Reply With QuoteFor me, it's all about the chase, once you have it, the chase is over.
Hi,
Ive had access to the SC for a week or so now, I just can get how so many watches are passed around all the time. One watch there had four or so owners that are current members and a couple of them even posted on the thread how nice the watch was (and im sure that wasnt a record).
So if you are a flipper, Is it that you buy a watch having never tried one on and you're just curious? Or is it an expensive game? Personally if I saw a watch that had so many recent owners I would be wary. Just in the same way that a recent car with lots of owners would make me think twice.
So what makes you flip?
For me, it's all about the chase, once you have it, the chase is over.
I think that its just nice to try lots of different watches
Unless you have lots of cash then you need to sell to raise funds for the next
One of the reasons 'pass arounds' are so popular I guess. Im signed up for the next one.
Anyone selling watches with issues wouldn't do so for long without this being common knowledge. Doesnt bother me how many owner a watch has had especially if they are members here
The desire to try something new and buying and selling though SC is much better than doing it through dealers.
Sometimes or get board with a watch other times it's magpie syndrome. For me knowing it's had a few careful forum owners and it's provenance is better than the unknown
Originally Posted by watkins101
It's probably a form of autism.
Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.
+1 here, Amen!
I am here, 7-8 years later since my chase started and I'm one of those really weird, freakish flippers!I mean, right now I've managed to bring the number down to little over 10 watches but I went through more than 120-130 watches in those years.
And yes, it cost me a bit to do that, especially living in the middle of nowhere as I do.
More like fetishism
Last edited by Dan83bz; 1st January 2014 at 23:23.
I am a self confessed flipper. I don't have the time or any decent watch shops near where I live so if I like a photo, I will buy the watch, be it on SC, eBay, chrono24, wherever!! When I receive it I try it on and sometimes it heads straight back out again. Some I keep for a while longer and some I just keep period. It doesn't bother me how many owners it has had before as long as the condition is good. Flipping is what makes TZ so good!!!
It's just great to try different watches don't be wary of one that gets passed around as there are many other members on here just like myself :)
It's called evolution.
I may be wrong but I think your thread refers to this
For me it was a watch that Merlin posted on the Friday thread and I knew that I wanted to try it but it wasn't for sale.After about 6 months and in fairness alot of banter between us he offered it to me and I accepted.In my view probably one of the finest watches I have owned however I traded it probably within 4 weeks to try something completely different and regretted it.One thing about flipping is that over time you learn lessons about watches and if you get it right you get to interact with other members of the forum.
That is just one reason why this Forum is a great place to be but I guess it might seem a little strange to new members.I am aware of 3 of its owners excluding myself and the way I work is that if any of those members contacted me about anything and I could help them then I would.Its a community thing.
If the new owner reads this and has sorted out the new link then when your ready to sell Please PM me
Flipping does cost money but you get to know about different models and at least you can say well I had one of them and these are my thoughts and these thoughts will be based on truth and not hearsay.
If it wasn't that IWC then I apologise but hopefully you get the idea. If it was then I hope that helps
I am a serial flipper, yet I feel fortunate to be able to have had so many lovely watches grace my wrist since joining this forum.
However 2014 is the year I will be buying back the watches I should never have sold. It is only after you have lost, do you truly appreciate what you had.
“Don’t look back, you’re not heading that way.”
Which watches are you after?
I have to say the whole concept seems alien to me. I still have every watch I've ever owned (including my 1st ever watch what was a Timex when I was about 7 or 8) and I would never dream of selling any of them.
Having said that I can appreciate that by selling a few off does enable you to obtain new ones earlier - and if a person enjoys the aspect of buying and selling then all well and good.
First on my list is a Panerai 233 (dot dial) followed by a Sinn 156
“Don’t look back, you’re not heading that way.”
I never used to flip like I have done this past 12 months or so , I think once you sell one to fund another it does get pretty addictive. You see one and think I'd like that but don't have the funds right now ,so what don't I really wear much ? Would I rather have it or the new one ? And before you know it ones gone and another's come in then the cycle repeats itself........
Yes that was the one, I wasn't trying to suggest there would be a fault with a well flipped watch but something intrinsically wrong with it ( the design or strap comfort for instance). I get the idea of wanting a watch but if its just the chase then you want rid its lost on me. I could understand if you could buy a bargain and if you didn't like it move it on for a profit but that seems to be frowned upon here.I may be wrong but I think your thread refers to this
For me it was a watch that Merlin posted on the Friday thread and I knew that I wanted to try it but it wasn't for sale.After about 6 months and in fairness alot of banter between us he offered it to me and I accepted.In my view probably one of the finest watches I have owned however I traded it probably within 4 weeks to try something completely different and regretted it.One thing about flipping is that over time you learn lessons about watches and if you get it right you get to interact with other members of the forum.
