Yes you have indeed exercised that right over and over. Don't be surprised if all your comments and for that matter sales post are treated with rather more suspicion going forward. Buy the seller.

 

Undoubtedly so - but you have to agree that in a community that's based on trust this wasn't the smartest move.

Also, in my book, LE flippers are douchebags. I'll leave it to your imagination what that makes dishonest LE flippers.

 

I understand that people want to own limited edition watches (or other goods) especially if it is centred around a subject they are interested in, and those people will sell other watches they own or save hard or get the plastic out to own an LE but once they have the watch they don't immediately sell it. In my humble opinion those who buy LE's simply to make money are not watch enthusiasts or collectors but purveyors of greed, especially if they have intimated otherwise.

A collector may in the full course of time release items from their collections and may make money from that transaction but they have not set out to make money as none of us know what will be sought after 5/10/15/20 years from now. Did those people who bought Speedmasters in 1957 understand that their watch would be very valuable 50 years later, no. A set of circumstances happened which gave a legend to a watch and from that it became a collectors item.

Unfortunately, it is fully understood that nowadays we live in a supply & demand economy but at times with a premium attached. Its wrong, it leaves a bad taste but there is very little that can be done to stop it, as long as people are willing to pay over the odds for goods then there will always be people who are willing to cross the line in order to make money. You want an example other that LE's, Rolex SS watches, nigh on impossible to get but if you do get one there is someone out there ready to pay over the odds to have it if you want to make a fast buck.

We should be celebrating the launch of the LE, congratulating those who are lucky enough to be getting one, instead we are discussing flipping watches and those of less ethical persuasion who are happy to make money out of a celebration.

Apologies for the rant but it riles when I see this going on, I know it won't stop but it doesn't mean that it should be brushed aside and ignored.

 

Well I agree with some of what you say however to summarise I am not a watch enthusiast simply because I flip some wouldn't be fair. I have a large collection of both Omega and Rolex that are my 'keepers' that I can only afford by offsetting with flips. Should I wait patiently for a certain time to sell? No I dont think so and I have contributed with pics as requested above and have talked about the piece a lot with no hint of my selling one. The truth is jealousy brings out nasty things in people but that is life

 

I have to agree with taz101. I do like watches but honestly I do not have a problem with flipping. He is not exploiting anyone. He is not forcing someone to buy this watch or heavily promoting his listing.

 

Of course, there is no rule that prevents from flipping and it's actually a good thing. That being said, when the guy says in the same thread "I dont' agree. It is the most significant piece since the original. That's it" and "however to summarise I am not a watch enthusiast simply because I flip some wouldn't be fair" looks quite contradictory to me and reflects comments guided by pure interest rather than objectivity.

 

I fully agree. I have absolutely nothing against people who buy a LE for their own collection and later sell it because they have grown tired of it, need the money, want to make room for other watches or any other reason, at whatever price the market will support. As you pointed out, nobody would expect anybody to sell a vintage Rolex or Speedmaster at MSRP. I also don't mind anybody ordering a LE watch, discovering it wasn't for them after all and passing it on at MSRP. I just hate so-called "collectors" exploiting other collectors' passion to make a quick buck, i.e. flippers who are just buying to sell, be it watches, tickets or any other item. I just can't understand why anybody not interested in a watch would stand in somebody else's way to get one at MSRP.

Personally I don't desire to buy this watch, so thankfully I'm not personally invested. The only LE I'm still considering is the Apollo 13 50th as I've always been fascinated by this ultimate triumph in utter disaster (it's the Donald Duck to Apollo 11's Mickey Mouse, so to speak). After that, I'm out of modern watches. At least that's the plan...

 

In the UK, HMRC could class ‘flipping’ (I.e. buying a watch to sell) as trading. Thus tax could be due. there is a whole section on eBay, etc.

 

Nonsense .... it is not wrong to sell something at a profit any more than it is wrong to buy something that the seller has to take a loss on. Who hasn't crowed at one time or another about driving a hard bargain and getting a good deal where the seller probably lost money? The seller is not crossing any line here, none whatsoever. There is a trend among certain political classes now that making money is bad, that people are greedy for doing so, that if I make money on something I am screwing someone else. A zero sum game, I win, you lose. That it is 'unfair' for some reason because people's feelings are hurt.

The seller has been called a 'pimp', 'douchebag', 'unethical', and other slurs. Why?, because he had the temerity to being a good customer of a boutique or AD and was first in line to take possession of the first watches to be released. Get over it, it's his property and he can do with it what he wants. Would it have been more acceptable for him to sell at his buying price, or maybe if he took a loss just so you wouldn't feel bad? Or if he held on to it for a week?, two weeks?, a month?, a year? before selling it. Few people have unlimited amounts of money to spend on their hobbies, sometimes you have to buy, sell and trade to help support it. If you can't accept that FACT then you just aren't living in reality. You can feel bad about it but no need to project those feelings on everyone else. Be miserable by yourself.

 

@taz101 You got caught with your pants down... Stop asking like a crybaby trying to justify your behavior, man up and go away... The only other way I can see you making up for it is by bake-sale-for-Bill-ing your sale...

Please screencap and report the above as you please. That is totally fine.

 

I do see flipping as introducing forced scarcity and then driving up the price...
Personally I’m not a fan. But it’s the buyers that drive this type of behavior.
Didn’t take long for the one listed in the Sales forum to sell...

 

does that mean you are planning to flip yours soon?

 

Be it LE Nike shoes, Spyderco Sprint run knives ( these things end up on eBay double retail in a nano second ) really anything that is a LE will be seen as a $$ to people in said collecting circles.

LE is a marketing ploy that isn’t going away and by releasing so many LEs more get a shot.

At the end of the day the bog standard moonwatch buyer is the winner.


Been here long enough to know who the flippers are and don’t waste time trying to convert them away from their actions.
They already should know actions speaks louder than words

Edit, this last comment is more of pointing out that you talk up a watch and spruiking you got one, and end up flipping you are going to get push back. Flip it quietly would get you less flack

 

Flipping sucks but it's part of life. And flipping is risk-taking, so there is no argument there should be a reward for taking the risk. Flipping is a gamble, there has to be a benefit for it.

This is not flipping here. The issue in "pump and dump" is not the dump part - it's the "pump" bit. Especially when it was so obvious (see posts from weeksago). Now it's backfiring.

I'm done on the topic, as I have no skin in the game other than wanting to keep OF "clean", which I understand is an ever-increasing challenge as it's been (close to) a safe heaven for years now. I was not planning to purchase that LE, which I was fortunate enough to handle in Milan a few weeks ago thanks to Fratello and Omega, and which I was happy to see not tickle my fancy - That's a few grands I can buy something else with instead

 

10th Mountain Divison?

 

Hooah - 82nd on this side, brother....

 

Aussie that works with many units whilst they are on way to holidays in OZ

 

I have also many thoughts on flippers and people who profit from doing this, but I think I will take these thoughts in a new thread and we can have at it there.

Going back to the business at hand: Apollo 11 50th anniversary...

Wasn't anybody surprised to hear that a member here was offered to still buy the gold model if he would purchase both the SS and the Au models??

Does that mean that there is still a chance to get the gold model somewhere at an OB??

 

I think your chance of getting the gold version from an OB is pretty slim unless they have a cancellation and you are in the right place at the right time. Personally, the price for the all gold version was very well priced for an all gold watch, I don't think many people will flake out if they have been promised one. You'll have to wait for them to appear on the secondary market and we'll have the same discussion again about those damn flippers.