Thoughts on Purchasing for a friend....

[Rolexnabzy]

Have a question to pose to the forum....

Do you consider it ok to utilize a strong profile with your Rolex AD to help a friend purchase a watch he/she would not normally be able to attain without your help ?

I just recently helped a close friend purchase a yachtmaster 40 with the blue dial at his request that he will gift to his elderly father for his birthday...he is currently in the UAE and was not getting any joy from the local Rolex ADs there so asked for my help....I managed to secure the piece without too much trouble albeit with the AD in another city that would require a 40 minute flight, however I am scheduled to go to that city in a few days for work plus to pick up something for myself, so things worked out nicely...

To be honest I did not think too much of it as I was helping a friend and I don't see the reference as hugely 'flippable' plus I mentioned to the AD this would be for a family friend and he was ok with it...

However another close friend of mine has now asked I help him obtain his grail which is a Daytona Ghost.....again I don't mind helping him out but now I'm wondering how 'cool' my AD would be with me purchasing a watch in demand just to give it to somebody he has not personally 'vetted' and I don't want him to start thinking I have some sort of side business....I am 100% confident my friend would not flip the watch and would actually wear it daily....so I am in two minds on whether to help him or not....

[123Blueface]

If AD knows what you are doing and is OK with it, I would for sure. What I would have reservations of doing is buying as if for you and then turning it over to him.
I have asked AD for a few watches that went to my son. They knew up front and he went with me to collect the watches and sized at time of purchase at store.

[BriansRolex]

If the AD will sell you the watch I'd buy the watch I don't care how they feel about who I give it to it's my watch once the transaction is complete

[BlondesNwatches]

The Daytona ghost is a great piece. For certain family friends I would absolutely be willing to call in the favor. And even give up one of my potential future allocations. However, you may want to ask yourself the same question. Would getting this watch for a friend be giving up one of your allocations? And if so, are you ok with that for this situation?

[S’portEye]

I don’t know. I guess it depends on the AD, but it would probably rub me wrong the second time you asked.

[dmash]

I see no qualms if you know they’re not trying to flip immediately.

[dmash]

Originally Posted by S’portEye

I don’t know. I guess it depends on the AD, but it would probably rub me wrong the second time you asked.

There’s also this potential. It starts becoming a constant thing you come across more as an undercover flipper instead of a collector

[the_Hunter]

When I was trying to get a Pepsi a good friend helped me out but instead of him just buying it he gave me a good intro with the store manager and vouched for me. (collector not a flipper ect) after that is was up to me to build from there.

[Easy E]

I’d just be honest with the AD. If they are cool, then cool. If they say no, just tell friend 2 it can’t happen.

[CarlOver]

To Op, if you get him this watch and he decides to sell it, will you be OK with this?

[kopi-c]

Originally Posted by Rolexnabzy

Have a question to pose to the forum....

Do you consider it ok to utilize a strong profile with your Rolex AD to help a friend purchase a watch he/she would not normally be able to attain without your help ?

I just recently helped a close friend purchase a yachtmaster 40 with the blue dial at his request that he will gift to his elderly father for his birthday...he is currently in the UAE and was not getting any joy from the local Rolex ADs there so asked for my help....I managed to secure the piece without too much trouble albeit with the AD in another city that would require a 40 minute flight, however I am scheduled to go to that city in a few days for work plus to pick up something for myself, so things worked out nicely...

To be honest I did not think too much of it as I was helping a friend and I don't see the reference as hugely 'flippable' plus I mentioned to the AD this would be for a family friend and he was ok with it...

However another close friend of mine has now asked I help him obtain his grail which is a Daytona Ghost.....again I don't mind helping him out but now I'm wondering how 'cool' my AD would be with me purchasing a watch in demand just to give it to somebody he has not personally 'vetted' and I don't want him to start thinking I have some sort of side business....I am 100% confident my friend would not flip the watch and would actually wear it daily....so I am in two minds on whether to help him or not....

This other/another close friend of yours, why not make an introduction and bring him to your AD to ask.

[996marty]

At first I thought you are doing someone a favour so it’s ok but if you keep doing it for others then I’d say it’s not right for the people that wait years to get their grail watches. Everyone has to start the journey somewhere and they’re not starting it if you are jumping the queue for them. Some people on here get tired of waiting and resort to going grey…… maybe they just need to ask a friend

[TopNotchChach]

I don't think your AD really cares...
the watch is going to sell regardless.

[herefortheattachment]

Originally Posted by BriansRolex

If the AD will sell you the watch I'd buy the watch I don't care how they feel about who I give it to it's my watch once the transaction is complete

This x1000. It’s your hard-earned money and your watch. It’s your business what you do with it.

[lord91]

Originally Posted by the_Hunter

When I was trying to get a Pepsi a good friend helped me out but instead of him just buying it he gave me a good intro with the store manager and vouched for me. (collector not a flipper ect) after that is was up to me to build from there.

