hyster Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 I was thinking (it happens sometimes) about how cool it would be if there was a thread with the prices of the most sought after reps of the moment, Steelfish, Evo, etc. If you find a Hot Deal post in the thread, if someone has had a better price from another dealer, quote the post naming the dealer and beat the price. There is a lot of difference in price between some of the dealers and we all have our preference but surely it would encourage better prices if we could quickly see the cheapest price without having to trawl through loads of dealer sites, posts and then e-mailing the ones that dont list there prices. What are your thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piratedzeus Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 Just start it, if it dies we'll know I start for fun: Asian SFSO Silix 100$ + Shipping (28$ for up to 2 watches) Ruby 129$ (MB payment, +10$ PayPal, +10$ EMS) Josh/Andrew: 168$ + 30-35$ Shipping Trevor: 125$ MB payment, airmail TWP: 135$ + Shipping Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoTone Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phaedo Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 TT, that picture could sum up so much of why people buy reps. Love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyster Posted October 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 Just start it, if it dies we'll know I start for fun: Asian SFSO Silix 100$ + Shipping (28$ for up to 2 watches) Ruby 129$ (MB payment, +10$ PayPal, +10$ EMS) Josh/Andrew: 168$ + 30-35$ Shipping Trevor: 125$ MB payment, airmail TWP: 135$ + Shipping Thanks for your effort Piratezeus. ETA SFSO Breitling Superocean Steelfish ETA Ruby $319 WU,MB and moneygram payment term. $329 paypal shipped EMS TrustyTime $328.00 Delivery EMS $30 Precious Time 180gbp delivered Silix $275 + Shipping 28$ Puretime $338 shipped +US$20 (extra leather strap) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docblackrock Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 Personally I don't think this type of 'supermarket comparison' is appropriate or helpful. In the old days it used to be considered poor form to post prices openly. Re. TT's pic, it's not all about money or even delivery speed. My thoughts? and Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyster Posted October 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 Personally I don't think this type of 'supermarket comparison' is appropriate or helpful. In the old days it used to be considered poor form to post prices openly. I would be interested to know why think its not helpful Doc? As far as I can see the dealers held up as the shining light when I first joined have on since, on occasion been found to at the very least bend the truth and after using the new kids on the block, I have been very impressed by their service not to mention prices. I'm not saying everyone should just buy from the cheapest dealer but surely it is of interest to see a comparison. If anything, I just want the odds stacked in favour of the buyers and not the dealers, knowledge is power. I've paid a lot more than peanuts in the past and delt with prize monkeys, a high price is no guarantee of good service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DET11 Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 If anything, I just want the odds stacked in favour of the buyers and not the dealers, knowledge is power. here, here..........I agree 100% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Everythingape Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 I can see how this would be a good idea for you to save time.. I think what DBR is saying is that buying a good rep involves so much more than just finding the cheapest place to buy it. Searching for that good deal, getting to know the dealer, reading about other people's experiences.. good and bad. Having some fun while you do it. It's all a package deal.. You'll maybe learn a lot about other watches, find new ones that catch your eye.. All the while looking for that beautiful watch that made you interested in the first place. A thread where new people can come pick out the best deal, and quickly place an order would defeat some of the purpose of this and other forums. -Ape- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest avitt Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 I don't see any harm in posting a comparison of prices, as long as they come from recognized dealers. (Those same dealers can monitor the posts, and update any incorrect or outdated information.) This would go under the heading of "sharing information, and benefiting from the effort of others"...isn't that what internet forums are all about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
takashi Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 I would agree with posting comparison of "published" price. Nothing wrong with that. For example: Pricegrabber does this price comparison. Some dealers are giving discount if you are his/her loyal customers. That's another factor that you've to consider. Nonetheless, I don't see why it's harmful to do a price comparison of retail prices from listed dealers here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docblackrock Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 I can see how this would be a good idea for you to save time.. I think what DBR is saying is that buying a good rep involves so much more than just finding the cheapest place to buy it. Searching for that good deal, getting to know the dealer, reading about other people's experiences.. good and bad. Having some fun while you do it. It's all a package deal.. You'll maybe learn a lot about other watches, find new ones that catch your eye.. All the while looking for that beautiful watch that made you interested in the first place. A thread where new people can come pick out the best deal, and quickly place