Downsides and Risks of Buying from a "Trusted Seller"

[jeffahn]

PM if you'd like, there was an AD that I stopped in last weekend that had the D-Blue in the case.

[cab56]

Half-related point. The AD staff may misunderstand/misrepresent/lie about warranty and service issues. The owner and the senior staff at my AD are good but some of the junior staff use scare tactics: grey market watches are often fake, warranty only applies to a new watch from the AD, the RSC confiscates watches with counterfeit parts. The newly hired saleperson who had warned me that my wife's newly purchased vintage watch (from a TRF trusted seller) would be confiscated if it was not completely Rolex was chagrined when my wife's watch was not confiscated by the Canadian RSC in Toronto. The RSC supplied a quote to restore the watch to original condition and return the aftermarket bezel (counterfeit bezel in Rolex RSC terminology). I had the AD resend the watch to a vintage specialist in Toronto who had previously serviced my father's 50s submariner.

So don't accept uncritically what the AD staff says. Double check.

[watchwatcher]

No downsides or risks for buying from the TRF trusteds...well, I guess the real downside is they make it so easy to buy or flip, I probably have done both a little too much in the past.

OK, OK...a lot too much.

[Robbmill]

I have bought from Davidsw 5 times now, with absolutely no problems. The first time I was a bit nervous, but later realized there was nothing to be weary of. He is amazing to deal with, watches came with full warranty (minus the two months between when he acquired to when I bought) and my name was on the paperwork. Not to mention, his prices are fair and the watch is in your hands before 11am the next day.

[Bigblu10]

Originally Posted by RaymondAZ

Thanks for the the advice. Greatly appreciated.

Besides asking for opinions here which is fine, reach out to the seller you want to purchase from and ask 1000 questions. If it is one of the bigger well established ones from here you will be fine. They stand behind their sales and many have replaced a watch when there was an issue. The warranty card always follows the watch, not the owner. The card can say Donald Duck as the buyer and it is still valid as long as it has AD stamp and it was properly filled out and swiped.

[AK797]

More than half this forum uses the TS so if there were any major problems this just would not be happening and they wouldn't be in business here. Customer is King on a public forum like this, sellers dance to our tune, completely unlike an AD.

[brandrea]

As others have said "warranty follows the watch" now go and get one, it's an awesome piece

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[FTX I]

Originally Posted by kauffee

Well when I break I go to the doctor and I have insurance for that.
A warranty on the watch should be good enough.

And by the way, some trusted sellers here will put your name on the warranty card for new watches.

[SFBAY]

For those living in the US, have you had Rolex warranty card issues for watches purchased overseas vs in the US or Canada?

[2Redbulls]

Originally Posted by SFBAY

For those living in the US, have you had Rolex warranty card issues for watches purchased overseas vs in the US or Canada?

I've purchased a couple of watches over the years in other countries and brought them back to the US. Never had an issue with servicing in the US. Can't speak to warranty because I never had to use it.

[logan5tx]

The warranty follows the watch as others have stated. Having said that, I have had five Rolexes and have never needed the warranty anyway. It's nice to have but I don't worry about it. It's a Rolex after all and the quality makes the likelihood of needing a repair inside that window very slim. Worst case down the road you pay a few hundred for a service or repair. If you save enough on the watch it's a calculated risk and one I've taken several times without regret.

[benvh]

I bought my first new Rolex from ocrolexguy. Came with stickers on and my name on the warranty card. Exactly what I wanted. Great transaction and I would do it again in a second.

Ben

[Redbox]

I have bought from DavidSW a lot of times over years and he is great to work with. Actually a watch came yesterday. You can't go wrong with him.

[Tools]

Originally Posted by RaymondAZ

Thanks for the the advice. Greatly appreciated.

You need to know what you are buying, not just who.

A true Grey Market watch, imported outside normal distribution channels, will not have a valid warranty, just like any other Grey Market product sold in the country.

A re-seller may sell watches that have come legitimately through an AD and these will have the original warranty in place.

There is a difference.

[holdtime]

Originally Posted by ronricks

Only downside is with the prices some of the trusted sellers are now asking you can get the same watch cheaper from an AD. Trusted Sellers are on the way to pricing themselves out of the market which was the only reason to go with them in the first place.

Agree.100%

[NKflyer]

Originally Posted by Tools

You need to know what you are buying, not just who.

A true Grey Market watch, imported outside normal distribution channels, will not have a valid warranty, just like any other Grey Market product sold in the country.

A re-seller may sell watches that have come legitimately through an AD and these will have the original warranty in place.

There is a difference.

This has certainly been discussed before, but I still fail to see a scenario where a watch is sourced from anywhere besides an AD? Unless you are a hollywood celebrity or sports star who deals directly with Rolex or was gifted the watch at an event, the only place to source one is from an authorized dealer. And we know that the AD must swipe the warranty card, activating the warranty, in order to account for the sale of that watch with Rolex and get restocked. The warranty card may be withheld by a reseller later on (like Jomashop) but that it up to the reseller. The initial sourcing was still normal.

I remember growing up in Miami back in the 1980's, we had "Grey Market" new Mercedes and BMW's that were imported from Europe to take advantage of the lower pricing available there. The cars sometime had different engine options than were available domestically, incorrect emissions controls, the wrong bumpers or headlights which wouldn't pass US standards, etc. so these cars were denied warranty work or sometime refused to repair at a dealer, even for pay. That is my definition of grey market. But a Submariner is the same sold anywhere in the world except for maybe the language of the papers lol!

[Tools]

Watches, clocks, cameras, toasters, car parts, and so on, frequently come in as Grey Market products and no Vendor will provide you a valid warranty for these Grey Market products.

Grey Market Rolex are seen all the time from Cosco, Jomashop, Allan Furman, and many other legitimate businesses with an import license; they let you know up-front that they are without factory warranty.

If you are buying a Rolex and he got it from any of these sources there is no way to conjure up a valid warranty for you.

[hulkmonkey]

Thanh on the left and AD on the right no issues both ways. Both warranty cards in my name. Both brand new




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