r@f Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Hello I am reading allot , but i miss something.. I am trying to understand how the replica world works.. Are 2-3 big producers that produce the rep.s and then the dealers distribuite and sell ??.. Are producers also dealers ??.. When i see some one reviewing ex. a fantastic watch ! is some one in particular the producer ??.. I dont know if i made my self clear. Regards Raffo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadog13 Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Hello I am reading allot , but i miss something.. you're not reading enough! no way you manage to get all the info in just a couple of days that you are a member of the forum...it will take you at least a month to get all the basics of this hobby... grab yourself a beer or two and search more...the board is full of information, don't expect to have all the questions answered in a day or two! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 I think one of you questions you are asking here When i see some one reviewing ex. a fantastic watch ! is some one in particular the producer ??.. Is the revewer getting paid or a friend of the producer? And as far as we know the answer is no. There was an issue with paid reviews a couple of years ago and it was decided that it was not in the interest of the many on the board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r@f Posted June 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 no no.. i didnt mean it like that.. I just wonder, ive seen some reviews here, that they dont mention where they bought the watch.. and then some other user replies and says "just ordered one...!! " how the hek knows where to order from ??.. I think one of you questions you are asking here Is the reviewer getting paid or a friend of the producer? And as far as we know the answer is no. There was an issue with paid reviews a couple of years ago and it was decided that it was not in the interest of the many on the board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Ah ok Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agrippa Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Actually I'm wondering about the same thing as the OP and after a few months I'm still nowhere near to having a handle on it. Can't say I've found a post yet that have explained it, or even particularly attempted to, though the search function has seen heavy use at times. I'd think that a detailed breakdown, in "print", is probably not in anyone's interest in any case, but I'd dearly like to get a better overview of how this whole thing works anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FxrAndy Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 When i started out a spent a lot of time reading the dealers reviews then the watch reviews, if i found a watch that i wanted i would then ask the dealer of my choice if he could get it, we used to have a saying " first choose your dealer" then the watch, most sellers can get almost any watch you want one way or another, other deciding factors with a seller is his shipping location in comparrison to yours! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadtorrent Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 The way I understand it, there are a couple different levels of dealers and factories. There are a lot of factories making reps...but there are really only a couple factories (maybe 2-3...nobody knows for sure) that make the high end ones. There are about 4 or so dealers that work more closely with the high end factories than others...and they often front buying expensive gens...get them copied and either keep the gens or sell them and recoup more money. These "Level 1" dealers are higher volume dealers and getting better pricing because of volume, and because of volume have more input into the factories. There are "Level 2" dealers (not real designations...just for reference purposes) that deal in lower volumes...and then Level 3 dealers who may buy from the Level 1 dealers...and then down the line. Essentially...the lower down the line...the smaller your profit margin because you're not buying volume...so you can't offer as good service, because each service/warranty call, costs a significant portion of your profit. At Level 1, you get great prices because of volume, and can afford to replace a watch or 2 here due to customs issues, provide better repair services etc, because your initial cost is much lower due to volume. Reviewers here don't get paid for reviews...but fork out lots of money in terms of buying the pieces, and spending the time. People don't often say where they buy their watches from because each person's preference is personal based on experience. Every recommended dealer here has had complaints by a few members at one point in time or another...you have to decide which complaints your willing to deal with, based on the dealer's 'pros'. Good luck...and keep reading...it's informative and fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agrippa Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Thanks for that rundown Toad. That's kinda the thing I've been looking for, only with more details. Then again, like I said, I'm guessing a detailed breakdown of the rep business probably ought not to be in print anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r@f Posted June 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 THANK YOU!! It would be nice to know the dealers closer to the high end factories... It might be easy for you to recognize the good ones... but for newbie like me is really hard... it could be a price issue ?.. higher price better product ?.. i think in this genre is not so simple.. The way I understand it, there are a couple different levels of dealers and factories. There are a lot of factories making reps...but there are really only a couple factories (maybe 2-3...nobody knows for sure) that make the high end ones. There are about 4 or so dealers that work more closely with the high end factories than others...and they often front buying expensive gens...get them copied and either keep the gens or sell