an order would defeat some of the purpose of this and other forums. -Ape- Thanks for translating perfectly Ape Putting prices up there I think just clouds the issue - I get the 'retail' analogy where price comparison information is useful, but as above, there's SOOOOooooo much more to consider when making a purchase. And yes, dealer discount and customer service varies greatly. Dealers price check each other anyway, and some aggressively price cut to squeeze business from elsewhere, yet the after-sale service is not comparable. I think most of us know genrally who offers better prices and who has great after-sales service - that's what the trade review section is for. I should have been clearer with my squirrel monkeys and monkey nuts, sometimes pictures are NOT worth a thousand words Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offshore Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 I should have been clearer with my squirrel monkeys and monkey nuts, sometimes pictures are NOT worth a thousand words Doc, Maybe you better be careful with your nuts in general I do agree however on this point. Constantly we hear that some do not like being told to use the Search button. And I do understand this. However, searching, or more correctly, researching really is IMHO what it is all about. If one has "done the yards" the answers are there, but more importantly, that person is more knowleagable for their research. They actually found their answer, and I'll bet other info as well. Wheras if it is handed on a plate, little further knowledge is gained. Same thing with this.... you never know what you may stumble across as you re-search... but you won't find anything, if you don't! Offshore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Everythingape Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 Thanks for translating perfectly Ape I should have been clearer with my squirrel monkeys and monkey nuts, sometimes pictures are NOT worth a thousand words Hmm.. I was damned sure those squirrel monkeys were apes.. and thus you were making a direct reference to ME and my testicles.. ..I felt I had to say something! ..It's not all about me, is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest avitt Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 Those are excellent admonitions, regarding the benefits of doing your own research. However, this thread is for those who do not want to "eat their vegetables", and would rather cut straight to the dessert...And that should be fine, as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Everythingape Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 Those are excellent admonitions, regarding the benefits of doing your own research. However, this thread is for those who do not want to "eat their vegetables", and would rather cut straight to the dessert...And that should be fine, as well. I agree with that.. We're here for different reasons.. And those reasons might change with time. The more 'devout' of us want everybody else to be as devoted, and don't really see eye to eye with the 'Who's got the best and cheapest SUB?!'. ..Not saying that this is the case here though, but it stands to reason that new people will use this as a quick and easy price guide, and perhaps not contribute to the forum. -Ape- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyster Posted October 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 Perhaps the comprimise would be to make the thread a VIP only thing. If you have paid the subscription you deserve the answers? After all its about finding the right watch from the right dealer (do we entertain wrong dealers?) at the right price. You would still have to research to decide if the watch is up to scatch and if the dealer is trustworthy. I use the search button every day but am happy to help my fellow man with my experience however limited that may be. The best of the people I have met around here and other forums have the same sharing attitude, we are a group, we share knowledge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geo1nah2a Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 A price comparison for the newbies will bring a lot of troubles.. There are different versions of watches on offer. (not only diff generations.. look at the last omega PO, or the overseas, or HBB lite) Then it is the newbies that will file a claim against one of the cheapest dealers because they will not reply to their 4th email of the day.. I mean, if our best collectors (when it comes to communication) have had trouble with some people, then I imagine collectors laking communication skills will be losing money over stupid claims to PP so much faster. This will bring harm to both the collector and to the dissatisfied customer. And to the whole community in the end. I agree that competition is good, but it is not only about price. The price comparison sites have embedded ratings, reviews, hidden costs, customs policies and delivery details. Don't get me wrong, I have bought more watches from silix than from other collectors, but not my most expensive ones, or not my first ones... Do you think a newbie's nerves are strong enough to deal with an "one email per day practice" and vague progress reports? I don't mind waiting since I have no more time slots in my wrist That HBB RG PC has dominated it. A hot headed newbie would wait? Doubt it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mezzanine Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 This is an interesting thread- and I think brings to light a lot of the issues that have been going on recently with the 'service' the site provides, and the subsequent relationship that bears to the the communication of value that information has to the dealers on the site. When I first saw the thread, I thought that this would be a good general topic for the members. That's my democratic impulse that values sharing information that is usually intrinsic to the culture of