Buying just to flip

[Malren]

Let’s say you walk into a boutique and see there is a “hot” or semi “hot” piece available for purchase. However you currently aren’t looking for a new purchase for yourself or you don’t even like the piece, but the premium difference at going grey is obvious. Would you purchase it just to immediately flip? Or is that a big no no that will potentially harm the relationship with the boutique? (although not sure how fast or if at all they will figure it out and it might even strength the relationship as you did make a purchase at the end of the day).

What are your thoughts?

[Polar Bear]

You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain...

I'd leave it for someone who wants it

[illiguy]

Originally Posted by Polar Bear

You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain...

I'd leave it for someone who wants it

With power comes great responsibility.

[shaunylw]

If it’s a boutique i plan on working with, i wouldn’t buy it to flip.

[mnl]

i hate people who buy to flip, i firmly believe that you should only buy if you actually want to own it, otherwise you should leave it available for the next person who wants to own it can have the opportunity to buy.

so no, i would definitely not buy just to flip it.

[SoylentGreenChi]

Originally Posted by mnl

i hate people who buy to flip, i firmly believe that you should only buy if you actually want to own it, otherwise you should leave it available for the next person who wants to own it can have the opportunity to buy.

so no, i would definitely not buy just to flip it.

This, 100%.

[rolexest]

Originally Posted by mnl

i hate people who buy to flip, i firmly believe that you should only buy if you actually want to own it, otherwise you should leave it available for the next person who wants to own it can have the opportunity to buy.

so no, i would definitely not buy just to flip it.

So by your logic, don't buy a house for rental income. Leave it for someone who will purchase it to live in.

[Hpozzuoli]

Originally Posted by mnl

i hate people who buy to flip, i firmly believe that you should only buy if you actually want to own it, otherwise you should leave it available for the next person who wants to own it can have the opportunity to buy.

so no, i would definitely not buy just to flip it.

I agree. I can’t stand seeing people gobble up items from stores only to resell at crazy prices.

[m3jasper]

Originally Posted by Malren

Interesting!
Is that really the case? Would love to hear more opinions on this

Yes, once you're flagged, you're done. You'll never get another piece.

Originally Posted by cascavel

I would buy it and flip it in an instant. Whether or not the boutique would offer you another watch is questionable under any circumstances and, chances are, your SA and the boutique manager will have moved on to other jobs soon, so memories are short and black lists get scrubbed clean.

It doesn't work that way. The CRM doesn't forget, once you're flagged, you're done.

Originally Posted by rolexest

So by your logic, don't buy a house for rental income. Leave it for someone who will purchase it to live in.

If you only care about making money and have no desire to have a relationship with the brand, then flip it.

[mnl]

Originally Posted by nollie85

If you don't buy it someone else will buy it to flip. Leaving it for someone else there is 0 guarantee that person is also not a flipper and these days 99% of buyers are flippers.

This is the reality of the market currently.

while this is true i still believe in treat others how you wanna be treated, hopefully the person who ends up getting it after i decline to buy is someone who actually wants the watch, just as i’d hope if someone else is offered a watch i want and they don’t they’d say no so i have a chance to get it

Originally Posted by Hpozzuoli

I agree. I can’t stand seeing people gobble up items from stores only to resell at crazy prices.

exactly, i find it very annoying that you can’t buy things at the store but you can easily find lots of brand new ones sold by resellers at ridiculous markups.

Originally Posted by rolexest

So by your logic, don't buy a house for rental income. Leave it for someone who will purchase it to live in.

that’s different in my mind, rental income is something you’ll keep getting every month and you still own the house. flipping a watch will get you a couple grand (or more depending on what you’re selling) once.
plus i guess it’s just a different way of thinking about watches, i don’t really think of them as investments they’re just watches, altho i guess with the current market like it or not they kinda are investments…

[underpar31009]

Originally Posted by mnl

i hate people who buy to flip, i firmly believe that you should only buy if you actually want to own it, otherwise you should leave it available for the next person who wants to own it can have the opportunity to buy.

so no, i would definitely not buy just to flip it.

Well said. Never buy to flip.


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[cascavel]

Originally Posted by underpar31009

Well said. Never buy to flip.


