Current methods of buying reps

[southcoast68]

Hi all

This crossed my mind when reading another post that mentioned a dealers website not being "up to snuff". I

remember when more dealers operated out of a photobucket album and used e-mail for communication. I wondered if

the grand website offering a lot of different choices and having easy checkout with credit card processing was

better for us all or not. Sure if I were a dealer looking to broaden and grow worldwide, I probably would try to

cast the biggest net I could to get the most fish that I could. However I think that maybe it was better for the

hobby as a whole when things were smaller in scale.

I remember when MBW was a term steeped in mystery. It seemed the only way to get at thier products was to be

reffered by someone else, know the secret handshake, or be a long time board member with good connections. It

annoyed me at the time, but I understood why. As a newcommer, nobody knows you from Adam, and some sellers just

preffered to keep a low profile and only do business with someone they trust, and thats cool. Now, more and more

dealers have relations with MBW/MBK and I think that is great, but I wonder if it would be good to see all of

MBW/MBK products offered on a high visibility website, or just through more intimate channels like before.

Now this is not a thread started to pick or otherwise critisize the way dealers do business, that is up to them.

This is rather a thread to ask the populus here in general what they think. So what say you, do you like the ever

increasing high profile way of buying reps, or are you more comfortable communicating via e-mail and photobucket

albums?

Cheers

[ubiquitous]

I have to admit- I miss those old days...

I remember when buying an MBW was like pulling teeth. But once you were in, you were in (so long as you didn't [censored] off Maria). There was a lot of enjoyment (for me) to 'leaf' through a dealer's photobucket account to see what was new, or just to window shop. There was an interesting mystique to the hobby indeed; very underground feeling, which I think was a lot of the intrigue. Times were far more simple for the hobby back then... Operating on a much lower profile. Amazing what just a few years' difference can make.

While keeping things small and exclusive is nice, I do believe that having a larger audience to market to not only helps drive new product development to deliver on the demands of commerce and demand, but is also a natural step in the evolutionary process (growth as a result of... growth. Yes, profound... I know ). We've had a lot of very interesting reps introduced into the market over the past few years; I'd like to think that these things were made possible by increasing demand for new and better quality pieces on a wider scale. The tailored click and buy e-commerce websites (which was, I believe pioneered by Paul/aBay as one of the first in rep sales to adopt this strategy) just makes for easier access to the goods by the masses...

[fishwine]

I have to admit- I miss those old days...

I remember when buying an MBW was like pulling teeth. But once you were in, you were in (so long as you didn't [censored] off Maria). There was a lot of enjoyment (for me) to 'leaf' through a dealer's photobucket account to see what was new, or just to window shop. There was an interesting mystique to the hobby indeed; very underground feeling, which I think was a lot of the intrigue. Times were far more simple for the hobby back then... Operating on a much lower profile. Amazing what just a few years' difference can make.

While keeping things small and exclusive is nice, I do believe that having a larger audience to market to not only helps drive new product development to deliver on the demands of commerce and demand, but is also a natural step in the evolutionary process (growth as a result of... growth. Yes, profound... I know ). We've had a lot of very interesting reps introduced into the market over the past few years; I'd like to think that these things were made possible by increasing demand for new and better quality pieces on a wider scale. The tailored click and buy e-commerce websites (which was, I believe pioneered by Paul/aBay as one of the first in rep sales to adopt this strategy) just makes for easier access to the goods by the masses...

Does it matter which way, or should you buy the way you prefer?

[magagne]

Hi all

This crossed my mind when reading another post that mentioned a dealers website not being "up to snuff". I

remember when more dealers operated out of a photobucket album and used e-mail for communication. I wondered if

the grand website offering a lot of different choices and having easy checkout with credit card processing was

better for us all or not. Sure if I were a dealer looking to broaden and grow worldwide, I probably would try to

cast the biggest net I could to get the most fish that I could. However I think that maybe it was better for the

hobby as a whole when things were smaller in scale.

I remember when MBW was a term steeped in mystery. It seemed the only way to get at thier products was to be

reffered by someone else, know the secret handshake, or be a long time board member with good connections. It

annoyed me at the time, but I understood why. As a newcommer, nobody knows you from Adam, and some sellers just

preffered to keep a low profile and only do business with someone they trust, and thats cool. Now, more and more

dealers have relations with MBW/MBK and I think that is great, but I wonder if it would be good to see all of

MBW/MBK products offered on a high visibility website, or just through more intimate channels like before.

Now this is not a thread started to pick or otherwise critisize the way dealers do business, that is up to them.

This is rather a thread to ask the populus here in general what they think. So what say you, do you like the ever

increasing high profile way of buying reps, or are you more comfortable communicating via e-mail and photobucket

albums?

