Buying from Authorized Dealer vs TRF vs Ebay

[pathmeister]

Hi, new member here from Fort Worth, TX. I have keen interest in Rolexes, which was passed on from my late father who was also a Rolex enthusiast. I have not yet made my first purchase, but would like to ask the members of this forum the benefits of buying a Rolex from an A.D. vs anywhere else?

1) I have already visited my A.D. here in town, and they have been very friendly and helpful. It appears everything there is priced according to the suggested retail price, no discounts. Is that true for all A.D.s?

2) There are better prices here on TRF and on-line (Ebay and a few other jewelry stores with a bigger on-line presence). Some are a few years old, but some are advertised as "never worn" -- I presume these are practically new, with better prices, sounds very tempting. Are there any drawbacks to buying on-line?

DateJust, Submariner, and GMT are my favorites so far :)

[DanG]

Buy from a trusted member here. I would not buy from eBay.

ADs usually give from 0-10% discount.

[bondtoys]

Originally Posted by DanG

I would not buy from eBay.

Originally Posted by nickng

I would not suggest buying anything expensive from eBay.

Originally Posted by Z-Sub

I've never bought any watch from ebay but do proceed carefully.

Originally Posted by HYPOLUXXA

I've bought a Daytona and an Explorer 2 from eBay.

Originally Posted by nickng

I would not suggest buying anything expensive from eBay.

A common misunderstanding is, that you can buy stuff FROM ebay.

Usually the system is, that you buy ON ebay from a seller and if it goes out well or not - it totally depends on the SELLER

[HYPOLUXXA]

Originally Posted by bondtoys

A common misunderstanding is, that you can buy stuff FROM ebay.

Usually the system is, that you buy ON ebay from a seller and if it goes out well or not - it totally depends on the SELLER

YES, I stand corrected. On ebay from Great Sellers.

[SUBversive]

eBay? money

[blue lion]

I have purchased many things on Ebay without issue, including a Corvette and my Submariner. I also purchased a Rolex from a gold and pawn shop in my hometown. I'd be fine purchasing from an AD if I wanted a new watch. And I know many purchase from sellers here and speak well of that experience.
Shop the seller first, then the watch. There are good and bad sellers for every item out there. Ebay has Paypal protection and 2% back on your purchase up to I think a $100 rebate. And no taxes on an out of state purchase.

[busytimmy]

I will only ever purchase Rolex through a Trusted Seller right here, on TRF!

[Betelc]

Go for the ADs. You get to examine the watch and try it on physically. As for eBay, no way will I thread there.

[beshannon]

AD if it is your first, trusted seller after that, avoid Ebay at all costs

[Moraguy]

Originally Posted by beshannon

AD if it is your first, trusted seller after that, avoid Ebay at all costs

I followed this advice and I am glad I did. I bought a GMT from my local dealer and now have a good relatonship with them. I then bought an Explorer II from a trusted seller on TRF to save money. eBay, have not tried that for a watch or big purchase, but I have bought many things on eBay without issue and would buy a watch with lots of research.

[///armin]

It all depends on the seller, it really doesn't matter if it's Ebay or here. There are some sellers on Ebay with more than 25 watches for sale at a time, they have an actual store, some of the watches are going for over 100K. You look at their previous sale history and look for high priced watches. If there was a problem they wouldn't last that long selling. Now someone who has only had a short history on Ebay and all low priced items and all of sudden lists an expensive watch, then yes you are absolutely taking a huge risk. Same rules apply here, you need to research the sellers.

At the end of the day in order:

AD
TRF (top sellers)
Ebay (top sellers)

It all depends on the watch too, if you are only to save 4-5% I would stick to AD, the discount has to make sense to take a risk. Buying online has some chance or risk no matter how you look at it.

[Armyguy03]

Once you know what your looking for, still, buy the seller. I've purchased Rolex watches from a grey seller in Hawaii, an AD in Hawaii, a TRF trusted seller, from Bob's watches (twice), on ebay (twice) and never had an issue. If my go to guy on TRF (DavidSW) does not have what I want then I go to Bob's Watches. Ebay is 100% buyer protected, and I've had no issues purchasing from sellers on ebay after an extensive background check. I've also sold a Rolex Sub Date Ceramic via ebay. So, in all, trusted seller here as my first option, Bob's Watches as my second, ebay third (this will likely never happen again, because after my next purchase I'm done buying watches) and an AD....NEVER, EVER, EVER (waste of money IMHO).



