Reply With QuoteDon't get me started on them :x Clinically efficient but very pricey IMOOriginally Posted by Murphster
Hi folks,
For some time now I've been using the site http://www.watches.co.ukto get an idea of market prices, etc. I've noticed recently that I'm unable to access their site though their RSS feed works perfectly well. Does anyone else have the same problem? I'm using Safari and Firefox on a MacBook.
Second question: has anyone bought from them? If so, what were they like?
Regards,
Murphster
Don't get me started on them :x Clinically efficient but very pricey IMO
Don't ever try and sell a watch to them, they offered me £1500 below what it sold for on SC, an when I did question the offered price i received an immature reply via e-mail.
I haven't used them, but I wouldn't say they are expensive by London shop standards. I only look at their older watches mind you.
I think generallty they get quite a good press on here. Yes, they'll offer you a low price on a sale but but what shop doesn't do that? Selling to dealers isn't the way to get the best price.
I have used them, some years back when I wanted to buy a a Rolex Sub date.
I was working close to them and had seen their adverts and site.
I found them helpful and polite by phone, went to see them, and we did a deal.
Saw a guy called John, and a lady - Dee. Both very helpful.
The watch developed a minor issue a month or so afterwards with the bezel. Explained all by phone, they said they could sort it when I called in or posted watch. I didn't want to post, and would be working there within a week or two again, so they were fine with that, provided I could let them know when I intended to call they would sort it.
I visited again, they replaced the bezel and click spring with a new one, in Rolex packaging. Sorted.
So, my impression, very good. Open to negotiation - slightly - when buying, and good as gold when a problem arose.
I was also offered a ridiculously low price by them for my Flightmaster which had just been overhauled. Didn't bother replying!
I've purchased a Rolex SD from them before. Excellent service. Pricey at the time, but that was in 2004 and the SD was £2495. :shock:
I've attempted to sell before but the experience wasn't so good. Ridiculously lowball offer and very patronising when I queried it. I was going to sell them a Moonwatch, which was perfect but had a small swirlie on the acrylic crystal. This could have easily been polished out by polywatch so I didn't think twice about it. They considered this almost unsellable to justify the lowball offer. I refused, got the patronising comment and polished out the swirlie to perfection in about 1 minute. :roll:
I'm beginning to see why Sales Corner is so popular!
Popular because many of us have traded multiple times with each other - like buying from mates. Also, because it is a hobby, most don't look to make money and are happy to let watches go at bargain prices to 'genuine' homes.
I'm newly joined to this forum but already I have 2 items at good prices .. and having paid over the odds in earlier years for items off Ebay and the like I think you cannot beat a good forum for buying and selling if you are not just out to make money. After a while everyone gets to know the people who ask too much.Popular because many of us have traded multiple times with each other - like buying from mates. Also, because it is a hobby, most don't look to make money and are happy to let watches go at bargain prices to 'genuine' homes.
The same scene exists on a couple of Hi Fi forums I am on. Folks will look after you once they see you are a fair person yourself.
I once had a 1200 pound amplifier loaned to me for a week just on the strength of 4 or 5 PM's on the forum without even having met the person in question.
It seems I am lucky to have found a similar forum for watches and i look forward to getting to know some of you in the future ..
Cheers
Brian
There website works terribly on my laptop, very slow and jerky to scroll down, I use IE(8?) so there shouldn't be a compatibility issue.
I really rate the company and would highly recommend them, probably even better than many AD's. I have read of a few people being offended by lowball offers from them but I really can't believe they are that different than most of the other grey market dealers.
As for the problems viewing the site I'm not so sure although I have also been having difficulty scrolling through the pages of late? :?
I spoke to them last week, was in the market to spend a few £'s. I offered a nearly new watch up for p/x ...they tried it on with me, saying that they weren't interested in my watch at all, then they changed their mind and quoted me the new price for my watch (in dollars!!) , when I mentioned the dreaded VAT they changed their mind and offered me a ridiculous price for it....obviously, I didn't accept :evil:
Agreed 100%, selling to them is to be avoided at all costs IMO, they iniatially offered me £700 sight unseen for my Omega PO, then went back on their offer when they examined the watch and advised me that the 'gouge' (their words !) in the bezel would deem it unsellable on their site. I suggest their loupes are on 1,000,000 x magnification as the gouge would be classed as dink on this fine forum (soz, couldn't find the dink smiley !)
I don't have any problem looking at the website, either on laptop or on Blackberry... so I guess it's a techncal issue at your end.
