Ad was told by Rolex to take plastic stickers off

[HK Islandboy]

Originally Posted by AK797

There is no elephant, resellers here and greys everywhere serve a great purpose and have for years. What has changed is Rolex, they have completely choked off supply so ofc resale prices have risen. So Rolex need to either increase supply of popular models back to the old equilibrium we had for years, or raise prices to meet this new over-demand. Until then this is how the free market works, and it is not to the benefit of the customer, so if Rolex value loyalty they better get their act together.

Very much agree with this.

There is, and will always be, an imbalance of supply and demand which the grey market helps correct - with lower prices for less demanded models and higher prices for “hot” models. And this demand is not consistent around the US or around the world - grey dealers help to sort that out as well.

[outtatime]

Originally Posted by The Libertine

So....you passed on a Rolex you wanted for fear that they would scratch (or ding) your watch in the process of removing the stickers?!

Sorry, but that is one of the most ridiculous I read for passing on a watch. Ever.

Yes I did. If you think it’s ridiculous that’s fine, you’re free to allow an AD to do whatever to your watch after you’ve paid for it but before you’re “allowed” to even touch it.

[Wcdhtwn]

My AD told me the same thing last week. She said Rolex is making a big deal out of it and it's to hurt the grey market.

The AD also told me they got a hint about their next shipment, and were told to expect some "black and blue", which she took to mean BLNR. They don't know for certain that is accurate, they admitted that. If anyone would be interested I can have the AD call me and let me know if they got one or two and I'll be glad to put you in touch with them. I have the LN version so not interested in the BLNR for myself.

[Devildog]

Originally Posted by adg31

Interesting to see what happens if you take the watch back to the AD without stickers for a refund.
In the U.K. refunds often depend on the watch being returned all stickers intact!
Surely this policy makes it harder for the AD to pass the watch off as new to the next one in line?


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In the UK a retailer is not obliged to give a refund unless the goods are faulty.

I doubt any UK AD would have a refund policy which would provide for a full refund on a watch just because a customer changes their mind after leaving the shop.

Can anyone who has seen the letter from Rolex confirm if the destickering and sizing has become policy due to an attempt to prevent flipping for profit
- or simply because Rolex consider that do do so is part of a customer service policy?

We all need to remember that 99% of purchasers will prpbably expect to be able to wear their new watch directly from the AD or at least put t on as soon as they get home.

The "though shallt not desticker or size" brigade are very much in the minority as far as overall Rolex sales go and both my local ADs and Grey Bricks and Mortar tell me that most of their sales are to customers who have no desire to size or desticker their own watches.

[Devildog]

Originally Posted by uncleluck

I've mentioned this before but what exactly do they think they're going to stop by removing the stickers on them?

Let's say from now on they managed to enforce that and they have their way, every new Rolex can only leave the dealer this way. Ok, so what does that mean to the grey dealers?? Nothing! If that's how even Rolex sell them 'new' what difference is it going to make that the grey dealers are now selling them 'new' without the stickers?

Why can they not see this?

If anything it makes grey dealer's lives easier as the playing field is more level and Rolex dealers have nothing potentially over grey.

And the funny thing is Joe public gets punished and can't desticker his virgin watch and there will still be underhand Rolex dealers selling to grey dealers and you'll have the even more comical situation of grey dealers having "fully stickered" watches when the Rolex dealers can't even offer that lol.

Joe public doesn't care about stickers.

And in time, the grey's will have no stickered watches for sale either. At which point destickering doesn't matter, as the AD's and the greys are selling the same product again, just as they were when ADs were leaving stickers on. Soon we will all accept that a brand new Rolex doesn't have any stickers.

A destickering policy to prevent flipping makes no sense when supply is so restricted. In the long term it won't matter as no new watches will be stickered, ADs or greys. In the medium term with such restricted supply all destickering does is lower the resale price slightly. And in the short term destickering only helps the gray market sellers who can offer stickered watches at higher prices to the minorty of WIS who will pay more as a result.

As Neil has said, either production or prices need to increase. Probably both, but by smaller margins than if just one or the other.

[Dirt]

All this hoo ha over a few small stickers.
I remember the days when the only sticker to be found on a Rolex was only ever on the case back.