That is just one reason why this Forum is a great place to be but I guess it might seem a little strange to new members.I am aware of 3 of its owners excluding myself and the way I work is that if any of those members contacted me about anything and I could help them then I would.Its a community thing.
If the new owner reads this and has sorted out the new link then when your ready to sell Please PM me
Flipping does cost money but you get to know about different models and at least you can say well I had one of them and these are my thoughts and these thoughts will be based on truth and not hearsay.
If it wasn't that IWC then I apologise but hopefully you get the idea. If it was then I hope that helps
I thought it was and I understand your question.No the forum is certainly not about buying and selling for a profit.If thats why someone comes here then they wont last long.There are Forum Police that will suss any profiteers movements
This is not a place to buy a bargain and move at a profit. Join the forum and be prepared to lose money.But gain knowledge and friends.
Last edited by itsgotournameonit; 2nd January 2014 at 01:52.
So does this mean is many instances you will lose a small percentage of money, that is just part of the yearly expenditure of the hobby. And what about the hassle of parcelling etc?
No not necessarily.Buy your ideal watch and make sure you wrap it in cotton wool or stow it in a safe and with the right pictures and listing details you might get your money back if your lucky.And wrapping and parceling is down to the seller.Sorry we don't have paypal rules here.Its all about trust. You will have to gain it before you even get a peek .
Be prepared to lose money. But you can wear some lovely watches if you join the gang
Last edited by itsgotournameonit; 2nd January 2014 at 03:02.
For me it's all about trying different models, diver, dressy, aviator etc and different power sources, auto, quartz, solar, kinetic until you find what you like. Or several you like in my case 👍
Before joining TZ it was far more difficult and expensive to flip watches.
In 2014 I plan to try as many different brands as I can before I finally save enough cash for a significant purchase. I really want to be sure what I like before I take the plunge.
Deals on SC and the level of photography are also too tempting which is a huge influence!
I bought my 1st watch on about day 3 of joining here lol
Ask for a watch you are after and people pm you, I bought straight away.
I was after a few and already bought 1 of the watch's I was after, I dare not email any one back if they are still for sale other wise I will have 6 new watches and be skint already.
I did ofcourse let the people know who pm I was buying another watch straight away.
Not got into the selling concept yet as I find that a lot harder to do.
Maybe when I have a few more I won't mind selling.
I am still really after 2 or maybe 3 items, but I think my iwc will have to wait as I do really lust after a mk1 rolex LV, and decided on a later model with the engraving, now just to find my perfect one at the price I am willing to pay, as UK prices seem way more then a quick flight the Germany.
Not sure if LV come up for sale much on SC though, as a lot of people seem to want one.
Again maybe once I have it, the lust may have vanished for it and it might be my 1st flip, who knows.
I bought an inexpensive watch yesterday from SC that will arrive over the next few days. I noticed it on SC before Xmas and think it has sold about 4 times in the last 6 months. Is it a keeper .......highly unlikely but looking forward to receiving it all the same.
I have my rules, one in one out, so if I got my eyes on something, I need to sell - easy as that.
Unfortunately there's so many watches to try...
but how many do you own to get to the "one in one out" stage :-)
Benefit cheats, poor driving, junk mail, people dropping litter, excessive power bills...
Oh, watches!
Fickleness.
I dont flip watches, i buy the ones i want and am careful to make sure i spend my hard earned wisely.
i love looking at sales corner, but when i see a watch which has been passed around a lot, it kind of puts me off: it makes me think the watch cant be all that great as so many people get rid. I feel similarly about those sales posts full of gushing superlatives about how classic a watch is and how great it is and desirable and so on and so forth. If those things are so true, why is the seller getting rid?
Chasing something (you think at the time) is better / nice than what you currently have is my motivation and as long as you buy sensibly in the first place, you can change watches with modest net expenditure.
I still flip quite a few, but I've reached a point where I don't really want to put more money into watches in total and I have quite a large (20+) collection so I don't really want more watches, therefore I'm generally in "one in, one out" mode. The trouble is I really like what I've had, so selling is quite difficult.
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
It's nice to try new watches but with so much choice it will become expensive!!
I smiled when I read this. Is that even possible when it comes to watches. Liking and collecting Swiss German and high end Japanese watches is an expensive game.
you are right. It is, or atleast can be, a very expensive game indeed! I would say it is possible though
For me though , the price of a watch is as important as it's dimensions, aesthetics, heritage etc etc. I buy watches with the money i can hold in my hands, i dont get them on credit and as such, as i have mentioned previously, there is a ceiling on the cost of the watches i will own. I dont particularly aspire to the likes of PP and AP as no matter what, they will always be too expensive to me (or i will always be too much of a pauper) and as such, i couldnt be less interested in owning their offerings.
that doesnt necessarily mean i dont enjoying seeing the pictures and posts about them though.
