richard Askham.

    He's very good and the birth month watch is running a treat.

    Edit to say the value was within the an post levels.


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    #7
    IrishPlayer
    Registered Users Posts: 705 ✭✭✭IrishPlayer


    saccades wrote: »
    I put horology equipment when I sent my bellmatic to Richard Askham.

    He's very good and the birth month watch is running a treat.

    Edit to say the value was within the an post levels.

    Saw your Bell Matic when i went through the pictures thread,looks like he did a great job would love to see more pictures of it.Have read lots of great things about him.Going to post mine out next week so will put that as the description and hopefully everything will be good.


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    #8
    bogmanfan
    Registered Users Posts: 1,700 ✭✭✭bogmanfan


    Best option if sending to the UK is to pop up to Newry and send it with Royal Mail. Fully insured up to £2500 so no nervous wait. It's a 2.5 hour round trip from Dublin and some of the post offices are open on Saturdays.

    I used the An Post express service one time (I think it's DHL that actually do the delivery). The insurance limit was low, but it was next day so less chance for it to get lost/go missing. The buyer messaged me the next day to say he got the watch. But it had been left on his front step in broad daylight. It was a Rolex Submariner! Never used them since.

    I haven't used Mailboxes etc in a while. They were always great to deal with but very expensive. Still the only option I think if you want to send insured to Europe or US.


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    #9
    Cyrus
    Registered Users Posts: 19,706 ✭✭✭✭Cyrus


    normal tracked post and parcel pro for insurance


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    #10
    893bet
    Registered Users Posts: 8,767 ✭✭✭893bet


    Cyrus wrote: »
    normal tracked post and parcel pro for insurance

    As watches are prohibited by an post are you covered by parcel pro?


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    #11
    Cyrus
    Registered Users Posts: 19,706 ✭✭✭✭Cyrus


    893bet wrote: »
    As watches are prohibited by an post are you covered by parcel pro?

    Are they prohibited ?


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    #12
    Eoin
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 21,238 CMod ✭✭✭✭Eoin


    Cyrus wrote: »
    normal tracked post and parcel pro for insurance

    Doesn't look easy to get a parcelpro account though? I had a quick look at their site, and I'd have been quicker filling in the census.
    Cyrus wrote: »
    Are they prohibited ?

    Jewellery is, which I imagine a watch is considered. Edit - they accept but don't insure
    http://www.anpost.ie/AnPost/MainContent/ChristmasChannel/Prohibited+Items.htm


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    #13
    Cyrus
    Registered Users Posts: 19,706 ✭✭✭✭Cyrus


    Didn’t make sense that watches would be prohibited ,

    Parcel pro account wasn’t that big a deal


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    #14
    Eoin
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 21,238 CMod ✭✭✭✭Eoin


    Assuming they're treated as jewellery, they're not insured but not prohibited (based on my reading of this table)


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    #15
    Eoin
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 21,238 CMod ✭✭✭✭Eoin


    No I wouldn't, hence this thread


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    #16
    Eoin
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 21,238 CMod ✭✭✭✭Eoin


    It does sounds worth doing


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    #17
    Gavin1
    Registered Users Posts: 285 ✭✭Gavin1


    Trip to Northern Ireland is the way to go if you can do it.

    I sent a Damasko DA46 from Newry on it`s merry way yesterday to arrive before 1pm tomorrow for £ 9.60 insured for £ 750!

    Approx 2.5 - 3 hour round trip from the northside of Dublin.


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    #18
    Gavin1
    Registered Users Posts: 285 ✭✭Gavin1


    Damasko delivered at 12.49pm, today.

    Thats service!


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    #19
    Eoin
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 21,238 CMod ✭✭✭✭Eoin


    Eoin wrote: »
    It won't be cheap

    And it wasn't - I just had my pants pulled down to send a watch insured to the EU - absolutely mental money. This is last resort stuff. Lesson learned.


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    #20
    Cyrus
    Registered Users Posts: 19,706 ✭✭✭✭Cyrus


    Eoin wrote: »
    And it wasn't - I just had my pants pulled down to send a watch insured to the EU - absolutely mental money. This is last resort stuff. Lesson learned.

    how much eoin??


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    #21
    Eoin
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 21,238 CMod ✭✭✭✭Eoin


    I'm still crying and scrubbing myself in the corner of the shower. It was 3 figures anyway.


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    #22
    Eoin
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 21,238 CMod ✭✭✭✭Eoin


    Gavin1 wrote: »
    Trip to Northern Ireland is the way to go if you can do it.