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Okay, but what if you're standing at the counter of your ADs store examining said unicorn, call it a black dial 15500, which is priced at MSRP, and there's a guy leaning almost on top of you, crowding you, looking over your shoulder and he says "Hey, you gonna buy that watch or just look at it? Cause I can resell it ten minutes from now in my little shop on the corner and make a bundle. So make up your mind, I can't leave my second hand watch store locked up all day."
Would you buy it then, knowing that it wasn't going to go to some deserving soul who's only wish in life is to buy a nice $30,000 watch at retail but instead was going to this filthy reseller? Huh? What would you do then?

[underpar31009]

Originally Posted by cascavel

Okay, but what if you're standing at the counter of your ADs store examining said unicorn, call it a black dial 15500, which is priced at MSRP, and there's a guy leaning almost on top of you, crowding you, looking over your shoulder and he says "Hey, you gonna buy that watch or just look at it? Cause I can resell it ten minutes from now in my little shop on the corner and make a bundle. So make up your mind, I can't leave my second hand watch store locked up all day."
Would you buy it then, knowing that it wasn't going to go to some deserving soul who's only wish in life is to buy a nice $30,000 watch at retail but instead was going to this filthy reseller? Huh? What would you do then?

You bring up an interesting situation. I would buy it and enjoy it. I have always wanted a black dial 15500.


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[nollie85]

If you don't buy it someone else will buy it to flip. Leaving it for someone else there is 0 guarantee that person is also not a flipper and these days 99% of buyers are flippers.

This is the reality of the market currently.

[Malren]

Originally Posted by nollie85

If you don't buy it someone else will buy it to flip. Leaving it for someone else there is 0 guarantee that person is also not a flipper and these days 99% of buyers are flippers.

This is the reality of the market currently.

This is what led me to the question! Great point

[Goin2drt]

Originally Posted by nollie85

If you don't buy it someone else will buy it to flip. Leaving it for someone else there is 0 guarantee that person is also not a flipper and these days 99% of buyers are flippers.

This is the reality of the market currently.

This right here. Buy it, flip it on the down low and use that extra $$ to fund something you really want. All these self righteous folks that are saying don’t flip would all sell their current collection at “market value” in a heart beat. Watches aren’t charity. If you are lucky enough to just walk in and find a watch trading much higher, consider yourself just that, lucky.

Buy with no remorse.

PS if I ever get the call on the white face Daytona from my AD you can bet it will be for sale the next day. I wanted one but not as these current market prices. I will make the dough. However because of karma I will probably never get the call.

[VogelPhoenix]

Originally Posted by Goin2drt

All these self righteous folks that are saying don’t flip would all sell their current collection at “market value” in a heart beat.

That doesn't make any sense. Easy to see that many here are holding on to their collections regardless of market value.

Currently, the premise of a hot piece sitting in a boutique waiting for a random flipper is laughable.

[Goin2drt]

Originally Posted by VogelPhoenix

That doesn't make any sense. Easy to see that many here are holding on to their collections regardless of market value.

Currently, the premise of a hot piece sitting in a boutique waiting for a random flipper is laughable.

Makes plenty of sense. Many folks telling him to not buy and flip and pass along to the next person are also the same examples on here of those same (maybe not the specific ones that replied) that buy and after a few days are selling because the watch "didn't speak to them" and guess what they are selling at "market value" not the MSRP what they paid for it.

And your second point, agreed. Hot models aren't sitting waiting in the case. However if there were then the OP should absolutely buy it and flip it. Apparently just put it on your wrist and then take it off and sell because it didn't speak to you.

[VogelPhoenix]

Originally Posted by Goin2drt

Many folks telling him to not buy and flip and pass along to the next person are also the same examples on here of those same (maybe not the specific ones that replied) that buy and after a few days are selling because the watch "didn't speak to them" and guess what they are selling at "market value" not the MSRP what they paid for it.

So, who of Hpozzuoli, SoylentGreenChi, mnl, illiguy, m3jasper (or myself) are the "same examples" you are referring to?

[bmaier]

Originally Posted by Goin2drt

Makes plenty of sense. Many folks telling him to not buy and flip and pass along to the next person are also the same examples on here of those same (maybe not the specific ones that replied) that buy and after a few days are selling because the watch "didn't speak to them" and guess what they are selling at "market value" not the MSRP what they paid for it.

And your second point, agreed. Hot models aren't sitting waiting in the case. However if there were then the OP should absolutely buy it and flip it. Apparently just put it on your wrist and then take it off and sell because it didn't speak to you.

You are making so many assumptions and blanket statements about collectors its actually comical. This buyer profile you seem to have pulled out of nowhere sounds like a self report.

