So as happens time to time in Dubai a chap here listed a Rolex batman on a local listing site for a cool.... wait for it.... $6200 The guy had no idea what he had and I had called him within minutes of the posting and negotiated him down to $5400 I go over and see the watch and there's a few (not horrible) digs and scratches so decide to walk away. Within minutes he's called back another prospective buyer (as it turns out a collector I knew) and he went over inspected and bought the watch. Ended up paying $6350 for it too as at that point the seller was fending off offers for much higher.... I was there. I had it at $5400. I walked away. It's eating me up a little bit :'(
if he was wise enough to navigate the internet im sure within a few mins he could of worked out what he had. sounds fishy to me.
Partially one of the reasons I walked away. But you'd be surprised here. The guy literally had walked into the boutique and seen it liked it and purchased it. All he did was post on the well known listings site so I doubt he bothered to search heavily for what watch he had. Even the description was a copy past about GMT master II genetically. I've personally bought a couple of great watches here in Dubai at great prices (A couple of black bays, GSOTM) this one was the best deal yet though
Some collectors are as enchanted with a great deal as they are with a great watch. I suspect those are the ones that would be kicking themselves. For others it is about the watch, and whether you pay below, above or exactly the going market rate has little impact on their enjoyment of the watch. You walked away because of the scratches and dings, so I imagine the only regret is that you missed the chance to turn around and sell it at the market rate for a profit (and use those funds toward another watch). Yes it is a missed opportunity but not one that would cause me any lost sleep. This isn't a rare watch after all. Had it been a vintage piece or something harder to get, that might change things.
Give it time, and there's always a next time. BTW, if i see something I'm not too familiar with, I have learned pulling out the smartphone is a universal deal deterrent. Sellers hate hearing an internet argument. I'll walk outside or out of view for a few minutes and look it up, then go back and deal. Set your price and work to it, that's it. I almost never regret walking away, but I have always regretted paying too much.
I walked away from this one at 12.5kE https://omegaforums.net/threads/105-003-grey-dial.32957/ the palm is still on my face since then...
Kicked myself no, there are always good deals around and you can't take them all but I've saved myself by walking away from a lot of bad deals and those are the ones I remember more. Never get overexcited and skip due diligence or suspend your judgement out of fear of losing a watch, that's what ends up losing you a lot more than just a the item you're buying.
Mate I missed out on a great deal on a house due to a mix of pride, stubbornness and a dislike for realtors. Bugs me to this day. Go find another good deal - and anyway your young so pretty of regrets still to chalk up. PS Coming through Dubai in December- developing an obsession for the BLNR which is impossible to get here in Sydney - let me know if you come across another
Ha! Well, there will always be another deal. I was eat up about the $6k Ed White that @ChicagoFrog scored...i had it in my cart 3 separate times...each time saying no. Totally got me...but as it turns out, I ended up getting @Drawarms killer 16750, and then the FAP 14722, and then the Ed White trade with @Cad290. Not too mention a slew of other random ahit. From experience, go with your gut. At the end of the day, there will always be another deal to be had! Watch karma...believe in it, live by it, and the watches will come to you.
it was a '41 Lincoln Zephyr with a flat head V12..... dead original including the paint..... still kicking myself 25 years later. thanks for reminding me.
https://omegaforums.net/threads/rolex-gmt-16750.48519/ Saw it immediately after it was posted. Even pointed its extremely low price to my girlfriend and that it was one of my dream watches This works the other way, too. It's the reason why some people pay extremely inflated prices for - at best - mediocre watches at some dealers... When they try to recoup the watches, they realise what they've done. Here's an example I found the other day: http://www.wristchronology.com <-- a vintage dealer that has comically high prices for shit/mediocre/decent watches. I had a good chuckle looking through his inventory a few days ago. The next day I stumble across a listing on a Danish trade/sales site: http://www.dba.dk/herreur-certina-det-klass/id-1034786948/ <-- some poor guy trying to sell his Certina DS that he bought for more than $900 at the above mentioned dealer for close to the same amount. The watch is -perhaps- worth 1/3 of the asking price. He should have been more internet savvy...
When I was getting my first Speedmaster I looked at lots of deals, made offers, and rejected all the counteroffers. Some of those watches were snapped up immediately and I thought I'd blown the best deals I was going to get. But as luck would have it, the best deal was yet to come. And this time I didn't hesitate. I bid a seller a couple hundred below his ask, he said no - its a bargain where he's offering it - and I snapped it up. The other missed opportunities turned out to be blessings in disguise because the model I finally got is absolutely the perfect one for me.
This... http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-Vintage-Mens-Heuer-Mareographe-Manual-Wind-Ref-2446C-cal-Valjoux-721-/252132247501?nma=true&si=mjwbLJzKRzKUKBz%2FrdakTGgnylE%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network I had 20 minutes or more of deliberating, hovering over the BIN button, and visiting Heuer price guide forums. I decided not to buy it, had a cup of tea, decided maybe I should buy it, went back, and it was gone
I didn't buy what I'm guessing was a mid-80s Speedy Pro that was in the used section at Torneau for $1100. This was about 10 years ago. Don't know for sure what vintage it was as it was long before I knew anything with regards to changes, etc. But was a great deal still.
Not for walking away... in each instance it was the right decision. I have kicked myself a few times for hesitating, and then missing the opportunity. Its a fine line between due diligence, and dithering.