Frequently Asked Questions about doing business with Gray & Sons
There are 8 great reasons to do business with us:
- Up to 70% off suggested Retail
- Our exclusive “Like New for Life” Policy
- 10 Day “No Questions Asked” Return Policy
- 1 to 2 year Warranty on all watches
- 150+ years of combined watchmaking and repair experience
- 6 in-house world renowned master watchmakers & jewelers
- Thousands of satisfied customers
- Accredited business membership in the Better Business Bureau (A+)
Every one of our certified preowned timepieces has been meticulously restored to excellent condition by our watch specialists, to ensure years of faithful service with normal care and maintenance. First, each watch goes through our rigorous 86-step inspection and restoration process. We are so confident in the quality of the timepieces we sell that we proudly offer our exclusive 12 month warranty on all watches and a 24 month warranty on all Rolex watches.
After being fully restored, all watch cases and bracelets are finely polished to remove any surface scratches and to restore each piece to its original luster. When a watch leaves Gray & Sons it is in pristine condition. We love our watches as much as you do, and offer our exclusive “Like New for Life” policy. With a minimum $2,000 pre-owned timepiece purchase, you’ll receive free annual polishing, detailing, pressure testing and battery replacement (as needed) for as long as you own your watch. This benefit is not transferable. To qualify, you need only to have Gray & Sons clean your timepiece and perform a “relubrication overhaul” every 36 months or sooner for a nominal charge.
We are a “brick and mortar” store with an actual location in luxurious Bal Harbour, Florida. We’ve been established in our community since 1980. We have a Better Business Board rating of A+, and are members in good standing with the International Watch & Jewelry Guild, and the National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors, Inc. Please see the Testimonials section of our website, to see what customers are saying about us.
Each of our watches is inspected for authenticity by one of our Swiss-Trained and Certified professional watchmakers. We absolutely guarantee the authenticity of every watch we sell.
We encourage you to take all steps you feel appropriate to ensure you are comfortable with your purchase. We offer our 10 day return privilege for this reason – so you can try it out, show it off to others, and even have it independently appraised.
Modern watches are restored to “like new” condition and carry our “Like New for Life” policy. With a minimum $2,000 pre-owned timepiece purchase, you’ll receive free annual polishing, detailing, pressure testing and battery replacement (as needed) for as long as you own your watch. This benefit is not transferable. To qualify, you need only to have Gray & Sons clean your timepiece and perform a “relubrication overhaul” every 36 months or sooner for a nominal charge.
Our store is located in luxurious Miami Beach, Florida at 9595 Harding Avenue – across from the Bal Harbour Shops. We are open Monday through Saturday from 10 AM to 5 PM. Our sales staff phone hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 AM to 6 PM. We have had a traditional store in the Miami area since 1980, and are well known in our community and respected around the world.
Since 1980, we have sold preowned watches from just about every major quality manufacturer on an unauthorized level. This frees us from the constraints of adhering to pricing policies these manufacturers set and you save significantly as a result. We absolutely guarantee the authenticity of our watches.
Most of our items ship within one to two business days once payment is received.
Our online store is updated daily with our most recent offerings. Browse for what interests you and securely place your order with confidence. If you have questions, you can call us, toll free, at (800) 918-2608. You can get live help Monday through Saturday 9 AM to 6 PM eastern time. You can also receive our monthly 64 page catalogs by mail, or if you’re in south Florida just stop by the store to say hello, and have a cup of coffee on us.
Whenever possible, we will provide the original box and documentation that were included with the watch. To be sure whether a particular item includes additional paraphernalia, please view the item description on our website.
Original papers usually have significance only when the watch is less than one year old (or under the manufacturer’s original warranty period). After the original warranty period expires, papers usually serve only as a symbolic statement and have no real value.
We offer one of the best return policies in the business. We offer a 10 day return privilege, unlike others who will offer only 3 to 5 days. The 10 day time period begins when you receive your watch or jewelry item. If for any reason you don’t want to keep it, you can return it with no questions asked – we’ll even pay for the return shipping! You can try it on, show it off to others, and even have it independently appraised. PLEASE NOTE: all special-orders, including but not limited to items not in stock, are non-refundable and require a 30% deposit by check or bank wire.
Original papers usually have significance only when the watch is less than one year old (or under the manufacturer’s original warranty period). After the original warranty period expires, papers usually serve only as a symbolic statement and have no real value.
For orders within the Continental US:
– Any major Credit Card
– Bank Wire Transfer
– Paypal
– Check, Money Order, or Cashier’s Check
International orders are paid with Bank Wire Transfer only.
Original papers usually have significance only when the watch is less than one year old (or under the manufacturer’s original warranty period). After the original warranty period expires, papers usually serve only as a symbolic statement and have no real value.
Domestic shipping charges include the cost of insurance. Generally the cost is 1.5% up to the first $7,000. If the purchase price is over $7,000, shipping is 1.5% of the first $7,000 and 1.25% thereafter.
Foreign charges vary with each order, and destination.
We use Next Day UPS, Fed-Ex Priority, Registered US Mail, and Armoured Courier, dependent upon destination, customer needs, and security requirements. Signatures are required for all deliveries.
On orders placed within the continental U.S.:
Payments made by PayPal require that the destination be a “verified” address on record.
Orders paid by credit card can be shipped only to the address on record for that account. If you would like your order shipped to an address other than the one on record with the issuing bank, we ask that you contact your credit card company by calling the phone number on the back of your credit card, and place an “alternate shipping address” on record, so that we can verify this information. By stating that you only want an “alternate shipping address” it will simply be a notation on your record and should not cause any change in your billing information. It is another fraud-prevention method that we use to be certain that we are dealing with the actual cardholder.