Originally Posted by kopi-c

This other/another close friend of yours, why not make an introduction and bring him to your AD to ask.

I agree with this. Introduce him to your AD. If he truly wants the watch, the least he can do is book a flight and join you to the AD. There is no need for you to jeopardise your relationship with your AD.

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by Easy E

I’d just be honest with the AD. If they are cool, then cool. If they say no, just tell friend 2 it can’t happen.

I’ve done exactly this in the past ^^^

[obywan]

I'm not certain. It largely depends on the authorized dealer, and they might get annoyed if you bring it up again. But once you buy your watch, it's yours to do with as you please.

[77T]

Originally Posted by Rolexnabzy

Have a question to pose to the forum....

Do you consider it ok to utilize a strong profile with your Rolex AD to help a friend purchase a watch he/she would not normally be able to attain without your help ?

I just recently helped a close friend purchase a yachtmaster 40 with the blue dial at his request that he will gift to his elderly father for his birthday...he is currently in the UAE and was not getting any joy from the local Rolex ADs there so asked for my help....I managed to secure the piece without too much trouble albeit with the AD in another city that would require a 40 minute flight, however I am scheduled to go to that city in a few days for work plus to pick up something for myself, so things worked out nicely...

To be honest I did not think too much of it as I was helping a friend and I don't see the reference as hugely 'flippable' plus I mentioned to the AD this would be for a family friend and he was ok with it...

However another close friend of mine has now asked I help him obtain his grail which is a Daytona Ghost.....again I don't mind helping him out but now I'm wondering how 'cool' my AD would be with me purchasing a watch in demand just to give it to somebody he has not personally 'vetted' and I don't want him to start thinking I have some sort of side business....I am 100% confident my friend would not flip the watch and would actually wear it daily....so I am in two minds on whether to help him or not....

Your post reflects a nuanced thought process regarding your friends. Are they truly friends, or just associated acquaintances?

They seem to be asking for something you're conflicted about. My advice is probably worth less than but here goes.

There is tension between the desire to help friends and your commitment to maintaining a good relationship with the AD. Be more transparent with the AD about these friends' motivations and the nature of the requests. This mitigates the risk of what they may actually do with the Rolex afterward - plus it guards against AD misunderstandings and maintains trust with them.

Maybe establish clear boundaries with friends regarding how far you, as a friend, are willing to go to leverage relationships. Defining personal limits avoids the potential conflicted feelings you're having.

Weighing the "good feeling" of being helpful against the possible repercussions can aid in making the friends be aware of the flipping risk to your strategic relationship with the AD.

By reflecting on these factors you might navigate these relationships and relieve your angst in a more thoughtful manner with your friends and the AD as well....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[77T]

.

[Rolexnabzy]

Originally Posted by 77T

Your post reflects a nuanced thought process regarding your friends. Are they truly friends, or just associated acquaintances?

They seem to be asking for something you're conflicted about. My advice is probably worth less than but here goes.

There is tension between the desire to help friends and your commitment to maintaining a good relationship with the AD. Be more transparent with the AD about these friends' motivations and the nature of the requests. This mitigates the risk of what they may actually do with the Rolex afterward - plus it guards against AD misunderstandings and maintains trust with them.

Maybe establish clear boundaries with friends regarding how far you, as a friend, are willing to go to leverage relationships. Defining personal limits avoids the potential conflicted feelings you're having.

Weighing the "good feeling" of being helpful against the possible repercussions can aid in making the friends be aware of the flipping risk to your strategic relationship with the AD.

By reflecting on these factors you might navigate these relationships and relieve your angst in a more thoughtful manner with your friends and the AD as well....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Thank you all for your feedback.

Previously I did not have any trouble helping out my friends as the references they required were not what I would consider 'hugely flippable' and somewhat attainable with a little effort....thus did not have a problem informing the sales rep of the situation....and most of the time the watches required were sitting in the AD 'vault'

However, with the Ghost request that changes somewhat as this is not a watch the AD simply goes back to the 'vault' and produces....plus as someone rightly said consideration needs to made that someone elsewhere maybe missing out on the watch of their choice because I stepped in....I should also add if I was even 1% unsure that my friend may flip the watch then I wouldn't help him...but in this particular case I am not worried...also not worried on how it may impact my future purchasing power with the AD...but my gut feeling is that he would not be happy with the purchase of this reference for a friend....

Interesting dilemma, will think about it some more before deciding....thanks again

[1William]

I would not. Your relationship with your AD is yours and you have cultivated that through time and money spent through purchases. On desirable watches like a Daytona why should you put your relationship with the AD in any kind of situation other than getting watches for yourself. There are too many things that are outside of your control with the friend and once the watch is in his hands you have no say so in what happens. What is the upside for you? If you want to make an introduction to your AD that is fine and let your friend and the AD figure it out. Bad move in my opinion.