Selling to Boutique member?

[RickinArizona]

What is the best way to determine a fair asking price when selling to a Rolex Forum's Boutique member? Is there a reliable source for valuations of various models?

[Kevin of Larchmont]

Boutique member?

[Calatrava r]

Professional sellers will tell you what cash they will pay on delivery for your watch to them and upon inspection confirming as represented. You can either accept or look elsewhere to sell it.

[Flypanam]

A seller will give you less for your watch than what it is worth on the secondary market because they have to resell it and make money. The plus side is that it's easy to deal with them, rather than try to sell the watch on your own, particularly if you don't have experience or history selling yourself through various avenues. Also, there is no guarantee your watch will actually sell, even if you list it yourself.

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by Flypanam

A seller will give you less for your watch than what it is worth on the secondary market because they have to resell it and make money. The plus side is that it's easy to deal with them, rather than try to sell the watch on your own, particularly if you don't have experience or history selling yourself through various avenues. Also, there is no guarantee your watch will actually sell, even if you list it yourself.

Well said

[train-time]

Originally Posted by Calatrava r

Professional sellers will tell you what cash they will pay on delivery for your watch to them and upon inspection confirming as represented. You can either accept or look elsewhere to sell it.

Originally Posted by Flypanam

A seller will give you less for your watch than what it is worth on the secondary market because they have to resell it and make money. The plus side is that it's easy to deal with them, rather than try to sell the watch on your own, particularly if you don't have experience or history selling yourself through various avenues. Also, there is no guarantee your watch will actually sell, even if you list it yourself.

Exactly right and excellent commentary and advice!

I have sold many watches this way. It's convenient, safe, and the Boutique seller takes the risk. I sold a bunch of my collection off late Winter 2023, March/April 2023 if I recall, to one of the Boutique sellers. He still has one of the pieces sitting on his website for sale for over a year and a half. I guess he really did assume the risk with this piece!

[Marcjvr]

After my last watch sale I will never go down the road of trying to sell to a private buyer again

Not worth the incredible hassle and headaches they put through. By the end of the deal I was wishing he had just been a scammer who grabbed my watch and ran and saved me weeks of misery

[SudiYunus]

Originally Posted by Marcjvr

After my last watch sale I will never go down the road of trying to sell to a private buyer again

Not worth the incredible hassle and headaches they put through. By the end of the deal I was wishing he had just been a scammer who grabbed my watch and ran and saved me weeks of misery

[ArtNouveau]

I sold a BLNR to Takuya a few years ago when I lived in Houston. He is there part time, was actually out of town then, but he had me take it to his watchmaker to be examined. The agent then called him and put me on the phone, he made me a decent offer, and had Paypal’ed me the money before I left the shop.
He sold it for more of course but there was no risk for me, priceless.

[dmash]

Originally Posted by ArtNouveau

I sold a BLNR to Takuya a few years ago when I lived in Houston. He is there part time, was actually out of town then, but he had me take it to his watchmaker to be examined. The agent then called him and put me on the phone, he made me a decent offer, and had Paypal’ed me the money before I left the shop.
He sold it for more of course but there was no risk for me, priceless.

I find it amusing that people genuinely get upset (watches, cars, any tangible product) when they get a fair offer which they agree, then see a seller list for 20-30% more. As if they don’t have margins, risk, time invested in selling something. It’s like they expect all this to happen and a seller should make $100. Nuts

[996marty]

Something is only worth what someone is prepared to pay for it and in this case what the trusted reseller values it at.

[joli160]

Market price -30 or 40 % depending on the model. Some models they will not buy at all.

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by joli160

Market price -30 or 40 % depending on the model. Some models they will not buy at all.

This has been my experience as well

When I was selling my SD43, a well known gray dealer told me they weren’t interested in buying that model as the market is weak. I ended up selling it privately in the end.

[1William]

I prefer to sell to Trusted Sellers as the process is more user friendly and the funds are available once they receive the watch. The big thing about Trusted Sellers is you will get less than private sales but avoid a lot of the headaches.

[Maleg]

Originally Posted by joli160

Market price -30 or 40 % depending on the model. Some models they will not buy at all.

Originally Posted by brandrea

This has been my experience as well

When I was selling my SD43, a well known gray dealer told me they weren’t interested in buying that model as the market is weak. I ended up selling it privately in the end.

In early summer DSW offered me 30% of the secondary retail value for a hot model. He had the same watch on his web page. A pawnshop in town offered me 50% of secondary retail. I sold it on ebay for the average C24 price.

It says something when a pawnshop offers more than a favored watch monger.

[RickinArizona]

OP here. This is some good feedback. I agree that hassle and risk makes selling privately much less desirable than a clean wholesale transaction. Mine is an infrequently worn SS Daytona (bought new in 2011) white face so I'm fairly sure it's a popular model.

As an interesting aside, in 2012, my son and I were at an Audi R8 promotional dinner where they had two noted racers circulating and spending 15 minutes with each pair of guests. When he was with us, Davy Jones pointed to my watch, then his, and smiled. I told my son that Davy received his for actually winning the 24 hours outright. [He's also won the 24 hours of Le Mans]. It's good to see the "real thing" out in the field. The other racer was Roberto Guerrero, who is best known for winning the pole at Indy and then spinning out of the race on the warm up lap - cold tires paired with too much throttle. Ouch.

[77T]

I guess the best answer for the OP is to shop his watch around the better volume dealers.

What's that?

It could be some of the boutique dealers or a combination of volume dealers who mark more "SOLD" deals over the past 30 days than the others.

But it is also a good idea to pick one or two who are within an hour or two of your hometown. That way a meet-up might be possible.

Or just go to a pawn shop...


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[Hollie_Rollie]

Originally Posted by dmash

I find it amusing that people genuinely get upset (watches, cars, any tangible product) when they get a fair offer which they agree, then see a seller list for 20-30% more. As if they don’t have margins, risk, time invested in selling something. It’s like they expect all this to happen and a seller should make $100. Nuts

I think it’s more on the other end of the process that ppl get upset. They low ball you on your sell to them but try negotiating with them. They so angry that we aren’t begging and groveling to pay their asking price. There are a couple like that on here. I guess back to selling used cars for them


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[Hollie_Rollie]

Originally Posted by Maleg

In early summer DSW offered me 30% of the secondary retail value for a hot model. He had the same watch on his web page. A pawnshop in town offered me 50% of secondary retail. I sold it on ebay for the average C24 price.

It says something when a pawnshop offers more than a favored watch monger.

“Favored watch monger” I love it! Thats how I’m referring to him now.


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[dmash]

Originally Posted by Hollie_Rollie

I think it’s more on the other end of the process that ppl get upset. They low ball you on your sell to them but try negotiating with them. They so angry that we aren’t begging and groveling to pay their asking price. There are a couple like that on here. I guess back to selling used cars for them


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No I get that part for sure. Watchfinder for example recently offered me $10,000/25% less on one of my timepieces than any other dealer. Then had the audacity to call follow up saying ‘we’d really like this!’. Of course you would with that clown offer, lol.

But I’ve definitely seen people vent that a grey is listing their watch for a few grand/30% above what they paid. It’s ridiculous, they’re a business, it’s to be expected. This part is silly.

[Andy0331]

As most have noted, a trusted seller/grey will give you less than the market retail (to varying degrees), but the process is simple.

It's no different than selling anything of value; if you sell to a professional, they will offer less, with expectations they will profit (and assume all risk). Selling cars, houses, precious metals, etc; it's all the same unless you sell directly to the end user and handle the process yourself. The businesses are providing a service at a cost.