BTW, latest watch was purchased 05JUL13 from Bobs Watches, a Sea Dweller. Excellent condition. I LOVE IT!

[ec51]

Originally Posted by Armyguy03

(this will likely never happen again, because after my next purchase I'm done buying watches)

Goooooooood luck with that!!

[Armyguy03]

Originally Posted by ec51

Goooooooood luck with that!!

Okay...for a while at least

[superdog]

Originally Posted by Armyguy03

Okay...for a while at least

Lol

[ec51]

Originally Posted by Armyguy03

Okay...for a while at least

rofl

[Bangel]

To me, in very general terms, when it comes to AD vs TRF seller vs eBay, it's:

Price vs Risk
New vs Used
Warranty vs Without
Trying it on vs Pictures
Immediate gratification vs Waiting for the delivery person
"AD experience" i.e. bottled water vs Getting your own drink

These factors are not individually exclusive to a type of seller of course. E.g. A TRF seller could offer a brand new watch with warranty, just like an AD.

For me, I like buying new and when I made my purchase I felt I didn't have enough knowledge to give me peace of mind in buying from anyone other than an AD. Now, I would be happy to use a trusted TRF seller, but I'm still not confident enough to use eBay.

[ec51]

I have used an AD and a TRF seller. After having recently dealt with David SW, I will only buy here on TRF in the future.

Send him a PM and ask about a model you're interested in. I'm sure you won't be disappointed. If you don't need a new piece, take a look at some preloved watches. I recently purchased a preloved midsize Datejust from DavidSW. It looked brand new.

Happy hunting!!

[Vipes]

I live in the DFW and if you want a recommendation for an AD here, drop me a PM and I'll give you the contact info.

[kilyung]

I've used ADs, eBay, trusted sellers, and fellow TRFers. ADs you need to have a good relationship in order to get a good deal. eBay, you need to know who you're working with. eBay gets a bad rep from the scammers on there but many trusted dealers sell there as well. When buying from fellow forum denizens, check references and past history. It can't be said enough... BUY THE SELLER.

[ec51]

Originally Posted by kilyung

I've used ADs, eBay, trusted sellers, and fellow TRFers. ADs you need to have a good relationship in order to get a good deal. eBay, you need to know who you're working with. eBay gets a bad rep from the scammers on there but many trusted dealers sell there as well. When buying from fellow forum denizens, check references and past history. It can't be said enough... BUY THE SELLER.

Spot on.

[superdog]

Originally Posted by kilyung

I've used ADs, eBay, trusted sellers, and fellow TRFers. ADs you need to have a good relationship in order to get a good deal. eBay, you need to know who you're working with. eBay gets a bad rep from the scammers on there but many trusted dealers sell there as well. When buying from fellow forum denizens, check references and past history. It can't be said enough... BUY THE SELLER.

Exactly this for me too. I've bought on eBay. I've never ever had an issue. I've sold on eBay too.

Now though, every deal I do is with DavidSW. Fair prices and the most exceptional service the human mind can possibly fathom.

[Andad]

Originally Posted by Armyguy03

Once you know what your looking for, still, buy the seller. I've purchased Rolex watches from a grey seller in Hawaii, an AD in Hawaii, a TRF trusted seller, from Bob's watches (twice), on ebay (twice) and never had an issue. If my go to guy on TRF (DavidSW) does not have what I want then I go to Bob's Watches. Ebay is 100% buyer protected, and I've had no issues purchasing from sellers on ebay after an extensive background check. I've also sold a Rolex Sub Date Ceramic via ebay. So, in all, trusted seller here as my first option, Bob's Watches as my second, ebay third (this will likely never happen again, because after my next purchase I'm done buying watches) and an AD....NEVER, EVER, EVER (waste of money IMHO).



x2 except for this part.

BTW, latest watch was purchased 05JUL13 from Bobs Watches, a Sea Dweller. Excellent condition. I LOVE IT!

Originally Posted by kilyung

I've used ADs, eBay, trusted sellers, and fellow TRFers. ADs you need to have a good relationship in order to get a good deal. eBay, you need to know who you're working with. eBay gets a bad rep from the scammers on there but many trusted dealers sell there as well. When buying from fellow forum denizens, check references and past history. It can't be said enough... BUY THE SELLER.

