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

[Jason71]

I did a bit of thinking this morning, and did some rough estimating......These were my thoughts after my contemplation.

I have 29 Rolex and Tudor watches in my possession, most of which were bought from individuals here on the forums. Of the pre-owned watches bought from forum individuals, I have had to send ONE in for service for mechanical issues within the first year of my ownership. Let's say for a second that I saved $500 on each pre-owned or NIB watch that I've purchased off the forum sellers. (I can assure you it is much higher than this, but let's use this figure for the sake of simplicity). I believe that I have purchased 4 Brand-new from ADs (DSSD, BLNR, Pelagos, and Black Bay), so that leaves me with 25 coming from the forums. With one going back for service within 6 months, that's a savings of $12,000.......I have low-balled this figure, and it is actually quite higher than this since I saved slightly more than $10,000 (new MSRP) off the WG Daytona that was my most recent purchase.

Am I missing something here?? I just can't see why someone would throw money away at an AD or a brick and mortar Rolex reseller if they planned to have any sort of a collection with more than 1 or 2 watches. I get the "whole experience of buying from an AD" since I bought my BLNR and Pelagos last year at the same time at an AD.........but honestly....It didn't give me such a warm fuzzy feeling that I didn't want to save money instead.

I only bought from ADs the four watches because I am into instant gratification, and I HAD TO HAVE these 4 watches as soon as possible after release. They were still commanding a premium on the forum when I bought them from the ADs, and I got them from the ADs for below the current forum price at the time.

Thoughts?? (thanks for listening to my ramblings)

[Thatguy]

I believe this is a unique place to buy. Most buyers have no idea where to go where they can trust the seller other than an AD. Most B&M resellers that I have been to are priced higher than on here which narrows the new vs used spread so I believe they just buy from an AD.

[mannyv11]

I agree with you completely and have purchased and moved a few watches back and forth to a few of the forum sellers.
only reason why I go to my AD is because over the years i have forged a solid relationship with him and get pricing that is slightly better than on the forum from the sellers. With that being said I generally lean towards the person that has the watch and gives me the best deal on it =).

[Beef]

My experience and thoughts mirror yours, Jason. This is the only place that I buy now.

[Old Expat Beast]

Depends where you live. Greymarket/reseller prices in HK tend to be quite a bit lower than those offered by trusted sellers here for NIB. I bought one piece on TRF, and about a dozen or so locally. And in Italy last December I got an AD price that was lower than what I'm seeing on TRF for a 2014 model.

[Urosfan]

I whole heartly agree with you ,
like mannyv11
My AD gives me prices that were little better than here otherwise i would buy from here without a doubt

[Danex]

Much love for TRF sellers here. So many LNIB deals. Buying full retail from the AD loses at least $1000, right out the door and another $500 removing the stickers*.

*Your results may vary

[SC11]

My one and only AD purchase was my very first Rolex and it was a 116610LN it came from an AD a forum member worked at and I manged a small discount and it was the second one they had in the shop since its release from Basel so a fresh model which I know at the time any discount was good!

I sold it last year at a little more then I paid but this was mainly due to quite a few pricing adjustments via Rolex over this period so I would say I got lucky there.

All since then have came from a reseller all BNIB with my name on the card and I have as a rule got between 15-20% off UK rrp (all SS models) as you can see from my sig I flipped a few and all within 6 months or so and all have been within sniffing distance of what I paid so can't complain.

So with my current two I'm only £1800 ish up over if purchased via an AD but I've flipped pretty much for free.

[drakulie]

Unless I'm buying a used piece, I try and buy from AD. Way too many benefits and piece of mind in comparison to the savings buying from trusted sellers.

It really boils down to what value you place on certain things.

[dchernikoff]

I got my one and only from a trusted seller on here. If/when I buy my second, it will be from TRF as well. To me personally I get a lot of satisfaction knowing that I got a good deal. It pleases me more than any AD experience would I believe. Not knocking those of you that prefer AD's. I'm just a bargan hunter by nature -- I love searching and searching and finally finding "the best deal", be it a car, audio equipment, a good meal, or a Rolex. To each their own...

I'll also point out that I trust the reliability and quality of a Rolex. Some items I would never get used, just because I want the manufacturers warranty and a place to go to complain if/when things go wrong. I figured (correctly, so far) that wouldn't be an issue with a Rolex.

