Grey Market Dealers/experience

[RollyYYZ]

This is my first post on here, but I have used this site many times over the years for information. I find this site extremely helpful, and for the most part, the posts offer great help to those in need.

I am posting my thoughts and current experience on grey market watches and sellers. I find this site to be quite critical of them. While I have no doubt that there are some shady operators, I think that given this day and age, with the technology we have at our disposal, it is rather easy to find out the 'good' from the 'bad' retailers on here. I am in the process of buying a Rolex Daytona as I write this and will write follow-up posts as things progress.

The first point I want to make is that it is impossible for any grey market retailer, or even an authorized dealer, to have every model" in stock". The funds required to keep everything "in stock" makes this pretty much impossible. This is the major reason why there is a grey market in the first place. AD's can't afford to buy the minimum stock demanded by the Big Watch Manufacturers and must unload some inventory to grey market dealers to reduce their financial strain. So is it really a "surprise" when they do not have every watch model listed in stock? Just like buying a car with certain options, the dealer may not have that one in stock, but will check with other car dealers to see if that model is available. That is what grey market dealers do as well... contact other grey market dealers to see if that specific model exists and if it does, for what price can they get it for from that dealer. This is the reason why they ask for deposit from the customer before they buy the watch from the other dealer... they are not going to shell out thousands of $$$ for a watch until the buyer is committed. Of course, if you are not happy with this arrangement, keep looking for the original grey market owner of the watch... it's out there!

That said, it is completely wrong for grey market dealers to not be 100% truthful about whether or not they actually have the watch. They should be 100% truthful if they don't. I guess they are worried about losing the sale to another grey market retailer. Potential buyers should always ask the grey market retailer for a picture of the watch along with a piece of paper with your name and date written on it. This is the easiest and simplest way to know. (other than seeing it in person of course :)

The second point I want to bring up is that I contacted several highly rated and reviewed grey market watch dealers. I found their site/reviews from this site, Ebay, Amzon.com, Trustpilot, BBB to name a few. Hundreds or thousands of reviews for a given retailer can't be faked, so someone whining about a bad experience shouldn't deter you and should be expected. No store, brand or company has a 100% satisfaction record. Be smart, and use common sense... choose someone with thousands of reviews and close to 100% positive reviews if you are going to go the grey market route.

I will update on my experience soon... in the meantime, keep an open mind and I look forward to what others have to say.

[cdmorenot]

This may spark a debate but I agree with many of your thoughts and ideas. I've interacted with the majority of the trusted seller on here while shopping around and I already know which ones I'll buy from and which ones will never get a penny from me regardless of reputation, price or inventory.

Often it comes down to courtesy and honesty.

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[michael067]

Just bought a TT Sub from Stein Diamonds, had good luck. They didn't have the watch in stock but did get it within two days, and shipped to me within a week.

[Syed117]

I think most people who understand the grey market would agree with just about everything you've said. Watch manufacturers could easily shut down the grey market with directly inventory control of their ADs, but they never will. Companies like rolex insist you only buy from ADs, which they have to, but it's not difficult to set up a system where serial numbers are tied to the ADs the watches are originally shipped to.

The reason why grey market dealers are always considered second on forums like this isn't because they arent trustworthy. It's because we have an amazing resource in the trusted sellers. Many of them have incredible relationships with ADs so they can sources watched from those ADs directly. Since the watches are not moving in massive numbers like a jomashop, it's easy to get valid warranty cards.

Many times the grey prices are better than those offered by trusted sellers. Most people prefer to have all the proper documentation if there isn't a huge difference in price.

As far as the trusted sellers go, they are not all equal. You need to figure out who you are comfortable with. I contacted a few very high profile sellers last year for a pair of watches. One of them responded to my emails in a way that I didnt really like so I didn't do business with him. Even though he has a stellar reputation, I didn't feel comfortable.

[RollyYYZ]

I agree, just do business with those you feel comfortable with and who answers your questions to your satisfaction. While the warranty seems to be a major concern for most grey market buyers (and rightfully so), if the seller can show you a warranty card that's been stamped by an AD and that's dated, you should feel safe. The warranty follows the watch, plain and simple.