them and recoup more money. These "Level 1" dealers are higher volume dealers and getting better pricing because of volume, and because of volume have more input into the factories. There are "Level 2" dealers (not real designations...just for reference purposes) that deal in lower volumes...and then Level 3 dealers who may buy from the Level 1 dealers...and then down the line. Essentially...the lower down the line...the smaller your profit margin because you're not buying volume...so you can't offer as good service, because each service/warranty call, costs a significant portion of your profit. At Level 1, you get great prices because of volume, and can afford to replace a watch or 2 here due to customs issues, provide better repair services etc, because your initial cost is much lower due to volume. Reviewers here don't get paid for reviews...but fork out lots of money in terms of buying the pieces, and spending the time. People don't often say where they buy their watches from because each person's preference is personal based on experience. Every recommended dealer here has had complaints by a few members at one point in time or another...you have to decide which complaints your willing to deal with, based on the dealer's 'pros'. Good luck...and keep reading...it's informative and fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltatahoe Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 ok i'm going to sound like an oldtimer here, but how much easier can it get? the major dealers all have websites with automated payment processing; it's practically as easy as ordering from amazon.com back in the day finding a dealer was like going on a wild goose hunt deltatahoe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r@f Posted June 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 the problem is who are the MAJOR DEALERS ?.. On the net there are tons of dealers .. the major ones for a newbie are a mystery... ok i'm going to sound like an oldtimer here, but how much easier can it get? the major dealers all have websites with automated payment processing; it's practically as easy as ordering from amazon.com back in the day finding a dealer was like going on a wild goose hunt deltatahoe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samurai Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 If you must know, Josh is the uncrowned king of the rep business. He and Andrew are Siamese twins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvn Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 The major dealers are dealers who have their name and websites listed in the dealer sections of this forum such as Josh, King, Andrew, Angus and they are also known as the cartel dealers. With the rest some are minors, some are in between. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offshore Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 the problem is who are the MAJOR DEALERS ?.. On the net there are tons of dealers .. the major ones for a newbie are a mystery... But we don't recommend dealers on the net! We do have a few listed here however. http://www.rwg.cc/members/Watch-Collectors-f198.html The selected dealers here have stood the test of time,with varying levels of complaints/criticism. If you try to wade through all those dealers with net sites out there, you really enter into a turkey shoot! As said elsewhere, select your dealer, then select your watch. Offshore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BROM Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 My experience has been to order from someone close to where you live for example I order from Sead and WBK because I'm US based these dealers are local so there is no customs issue and if there is a problem with a watch is $ 5.00 dollars to ship it back and it gets there in two days so it's much better from a time standpoint. And all dealers can get any watch you want that has been my experience. Hope that helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBreitling Posted June 11, 2009 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 My experience has been to order from someone close to where you live for example I order from Sead and WBK because I'm US based these dealers are local so there is no customs issue and if there is a problem with a watch is $ 5.00 dollars to ship it back and it gets there in two days so it's much better from a time standpoint. And all dealers can get any watch you want that has been my experience. Hope that helps Toad, this is a good post and you may want to link it to your NOOB guide or incorporate the best parts directly in any future update. Just a suggestion, alternatively, could admonish the future noobs to using the search button to find it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r@f Posted June 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 ok, this is getting very helpful, i am getting there... Josh is Joshua ?... You are still using some nicknames ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazzman Posted June 12, 2009 Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 look at the dealer section there is all names and all info you need.. Josh is my choice of dealer anyhow.. he always help me out and fixes any possible problem without hassle.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yaron Posted June 12, 2009 Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 ok, this is getting very helpful, i am getting there... Josh is Joshua ?... You are still using some nicknames ... So actually it is easy, if you want to order a rep just go to perfect clones or to one of the other recommended dealers and make your order. You don't need to do a detailed research on the structure and organization of the rep world. Anyhow, nobody will give you clear answers since nobody knows more than what you can find posted in this and other forums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddy333 Posted June 12, 2009 Report Share Posted June 12, 2009 To the original poster (OP) - click me & read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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