Joined
·
4,944 Posts
Yesterday I came across a great offer for an Oris Big Crown Pointer Date from a site called startoftime.com. I'd never heard of them but was able to quickly find out that this site and authenticwatches.com were the same company. Knowing that Authentic Watches was a very established gray market dealer I went ahead with what was a totally unplanned purchase. I was impressed to find that as soon as my order had been placed the watch - which was billed as being the last one left - was listed as sold out.
Today, just under 24 hours after I bought this watch, came the call I was expecting. A rep from Authentic Watches called to say that the watch I purchased was sold out just before I completed the deal and…blah…blah…blah.
Actually I didn't wait for the blah, blah, blah part. I told the lady I didn't believe her as the same exact model (65475434061MB) was now available for $245 more than what I paid (Better hurry though because it too is the last one in stock!). I'm pretty sure that the Oris forum's sponsor could come very close to matching this new price without the uncertainty and hassle.
I think one of the first things people who are new to watches should understand is that authorized dealers can sometimes (maybe often times) come pretty close to matching the seemingly great deals gray market dealers advertise. I bet a lot of people travel down the same path I did which is to purchase from the gray market (first for price, then for convenience), but find out later that substantial discounts, better warranties, and more certainty regarding the history of the product can be found at authorized dealers. I think the fact that more people aren't aware of this is the fault of the watch industry, not the buyers or gray market dealers. I bet authorized dealers lose millions due to this lack of knowledge caused by the industry's not-quite-mattress-store pricing and sales policies.
Today, just under 24 hours after I bought this watch, came the call I was expecting. A rep from Authentic Watches called to say that the watch I purchased was sold out just before I completed the deal and…blah…blah…blah.
Actually I didn't wait for the blah, blah, blah part. I told the lady I didn't believe her as the same exact model (65475434061MB) was now available for $245 more than what I paid (Better hurry though because it too is the last one in stock!). I'm pretty sure that the Oris forum's sponsor could come very close to matching this new price without the uncertainty and hassle.
I think one of the first things people who are new to watches should understand is that authorized dealers can sometimes (maybe often times) come pretty close to matching the seemingly great deals gray market dealers advertise. I bet a lot of people travel down the same path I did which is to purchase from the gray market (first for price, then for convenience), but find out later that substantial discounts, better warranties, and more certainty regarding the history of the product can be found at authorized dealers. I think the fact that more people aren't aware of this is the fault of the watch industry, not the buyers or gray market dealers. I bet authorized dealers lose millions due to this lack of knowledge caused by the industry's not-quite-mattress-store pricing and sales policies.