message board usefulness that is dominant on the internet. But it's not quite that simple, because the economics of the existence of this very forum precipitates that a high % of it's readers/posters donate $$ to pay for the infrastructure of security that the admins require because of the grea-area nature of the legalities of replicas- which is correspondently higher to cover the cost of 'off-shore' servers on a monthly basis. My idea of a solution is to continue the goal of open information, and at the same time explore a more entrepreneurial direction that centers on forum users to subsidize a percentage of 'funds' to be directed in a secondary manner to the admins in the form of donation sales that are whoesaled by a dealer(s) at cost to cover a dozen watches to be sold for the full price with profits going to RWG for the maintenance of the site. Perhaps even there could be a discount and still a profitable and mutually beneficial 'group buy' only for VIP members. Where the donation is $20 bucks per sale, but there was still a significant discount on the retail price available to the general market. This would be an acknowledgment between the dealers and usership of the mutual value of maintaining this online relationship. No profit for a dealer- strict wholesale, and it doesn't even need to be on a variety of watches, the month could be ETA SFSO at around silix pricing- assuming that there is a dealer that's willing to play ball. This would also increase the general volume of readership who would opt to pay the 'membership fee' to get in on the 'group buy' that would occur at significant discounts. The value of the membership would be more clear to the average user. I think price disclosures are an inevitable and acceptable part of the value of this type of online format. The full articulation of the relationships between price and value are not so clear, from only this piece of raw data, as would seem linear to the person employing a decision tree that is only factoring price as their criteria for purchase. The advantage of being a member would be in gaining this price advantage as well as a more tranparent and researched/developed relationship with the sales agent- with a quick, communicative and informed idea of the value of this on-going relationship, and the rewards for being a regular purchaser of the best replica watches. I also think the sale, whether used or otherwise, of MBW/MBK watches should be restricted to the VIP area of the board, but that's not really realistic anymore, with their expansion of availability into the regular market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Everythingape Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 interesting issues provides subsequent relationship communication information general topic democratic impulse sharing information intrinsic culture usefulness dominant economics existence precipitatesinfrastructure grea-area nature of the legalities correspondently higher monthly basis solution explore entrepreneurial direction subsidize a percentage in a secondary manner whoesaled maintenance discount profitable mutually beneficial significant discount general market acknowledgment usership variety assuming increase readership occur average user disclosures inevitable acceptable online format articulation employing a decision tree factoring criteria purchase tranparent and researched/developed relationship communicative restricted expansion of availability *throws his hands up and pleads Norwegian* I learned 8 or 9 new words tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeJay Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 (edited) I don't see any harm in posting a comparison of prices, as long as they come from recognized dealers. (Those same dealers can monitor the posts, and update any incorrect or outdated information.) This would go under the heading of "sharing information, and benefiting from the effort of others"...isn't that what internet forums are all about? Why should prices only come from 'recognized dealers'? As Hyster pointed out above, some of those 'recognized dealers', have been shown to 'bend the truth', so why should they be kept on a pedestal as the only valid sources? These forums exist to protect the buyers, not the dealers... That's not to say that all the dealers here are disreputeable, the majority are indeed honourable and trustworthy, the point I'm trying to make, is that people shouldn't be scared to 'think outside the box'. I think a thread like this is a fantastic idea The one suggestion I would make, is that any recommendations people make, should be ones backed up by their personal aquisition of said watch, not just " I saw this going cheap and thought it looked okay... " If someone's actually gone through the deal, has the product in their hand and still feels they got a good deal worth sharing, then fantastic Edited October 3, 2007 by TeeJay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanikai Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 Perhaps the comprimise would be to make the thread a VIP only thing. If you have paid the subscription you deserve the answers? After all its about finding the right watch from the right dealer (do we entertain wrong dealers?) at the right price. You would still have to research to decide if the watch is up to scatch and if the dealer is trustworthy. I use the search button every day but am happy to help my fellow man with my experience however limited that may be. The best of the people I have met around here and other forums have the same sharing attitude, we are a group, we share knowledge. this is my point exactly about "subscriptions" and not about being "charged"... this would be a great addition to the subscribers area.. rather than VIP ... we all love this hobby and to share our knowledge and to KEEP the Forum available to everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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