International orders require that payment be made by bank wire transfer.
We ship to most countries in Europe & Asia as well as Australia & Canada. Please contact us directly by email at [email protected] for information on placing your order or for questions on shipping to specific countries.
All International payments MUST be made by bank wire transfer.
On orders placed within the continental U.S.:
Payments made by PayPal require that the destination be a “verified” address on record.
Orders paid by credit card can be shipped only to the address on record for that account. If you would like your order shipped to an address other than the one on record with the issuing bank, we ask that you contact your credit card company by calling the phone number on the back of your credit card, and place an “alternate shipping address” on record, so that we can verify this information. By stating that you only want an “alternate shipping address” it will simply be a notation on your record and should not cause any change in your billing information. It is another fraud-prevention method that we use to be certain that we are dealing with the actual cardholder.
International orders require that payment be made by bank wire transfer.
If our shipment to you gets lost before you sign for it, you will receive a full refund. If it is damaged, the item is insured against damage.
For security reasons, all our packages require your signature to complete delivery. You will need to be home to sign for the package. The package will not be left at your door. A note will be left to inform you when they will come again to deliver your package. Alternatively, you can call the company (UPS or FedEx) to arrange a drop-off time.
If you pick up your item at our store, or if it is shipped within the state of Florida, we are required by law to charge you sales tax. We also charge appropriate individual state sales tax on orders we ship outside of Florida that we are required to collect from.
If you have an item you wish to sell, consign or trade, the fastest way to get a preliminary quote is to fill out our Online Watch Form or our Online Jewelry Form.
You can also email detailed high-resolution photos of your item(s) to: [email protected].
Be sure to include as detailed a description as possible, along with contact information. If your want to sell us a watch, we would need to know the make, model, year the watch was manufactured, whether you have the original box and papers, and any known defects. We will notify you regarding our interest and if applicable, with preliminary pricing.
The next step is to send you a pre-labeled shipping box for you to send your item(s) to us for precise evaluation and price quotation.
The benefit is more money for you. Because we pay you after we have already found a buyer for your piece you can receive even more money for your valuable than you might otherwise. Plus we agree on a price at the outset so there is no wondering how much you will receive in the end. We don’t work off of percentages or charge you any fees. The price we agree upon is the price you get.
Here’s the details:
- We insure every piece we take on consignment with Lloyds of London for up to $3.5 million, affording you the best protection available.
- We will not sell any piece that is not in mint condition, so at our cost we will repair/restore your piece before it goes on sale.
- Fastest conversion rate in the industry! Our success rate is beyond impressive: over 85% of merchandise is sold within 8-10 weeks.
- We aggressively market your item by professionally photographing it and placing it in our printed monthly color catalogs, mailed to half a million potential buyers a year. Your piece will also be marketed on our website, in our showroom and online auction sites.
- Cost to you for all the services above: $0. All costs associated with selling your item come out of our pocket. No photo fees, no insurance fees, no shipping fees, no repair fees, and no commission fees. It’s such a good program, other jewelry stores actually routinely consign items to us.
No. There are many variables that affect value. Gray & Sons must inspect each item first hand to formulate an offer. We are willing to offer general non-binding estimates on most items based on description and/or digital images.
Yes. We recommend that you ship your items through registered insured mail through the US Postal Service. You are able to insure individual packages up to $25,000. This is the same insured method that the jewelry industry uses to transport shipments from one destination to another.
Simple. Request one of our Easy Ship boxes and most of the work is already done for you. All you need to do is securely wrap your valuable so it is protected in the box, fill out the insurance amount and bring the box to the post office. If you prefer to send through UPS make sure your item is secure in the box and that it is fully insured. Note that FedEx does not insure jewelry and we do not recommend sending watches or jewelry by FedEx.
Yes! We are located across from Bal Harbour Shops just 10 minutes north of Miami Beach, Florida. Our physical address is 9595 Harding Avenue Surfside, FL 33154. We would love to have you visit our showroom from 10am to 5pm, Monday through Saturday. Our watch & jewelry buyers are usually on premises during these hours, but if you have something to sell it is a good idea to call beforehand to ensure that someone will be available to assist you.
In many cases we accept items in trade for watches & jewelry that we are selling in our showroom and at www.grayandsons.com. If you are interested in doing this make sure to include the item you are interested in purchasing in the “Descriptions & Comments” field of the Online Preliminary Quote Form.
Gray & Sons has been in business since 1980 and has been involved in buying & selling fine watches & jewelry from day one. We have grown to become one of the nation’s largest purveyors of fine watches and jewelry. We maintain a highly trained staff of watch specialists, gemologists, and master watch technicians; all of whom are supported by our outstanding office staff.
Typically most consignment items sell within 8-10 weeks, but how quickly your item sells depends on a number of factors including the time of year, the price of the item, the demand for your type of item, and the condition.
If after 90 days your item has not sold you may request to have the item returned to you. You may also leave the piece with us and we will continue to market it. If we feel that price is holding the piece back from being sold we may ask you to lower the price and in turn we will offer the item at a clearance price to try and get you your money.
Yes. All items are stored away safely in a vault & are insured against loss by Lloyds of London for the full consignment price – up to 3.5 million.
When we agree on a buy or consignment price for your valuables we then have to mark up the price to sell to the public. We set this price based on the general market, the demand for your type of item and what we believe we can sell the item for in a timely manner while still making a profit for our company. we work on a conservative profit margin to keep our competitive edge. If you need assurance of our highly competitive price offers, we recommend that you obtain other offers from local buyers prior to sending your items.
When we say “offers” we mean that the other parties should share what they will pay for your item(s) on an outright purchase basis. Not what they believe you should get for your items.