I see loads of people selling watches on SC after buying them fairly recently i.e. A few months; and presumably taking a haircut on the deal. Maybe I like my cash too much but I can't really understand it. Don't get me wrong they really help others get hold of some great watches and good for them. I have about ten watches and would hate selling any (at the moment!)
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I know what you mean I can't seem to bring myself to flip any of mine. Yet there are some that I know in my heart are not getting the wrist time and are unlikely to yet I can't seem to sell them.
Maybe a better option for the likes of us is to do a Trade only?
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Last edited by Tokyo Tokei; 4th August 2017 at 12:25.
I am quite similar - I only sell if I've had my fit of the watch or I just don't gel with it. That for me takes time to rationalise.
But this is a hobby - and places like SC enable a person to go for the impulse buy and try. Rationality can just go out of the window. And if you like another watch soon after, sometimes you need to sell to be able to afford something new. All rather bonkers really.
Before I only had one watch, I felt like a crow: I like shiny precious things and when I got my hands on it, I gotOriginally Posted by tswatch66
of it.
I've happily sold on for a loss. Don't get me wrong, id prefer a profit, but if you like the look of something and want to try it, then there is usually a cost.
But...
Do no underestimate the buying power of some flippers - they will have a good, usually long standing relationship with their AD(s) and get good offers which will offset some, or in some case all of their potential losses, so they could be making a profit on watches the rest of us would be taking a bath on!
I see this as a hobby, with a few of my watches being ones I have or am collecting, as such I'm happy with a certain cost each year.
I think I've probably lost most on trying out different Omega, Zenith and Seiko - but Ive lost money on Rolex too.
I tend not to sell very often. Well not for the number of watches I've bought, but then have a reshuffle every two or three year or so.
The other thing is, it's always nice to try out new models/releases and sometimes these become long term keeper, or you flip them because of a personal dislike or style failing of some kind.
It's just a matter of time...
Well there is a good psychological reason for that - you have fallen prey to the sunk cost fallacy:
It's really irrelevant what you've paid for a watch if you are not going to wear it...We can think of sunk cost as focusing on the past cost rather than the future utility. You are concerned with what you “paid” for something rather than what you will get out of it in the future. Sunk costs are backward looking decisions. Humans are the only animals who honor sunk costs (Arkes & Ayton, 1999).
This question raises it's head a lot of times I go onto the sales forum.How many times have we seen someone who has bought or received a watch that day put it straight up for sale? Usual explanations for the sale is its too small,too large or I have received a large bill for a car/house repair....some watches are valued at thousands of pounds and if you can afford that then why don't you have the funds necessary to cover you for a rainy day? Reasons have already been given but being a bit old fashioned I wonder at some people's spending habits.i know people who sell their new TV'S because they don't match the newly painted room,swap their couch every year and sell their car for another to avoid paying Road tax whilst proclaiming they are saving money on their monthly repayments by taking out a new credit agreement.i'm thinking particularly of the younger generation in their twenties.
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I have sold six watches in the last month; most of them less than two years old. I did it because I wanted a small enough collection to get plenty of use from each watch, so, three watches maximum. As it turned out a very expensive watch came along, so the money was invaluable.
On the wider issue of 'why'; because we can, because we like shiny toys. I don't feel guilty, it is just harmless fun.
What you'll get out a watch in the future, in return for your sunk cost, is zero. Any watch is a luxury item.
For many flippers it's an easy way to try a whole bunch of watches on a limited budget. When your pot has run out you just sell one or more to keep going.
Answer: madness. Who else would p*ss cash away.
I have serial flipped during my time here, probably somewhere between 30 and 50 watches, lost count really. I have had some nice ones and some that disappointed. Part of the problem is that very few have been bought after seeing them in the flesh. Pictures on google, e-bay or even SC and when the watch turns up it's not for me.
There is also the fun of the hunt and doing the deal, both buying and selling and of course selling releases the money to move on to the next purchase.
The positive if there is one is that I have got to try out loads of different brands.
Boredom, as mentioned is also another factor. If I haven't changed anything for a while I start to get restless.
I'm the opposite nowadays and wish I could flip a couple but for one reason or another nearly all of them are keepers. Keep on saving I guess!
