There is a possibility it will be cancelled, or delayed beyond 8 weeks. If they can't source the item, or can't source it at a profitable margin, then you won't get it. Simple as that.

If you can, buy it from somewhere that has it in stock (e.g. chrono24 and a US dealer with feedback). You'll probably save some time and a few bucks.

 

If they can't source the item, or can't source it at a profitable margin, then you won't get it. Simple as that.

This. If you're prepared for a long wait and possible cancellation, no harm in ordering. If you want the watch within a reasonable time and/or if the savings aren't worth it, I would look elsewhere.

 

I would stay away from situations like that. No need to give them money for 8 weeks and have to anguish over them not returning it. There are very few things they have that you can't find someplace else.

 

If he uses a form of Paypal credit to pay, there is no charge until the product actually ships. There is a reduction in the amount of available credit pending the actual ship/charge, but that's it.

I ordered a Certina from Jomashop that was not in stock; after waiting 3 or 4 weeks and getting impatient, I cancelled the order. I then searched everywhere for the same watch, could not find it (except for some sketchy place in eastern Europe), and was forced to re-place the order with Jomashop. It came within a few weeks, I'm guessing because Jomaship had done its sourcing diligence with my previously canceled order.

Too long did not read: if you can't find the watch anywhere else for the right price, and use a form of Paypal credit (which won't be charged until shipment), then I'd place the order and wait patiently.

Sometimes Jomashop is the best option. I've had two good experiences with them.

 

Unless it says "In Stock-Ready to ship" I would stay away.
Even when it says that there's no guarantee. I can attest to that.

 

+1

 

Agree with the above and even when it says "in-stock", I'd still make a call to confirm that, just as PP says above.

Items not in stock need to be sourced because as you know, Joma is grey market. They may or may not be able to get it and may or may not be able to do so in the expected time frame.

I'd cancel the order myself unless you want Joma to hold your money and maybe get the watch at some point. That's not meant as a knock on Joma nor any inference of anything illegal, just mention of such in the hopes of you saving your money for now and not having to wait for the unknown.

 

I don’t deal with JomaShop....too many other sources

 

I ordered a watch from them that said "Ships in 1-3 days" and it still hadn't shipped after a week so I got impatient and just cancelled the order.

If it does not say "In stock and ready to ship" it means they don't have it and they're purely just guessing when they might get another shipment of that watch in. It might be 8 weeks, it might be never.

I've bought 2 watches from Joma that were "in stock" and they shipped the same day I paid for them IIRC. I would just stay away from anything that's not currently in stock because that's a crapshoot.

 

In my case it was "3 to 5 days" or "5 to 7 days". I was on a business trip and had 2 weeks at the spot for a delivery. I chatted about this with a representative. Long story short - when you see item not in stock and you order it, they hold your money when you order, but there is a list of people who ordered that item and you are somewhere on it. When they source a watch the first on the list gets it and so on. Eventually i had to cancel and order at a friends' address. This happened mid-July, the watch arrived end of September. Point is you never know how long it is going to take if they don't have it in stock. Sometimes the Joma's discount is worth the wait, but it is up to you to decide.

 

IMHO, keep shopping around unless you are getting a screaming good deal.

Either way, good luck.

 

4-8 week wait = not in stock, we may or may not get it in.

With Joma even items that are market “in stock - ready to ship” aren’t in stock and are not ready to ship. This happened to me during the summer. Site said it was in stock and after waiting 2 weeks for a shipping notice I called customer support and was told it’s was back order and it’s would be a 2-3 week wait. The site still listed it as “in stock”. I had them cancel the sale.

Moral of the story, with Joma sometimes just gotta call in and order it over the phone. They don’t have a firm grasp over their online inventory controls.

 

It may be the cynic in me but I read “we are trying to source one”.

 

No. It is not in stock and you will wait in vain.

Been there with this vendor. Never again.

 

I've only attempted to buy one watch that wasn't immediately in stock, and the quoted time for shipment kept getting pushed back. I cancelled the order.

As others have said, they really don't know when they'll source one, if at all. It's nothing but a guess.

Personally, I wouldn't buy from them unless it's in stock.

 

I don't have patience for 4-8 weeks. I usually assume that means they don't know whether they can have it or not. I wouldn't pay that far in advance for a not-sure thing.

 

As was pointed out, in large part what it comes down to is, how bad do you want it?

Joma's very good at cancelling orders, so the risk to you is fairly minimal. And, yeah, especially moving into the holiday buying season, it'd be a much better idea to limit yourself to pieces shown as in stock. I've got a Hamilton on order because...if it doesn't work out, no big deal. That said, it did show 3-5 weeks, and I don't normally like to do that either. Here, it's OK with me, and the price was very good...well under anything on Chrono24. Plus, the vast majority on Chrono24 are coming from overseas...and I just got ripped off by UPS for $100 in "brokerage charges" that were never requested and unnecessary, not long ago, on a watch from Europe. (And that brokerage charge probably added 10 days to the delivery time all told, in part because their status messages were useless.) So I'm gun-shy right now.

 

My own experience: I knew it wasn't in stock, ordered, after a few weeks Joma called me and said it wasn't looking like they could get it soon, and would I like to cancel. So that was decent service.
I agree with those who say it's safer to order over the phone.

 

I just cancelled an order with them when I found a watch I liked better somewhere else! A 3 to 5 week wait was what they promised, which didn't pop up until after I ordered. To their credit, they cancelled the order w/o any complaint or hassle.

 

Side note. I mentioned I got stiffed for a brokerage fee...

Yes, well, cages at UPS got rattled enough, and today I got a refund of most of the charges...unexpectedly, actually. So I'm in a much better mood.

 

I believe Joma has a "middleman" in watch transactions. They'll advertise items that they have access to, but not in their possession. That's why they post the longer shipping times. Joma has to first receive the watch from whoever is originally selling it.