This says it all.

[Hairdude1]

Originally Posted by kilyung

I've used ADs, eBay, trusted sellers, and fellow TRFers. ADs you need to have a good relationship in order to get a good deal. eBay, you need to know who you're working with. eBay gets a bad rep from the scammers on there but many trusted dealers sell there as well. When buying from fellow forum denizens, check references and past history. It can't be said enough... BUY THE SELLER.

[powerfunk]

Originally Posted by kilyung

eBay gets a bad rep from the scammers on there but many trusted dealers sell there as well... BUY THE SELLER.

Originally Posted by bondtoys

A common misunderstanding is, that you can buy stuff FROM ebay...you buy ON ebay from a seller and if it goes out well or not - it totally depends on the SELLER

x2

I've bought 6 Rolexes on eBay so far. All turned out to be legit and in good working order. Just make sure you use common sense to vet your seller; avoid people with lots of "hidden" feedback, or people with lots of feedback from $1 items, or even people whose ebay accounts are less than like 3 years old. Also be sure to spot-check their feedback as a Buyer, then click several of those feedbacks to see if any of the sellers they bought FROM sell anything sketchy.

Trusted sellers are awesome too; I've gone that route once so far. If I saw the same piece for the same price from a trusted seller here, vs. a reasonably trusted ebay seller, I'd stick with TRF. As Ken mentioned, eBay is not where I would go for an expensive all-original vintage piece. But if a good eBay seller has a good watch that you want, why not?

AD's are just...not for me. If the substantial premium (plus tax!) is not a huge consideration for you, then sure. I just can't bring myself to pay that much of a premium to buy from a salesperson who, generally, knows about 1/10th as much about the watch as a TRF seller. Good luck!

[Rolex addict]

Originally Posted by kilyung

I've used ADs, eBay, trusted sellers, and fellow TRFers. ADs you need to have a good relationship in order to get a good deal. eBay, you need to know who you're working with. eBay gets a bad rep from the scammers on there but many trusted dealers sell there as well. When buying from fellow forum denizens, check references and past history. It can't be said enough... BUY THE SELLER.

I've done the same. I always give my AD first chance because I prefer to support local businesses with brick and mortar stores. Discounts are pretty good after purchasing four from them, but I will go somewhere else if prices are out of line. DavidSW and Oscar (Bodybump) are my next go to guys.

[theprocess]

Originally Posted by Rolex addict

... I always give my AD first chance because I prefer to support local businesses with brick and mortar stores...

Same here - support local. Plus dropping in to a fully stocked AD, something you never thougt of owning might catch your eye.

[Billywiz]

ive bought from all three. Ebay cn be a superb experiance. There is a lot of nonsence talked about this multi billion dollar total retail success story. Do you honestly think that a company whoes only outlet is their intersite site would allow people to be dishonestly disposed of money ....of course not they would have gone out of business years ago.If you follow the E.Bay rules and not try to go outside the rules you are 100% covered against any fake or forgery. Simply read their buyer protection policy and you will be confident.

I would suggest...have a look everywhere and choose what you want. Research the history of the buyer through references and feedback and go for it.
BUY THE SELLER FIRST. Good hunting and have fun.

[Z-Sub]

It depends on what are you looking for.

If it is a common and current piece, you can buy from AD or TRF. older pieces doubt AD still has them.

As for ebay, I don't use it often. I've never bought any watch from ebay but do proceed carefully.

[chicfarmer1]

Originally Posted by Billywiz

iDo you honestly think that a company whoes only outlet is their intersite site would allow people to be dishonestly disposed of money ....of course not they would have gone out of business years ago.If you follow the E.Bay rules and not try to go outside the rules you are 100% covered against any fake or forgery. Simply read their buyer protection policy and you will be confident.

This is wildly inaccurate and doesn't account for all the fraud and scamming that does take place, against both sellers and buyers. There are the chargebacks that sellers are subjected to, which are outside eBay's control because buyers can make claims directly with their CC company. Nor the bias at Paypal against sellers in disputes, which can result in funds being frozen or removed from a seller's account. Nor the fraud that happens when the seller disappears with $$ and is really hard to track down, or all other manner of scamming. The cautions about eBay are deserved.

I would buy at an AD or trusted seller only, unless you have a great deal of experience with eBay and with the watches you're considering. As always, know your seller.