It looks like things are going full circle

[adg31]

Correct - although many UK AD's do actually offer return periods of 14 - 28 days for in store purchases for just that reason.
However this is based upon goodwill rather than legal necessity.
In contrast my understanding is that online or phone orders are covered by the 2015 Consumer Rights Act giving an automatic right to return for 14 days after receiving the product - without specifying any reason.
Now here's a question; if you got added to a waiting list by phone, having never seen the item before it arrived, should you be entitled to claim back any payments made towards that item and walk away from the sale leaving an AD with the item?


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[VicLeChic]

Pls delete

[Thunderbird88]

Picked up a Hulk here in Sweden last month.
No plastic was taken off, got all the tags etc.
He asked me if I wanted him to take the plastic off or if I wanted to do it myself.
Told him I want to do it, he said there was about 20 of them, have fun finding them! :D

[SevenWays]

Can anyone who has seen the letter from Rolex confirm if the destickering and sizing has become policy due to an attempt to prevent flipping for profit
- or simply because Rolex consider that do do so is part of a customer service policy?

I have not seen the letter. However, too many people are reporting the reasoning for the policy for me to say that it is not true. That would mean a pretty big conspiracy for all these ADs to be saying the same thing all of a sudden where they did not do so before.

If it were merely a change to how customers are treated to the "Rolex Way", why be insistent when it might anger some of those customers? Why not just ask if the customer would like it completely prepped for wearing instead of insisting and coming up with a story to justify the insistence?

Second, can anyone imagine that ADs were commonly just handing over the newly purchased watch in a box without some sort of attempt to provide the usual sizing? On a huge profit margin item for an AD? A letter to improve customer service would seem to be predicated on this thing being a problem to be addressed but I cannot think that this sort of inattention to such basics as sizing the watch was somehow rife enough to warrant Rolex cracking the whip.

I haven't seen the letter but it just doesn't make sense to me that all these ADs are suddenly insisting on a procedure and telling the same story about the reason without it being either a huge conspiracy or pretty close to the truth. Occam's shaving gear says the latter is likely the case.

I completely agree that this is an issue that almost no one buying a Rolex cares about. Only those into the hobby of watch collecting or resellers would have any problem at all.

[adg31]

IMHO this is getting daft.
In essence this problem arises when a manufacturer elects to produce insufficient product to satisfy demand thereby boosting demand for their goods - and creating stronger margins.
Unfortunately this also serves to create a strong resale market over which a manufacturer has no direct control. Ultimately this secondary market can only be addressed by a manufacturer increasing their own production to satisfy the market demand for their product.
However, increasing availability also risks reducing the perceived value of their products in the customers eyes as scarcity falls. This then forces the manufacturer to look at alternative ways to restrict the resale sector such as discussed above.
The reality of the position is that so long as there are people willing to pay large premiums over retail pricing to obtain a 'scarce' item, ahead of everyone else, manufacturers have few other levers to pull - even if it removes some of the pleasure for their genuine, non speculative, customers.
Sadly for many buyers part of the pleasure of buying a new product is getting it home and taking off the packaging in your own time - not having a time poor retailer taking it off as quickly as possible so as to get onto their next customer waiting for service.
The bit I can't understand is that typically when you buy a product, you purchase it complete with all the seals, cards and boxes that were present when you paid - unless otherwise stipulated. After payment, when title has passed to you, they have all now become your property to do with as you see fit as the new owner. Am I missing something here?
Surely the easiest solution to the issue of a manufacturer not wanting to allow you to leave the shop with these items intact would be to simply ship them to their retailers with the offending items already removed?


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[adg31]

Originally Posted by Dirt

All this hoo ha over a few small stickers.

I remember the days when the only sticker to be found on a Rolex was only ever on the case back.



It looks like things are going full circle

Those old green case back holograms were always a pain to remove


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[AK797]

Originally Posted by adg31

IMHO this is getting daft.
In essence this problem arises when a manufacturer elects to produce insufficient product to satisfy demand thereby boosting demand for their goods - and creating stronger margins.
Unfortunately this also serves to create a strong resale market over which a manufacturer has no direct control. Ultimately this secondary market can only be addressed by a manufacturer increasing their own production to satisfy the market demand for their product.
However, increasing availability also risks reducing the perceived value of their products in the customers eyes as scarcity falls. This then forces the manufacturer to look at alternative ways to restrict the resale sector such as discussed above.
The reality of the position is that so long as there are people willing to pay large premiums over retail pricing to obtain a 'scarce' item, ahead of everyone else, manufacturers have few other levers to pull - even if it removes some of the pleasure for their genuine, non speculative, customers.
Sadly for many buyers part of the pleasure of buying a new product is getting it home and taking off the packaging in your own time - not having a time poor retailer taking it off as quickly as possible so as to get onto their next customer waiting for service.
The bit I can't understand is that typically when you buy a product, you purchase it complete with all the seals, cards and boxes that were present when you paid - unless otherwise stipulated. After payment, when title has passed to you, they have all now become your property to do with as you see fit as the new owner. Am I missing something here?
Surely the easiest solution to the issue of a manufacturer not wanting to allow you to leave the shop with these items intact would be to simply ship them to their retailers with the offending items already removed?


