AD lies

[Sumit1]

I am not sure if it is the experience others on this site have had but I have been told by different AD’s that they never know what is coming in.

I now know it for a fact it is a lie. They definitely know ahead of time what is coming in.

Its just that I am not on their list of who they are going to give it to.

No issue with that - they have full prerogative of whom to sell what but why not be transparent.


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[123Blueface]

How would it help you to tell you what’s coming in, followed by but it’s not for you?

[Bozzie1982]

How do you know with absolute certainty?

[Calatrava r]

Apparently, ADs know their total allocation for the year but do not know when specific pieces will be delivered. There are still models they cannot order. Crazy way to run a business but final worldwide allocation decisions throughout the year are made in Geneva and many factors may affect those decisions.

[Shadow Play]

To the OP.

When you say the AD knows ahead of time what is coming in, just how many days in advance do they know?

There could be a breakdown of communication. I could envisage a situation where an AD may have been meaning they don’t know in advance prior to any shipment from Switzerland. You may mean once it’s being shipped they get notified.

It would helpful if you could provide a little more detail.

[slide13]

Just from listening to what people have heard and experienced here, it seems to be true that they don't know far in advance what they're receiving. It does seem that shortly before delivery they can tell what is coming, but it wouldn't surprise me if at some ADs that info never makes its way to the sales floor whereas at others it does.

This could lead to different impressions from different ADs depending on how they run their business and who has access to the information and how widely that information is shared internally.

While I'm sure plenty of ADs lie about plenty of things, I don't think the average sales person knows what is coming in on a shipment 3 weeks from now probably. Some may know what is coming within the week and others my not be privy to that information.

[Rollieo]

Originally Posted by Sumit1

I now know it for a fact it is a lie. They definitely know ahead of time what is coming in.

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Why make claims about this being fact without citing how you know this to be true.

[majidessa]

AD's do have some prior knowledge per allocation and according to previous experince. However, allocation for certain hot models models like Pepsi, Daytona ..etc is not always guaranteed. It is my understanding that ADs have some sort of wish list with Rolex, however what they actually recieve is up to the crown. Also, we need to take into consideration, country / location, AD size and relation to Rolex as not all ADs are created equal in terms of allcoation.

[bjespo]

I just spoke to my AD on Saturday and he told me they don’t what they get until they open the box. They have been very good to me so I have no reason to doubt him.

[corvax]

I feel your pain OP as I am on the same boat. Seems like regardless of what's coming in, we don't get "the call"

[bluestreak]

It is unclear to me why anyone would expect, or feel the deserve transparency from luxury watch ADs.

[njlam]

Originally Posted by Sumit1

I am not sure if it is the experience others on this site have had but I have been told by different AD’s that they never know what is coming in.

I now know it for a fact it is a lie. They definitely know ahead of time what is coming in.

Its just that I am not on their list of who they are going to give it to.

No issue with that - they have full prerogative of whom to sell what but why not be transparent.

I see you are from Princeton...are we talking about Hamilton?

[CarlOver]

Someone at the AD knows a handful of days before, but that info might not her disseminated to the SA. What happens to the inventory is at the mercy of the person in charge.

[Oxfordian]

My last conversation with the AD (WoS controlled store) about delivery notifications is that they know about 24-48 hours in advance of what they are getting from HQ.

[DoubleDeac]

I think they know, partially because some models can be ordered. Actually from what I have heard, some of the models, like the OP, are “difficult to get” partially because the margin on them are not very good and so ADs don’t want to waste their allocation space for those.

[Akacoke]

Why would it matter on what they get, when they get and how many they get anyway to you tho ?

[123Blueface]

Originally Posted by Oxfordian

My last conversation with the AD (WoS controlled store) about delivery notifications is that they know about 24-48 hours in advance of what they are getting from HQ.

That is 100% accurate.
Same in the US with a major retailer controlled by WoS as well.

[WilsdorfNDavis]

"I now know it for a fact it is a lie. They definitely know ahead of time what is coming in."

How do you "now know" this?

We need more context mate.

[KatGirl]

Originally Posted by Rollieo

Why make claims about this being fact without citing how you know this to be true.

It’s common sense. Of course they know what’s coming. Remember, the AD owns all of their stock, not Rolex. So they get an invoice which must be paid, prior to shipment. The invoice would have a detailed description of exactly what watches are coming.

Kat


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[0nly5iv3Digits]

Do they know what’s coming? Probably.

Does that mean they get what they ask for? Nope.

[WatchGuy1966]

Originally Posted by Sumit1

I am not sure if it is the experience others on this site have had but I have been told by different AD’s that they never know what is coming in.

I now know it for a fact it is a lie. They definitely know ahead of time what is coming in.

Its just that I am not on their list of who they are going to give it to.

No issue with that - they have full prerogative of whom to sell what but why not be transparent.


