theflyingdutchman Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 Hi there, I have been buying/collecting reps since many years… I guess since + 9 or so. Of course you learn a few thing during this time; 1. our watches all come from the same sources/factories (and they are not in Switzerland!) 2. dealers just sell watches, they do not make them 3. service varies from dealer to dealer 4. custom issue can happen to anybody 5. some countries have more custom issues then others 6. waiting for the post man is one of the tough parts of our hobby And most important of all, the rep-vital-buying praise; “pick your dealer, then the watch” So here a Dutchy rep story; much of it, most of us have experienced in some kind of degree. A friend of mine had his 30th birthday coming up. He always want to have a Omega Planet Orange Chrono, but does not have the money for a gen, well not even for the rep. So the “kind guy I am” I thought of giving him the quartz rep as a present. Of course I will tell him it is a rep. I ordered for 135 USD plus shipping 15 USD = 150 USD the watch. 3 weeks later the watch arrives DOA. So DOA that my local watch repair man could not fix it. So I sent it back (cost me 22 USD), it takes 3 weeks to get there, 2 more before I get told it has been fixed?/exchanged and that is has been sent out again. In the mean time the birthday day is getting closer! I did not get a tracking code this time, as the dealer says he mixed these up and is not sure which code is for which watch… well anyway who cares, as the tracking system, as we all know, is useless, so all we do is wait… and wait… and wait. And then, I get a "friendly" letter from the Dutch customs asking me about a parcel from China. WTF, this now the 2nd time within 5 months that this has happened to me. And, what do you do, as we all know; Nothing, just do not react on that letter. 5 days to go before the birthday! What do I do? Narikaa does not have the watch on stock… I have ordered watches from not trusted dealers before e.g. in January’09 from Tony (then none trusted). I had much heard of this Dutch based dealer before e.g. via Mike00 and also seen his offers on the net. So this I why again I took the risk, a much smaller risk as only 165 USD for all in. I emailed him and had a reaction within 4 hours. Watch was on stock, 100% functional, if I paid today, watch would be with me in 1-2 days, he said… sounded pretty good to me. If it was true, it would be there just in time for the birthday. AND, it was true! Not 2 days later, but 1 day later the well packed watch arrived. Running no issues… spot on. My friend is very happy with the watch! He cannot believe it is not the real deal… So, as my 2 customs issues are not solved yet, ordering from China is not an option for me right now. Also this DOA and waiting is right now not for me. But there are still watches want – never somehow ends does it? I emailed him and asked for quotes on 2. He comes back and again roughly 20% higher then what we pay in China. We exchange some mails and I find out that he is located just round the corner where I am doing business on Friday in the south of Holland. So I ask him if I can pick up the watch. He agrees to met up… and that is what we do. So now I can check the 2 watches I want, in real life before buying. And that is what I did. Great guy! Openly talks about his years of selling reps in Holland and in the EU. Very knowledgeable on what is going on, issues with customs, repairs and the rep business in general. Well 1 hour later, I leave with no CARTIER and no KING POWER (see below!), as they are not what I had hoped for, which does not bother him at all. I did place an order with him for another watch, which he did not have on stock, as his stock is not as big of course a Chinese based dealer. He is more specialized in fast movers like high end Rolex and others... My watch should take 4 weeks to get. It will be posted to me via him after his QC and of course no customs risk! Here some pics of the dealer/Dutchy GTG Friday (02nd.11)! If you want to contact him here you go: His name is Zander at: toprehv@gmail.com and his site is: http://toprreplicas....y_ProfileHeader Dutchy Even I think this is too much bling… so I did not buy it! And my wrist is to small with 48mm King Power 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoever Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 that is good news! Narikaa has to be worried! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panerai153 Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 That's very good news for thoswe of you where customs is very nosy! On the other hand, i'm not so sure it's a good idea to give out email addresses on and open forum. there are lots of folks lurking here that don't have the forum or rep watche's best interest at heart. It would be too bad if someone set up a meeting to buy a watch like you did, and instead of and eager buyer, a couple of policemen and customs officials showed up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theflyingdutchman Posted November 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 (edited) On the other hand, i'm not so sure it's a good idea to give out email addresses on and open forum. there are lots of folks lurking here that don't have the forum or rep watche's best interest at heart. It would be too bad if someone set up a meeting to buy a watch like you did, and instead of and eager buyer, a couple of policemen and customs officials showed up. He has been seeling for some years on a local ebay-kind of website: http://www.marktplaats.nl/ and all our information is surely not that secret vs."lots of folks lurking here that don't have the forum or rep watche's best interest at heart" .... Edited November 4, 2012 by theflyingdutchman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolexman Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 Great to share but to all reading: this is NOT a trusted dealer here. So if something goes wrong you are on your own. Just a heads up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinnie007 Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 (edited) @ Dutchy, you can always order with Toro. I had the simular thing with customs. Since i started to use reshipments in the EU(free traffic of persons & goods thanks to Shengen) i don't have any problems anymore because they don't check that! (Also something Alberto Stegeman discovered in Undercover in NL but then with weapons and not watches:)) BTW, i have been there too and i am also a bit curious of where he gets his watches... He gets them also cheaper then we can:) (he btw also told me he uses