Cheers

Interesting topic. I understand your point. IMHO The web site is the most easy way to shop. Keeping this market in low profile, and privacy, is no more necessary now to purshase a rep (know the secret handshake) like in the pass. On web site, they are pretty clear about law, "products are replicas and are meant for entertainment & novelty purposes only...", etc. read the terms of Andrew or Josh, they know the rules before going on business. I'm pretty sure some lawyers are behind to write terms. This is clear, buying/selling cover by encryption message/email, using photobucket to shop it's now obsolete, and I will never go back, except for collector for exemple who don't have web site, and have a specific item that I want, instead that, I shop on the net, referred of course by members on rep forum. Now, that doesn't mean that all web site owner drive they're web site correctly, that can be another topic

[jfreeman420]

The difference between the "good ol days" and now is that the majority of our dealers were hobbyists just like us. They usedd to post regularly on the boards and not just in teh sales section, but in general discussion and eyecandy. They had families, wives (which at one time one was used in some very nice photos) and lives outside of the replica watch world.

It was nice to do business with someone where you would have an email discussion before making a purchase and haggling over price was almost mandatory. The new dealers have pushed out the old style dealings with flashy websites and easy credit card checkout. You can order from them without so much as an email.

I did enjoy buying watches the old way and I miss the communication. I also miss the regular dealer postings. The previous dealers had more respect for the watches themselves and appreciation for us buyers. Now it's all business. Replica watch buying has gone the way of wal-mart only without the spectacular savings.

I cannot complain too much though. I have to believe that the ease of purchasing has encouraged more people to enjoy this hobby. It is no longer a secret society. The higher volume of sales has also motivated the factories to make some spectacular reps. Maybe this could not have been accomplished in the old days.

[magagne]

The higher volume of sales has also motivated the factories to make some spectacular reps. Maybe this could not have been accomplished in the old days.

Exactly, I think the same thing...but at the same time, I'm worry about the QC issue, that is already a BIG problem... very soon due to the volume of sells, that will cause a lot of return and that will give some headache to dealer, and the client will suffer too ... hummm...

[southcoast68]

I remember first collecting reps around 1992 or so. Then it was mostly Rolex only and bad reps of Rolex at that. Lots of Canal St. like merch and "flea market" finds, lol. After taking a break for a few years, I got curious to what was available now that the internet had become so much more common place and found these forums (it was actually a discussion on Watch-U-Seek that had a link to RWG1). After a while reading, I ordered my first rep in years from Josh (a Sea-Dweller) and was I ever impressed with the improvement in quality!! Of course now, the SSD kicks that one in the ass all day long, but still...

I guess the expansion of the dealers business has afforded the community an ever increasing supply of amazing products, and that is certainly a good thing. Really though, back then I never thought I'd see so many brands represented and represented well.

[Pix]

Well, I like to look at webstores as a catalogue. This is convenient. But I don't buy online, I still prefer to talk with the dealer, know if the watch's on stock, the various options (additionnal strap) and ... get a discount

I'm not really fan of Photobuckets, as I miss the "technical" datas, especially regarding sizes and movements.

[freddy333]

Having been into reps since the pre-internet days when replica watches, at least those that were built to a level of quality that were able to fool most of the people most of the time, could only be located by word of mouth (you had to know someone who knew someone) & ordered by phone or fax. You phoned or faxed in your order to a shady company that tended to operate from a nondescript warehouse or unmarked storefront in the worst part of town. QC? HA! Guarantee? You must be kidding! Refund? NO WAY! Customer Service? Who do you think we are?.......Hertz!!!!!!! You paid your money & you took your chances. Most of the time, you got something that resembled what you had ordered, but sometimes you did not. And if you were unable to open your expensive new rep's case to be sure you got the goods you paid for, you tried not to think about the possibilities since your only recourse was to pay more money & take another chance.

So is it better today, when any old Joe can browse hundreds of glitzy, high tech public websites & order just about any current model watch in a rep form with just a few mouse clicks? Definitely. Do sites like RWG benefit our hobby? Definitely. But there is also a downside to the widespread acceptance & involvement of so many people in what used to be a quiet, little secret hobby -- there are far more reps of high end Swiss watches then gens, which is a major turn-around for the way things were even 10 years ago. Virtually everyone today knows that high quality rep watches exist. Maybe only a relative few know how high quality they have become, but even some gens receive gazes of suspicion due to the ubiquity & commoditization of quality rep watches. And although most gen owners are still some of the worst judges of authenticity, many more of the general public now know how to spot a 'fake' than ever before.

But with more people joining the hobby, the level of quality also goes up. I have to believe that alot of the improvements in accuracy & build quality are driven directly by modders & constructors like many of the members on RWG & sites like it. But, like any other questionable activity, the more members that join & advertise your previously secret & exclusive club, the more attention you attract from the people that want to shut your club down. And, ultimately, I think that if the world economy gets bad enough so that the gen makers start losing serious market share, they will set their sights on our little club. It is just the nature of this hobby.