    I sent a Damasko DA46 from Newry on it`s merry way yesterday to arrive before 1pm tomorrow for £ 9.60 insured for £ 750!

    Approx 2.5 - 3 hour round trip from the northside of Dublin.

    Am up in Belfast today and shipped another watch. 11.60 fully insured and next day delivery to mainland UK. Really efficient service in the post office too - definitely the way to go, especially given the ridiculous cost of using MBE.


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    #23
    bogmanfan
    Registered Users Posts: 1,700 ✭✭✭bogmanfan


    It doesn't say much about An Post's confidence in their own service that they don't offer an option to purchase additional insurance cover. Seems it would be a goldmine.


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    #24
    HDMI
    Registered Users Posts: 747 ✭✭✭HDMI


    Parcel Motel with extra insurance works well to the UK. I think their max might be 1k.

    A few listings on eBay I have been only using courier services. Shipped one to Germany with UPS and insurance for €46 so I quoted this for the next listing. The watch sells and the guy pays, I'm thinking happy days. Went to UPS and got quoted 75 euro, turns out the guy was near the bloody North Pole and they add extra fees to areas not near cities. Ended up using DHL for 56 euro.

    Lesson learned the hard way. Always find out exactly where your buyer lives or put a notice on your listing stating you will charge more for obscure places.


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    #25
    HDMI
    Registered Users Posts: 747 ✭✭✭HDMI


    OmegaGene wrote: »
    I asked dhl about pricing before when I wanted to sell on Chrono24 and they refused to deal with me at all let alone give pricing and when I asked why they said I would only deal with companies posting watches and not individual people


    Very strange, I have had no problems declaring items nor their value.


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    #26
    Captainsatnav
    Registered Users Posts: 910 ✭✭✭Captainsatnav


    OmegaGene wrote: »
    I asked dhl about pricing before when I wanted to sell on Chrono24 and they refused to deal with me at all let alone give pricing and when I asked why they said I would only deal with companies posting watches and not individual people

    Thanks again for tip on this thread - I just banged it in the DHL delivery at work. :eek:


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    #27
    Captainsatnav
    Registered Users Posts: 910 ✭✭✭Captainsatnav


    OmegaGene wrote: »
    That’s handy to use work, I was surprised they wouldn’t even quote me a price

    €85 including insurance


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    #28
    ronnie3585
    Registered Users Posts: 6,675 ✭✭✭ronnie3585


    Captainsatnav wrote: »
    €85 including insurance

    Does your work DHL account cover jewellery?

    I was in a similar quandary late last year and thought of using my office's DHL account to ship a watch to the UK. When I checked the T&Cs they expressly excluded jewellery from the insurance provisions.

    Ended up going with Mailboxes etc who were good but somewhat expensive. €95 insured up to €1,600.

    Sickening when RMSD is so much cheaper.


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    #29
    Captainsatnav
    Registered Users Posts: 910 ✭✭✭Captainsatnav


    ronnie3585 wrote: »
    Does your work DHL account cover jewellery?

    I was in a similar quandary late last year and thought of using my office's DHL account to ship a watch to the UK. When I checked the T&Cs they expressly excluded jewellery from the insurance provisions.

    Ended up going with Mailboxes etc who were good but somewhat expensive. €95 insured up to €1,600.

    Sickening when RMSD is so much cheaper.

    No Idea. Anyway, parcel picked up by DHL at 5.15 yesterday afternoon. Was already in Basel at 9.10 this morning. That's impressive to be fair.


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    #30
    Eoin
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 21,238 CMod ✭✭✭✭Eoin


    Now that a day trip to NI is less appealing than before, any fresh advice on couriers for watches to the UK?

    I'd rather not have to sign-up for a service as I don't buy & sell enough to justify it.


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    #31
    blue5000
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,627 Mod ✭✭✭✭blue5000


    Eoin wrote: »
    Now that a day trip to NI is less appealing than before, any fresh advice on couriers for watches to the UK?

    I'd rather not have to sign-up for a service as I don't buy & sell enough to justify it.

    Carrier pigeon?
    It's going to get worse moving goods to and from UK after 1st jan. All I can suggest is make it as big a parcel as possible and label it car part or something equally obscure.
    Customs are really only looking for drugs IMHO. In the courier depot customs drive in their own van with x-ray equipment on board, they set up a conveyor belt through the van and have sniffer dogs too.

    If you read the small print you're not supposed to send glass either.

    If the seat's wet, sit on yer hat, a cool head is better than a wet ar5e.



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