reshipments) Does he still drive his VW Golf VI GTD? Edited November 4, 2012 by vinnie007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooky Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 (edited) Well Dutchy, you might have some good dealings with this guy now, but how trusted dealers proof themselfves is with warranty and aftersale service. Most of these guys like for instance Zander have almost no warranty and almost zero after sale service and repair facilities. The only added value they have is no customs risks in the EU. As I have been a reseller myself for many years, one of the issues with reps are the parts when a watch is broken. Most times it is cheapest and best because of the parts to send them back to the dealer. Also I see there are some AP seconds @ 12 on the table there. Most very good resellers I knew even stopped selling these models, because they could not offer 6-12 months warranty on those models, because they had too many issues with powerreserve.... Just saying... Even there is a lot of demand for those models by certain people, some of us just stopped selling them. Same as we stopped selling seconds @ 6 models earlier as well. So for me being a former reseller, I would advice our members to stick with trusted dealers and not do too much business with resellers who have not proven themselves.... Edited November 4, 2012 by hooky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinnie007 Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 (edited) BTW he also has FB: https://www.facebook...ndhoven?fref=ts (not smart to add him on FB as that is visible:)) But as stated above at hooky i would stick with a TD that offers reshipments:) @Hooky, his name is not sander in real life:)! Edited November 4, 2012 by vinnie007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooky Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 (edited) for someone who is importing illegal goods, selling illegal goods, not paying taxes, not paying import duties it does not seem to smart to have a facebook account with his own name there. Doesn't sound like the smartest thing to do... Edited November 4, 2012 by hooky 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiesn089 Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 Good thing to know, thanks! I'm really fed up with having to worry about customs seizing my orders here in EU. And about the warranty thing, my experience is that there is no warranty whatsoever, it's essentially the luck of the draw. Who in their right mind would send stuff back to China from inside EU, that's even more stressful than waiting for a watch, because there's absolutely nothing to deny once they know what you sent out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickdangerous Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 Good thing to know, thanks! I'm really fed up with having to worry about customs seizing my orders here in EU. I agree with the second part of your post but regarding the first part you do know some TDs offer triangle shipping right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theflyingdutchman Posted November 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 Great to share but to all reading: this is NOT a trusted dealer here. So if something goes wrong you are on your own. Just a heads up! Very true, it was more meant as a FYI Well Dutchy, you might have some good dealings with this guy now, but how trusted dealers proof themselfves is with warranty and aftersale service. Most of these guys like for instance Zander have almost no warranty and almost zero after sale service and repair facilities. The only added value they have is no customs risks in the EU. As I have been a reseller myself for many years, one of the issues with reps are the parts when a watch is broken. Most times it is cheapest and best because of the parts to send them back to the dealer. Also I see there are some AP seconds @ 12 on the table there. Most very good resellers I knew even stopped selling these models, because they could not offer 6-12 months warranty on those models, because they had too many issues with powerreserve.... Just saying... Even there is a lot of demand for those models by certain people, some of us just stopped selling them. Same as we stopped selling seconds @ 6 models earlier as well. So for me being a former reseller, I would advice our members to stick with trusted dealers and not do too much business with resellers who have not proven themselves.... As to warrenty, I think he gives 3 months and works with a in Germany based repair guy. Yiu are are right he is not trusted here, so my report is a FYI, but again he is not trusted here yet, every trusted dealer needs to start some how proving himself. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiesn089 Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 I agree with the second part of your post but regarding the first part you do know some TDs offer triangle shipping right? Sure, but I think a EU based seller is a great addition nonetheless, one will only have to pay for merchandise he has already in his hands (or so I assume). Even with triangle shipping there have been some problems reported recently in GB for example, though they are now sorted I think. Nevertheless more options are always a good thing imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theflyingdutchman Posted November 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 Sure, but I think a EU based seller is a great addition nonetheless, one will only have to pay for merchandise he has already in his hands (or so I assume). Even with triangle shipping there have been some problems reported recently in GB for example, though they are now sorted I think. Nevertheless more options are always a good thing imo. Best for me, personally, 1-2 days to get the watch if on stock... now that is what I realy like! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legend Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 very nice watches on hand, dutchy! I wouldnt want to repeat my opinion on that hyper bling cartier! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinnie007 Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 As to warrenty, I think he gives 3 months and works with a in Germany based repair guy. Yiu are are right he is not trusted here, so my report is a FYI, but again he is not trusted here yet, every trusted dealer needs to start some how proving himself. He works with Domi:)! