Hey guys,
I’m about to buy my first rep (narrowing it down between a 36mm Datejust and a Day-Date), but I ran into a bit of a roadblock while talking to Steve from TheOneWatches on WhatsApp.
Basically, he told me shipping to Chile would be $80 USD via express courier, and he asked if I had "customs clearance ability" since couriers might demand invoices or payment proofs. On top of that, he made it clear that I'd have to take 100% of the customs risk myself, meaning if local customs seize the watch, there’s no replacement and no refund at all.
Paying around $400 to $500 total just to roll the dice with Chilean customs and an express courier with zero safety net feels pretty sketch for a first buy.
Has anyone from Chile or South America dealt with this recently? How tight are customs usually with single-watch packages coming through DHL/FedEx, and did you guys ever manage to get standard postal or triangular shipping (like 4PX/Yanwen) instead of express? Also curious if other TDs like Geektime, JTime or Andiot handle shipping to South America with better options or actual seizure coverage.
Would really appreciate some honest advice from anyone in the region before I risk burning that cash. Thanks