-Dan

[Tan]

In Canada, there is little incentive to purchase from a TRF trusted seller that is not based in the country. There are only a handful of Canadian trusted sellers here and of those you might not get the selection that you are seeking. The foreign exchange rate and duties really makes purchasing locally from an AD the better option.

[ajg1960]

I can get exactly what I need, new or used, from a trusted seller here and save significant $$. Then I can buy my own champagne to simulate the AD experience..

I think the issue is that the vast majority of people dont have a place they can trust to get a Rolex or other high end watch without going to an authorized dealer. Everyone hears stories of fakes and doesnt want to take a chance. Personally, I'm very happy to know that I can rely on our little family of trusted sellers.

[Jason71]

Originally Posted by drakulie

Unless I'm buying a used piece, I try and buy from AD. Way too many benefits and piece of mind in comparison to the savings buying from trusted sellers.

It really boils down to what value you place on certain things.

What are those benefits? I am not trying to be inflammatory, and am sincerely asking.....the 'peace of mind' doesn't work for me. I don't mind sending DavidSW a personal check for $20,000+ and have him cash it to secure my spot for a watch he doesn't have in-stock (which I've done before)........so DSW is plenty of 'peace of mind' for me.

[AK797]

Originally Posted by ajg1960

I can get exactly what I need, new or used, from a trusted seller here and save significant $$. Then I can buy my own champagne to simulate the AD experience..

I bought my Rolex from a trusted seller and then went to my ADs to try on another watch and had my AD and his assistants practically roll up my sleeve to get a better look at the one I bought, which they didn't have in stock, so I got a lot of smiles and compliments and a free bracelet resizing. So got the best of both worlds there but I've never seen/offered any drinks there while over at Omega they always offer OJ, tea, coffee, even biscuits.

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by Old Expat Beast

Depends where you live. Greymarket/reseller prices in HK tend to be quite a bit lower than those offered by trusted sellers here for NIB. I bought one piece on TRF, and about a dozen or so locally. And in Italy last December I got an AD price that was lower than what I'm seeing on TRF for a 2014 model.

I agree with this. I've bought 3 bnib from AD and 1 Vintage piece from a trusted seller here. The vintage was something rarer to find so I simply paid up As for bnib, I've found ADs in Canada to be very price competitive.

[phils]

I can say I received a benefit from buying from an AD.
My Pelagos was/is keeping very poor time and is being returned to RSC for the third time since August 2014.
This was/is bring handled by my AD.
Otherwise it would be all my work.
Having a relationship can help in discounts and trades too.

[DJ TT 2002]

3 from ADs and 1 from Grey Market, in terms of my Rolex purchases. I'm certain that my excessive caution was a factor in the AD purchases.
At the time of my first purchase, I was a little burned by the non-TRF Grey dealer who said it was LNIB ,but the watch had a Non Rolex replacement crystal discovered when I brought it to RSC NYC for service. No real harm done, but it left a bad taste in my mouth!
That said, I am buying every other watch, for the rest of my life, from TRF

[jnelson3097]

3 purchases from my AD, 2 of them new and one used. I've dealt with them for years and paid the same, if not less, than I would have if I had bought from a seller on here.

[Kokoshawnuff]

Only way I can understand buying from an AD is if you have been a long term customer that gets the same discount one would from the trusted sellers here, or you have so much money you don't care about the $1000-$12000.

I will never get to the Point where a US AD would be willing to give me a better price than here, so every purchase will either be made through a seller here, if I can get a good price at grey-market in Asia, or through a suffering AD in Europe.

[watchwatcher]

Couldn't agree more, Jason.

[Tudor66]

Jason is my personal hero- 29 watches, and if I recall he has a few nice vintage pieces...

I now have something to strive for...!