As I have made a couple of purchases in the last few months, I think I am going to sell a watch for the first time. It's one that I did not expect to sell but as you acquire more knowledge you realise what you like and what you don't.
I keep most of my watches for quite a while - but at other times, I feel like I have to try a particular genre or model, but the core of my collection stays the same - a few years ago I tried out a handful of Speedmasters for example, before deciding none of them were really for me - that was an expensive exercise (or lesson) to learn.
Then there are times when an offer comes along that is too good not to take up - the Ball watches sale for example, I tried out the skindiver and it was a great watch and reduced to a little under £800 -so partially as an exercise and the tone of some of the comments about the watch not holding it's value, I popped mine on ebay and it would have gone for over £1k, if I hadn't agreed to sell it early to a buyer who had previously bought one or two of my older watches - but it still made more than £200 over the sale price and was worth every penny of it! I tried a Bulova last boxing day, it was a great sale price, the watch was great for the money and it cost very little to try it out.
I've tried most of Eddie's watches, not all new - but quite a few were, and you are going to lose much if you do buy them new. They are a great way to try lots of different styles of watch, and some of them have a nice spot in my collection, even next to watches costing over 50 times more. The 29B is just lovely, and the Speedbird GMT is a favourite of mine. The Dreadnought GMT is a step up from most boutique divers I've ever handled - and just typing that makes me think I may have to reconsider the sale of mine - the only thing close is probably a U1 Sinn, but no GMT function an there are never going to be many Voyagers in existence.
The one brand that has cost me the most to try and flip has been Breitling. You really need to buy very keenly if you are not the sort to keep for life - but then there are lots of brands like that.
It's just a matter of time...
Not on SC here but have flipped quite a few elsewhere in last year or two.
Why do I flip? Buying watches unseen, then realising they are not right for me.
Have lost a small fortune in the past couple of years (thank you Omega), but have at least learned what I like, and learned to be happy with what I have.
Hopefully flipping is now a thing of the past.
This. I've learned to ignore the hype - most of the watches I have flipped have been forum 'must haves' that turned out to be big disappointments.
I don't think it's quite the same as several people having had a car tbh,several careful owners of a watch passed around like minded appreciative watch enthusiasts is a lot less problematic I would say and wouldn't put me off.
For me it's the struggling to justify a certain amount of watches and so something has to go,simple as that.Take now,I'm reducing my collection yet again!,and then the cycle starts again.
Madness...utter madness,but it's safe and no one is injured in the process :)
I've not got to the selling stage yet. I still have most of my watches including my first watch. Only realised exactly how many watches we had collected when we put them all in one place and had to buy five aluminium watch boxes to hold them.
I now need to be more focussed on purchases and stop buying on impulse. Possibly I should not have registered and started to post to gain access to SC!!!
Is it solely a financial point that makes most people flip?
Barry
For me, it's a bit like renting a watch for a couple of months. I buy a watch I'd like to try, wear it, sell it on at (usually) a small loss, buy something else.
Being a WIS is like a strange illness.
Already owned in 2013 and sold in 2013: 2 (both Seiko's)
Bought in 2013 and still in my possession: 2 (the Daytona and another Seiko, a SKJ003P).
Bought / sold / flipped / traded within 2013:
* 11 Seiko
* 1 Citizen
* 2 Breitling
* 1 Zenith
* 1 Tudor
* 1 Rolex
* 1 CWC
for a grand total of 40 transactions (!)
Good effort!
Yesterday I had a breakthrough in thinking about my intentions for my 25(+/-), I prefer to avoid a definitive count, non-beater watch collection.
Of these all were bought new, nearly all in the past four years, the most costly six are from Seiko, 10 are from or via Timefactors and non are worn for work. As I clearly have too many, offering some for sale seemed inevitable and early candidates have been set aside for a while.
Yesterday I changed my mind. Firstly, I admit that although I have never bought or sold on Sales Corner, the time consuming process of photographing and selling has continually put me off. Secondly, I realised that there is nothing else I really want at present. But most importantly, I realised that I enjoy owning and am sort of attached to what I have now, even though they might not be perfect and I wouldn't necessarily buy them all again.
Okay, so there will always be rushes of excitement causing momentarily altered thinking (my latest was the Omega TA posted by Geralt under the 'Perfection' thread), but right now I am content.
Couldn't agree more! There is one watch that I wouldn't flip tho. Heuer 2446 GMT :D
Thanks. It's the fun part of the madness.
I have lost a lot of money flipping watches but if I hadn't then I don't think I would have found my grail set of watches. So content but at a price !
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