[Andad]

PayPal me $30 and I will give you an answer.

[arcadelt]

I would. I understand some would hate me for it, but that is the state of play and I can use the cash to pour into other watches I am interested in. After all, it just a commodity, like a car, a pen and a pot.

[ukbbc]

My wife and I walked away from a black ceramic and a some of the 2021 APROOs, waiting for the colour that I wanted.

Kicking ourselves for not taking the black ceramic…wouldn’t flip it so soon, but good to hold to see how far it would go.


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[kaiserphoenix]

With AP you will get banned the moment they find out you flipped it. The online registrations give it away.

[Malren]

Originally Posted by kaiserphoenix

With AP you will get banned the moment they find out you flipped it. The online registrations give it away.

Interesting!
Is that really the case? Would love to hear more opinions on this

[Mbbgysam]

Originally Posted by kaiserphoenix

With AP you will get banned the moment they find out you flipped it. The online registrations give it away.

You're right in that the online registrations give it away. My SA knew that I had sold one of my watches. Granted, it was a watch I'd purchased ~5 years prior from another SA, but he still acknowledged that he knew from their system records. I sort of interpreted the comment as a warning.

IMHO buying something off the shelf and flipping it isn't a big deal. It was there and the opportunity presented itself. I wouldn't personally go through the hassle, but to each their own.

Now what I can't stand are customers who plead with their SA to get an allocation claiming it's their "dream watch, ultimate holy grail" only to flip it for a profit. That's disingenuous and puts your SA -- who likely had to vet and vouch for you -- on the line.

[Willyjo]

Originally Posted by kaiserphoenix

With AP you will get banned the moment they find out you flipped it. The online registrations give it away.

This is absolutely correct if you buy from an AP boutique. You can flip from AD's.

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[m3jasper]

Originally Posted by Willyjo

This is absolutely correct if you buy from an AP boutique. You can flip from AD's.

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Most AD's in the USA have to use AP's CRM. Not sure if it's the same way in the ROW. They register the watch for you once you purchase it, so the moment the person you sell it to registers it, you're screwed.

Originally Posted by AperolSpritz

Well first thanks for saying that but yes and no.
True they told me they basically couldn't allocate me the steel and ceramic skeleton so for these two pieces I had to chose. But no trouble getting the rose gold one and the ceramic QP on top of one of the two others mentioned above. And frankly I now regret not taking the QP white ceramic but that is another question. At the time I thought it was too much an Ibiza/Mykonos only watch ;-)

And just to be clear, I didn't get the 15416CE yet, and many of you told me "a bird in the hand..."

But what my SA actually told me is that refusing all these pieces actually raised my profile with AP (as they saw am not a flipper and truly was going for what I liked/wanted).

After having said all this, I do realize the insanity of putting so much thoughts and efforts into analyzing how to get the "honor and opportunity" to spend a hundred thousand dollars on a watch !

That definitely makes a difference from what I've seen.

Originally Posted by westoque

It’s all personal. For me, I’ve been offered 15500OR, 41/38mm Chronos, multiple offshores and recently a Code 11 Perpetual Calendar but passed on the opportunities due to me wanting to maintain the relationship to be able to buy retail together with the experience. I’m just focusing on a watch that I really want, the jumbo, even though it’s discontinued, I’m still banking on the fact that maybe next year with a new release I’ll get the opportunity to buy. My AP grail however is the Perpetual Calendar Black Ceramic and will focus on that next when I get my jumbo.


For the flippers, I can see the logic of selling and making a quick buck but that’s not my thing, together with being banned and not getting the opportunity to buy from the boutique anymore. Not sure if everyone knows but having a relationship with the boutique has perks, you get to go to events, get some free stuff (bags, watch travel cases), get to AP tours in Switzerland, get bought dinners to name a few. I was waiting for a holiday gift but maybe I’m not VIP enough to on that list.


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Hate to break it to you, but the 26579CE has been discontinued. Hopefully they'll come out with a new version with a new dial, etc.

[westoque]

Originally Posted by m3jasper

Hate to break it to you, but the 26579CE has been discontinued. Hopefully they'll come out with a new version with a new dial, etc.

Oh. Didn't know that, but all good since I think there's always a new release and means a new grail. Point being having the relationship should pay off in any case.

[ShinyVenusaur]

Would you say no for an overpaid job? ;-)