St. Thomas Watch Bargains

[Georgetown Mike]

Fellow Cruisers,

 

I will be calling at St. Thomas on the Zui in October. I will be shopping for a quality man's watch - Tag, Breitling, etc. Can I get a real bargain? Recommended shop(s)? Are the deals in St. Thomas any better than .com discounters? Thanks for your help.

[ekerr19]

Personally, I don't think there are real bargains anymore. In the 90's you could still get some good bargains in St. Thomas, but I think those days are long gone. Nowadays, you can do just as well online or at a wholesaler like Costco.

 

If you do plan to purchase on one of the islands, make certain you do your research ahead of time and know what to look for, and what kind of pricing you can find in the states.

 

If you come across a deal that "sounds to good to be true", mostly likely it is. :) We had this happen with a tanzanite bracelet from a reputable jeweler - if you have an Amex card, use it to purchase the watch - at least there is some guarantee there...

[bruceh4]

I to thought I could get a bargin in St. Thomas. Not so, I found the price's to be the same as I could get on the ship or on the internet. Merchants around the world are not dummies!:D

[JimVrhovac]

One of the problems pf purchasing off shore is that you cannot always take it for warranty work in the States.

 

Check this out before you buy. We had a real problem with a Panasonic item that in reality was refurbished and then sold as new. Took 2 years to get the mess straightened out and it had to be done through people in St Thomas....

 

Jim & Ruth

[Krazy Kruizers]

There aren't any real bargains in St Thomas any more. If you do your homework, you will find the prices here at home may be better - watch for the sales.

Warranties - that's another problem like Jim mentioned.

[JimVrhovac]

Ruth and I have been dealing with the same jewler for 15+ years in St Thomas and have confidence in them.

 

This, I think, is the exception rather than the general rule.

 

I have had jewlery appraised by a friend when we purchased there and generally he says you got a good deal, not a great deal. He usually says that we paid around US wholesale prices.

 

We like this individual because he has custom made several pieces for us and he also carries some unusual pieces.

 

The worst thing is that he gives pieces to Ruth with the bill and she gives the bill to me once we have left port and instructs me to send them a wire transfer. I usually go to the bar after that..........

 

Jim

[ger_77]

Jim, your Ruth is a smart woman ... I'm learning little tricks, I mean techniques, to use on my own DH. I like that approach - a wire transfer ... hmmmmmmmm:D

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[allen.crawford]

We got a bargain on a Citizen watch in Jamaica.

 

We found that the price of Citizen watches were just as good on the ship as on shore though. THe one we bought in Jamaica was a model not carried on the ship.

 

I did my research before going on the cruise. http://www.froogle.com is a good source for low pricing or watch e-bay if you have a model in mind.