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted November 6, 2012 Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 Well Dutchy, you might have some good dealings with this guy now, but how trusted dealers proof themselfves is with warranty and aftersale service. Most of these guys like for instance Zander have almost no warranty and almost zero after sale service and repair facilities. ... So for me being a former reseller, I would advice our members to stick with trusted dealers and not do too much business with resellers who have not proven themselves.... I'm sorry, but I have to call bullshit on this... 'Trusted Dealers' means nothing. Trusted by whom? By the admins of this forum? By people who have had good dealings with them? I'm sorry, but that means absolutely fuck all... Andrew and Josh were BANNED at one time as dealers on RWI because the admins felt that they could not be trusted, yet they are still 'Trusted Dealers' here, so who is right and who is wrong? Just because a dealer is not known to the forum, it does not mean they cannot be trusted... At one time, WatchEden was not a 'trusted dealer', and now they are... At one time, EuroTimes was a highly praised 'trusted dealer', but now he is not, as he imploded from an inability to keep up with the demand (and demands) of forum members... Of course, people are free to buy from whomever they feel the most comfortable with, and they should always go with who they feel is right, but at the end of the day, dealers will not become trusted by the community as a whole, if no one is prepared to give them a chance, and that's never going to happen if the peanut gallery just chimes in "Stick with the trusted dealers..." like a parrot every time an off-forum dealer is mentioned, even when they've had no personal dealings or even knowledge of said dealer. In my 'off forum purchases', I've never had significant issues, and all those were remedied by the sellers to my complete satisfaction. Every transaction I had with Silix was a nightmare, resulting in receiving an un-ordered item instead of what was ordered, an un-QCd item which was clearly faulty (and a replacement with identical faults) and items which simply never arrived... Oh yeah, that's real trustworthy... [Edit to add] That's not intended as a personal dig at you, just the situation in general... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickdangerous Posted November 6, 2012 Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 (edited) The website's sh*t though. Whenever I try to open a picture it prompts me in dutch to login or install their Hyves iPhone app. It's a shame 'cause I'm keen on some stuff he got there. Edited November 6, 2012 by rickdangerous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MADRED7 Posted November 6, 2012 Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 @DUTCHY ... was that a Don Roman he sells???? Looking for that one, need to get price tag...please pm me whats his price range/policy? Dr. Theo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoever Posted November 6, 2012 Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 I'm sorry, but I have to call [censored] on this... 'Trusted Dealers' means nothing. Trusted by whom? By the admins of this forum? By people who have had good dealings with them? I'm sorry, but that means absolutely [censored] all... Andrew and Josh were BANNED at one time as dealers on RWI because the admins felt that they could not be trusted, yet they are still 'Trusted Dealers' here, so who is right and who is wrong? Just because a dealer is not known to the forum, it does not mean they cannot be trusted... At one time, WatchEden was not a 'trusted dealer', and now they are... At one time, EuroTimes was a highly praised 'trusted dealer', but now he is not, as he imploded from an inability to keep up with the demand (and demands) of forum members... Of course, people are free to buy from whomever they feel the most comfortable with, and they should always go with who they feel is right, but at the end of the day, dealers will not become trusted by the community as a whole, if no one is prepared to give them a chance, and that's never going to happen if the peanut gallery just chimes in "Stick with the trusted dealers..." like a parrot every time an off-forum dealer is mentioned, even when they've had no personal dealings or even knowledge of said dealer. In my 'off forum purchases', I've never had significant issues, and all those were remedied by the sellers to my complete satisfaction. Every transaction I had with Silix was a nightmare, resulting in receiving an un-ordered item instead of what was ordered, an un-QCd item which was clearly faulty (and a replacement with identical faults) and items which simply never arrived... Oh yeah, that's real trustworthy... [Edit to add] That's not intended as a personal dig at you, just the situation in general... +1, every trust has to be gained....so let them the chance to do so! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theflyingdutchman Posted November 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 (edited) @DUTCHY ... was that a Don Roman he sells???? Looking for that one, need to get price tag...please pm me whats his price range/policy? Dr. Theo Yes a Don R! No idea what it costs, just email him! His adress is in the first post! Edited November 6, 2012 by theflyingdutchman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theflyingdutchman Posted November 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 The website's sh*t though. Whenever I try to open a picture it prompts me in dutch to login or install their Hyves iPhone app. It's a shame 'cause I'm keen on some stuff he got there. Strange, I have no issues.... just email and ask what you need! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolexman Posted November 6, 2012 Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 I bet you this guy probably orders from the same dealers we use... Josh, Anderw, Angus etc. than marks up with 20%. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theflyingdutchman Posted November 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 I bet you this guy probably orders from the same dealers we use... Josh, Anderw, Angus etc. than marks up with 20%. So a 20% mark up for customes risk, repair issues, the BS we put dealers through and 3 months garantee... I do not think so or he does a poor job on on ROI? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zeleni kukuruz Posted November 6, 2012 Report Share Posted November 6, 2012 I bet you this guy probably orders from the same dealers we use... Josh, Anderw, Angus etc. than marks up with 20%. Indeed he also have to make a living Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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