[m j b]

I don't think the OP did anything wrong nor is he personally causing or perpetuating the shortage. The shortage is caused by more people wanting the same thing. It's called supply and demand.

I think the real problem is the inflation of the prices of these things on the secondary market, which the OP took advantage of. And he didn't do bad - why shouldn't he take the free bag of money?

The problem, IMHO, is the people who buy these watches at over MSRP. If no one did this, then the secondary market would dry up, and there would be no flippers. It's that simple. If you can't buy it at the AD, then don't buy it. Or if you can't find a used one for less than the price of a new one, then don't buy it. The prices will come back down.

But people can't do that, not in today's world of instant gratification. And it's not just Rolex, it's Ferrari and limited models of mainstream cars like Porsche, BMW, etc.

The only possible mistake the OP made was sharing this story.