emhg89

What is the benefit of buying Jewelry in the Caribbean. Is the price better than in the States? I am interested in buying a watch - and wanted to know?

Sherry

Although I dont have a lot of experience with this, I did buy a watch and a gold necklace in St Thomas. Keep in mind this was 4-5 years ago, things may have changed. The watch was about 200 US less than in the States, for the exact same model. The necklace, although I have seen some of the same maker, I havent seen the exact one I bought, and it appeared to be comparably priced.

Diana

Thanks to my wonderful husband, we have bought a lot of jewelry in the Caribbean over the years.<BR><BR>Some pointers:<BR><BR>1.)Most importantly, make sure you are working with a reputable dealer that has been operating for years.<BR><BR>2.) Get pricing info on comparable pieces at home to see if you are really getting a good deal.<BR><BR>3.) Look carefully at the piece for workmanship and quality.<BR><BR>4.) If you are buying a very high end watch, be sure that the seller is an authorized dealer, otherwise you may not have any recourse should something go wrong.<BR><BR>5.) Keep all of the receipts and boxes and make sure you do not go over the limit for duty-free purchases. You will have to pay tax on anything over the allowance. (DO NOT try to get out of paying this - you could end up getting in BIG trouble.)<BR><BR>6.) If it's a very valuable piece, contact your insurance company at home as soon as it's in your possession to have it insured.<BR><BR>7.) I have found that the more tequila my husband has, the more jewelry he will buy me <BR><BR>HAVE FUN!

Jefl

Just returned last week from the Bahamas - we bought 2 Cartier pieces while we were there. I had planned on this and did my homework before (my biggest piece of advice - know what the cost for comparable item is in the States). Our results: Cost was approx. 12% less on 1 piece, 18% less on the other. Overall, a great savings (made me happy, getting the jewelry of course made my wife VERY happy!). Good luck and have fun!

diann

I would think the better educated you are on the subject as all ready said there is probably a significant savings. We were in St. Martin and my husband purchased a Tanzanite ring for me. Not a huge expense, but a nice souvenier of our vacation. I can tell you the jewelry stores were jammed packed. One could hardley even walk inside of many stores. I have never seen so many stores or people shopping for jewelry. No tax. I suppose that is one large incentive.

Caribbean_Rez

When buying jewelry I suggest to always negotiate the price. We also bought a Cartier watch 5 years ago at the Cartier store in St. Thomas. They initially gave us a 25% discount and then I asked if that was their best price. She then gave me another $200.00 off. It doesn't hurt to ask....the worst that can happen is that they will say no. <BR><BR>Diana's info is excellent. We bought a black pearl in Bora Bora and was given a significant discount, well we though it was an excellent discount until I had it appraised and I found out that we overpaid by $500.00. An expensive lesson to learn. So definitely do your homework on comparing prices before you buy.

snorkelcat

I know it has been said before, but I don't think it can be emphasized enough - do your homework. <BR><BR>Before you go to the Caribbean, research the kind of watch you want, the price, the quality. Ask jewlers how to tell a fake from the real deal. Get prices from local stores and the internet.<BR><BR>When in the Caribbean, there are islands that are better for buying jewlery than others. Best place to buy - St. Thomas, because there are several reputable dealers there, and since it is a US territory, you can buy up to $1200 worth of goods DUTY FREE!! (no taxes - yeah!) So you get a discount and no taxes that you would pay stateside.<BR>St. Martin/Maarten is also a good place to buy.<BR><BR>I have heard stories and personally experienced jewlery rip offs in Mexico. I have friends who have bought what was supposed to be a Rolex and it turned out to be a Ralex! (rip off fake!)

GoAway

I have heard - but can't back this up personally - that it also better to shop when there are no cruise ships in port (really hard to do at some ports!) as you will get a better deal. If nothing else, it will eliminate the problem Diann mentioned!

Robert

Excellent advice so far. Also, there's a bit of hit-and-miss, plain old luck. In Nassau and PI, my wife and I do reef surveys, and are always hitting the local tourist news newspapers and local newspaper advertisements for special sales and buys. Beyond the duty-free advantages, stores hold special sales on top of this discount for A-1 class items. Unfortunately, the discounts for jewelry and watches isn't as great as that for liquor. We bought a bottle of Drambuie for $23 which goes for $50 in the states; difficult to find discounts like that for luxury items. Robert

Robert

I forgot; definately know the limit laws for DF shopping. For example, you're allowed $600 DF items in the Bahamas, but I didn't realize it was per person (duh). We could have purchased $1200 of items; i.e., I could have bought $1,000 worth of DF items and my wife $200. So, families can &quot;pool&quot; their DF exemptions. Also, often free gifts or promotional items are offered, and these must be counted in the DF total amount. Also, there are DF laws requiring a minimum amt. of days in many of the Caribbean nations. For example, the Bahamian Government stipulates you must have been out of the U.S. for a minimum of 48 hours for each visit, and longer 30 days must have transpired between each visit. Otherwise, you're limited to only $25 DF exemption per person, and you cannot &quot;pool&quot; this exemption among family members either. You'll pay duty on the whole thing if you get caught. Lastly, contact the U.S. Customs for a list of items not allowed into the U.S. <BR>Robert<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>