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The argument of falling value perception due to increasing supply and thus reducing scarcity works on the D500 as Daytonas have for many years been supplied this way, but that has not been the case for Subs, GMTs etc so things would just be going back to normal, a market correction and there would be no real downside. Thus I don't understand why Rolex want to maintain this new imbalance unless they have no choice or they are preparing for a big Basel. March has certainly got my attention.

[adg31]

Originally Posted by AK797

The argument of falling perception due to increasing supply and thus reducing scarcity works on the D500 as Daytonas have for many years been supplied this way, but that has not been the case for Subs, GMTs etc so things would just be going back to normal, a market correction and there would be no real downside. Thus I don't understand why Rolex want to maintain this new imbalance unless they have no choice or they are preparing for a big Basel. March has certainly got my attention.

Fair point, they could be moving to introduce the new calibre to the sports range at Basel 2018; but then why get involved with a stickers / warranty card when there is only a few months wait?


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[superstarmar]

Originally Posted by AK797

There is no elephant, resellers here and greys everywhere serve a great purpose and have for years. What has changed is Rolex, they have completely choked off supply so ofc resale prices have risen. So Rolex need to either increase supply of popular models back to the old equilibrium we had for years, or raise prices to meet this new over-demand. Until then this is how the free market works, and it is not to the benefit of the customer, so if Rolex value loyalty they better get their act together.

Well, this is so true ... But unfortunately I don’t think Rolex cares.
They’re marketing and branding over the years have got the market
exactly where they want it... My AD is another culprit removing
the plastics after POS before the watch leaves the store .
oyalty or repeat business flies out the door/window take
your pick !!! They’re just following Rolex instructions
whether you like it or not !!!
When I asked about this new procedure I was
told the same thing , new rules/orders from Rolex...
The goal? To hurt the grey market and resellers/flippers...
But sadly it’s the customer that gets hurt in the end paying
higher premiums because it won’t stop the secondary market!

[SpeedyTuomas]

This feels silly. I have a quick remedy for Rolex to fix this: produce more of your popular watches with capacity allocated from producing less of the less popular models. You're welcome.

[AK797]

Originally Posted by superstarmar

Well, this is so true ... But unfortunately I don’t think Rolex cares.
They’re marketing and branding over the years have got the market
exactly where they want it... My AD is another culprit removing
the plastics after POS before the watch leaves the store .
oyalty or repeat business flies out the door/window take
your pick !!! They’re just following Rolex instructions
whether you like it or not !!!
When I asked about this new procedure I was
told the same thing , new rules/orders from Rolex...
The goal? To hurt the grey market and resellers/flippers...
But sadly it’s the customer that gets hurt in the end paying
higher premiums because it won’t stop the secondary market!

I actually do think Rolex care, and far more about their brand image and status than about profits, so I think there are some deeper problems at Rolex and not all is in their control. Remember this has been going on in the UK and other countries for well over a year now so having a bumper 2017 or the big Basel release 2018 are not explanations as to why some countries have had low supply since 2016.

[fsavahge]

After 2 1/2 months of waiting I went to pick up my Sea Dweller at the AD and the stickers were already gone and so was the bezel protector and the white tag with the model/serial number. Got the same story but it made me mad. What was stopping them from reselling a USED/RETURNED watch as new?
As a collector every little detail is important for the the provenance of the watch.
If Rolex doesn't want you have what comes with the watch and it has been paid for they should NOT include it in the box with the watch.

[Nairn1980]

Originally Posted by fsavahge

After 2 1/2 months of waiting I went to pick up my Sea Dweller at the AD and the stickers were already gone and so was the bezel protector and the white tag with the model/serial number. Got the same story but it made me mad. What was stopping them from reselling a USED/RETURNED watch as new?
As a collector every little detail is important for the the provenance of the watch.
If Rolex doesn't want you have what comes with the watch and it has been paid for they should NOT include it in the box with the watch.

