KevinCa316 Posted August 27, 2008 Report Share Posted August 27, 2008 Im sure its been asked a thousand times before but here goes - If the SMP reps made 3-4 years ago were so close to perfection and so highly praised, why the hell did they stop making them/change the design? im sure theyve heard the outcry from the rep community, why not reproduce them again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted August 27, 2008 Report Share Posted August 27, 2008 The original factory producing the old SMP rep was supposedly shut down. Hence the term 'Closed Factory' or 'Old Factory' that you may see from time to time to descrbie these pieces... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoTone Posted August 27, 2008 Report Share Posted August 27, 2008 I believe that it's because the factory shut down... . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinCa316 Posted August 27, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2008 ah ok. so basically they got caught? btw on that subject how illegal is this anyways? whats the worst that could happen to me buying/owning one? im not worried just curious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted August 27, 2008 Report Share Posted August 27, 2008 As an end consumer, you likely have little to really worry about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinCa316 Posted August 27, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2008 so if say <knock on wood> i had a customs siezure i wouldnt have to worry about johhny law knockin on my door? lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubiquitous Posted August 27, 2008 Report Share Posted August 27, 2008 Most likely not. You might get a letter in the mail regarding the confiscation... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinCa316 Posted August 27, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2008 well i havent had any issues with customs yet so <knock on wood> once again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotoman Posted August 27, 2008 Report Share Posted August 27, 2008 ah ok. so basically they got caught? btw on that subject how illegal is this anyways? whats the worst that could happen to me buying/owning one? im not worried just curious likley burned at the stake - actually its VERY illegal - and you could end up in jail for many many years - there are tons of laws (especially in the US) that can get you. luckily its not worth the several thousand dollars of the legal systems time and money to prosecute you for a 300$ watch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinCa316 Posted August 27, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 27, 2008 well i assume its illegal along the same lines of downloading songs and movies off the internet, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotoman Posted August 27, 2008 Report Share Posted August 27, 2008 well i assume its illegal along the same lines of downloading songs and movies off the internet, right? yes and no - you are correct that there are copyright violations but, with reps your also dealing with counterfeit merch. If in the US, and the items are coming USPS or EMS then, your using the US postal system to traffic in counterfeit merchandise Federal offense - if you remember the movie the firm - it wasn't the fact that they were doing legal work for the mob - it was the mail fraud that got them in trouble for using the USPS. every dealer we ever had here that was US based, was shut down inside a year either by Criminal investigation and or rolex's lawyers ect ect i'm not sure what the penalties are, but i'm sure its huge, because penalties on these small crimes are - and one can not forget the patriot act - i'm sure by typing this i'm violating it in some way. some countries like Italy have cracked down Alot in recent years, to the point of detaining people going through customs and putting small time street vendors in jail. there are a few countries that dealers don't like to drop ship to because of these types of issues. alot of people claim its not illegal to Own a rep, but to buy or sell is - in the US anyway. they maybe right in the criminal vs. civil context, of course your never free of civil liability to the watch companies. and to make your point, the RIAA sues like 300 people every six months just to keep the news story going and people scared of downloading stuff - the recent high court cases on this have NOT been good for DL'ers - i recommend that you pay the RIAA the 2500 they want and sign the note saying i promise never to DL again. also, if your watch gets seized by US customs, and they call - tell them you have no idea what they are talking about someone on the forum about once a year, maybe once a year and a half gets a threatening letter - search it, i'm sure you can find scans of the letter. So far, other than dealers - no one has had any serious problems. I think the worst of the dealers is klink - dont know the actual story but i do know he was a dealer a while ago and got into real trouble. but he is a jackass anyway. For along time we have held our head high stopping Ebay auctions and protecting some from other rep scammers - however, in the age of super reps - i have to believe plenty of folks use these forums to sell reps as gens - out in the real world. THe super reps are just to good and its so easy to make a killing - like on planet oceans or steelfish - gen price is reasonable, rep price is peanuts and frankly you have to open teh back of the movement or be a crazy hobbiest to know the difference. every sale is an easy 1k and if i'm the crook, i'd tell the guy- look, this is a stolen watch, so don't take it to the authorized dealer cause the will have the serial number. holy crap that is a great scam i just outlined - well guess we know what i'll be doing if my business fails Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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