Negotiating Watches at Retail/Boutique Stores

[JayJay]

^^^My best deals have been with independent ADs, too.

 

[Blake686]

Just curious, what are the tactics to get the best discount? It's kind of difficult to know everything about the pricing and how bad the dealr wants to move it. Any thoughts?

 

[Captain Winky]

Originally Posted by Blake686

Just curious, what are the tactics to get the best discount? It's kind of difficult to know everything about the pricing and how bad the dealr wants to move it. Any thoughts?

Here's what you want to do before you go in:

1. Have a referral. This helps a lot.
2. Research what the watch goes for in the grey market, you probably won't get 5% more than that off.
3. Decide what you're willing to pay in advance and stick to it.

Once inside:

1. Feel out the sales person, your instinct will tell you if they're up for haggling.
2. Tell them that you rarely buy the first time you try, you have to think about it, and they might want to give you a # to think about.
3. Just come out and ask if the price on the tag is the actual price, and if not, what that price is.
4. When they give you a bad offer, tell them you already have an offer for xx% off, but you've heard good things about this shop, like to buy local, etc.
5. Ask how much more off for paying cash, if you want to pay cash.

 

[Xiaogou]

Originally Posted by rajesh06

The AD I bought my JLC from offered me a fair discount right away. I consider fair to be within 5% of the internet grey market.

Once a year at the Diamond Cellar in December (1st Saturday), you can get 25% off JLC, Tag, RW, Cartier, and 3 other Swiss brands. PM me if you want more details.

 

[Blake686]

Originally Posted by Captain Winky

Here's what you want to do before you go in:

1. Have a referral. This helps a lot.
2. Research what the watch goes for in the grey market, you probably won't get 5% more than that off.
3. Decide what you're willing to pay in advance and stick to it.

Once inside:

1. Feel out the sales person, your instinct will tell you if they're up for haggling.
2. Tell them that you rarely buy the first time you try, you have to think about it, and they might want to give you a # to think about.
3. Just come out and ask if the price on the tag is the actual price, and if not, what that price is.
4. When they give you a bad offer, tell them you already have an offer for xx% off, but you've heard good things about this shop, like to buy local, etc.
5. Ask how much more off for paying cash, if you want to pay cash.

Thanks, much appreciated!

 

[exchange239]

Curious to know if anyone has had any direct experience negotiating at botique shops (such as a Omega Boutique or Cartier Boutique)?

 

[Omega Man]

Originally Posted by exchange239

Curious to know if anyone has had any direct experience negotiating at botique shops (such as a Omega Boutique or Cartier Boutique)?

Don't have any direct experience. But from reading above, I think it would be near impossible in a Carier Boutique, perhaps less so in a Omega.

 

[hst]

Originally Posted by gazman70k

It is useless to make these broad sweeping generalisation on discounts. So perhaps a discussion on what factors drive discounting is more relevant.

Brand - branding support is critical, since if a brand is not well supported, AD's are likely to dump (i.e. reduce their mark-up to move and let me tell you that those mark-ups are huge!)

Models - all brands have a portfolio of models, some that do well and other less so. ADs discount slower moving models but retain a portfolio margin by not discounting the iconic ones.

Materials - precious metal and steel models have different price points and margins. ADs tend to discount two tone models more readily since they are like the bastard child, neither here nor there but priced high. Also the margins on the precious metal models are higher, and hence more prevelant to discounting if the AD needs to move stock.

Timing - Most ADs actually buy an annual stock of models, which means that if a certain piece is not moving by the time new stock is expected to arrive, then discounting will occur. Also, there is a timing on the exchange rates used by the AD on when he bought the stock and versus when he is selling it since he is able to arbitrage on the exchange rate to give a customer a better deal if its to his favour.

In summary, it is possible to find discounts from ADs on Pateks and AP but without knowing the above four information, it is useless to say that ALL ADs ARE DISCOUNTING PATEKS AND APs AT XX%. Also for certain brands, they will crack down hard on an AD that discounts too much. I know several ADs that have loss Patek concessions due to "over aggressive" pricing behaviours.

This is a good summary.
Probably stating the obvious here. Another factor will be your relationship with the AD. The more important you are as a customer, the more likely you are able to extract a better discount. Hence, one should not always expect to get the same discount by going to the same shop to get the same watch as another person.

 

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by hst

This is a good summary.
Probably stating the obvious here. Another factor will be your relationship with the AD. The more important you are as a customer, the more likely you are able to extract a better discount. Hence, one should not always expect to get the same discount by going to the same shop to get the same watch as another person.
Good point, in addition to what you quoted. The relationship with the AD really helps with deals and when there are issues.

 

[Captain Winky]

Originally Posted by Omega Man

Don't have any direct experience. But from reading above, I think it would be near impossible in a Carier Boutique, perhaps less so in a Omega.

Someone above mentioned discounts at the Omega boutique, though my experience at the BH one was the opposite. I was, however, looking at a brand new model, though the lady said no discounting occurs. Same story at IWC boutique. I haven't actually gone into a Cartier boutique, but given the already ultra-low discounts from grey dealers and the fact that it's one of the most prestigious names in mainstream jewelry, I think that would be a difficult place to negotiate, perhaps second only to the new Rolex boutique in Century City, owned by Geary's in BH. Geary's is also a terrible place to try for a discount, they offered me 3% off on a Rolex and acted like they were doing me a favor.

 

[otacon]

Is there a price that is too cheap to apply this rule for? I can see it working in the tens of thousands, even the thousands mark, but what about if it's below a thousand? Below five hundred? Below two hundred?

 

[Captain Winky]

Originally Posted by otacon

Is there a price that is too cheap to apply this rule for? I can see it working in the tens of thousands, even the thousands mark, but what about if it's below a thousand? Below five hundred? Below two hundred?

Well, anything that's in a department store can either be negotiated or is on sale half the time. Watches like Tag, Movado, Gucci etc can be found at decent deals. Hamilton to me is the sub-$1,000 watch and can probably be had for about 20% off. Also, with MSRP below a grand it matters a lot less if you buy from an AD vs. grey.

 

[teddieriley]

Anyone order from out of state ADs to avoid sales tax? I'm thinking if you find an AD not in your state and can get a good discount, rhey can either ship to you so you can avoid tax or ask to arrange an in-store pick up if you happen to be visiting.

 

[westinghouse]

I really like this online watch dealer:

http://www.authenticwatches.com/?gcl...FRBx5QodvmqpyQ

 

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by teddieriley

Anyone order from out of state ADs to avoid sales tax? I'm thinking if you find an AD not in your state and can get a good discount, rhey can either ship to you so you can avoid tax or ask to arrange an in-store pick up if you happen to be visiting.
I purchase out-of-state only when it's a city that I visit frequently, such as Chicago. It's not uncommon for me to make purchases there and have the items shipped to my home. I want to be able to get to an A.D. relatively quickly if there are any issues or if there are special events taking place, and I can do that with Chicago. Also, building a relationship with the AD is important to me.