Dealer Mark-Up on Vintage Rolexes?

[jban5]

Originally Posted by BristolCavendish

Excellent point. The party with whom I am currently negotiating with was offered $8K for this particular watch (a first edition 1655) by a vintage reseller who in turn, would probably list it for far more. Fortunately, the original owners did their homework/research and declined his magnanimous (carpetbagging) offer. They have opted instead for a mid-point between the re-seller's lowball offer & the current listed prices for a watch of this nature (pending inspection and authentication of original components by an independent RSC). In addition, they have also agreed to have the watch serviced by the RSC prior to completion of the sale. Overhead costs and stocking expenditures aside, some of these so-called vintage re-sellers are nothing more than horological bandits.

I'm surprised that you wouldn't have wanted to pay the seller a bit closer to what the watches actual value is. By buying directly from a private seller you are likely saving hundreds of dollars in sales taxes alone. Why would you want to shortchange the original owner?

It is risky letting the watch get overhauled by RSC, you should renegotiate that.

[BristolCavendish]

Originally Posted by jban5

I'm surprised that you wouldn't have wanted to pay the seller a bit closer to what the watches actual value is. By buying directly from a private seller you are likely saving hundreds of dollars in sales taxes alone. Why would you want to shortchange the original owner?

It is risky letting the watch get overhauled by RSC, you should renegotiate that.

Excluding the vintage reseller's lowball offer of $8K, the 'best offer' range (as there are other private buyers currently expressing an interest) is roughly $14-16K to date. In regards to the RSC, we're not talking Dallas or New York but rather an independent RSC familiar with and devoted to preserving the originality & cosmetic integrity of the watch itself. In the end, hopefully no one will be getting 'shortchanged' (except for maybe the county/state sales tax coffers).