Packages from Singapore to U.S. via Speedpost (Seeking Advice)?

[sf_esq]

Considering buying a watch from Singapore. Seller is willing to ship to the U.S. via Fed Ex or Speedpost. Hoping to minimize customs fees/duty. I believe Speedpost delivers via the USPS. Is it similar to Royal Mail (never paid customs fees on anything shipped to the U.S. via Royal Mail. If you have any experiences you could share, I'd be grateful. Thanks very much in advance.

 

[herfitup]

Only had one item shipped from Singapore and didn't get charged duty when the USPS delivered it. It wasn't a very expensive item though. YMMV.

 

[chuan]

I live in Singapore and just had a breitling shipped from the States to Singapore. It shipped by USPS express mail international. The customs duties i had to pay was calculated based on the amount declared by the seller. While in your case, it is the opposite, i would imagine that whatever duties you have to pay would depend on the amount the seller declares rather than the method of shipment. Hope it helps. Cheers

Chuan

 

[zippyh]

Customs fees on swiss mechanicals watches really shouldn't be too bad..
Make sure the sender correctly fills out the customs form though. As I recall, he has to declare separate values
for the movement, the case and the strap/bracelet.
There's a flat fee for the movement which is only a few dollars.
Then there's some rate for the case and another for the strap/bracelet.
The key is having the movement be declared to be some large percentage of the total cost.

I've purchased several swiss watches from an overseas seller (Zeetan in Malaysia) and only had to pay on a couple of them.
They were JLCs and I paid on the order of $50-60. They were shipped via Speedpost/USPS.

If it has a crocodile strap, sender has to make sure to fill out some other form declaring origin of the hide.
It'll likely make a trip through Alaska for inspection by Fish and Wildlife. For that matter I think all the ones I bought with strap
had a Fish and Wildlife inspection.

 

[sf_esq]

Thank you all for your replies. From what I'm told, EMS is the best method of shipment and most recipients don't play customs fees upon receipt in the U.S., similar to Royal Mail and other services that hand over to the USPS. I'll find out...

 

[sf_esq]

Thanks again for the replies. I'm told EMS only insures up to $500, if my item is worth more, it seems the risk loss over $500 may outweigh customs duty if shipped via Fed ex. Conundrum. Any thoughts? I have been told some businesses ship EMS for items over $500, but wondering if they just insure to $500 and take the risk or if I'm missing something.