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Does it matter?

[OU812]

Originally Posted by DoubleDeac

I think they know, partially because some models can be ordered. Actually from what I have heard, some of the models, like the OP, are “difficult to get” partially because the margin on them are not very good and so ADs don’t want to waste their allocation space for those.

Although some models are "orderable", ADs don't know when they will come in. Might be a couple of weeks, might be months. An ADs "Basic stock model" contains all of the models that they expect to carry with specific quantities for each model. You'll either have that qty on hand or on order at any given time. Let's say you have 3 steel DJ36 as your basic. Your have 3 on order (ADs choice of dial/bracelet configuration), one comes in and you sell it, so you place another order in the queue. You can reorder whatever configuration each time you want. Margin % is the same on all watches, and allocation is by model, so they wouldn't be wasting any allocation space.

[Zach69SS]

I don’t think the SA know what is coming in, however Im sure that the AD knows more or less what they will get. I.E. 10 in SS mixed Sports and DJ and how many 8 TT and 5 PM pieces. So they have a general idea and as mentioned someone knows exactly what in coming as soon as it ships. Via bill of lading or some type of shipping confirmation.

Who gets what is a different story, maybe they put names is hat and pick them. Who knows? I was told the same thing by a AD manager, so I feel your pain and this can be very frustrating. But I could not say she was lying? I could have been that it’s above her pay grade.

Stick with it and don’t get discouraged visit a few ADs they will all be a different experience. You will get what you want or something you want eventually. I seen others get very lucky here all the time.


Cheers,

[garyk]

Originally Posted by Sumit1

I am not sure if it is the experience others on this site have had but I have been told by different AD’s that they never know what is coming in.

I now know it for a fact it is a lie. They definitely know ahead of time what is coming in.

Its just that I am not on their list of who they are going to give it to.

No issue with that - they have full prerogative of whom to sell what but why not be transparent.


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Oh boy what a fun thread today!!! Just love it when someone has all the facts

[Zach69SS]

Kat has A better answer than mine, I did not think of that, with a smaller Ad it would be that way for sure. Must be paid in advance, I’m sure Rolex does not do Net 30-60 with their ADs. Now with a WoS it’s the main Corporate Office that gets the bill and then they ship to the boutiques. So someone always knows what. Yes

[Oxfordian]

Originally Posted by KatGirl

It’s common sense. Of course they know what’s coming. Remember, the AD owns all of their stock, not Rolex. So they get an invoice which must be paid, prior to shipment. The invoice would have a detailed description of exactly what watches are coming.

Kat


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This would depend on the individual store, if the store is an independent dealing direct with Rolex (Your Country) then yes it may have more of a heads up of what is coming in.

But if the store is part of a chain then it is the HO that deals with Rolex and the HO that decides what is going where, so internally the store would be advised that on this weeks shipment it will have the following;........

How soon the store gets that advice depends on how quickly the HO deal with the communication from Rolex, sorts the delivery and gets the info out to the stores.

I would say that in most circumstances 48/72 hours is the max notice with 24/48 hours about average irrespective of whether the store is independent or multiple.

One point I would query is your comment about invoices being paid before shipment, I would have assumed that normal business practices would apply and invoices would be paid after goods have been received, 21 days for example.

[ronricks]

Originally Posted by Sumit1

I am not sure if it is the experience others on this site have had but I have been told by different AD’s that they never know what is coming in.

I now know it for a fact it is a lie. They definitely know ahead of time what is coming in.

Its just that I am not on their list of who they are going to give it to.

No issue with that - they have full prerogative of whom to sell what but why not be transparent.


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I think certain AD’s know what is coming in. For example my AD has shown me on his iPhone what is coming in that Friday. It’s a WoS store that does huge volume. There are different tiers of AD’s. I don’t think the small mom and pop type places are treated the same by Rolex and I know the quantity they get is far less as well.

[NAUI1982]

Originally Posted by bjespo

I just spoke to my AD on Saturday and he told me they don’t what they get until they open the box. They have been very good to me so I have no reason to doubt him.

Yes, that’s a lie. They know exactly what’s coming in, they’re looking in their dealer portal and can see what’s inbound each month. They can also order through the portal, discretionary pieces, only a handful each month. It’s those pieces they have some uncertainty on until it’s sent, in which case, it’s visible in the dealer portal and they know exactly what is arriving!

So net, they absolutely know what is coming.

[HMHM]

[Harry-57]

Originally Posted by Oxfordian

My last conversation with the AD (WoS controlled store) about delivery notifications is that they know about 24-48 hours in advance of what they are getting from HQ.

This tracks with my AD. IIRC the Rolex buyer and store owner get the forward information, the SAs do not, at least in the first instance. When speaking about a watch someone wants which will arrive in a future allocation it is correct that they don't know what they are getting when. Some model delivery allocations stretch over years.