I’m fine with sticker removal but I expect to see the Watch as New prior to them removing the stickers.

I also expect the white tag and bezel protector.

In the UK they keep the warranty card for 12 months so maybe that makes the difference.

Did you take the Watch?

[Dsmith1974]

Originally Posted by Calatrava r

They do. The ADs got letters, no watches go out the door with stickers. No exceptions. They also are not supposed to sell to callers outside their market area if they are a first buyer and not an established client.

I’ve seen this. Some ADs in the UK will even keep the warranty and papers in escrow for one year to prevent it from being sold.

When I got my Millgauss in Knightsbridge the salesperson told me that I would never ever be able to sell it or she would lose her job. Even had to show them my passport before they would let me but it.

[CoveWatch]

Originally Posted by fsavahge

After 2 1/2 months of waiting I went to pick up my Sea Dweller at the AD and the stickers were already gone and so was the bezel protector and the white tag with the model/serial number. Got the same story but it made me mad. What was stopping them from reselling a USED/RETURNED watch as new?
As a collector every little detail is important for the the provenance of the watch.
If Rolex doesn't want you have what comes with the watch and it has been paid for they should NOT include it in the box with the watch.

I would be a bit irked by receiving a supposedly new watch with no stickers or anything also, but it all depends on the relationship you have with your AD. All my watches I purchased from my AD’s, even recently, have all came with full stickers so with that being said, the so-called rule to remove stickers is likely a suggestion from Rolex to AD’s and they may use it upon their own discretion. Helps if he AD knows you and trusts you.

[ragsk]

Honestly why anyone would find this to be an issue is beyond me. They should remove the stickers in front of you. Unless of course you intend to flip it.

These are protective stickers that are meant to be removed before the watch is worn.

A bit of an OTT comparison but its like requesting your new car be delivered with all the transport wax and plastic on....

[fsavahge]

I initially took the watch but the AD kept it as it was supposed to be shipped. The more I thought about it the angrier I became. I did not have a relationship with the dealer prior to this purchase. If its not a rule it is a discrimination against new clients. After all the watch is yours to do what you wish with it. I have a 2007 SD and did not intend to wear this one for a while. The warranty card had been filled out and all. I went back and said that could have it and send it back to Rolex to be re-stickered or sell it as they wish. In my book it could be a used watch.

[fsavahge]

That was mine main problem. The stickers were already gone!!! It would've been totally fine had I been notified by them first of the new agreement and have it removed in front of me.

[Pol1]

Every sticker went off at the Monaco store. No bezel protector as well. Guarantee with name on and copy of your identity papers. No carton protector for the green Rolex box. All dictated by Rolex to take steps against the fray marked.

[Carry The Interest]

Originally Posted by Pol1

...No carton protector for the green Rolex box. All dictated by Rolex to take steps against the fray marked.

No creme colored box to store your green Rolex box inside? That's the first I have heard of that one!

[DtownRRS]

For what it's worth on the ND Sub I was able to get today I have both the outer cover box and the green box. My SA did remove the stickers in front of me after they sized it. I did not say anything and he said they were told to do this by Rolex prior to watches going out of the store. No issue for me it's not going anywhere but on my wrist. Also, They said the warranty card would be filled out by them and the watch registered and they would send the card in a week or so.

[DoctorA]

Most ADs will take off stickers!
The best I was able to do is have them save the stickers and include them
In a little ziplock

[123Blueface]

Too much made over stickers.
Two weeks ago, AD sized my BLNR and removed all stickers. On top of that, won’t see my warranty card until after the 30DAYS return period is over.
I was so elated over getting it that frankly, that is all minuscule as no intention of selling it, ever, as with all my watches.

[remz07twos]

Originally Posted by HK Islandboy

Very much agree with this.

There is, and will always be, an imbalance of supply and demand which the grey market helps correct - with lower prices for less demanded models and higher prices for “hot” models. And this demand is not consistent around the US or around the world - grey dealers help to sort that out as well.

Does the gray market fix this, or create this? I don’t see how. Grey dealers help sort things out. They aren’t here to reallocate new pieces but make money off of hard to get pieces. And part of why they then become even harder to get is Bc people are flipping new ones to grays to make money.

It’s all a big circle.