New from AD or Used/New From Forum Seller?? Thoughts

[Maiden]

I think it really depends where you live. Here in Canada it appears we have(for now) a great pricing advantage on new pieces in CAN$ On the flip side if we want to buy from the USA we get killed. Right now I can buy brand new from an AD for less in many cases than Bob's Watches or David SW sells for. I purchased my new 114060 from my AD for $7600 CAN$ taxes in. That's roughly 6k US$ Bob's watches has a 2011 model for $6895 US$ which is about $8500 CAN and that doesn't include the tax and duty I would have to pay! So for us in Canada our only hope is to find a trusted seller here, although the market is small. On the flip side, any of you guys in the US should look north, with your dollar the deals are fantastic, if I had a reasonable drive to the border I would seriously consider the trip.

[danyvw]

Thats a pretty good deal but for me that I live in S Florida is impossible (I'm too far). Here we have only one AD (chain store) and it sells the 114060 not even one cent less than the MSRP $7500 plus 7% taxes is $8050 which is $1155 more than Bob's price and a couple of thousands more that waht you paid in Canada. That for me is a no brainer expense.

[JadeRaven]

Originally Posted by Clay

To say that you will "always" get a better deal from a "private seller" vs and AD is simply incorrect...

And to say that people who purchase from an AD are, in some way wrong or stupid, is also incorrect, not to mention very impolite...

After doing this for some 30 plus years, I can say that a "Good Deal" (Should that be what you are after) can be had anywhere...

It depends on when you are buying, the watch you are looking for, and the seller you are dealing with.

Each purchase must be taken on it's own merits...

I recently purchased a 116600...

And before purchasing I shopped around...The FOR SALES section on various forums, ebay, etc, etc, etc...

I ended up buying the watch, BNIB, from my local AD...

Why...Because I received a better deal there, then anywhere else...

Originally Posted by chris975d

Excellent post. I do get bothered by the posters who make blanket statements like "always buy from TRF trusted sellers for the best price". That may be the case a lot of times, but it's not always. Bottom line is, as you said, shop around each purchase.

+1 agreed, excellent post.

After all, to suggest that a trusted seller will always have a better price than a dealer, when in fact the trusted seller is a middle man for an authorized dealer, is ludicrous.

I have noticed a large trend of many members on TRF bemoaning & besmirching those who choose to purchase from an AD in blanket form, as if they have some chip on their shoulder or otherwise something to prove.

The price advantage of a trusted seller is specific to an individual authorized dealer or group of dealers, and is thus anecdotal and not indicative of all or even a majority of ADs. If the trusted sellers were in fact some sort of wholesalers bypassing the rolex-dealer construct, then this position would bear more credence, but since at best a trusted seller can only offer the lowest price that a dealer can, taking this position as universal is absurd.

[Corsican]

New to this blog. Is there a list of trusted sellers on this site? Looking for a new Rolex GMT Master II Batman Steel Oyster 116710BLNR.

[sickened1]

Originally Posted by Corsican

New to this blog. Is there a list of trusted sellers on this site? Looking for a new Rolex GMT Master II Batman Steel Oyster 116710BLNR.

Since you're in SD I would recommend contacting justrolexes (Tony). He's also in SD and you can meet face to face with him to inspect the watch, etc. Good luck and welcome to TRF.

[ericg]

I've bought 3 watches from DavidSW and it's easy and prices are way better than the local ADs

[vkl]

I've bought from both. Really just depends how bad or fast I want the watch.

[Buschy]

How does an Ad possibly give you a price the same or better then a trusted trf seller?
I thought they had to sell them for a certain price due to Rolex rules?
Are you saying that an Ad makes 20% plus and has the ability to discount thier watches as such if they choose?

[LondonL]

Do we have trusted sellers in the UK?

Would be happy to go down this route but never see any advertised over here.

[Gaijin]

DavidSW is my AD.

[chris975d]

Originally Posted by Buschy

How does an Ad possibly give you a price the same or better then a trusted trf seller?

I thought they had to sell them for a certain price due to Rolex rules?

Are you saying that an Ad makes 20% plus and has the ability to discount thier watches as such if they choose?

If you have a really good relationship with that AD, they do have a little flexibility in pricing. They just can't discount every watch sold. My AD happens to be a very close friend of mine, so at the prices i get through him, I'd be losing money going through a trusted seller here. I've even had one of the more popular trusted sellers here tell me that he himself couldn't buy, much less sell for the price I was getting on a watch we were discussing. That being said, I do work with my AD. I run a business too, and I don't go asking him to give me a deal on a newly released piece, or one he has a months or years long waiting list for (like the new rose gold YM). I respect him and more importantly his need to make profit and run a successful business. If I want one of those in demand pieces, I'll just ask that he consider me on the next one that isn't already spoken for.

Of course, as close as my AD and I are, even if he didn't give me quite the discount I typically get, I'd still buy from him to support a good friend.