Cheers,

[hbombkid]

I have 2 nice watches one from an AD and one from a former AD. Non AD was 30% discount. I bought that first and said I would never go to an AD cause of cost. Well only reason I bought second one from an AD was this. 3 of my very close friends are all into watches. We used to buy Christmas gifts for each other but then decided to do a "watch lottery instead". You need to commit for 4 years. Each year you put in 1k and we pick a name. Now not a true lottery only can win once but you have to buy a watch. You can add additional money that's what I did for my DJ II. Well we usually get together couple times a year and one of those times we buy a watch. Easier to usually put it on a card and we have a good time looking at watches and having someone picking it out. I definitely could have saved 2k but was not worth the hassle this time. Next time I buy one myself though will be non ad

[Mfrankel2]

Total agreement with you. Bought a couple so far from DavidSW and couldn't have been happier. Available sooner than at AD, better pricing and there's something very enjoyable about watching that fedex line move from left to right!

[sickened1]

I bought 3 Rolexes from various trusted sellers here (drster, Takuya & Evanisrushin), took all of them to RSC and they told me that these watches are in excellent condition with all original parts (we all know that they don't like aftermarket parts lol). Save a ton of money (well, for me anyway), got great watches and couldn't be happier. I go to AD only to windows shop and try on stuff (if they'll let me) and come back and buy from trusted sellers here.

[Jason71]

Originally Posted by Tudor66

Jason is my personal hero- 29 watches, and if I recall he has a few nice vintage pieces...

I now have something to strive for...!

Cheers,

Thank you my friend

I am very fortunate. I went through a period of time where I had a decent amount of disposable income and I went NUTS. Prices have gone up, and with a new baby......unfortunately purchases have gone down. I am shooting for ~ 2 / year now. With the purchase of the WG Daytona recently......I may not get anything this year.

[sgmgolf]

I purchase all my watches used/new from TRF sellers. I like dealing with the guys on this forum and have had nothing but perfect experiences and phenomenal customer service and follow through.

[seand442]

I am looking to buy a 116610 at some point in the future. The AD I went to offered no discount and no interest for 15 months if I bought it on credit. $8550+8% sales tax = $9200+. The same watch from a trusted seller ranges from the mid to high $6K to lower $7K range. $2K is worth using a trusted seller in my humble opinion.

[Touring]

Originally Posted by Jason71

I just can't see why someone would throw money away at an AD or a brick and mortar Rolex reseller

See below.

Originally Posted by Old Expat Beast

And in Italy last December I got an AD price that was lower than what I'm seeing on TRF for a 2014 model.

I routinely get better pricing from my ADs than what's listed here, and that includes models that were/are commanding premiums on TRF such as Daytonas, BLNRs...etc.

[drakulie]

Originally Posted by Jason71

What are those benefits? I am not trying to be inflammatory, and am sincerely asking.....the 'peace of mind' doesn't work for me. I don't mind sending DavidSW a personal check for $20,000+ and have him cash it to secure my spot for a watch he doesn't have in-stock (which I've done before)........so DSW is plenty of 'peace of mind' for me.

I advocate supporting local business'. If everyone around me purcahsed everything form the internet or grey dealers, I'd be living in a ghost town and so would you. Plain and simple.

Buying from my AD results in the AD being able to keep thier doors open. I then am able to go in and see first hand the product I'm going to purchase, get the band sized or changed. I get free cleaning of all my wifes and my jewerly. If anything goes wrong, they could fix the issue or have it taken care of for me. I could exchange the Rolex with no questions asked if I'm not happy with the watch (which has already happened to me). I get two extra years of full warranty on the watch, etc, etc, etc.

It amazes me that so many posts and threads have detailed accounts of people who give their business to grey dealers and then are totally offended that their local AD won't help them with whatever issue they are having with their purchase.

But like I said, depends what you put your value in. For me, saving $500 isn't going to stop me from purchasing a high-end watch such as a Rolex if that is what I really want. I'd just rather purchase it from my local AD.

[Jason71]

Originally Posted by Touring

See below.



I routinely get better pricing from my ADs than what's listed here, and that includes models that were/are commanding premiums on TRF such as Daytonas, BLNRs...etc.

I get what you are saying. That's the reason I bought my BLNR from an AD. It was less than a year after the introduction at Basel, and I got it from an AD in Grand Cayman. I paid $8,050 out the door. However, I typically don't buy the super popular models, and I get a MUCH BETTER deal than I could get from an AD. With the 4 that I have bought from ADs.....I just HAD TO HAVE THEM shortly after their Basel release and I paid close to (within $500) of MSRP.