As far as the cmpany goes, they are fantastic! I don't understand why people get so worked up over private businesses making money? In every industry there are always middle-men, traders, importers authorised and unauthorised service centers, etc. Think of the motor trade - How many of us take our cars to the local, experienced, competent garage for a service because we don't want to pay maindealer prices?!!! Again, the IT industry has similar companies all competing.
Why should watches be any different? Because we on this site are passionate about watches and trade within our peer group at "wholesale" prices it should not mean that we overlook the fact that there is a "street" market out there in which others can and do operate. So, don't be offended with offers, negotiate back... and if you're not happy don't trade. It's always your choice.
I have dealt with them many times and the team at SWC are very friendly, professional and extremely knowledgeable and provide a damn good (and in my view necesary) service!
I've never bought or sold from/to them, but I do keep an eye on their site for things on my 'must have one of these' list. I've never seen anything on their site with a dink on a visible part of the watch, and stuff that they grade 9.5/10 tends to be for things like bracelet stretch. So I can understand them 'lowballing' anything with visible damage. If they take something as a P/X and can't put the piece on their site, they will have to move it on, which will cost them something. At the end of the day, they are a business, in it to make money. Expecting anything else is a bit naive IMHO.Agreed 100%, selling to them is to be avoided at all costs IMO, they iniatially offered me £700 sight unseen for my Omega PO, then went back on their offer when they examined the watch and advised me that the 'gouge' (their words !) in the bezel would deem it unsellable on their site. I suggest their loupes are on 1,000,000 x magnification as the gouge would be classed as dink on this fine forum (soz, couldn't find the dink smiley !)
Well, I still can't access their site; quite annoying since they've listed a load of GMT Masters on heir RSS feed, and it's a watch I'm really interested in at the moment. Still, their prices do seem on the high side!
I've used them many, many times, yes their prices are high but you get the best examples in super condition which have in many cases been serviced in-house too. The service I have received from John, Tim and the gang has always been flawless, they are extremely knowledgeable and have a wonderful selection of stock.
At the end of the day they have bricks and mortar premises in Chiswick and staff to pay, in other words they run a business, so what else do you expect?
Goldsmiths/WoS pre-owned selection is bought in at rock bottom prices from their previous owners and sold at a similar if not higher retail level.
Anyhow, i'll continue to buy from them and if you don't like their p/x prices just sell on Sales Corner.
Sanjay :)
I have to Agree bought a Rose Gold day date off them a couple of years ago and the service from John And Dee was excellent, then some years later i wanted to sell my 1675 GMT in immaculate condition and they offered me £1000 for it with a slight immature reply when i queried it as stated before i think they are not too bad for buying their after sales service is excellent but as they have to pay the bills forget selling to them unless its a last resort !!!
Same here, i've bought two watches from them and the service was one of the best on-line that i've experienced.
But when I queried a Super lowball offer they gave me for a watch, I received an immature reply.
The result of this is that i'll never buy from them again.
Don't know whether I imagined it but I think I saw a TV advert for them on something like Channel 5 the other day.....guess they must be making some money somewhere :-)
You cant beat sales corner for a fair price.
Another inane comment - listing something on SC soon by chance? :wink:
There is a street market out there? :shock:
That's the first time I hear of it. :bom:
john
Every watch a story.
i tried to buy one, paid the money and then some 4 weeks later it still had not arrived for a birthday present asked for my money back.
I would never use them,
As stated, buying off them isn't too bad, they offer a good service, but never ever go there to part ex or sell, i was after a part ex on another watch, their offer was actually 2k less than Blowers, and that was with watches stating that it would lower if the condition wasn't mint :shock:
I just don't think they're a valid place to go for part ex's, with this example, they had their watch on at the top of the pricing scale, it was just not a real option to even contemplate it, when it comes to grey dealers I look and speak to Blowers first, watches.co.uk tend to be the last one i view.
It's also interesting to note that they don't seem to be getting that many new watches in, compared to a while ago. You look at Blowers and others and they have new stock daily, with some really nice stuff coming through, then you look at watches.co.uk and they have a few bits coming in each week, some nice bits but not that many, which tells me a lot of people tend to use them as a last resort, because for a London grey dealer to be behind companies in the midlands and yorkshire tells its own story.
Watches.co.uk .....good
blowers-jewellers.co.uk .....better
Both dealers... so fair to expect higher prices / lower offers.
When it comes to selling i dare say both are good, if they have what you want at a price you are willing to pay, it's only part ex and sales where they tend to be different, although again from experience that's my view, but maybe others have a different one?
Anyway, as always the best bet is sales corner, when you get as mad as us with watches grey dealers and ADs become those horrible places that cost you money in a deal, whereas two WIS' can do a trade without either losing out cash wise, grey dealers are really a middleman that takes their cut.
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