[Justinmg]

I'm new to the forum and have learned a lot just from reading on here. I was set on buying my first Rolex from an AD "for the experience" so I thought, the more I visited the AD the more I felt like I knew more about watches then the people behind the counter and I know very little. Just my experience, i will defiantly be buying my first Rolex from a trusted seller here.

[REFZ]

Saving money buying at trusted sellers or a discount at an AD is always nice.
But if you can afford owning 29 Rolex and Tudor watches you tied up quite an amount of money in your collection.

If you compare your savings with the total amount of money spend on your collection what is the average percentage of "discount"?

[MoreCowdog]

I won't say a TRF seller is better for everyone, but it has been better for me personally. We all have different expectations of the purchase experience. The savings buying through a TRF seller have been phenomenal on the two watches I've purchased this way. One watch (new) was 23% off of the retail cost, and the other (although pre-owned and in nearly new condition) was 48% off of the new retail cost.

For me, that was a total savings of nearly $4,600 over what I might have otherwise spent. That money is worth a great deal in terms of what else I can now use it for - that's a vacation, or another watch I can now purchase with those funds.

Different strokes, I guess - ideally the $4,600 wouldn't matter to me - but in my current (and foreseeable) reality, it does. I am willing to accept the tradeoff of what I don't get in purchasing from an AD to keep the money to use for other things.

[ericg]

Originally Posted by srvrf

Shipping to avoid paying state taxes is something that occurs with ADs as well as TSs. Many ADs mention this to me as a benefit of buying out-of-state. There are many tax-reduction and tax-avoidance behaviors that we all engage in, so by saying those who utilize this aren't "noble" could be interpreted as having some of the exact elitism you're against.

I used to think it was all elitism when I saw all of the photos of the RMs/Rolexes/APs in front of the expensive car steering wheels or the "incoming" thread that mentioned the debate between two $30,000 watches. "They're just a bunch of show-offs" was my first reaction. But over time and by reading many posts, you know the people better and you can tell that it isn't showing off in a childish way. This is not a "Look what I've got Ha! Ha! Ha!" situation, it is excitement over getting something very nice. I've met and talked over the phone with a couple of people who have watch collections that make mine look like Timexes. But they have been the most down to Earth, nicest people I've met. WISs are a minority of the population. It is natural to talk to people about something you love and something that interests you. Watches get me excited and I could talk about them for hours. But conversations with my wife or any of my local friends just give me responses like "that's nice" or "you paid how much for that?" In the end, this whole forum is about sharing pictures and conversation about something we love (fine watches) with others who have a similar level of interest in watches.

But the bottom line is that if there were one clear-cut way to buy watches that worked for everyone, there'd only be that one way. Gray market and trusted sellers exist because they fulfill a need not met my ADs (or they wouldn't exist). The most staunch defenders of both ADs and TSs would have to agree that there are pros and cons of each source. How much someone weighs each factor determines the route they take. Really, we should be glad that there are choices (new, used, AD, gray, TS, member-to-member) because it brings more of us into this great hobby.

So to summarize for those who will later find this thread and skip the middle:

AD Benefits:
1. Genuine product with complete documentation including warranty card in your name
2. Repairs/adjustments often done for free on a walk-in basis
3. Will likely lead to greater discounts down the road from that AD
4. May lead to "preferred status" where they call you to let you know a watch you may like is in before it hits the shelves
5. You will try on the exact watch and if you like it can leave with it on your wrist

TS Benefits:
1. Lower cost
2. No state sales tax if out of state
3. Not limited to selection at local AD
4. May lead to greater discounts down the road from that TS
5. May lead to "preferred status" where the TS will call to let you know a watch you may like is in before it hits the web.
6. Watch can be bought from the comfort of your desk without travel, and then be delivered to your home/work, often overnight.

Great post !!

[Submariner2015]

Originally Posted by drakulie

There is a simple argument to be made that if you want to be smart and equate intelligence to the $1000 savings you got from a Trusted seller, then save the other $8000 or so you spent on a Rolex and buy a Swatch. And there is nothing noble about not paying taxes, so save the " I saved $500 not paying the taxes".

Nothing wrong with a Swatch...mine still runs pretty well

[ems12]

I think your first Rolex should be from a AD. Its just a nice experience.

If you have never owned a Rolex in your life then why take a chance of it being a fake or having an "issue" with it or the seller.

I would want my first purchase to set the experience for Rolex ownership.

After you buy your first then you can wade into the trusted sellers E bay world.

Just my 2 cents

[casadecamporolex]

My AD reads this forum.
He knows the prices that TRF guys use for new and used.
As he loves to say, "I don't own a museum."
Anyone in business today has to be aware of market conditions and must be competitive.
I get TRF prices. Guaranteed.
Plus, I love my watches fresh....still in the coffin before anyone touches. They special order everything for me.
No one can beat that.

[Submariner2015]

Originally Posted by casadecamporolex

My AD reads this forum.

I get TRF prices. Guaranteed.

TRF prices sets the bar then