I'd say it's a decent way of having access to a number of watches and each watch you have is assets towards the cost of another watch as and when one comes up.
Examples on the lower end of scale which I've experienced is I had a few Seikos around £300 in total, saw a watch I wanted for £650, this would take its place over the Seikos and wrist times on them would reduce significantly, so I sold them to fund the watch I wanted and only laying out £350 so to speak.
That's the reasons for me to buy and sell.
I will end up getting a Subc one day soon 🤗
The chase.
It's like 50% of the watch experience for me it seems...
This makes a lot of sense, when you buy online you are much more likely not to gel with the watch and end up selling it for a small loss, I always consider this loss as the rental price and usually worth while! Although I did make a fairly big loss on a rolex Datejust a few years ago, that was a high rental! 😠
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You want a watch, you buy it, you decide you don't want it, you sell it and but something else you think you want. Repeat ad nauseam, it's just part of the watch enthusiast nonsense.
If you're asking about the likes of Vinstink though... there's no explanation for that.
Trying to find the perfect watch
I think this is the crux.
After the chase, the ownership is always an anti climax - so onto the next fix.
Cheers,
Neil.
Yes that's that point.
I often buy without seeing the physical item - that pretty much guarantees that I'll buy a few that I don't like immediately, some that I like but might get bored of so will tyr out for an extended period, and maybe something that I'll like enough to keep long term.
This year I've had:
- Two in the first category (one new, one mid-80s vintage).
- Two sitting at the second category
I have two that are firmly in the third category.
I'm not a serial flipper, but some people obviously feel that if they like the look of a watch it's worth trying it out and that no amount of looking at photos, going into ADs, etc will tell them how they'll feel about it day in day out.
I suspect a minority feel the need to say they've owned this or that watch - There are plenty of threads saying you NEED to have tried a Speedmaster or a Submariner or a Daytona or a Patek Philipe or whatever... Personally I don't feel that way, but it's not unusual, people say the same about cars and, to a degree, holding a strong opinion about something can usually only come with experience (obviously there are exceptions and you can know you hate the LOOK of something without owning it)
If you can afford to loose a bit of money buying and selling watches, it's not really any different to many other hobbies that give you an experience/pleasure, but no monetary gain, is it?
If you break even or make a little, then it makes financial sense, but that's not what the OP asked.
M.
You want a watch, you buy it, you decide you don't want it, you sell it and but something else you think you want. Repeat ad nauseam, it's just part of the watch enthusiast nonsense.
If you're asking about the likes of Vinstink though... there's no explanation for that.
Want, buy, sell, repeat.
Sleep, eat, dance, repeat.
Last edited by MartynJC (UK); 4th August 2017 at 15:43.
Spot on.
The chase is sometimes better than the catch.
I will be offloading a few over the next month or so.I now find it ridiculous to have Kinetic and automatic movements on watches that I have not worn for over 18 months.
A desire to kick every last ounce of meaning out of the word keeper?
The grass is always greener.
Succinct and sums it up for me. Still not selling any of mine though
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There's almost infinite variation, and it takes time to find something that works for you.
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
Although your question was (I assume) focused on people who buy new, expensive watches and then sell them on, I'd say I do it because it's relatively inexpensive and fun.
I've bought and sold a bunch of modestly-priced but decent/interesting watches over the past six months and lost maybe a couple of hundred quid in the process.
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Every hobby costs something. The loss in a flip is just part of that.
In my case it's trying to find the perfect watch or 2. Perfect in the ways I like.
Or sometimes I know a watch I buy isn't going to be perfect and know I'll eventually flip it.
For some, this is not just about owning, wearing, and learning about watches, it's an addiction to the high of acquiring new watches. The excitement of deciding on one, hunting it down, possibly even winning an auction, the anticipation of waiting for it to arrive, and the big day when it actually does.
For some reason, there are few purchases that make you feel better, at least when it all works out, and as with relationships, some just want to repeat the honeymoon period. As with a drug, your brain learns quickly that this process makes you feel good, so why not repeat it? Some even end up buying the same watch twice.
Fortunately, with a bit of luck you start to hit on some 'keepers', that work too well to sell, or would be too hard to replace, so that can put a brake on the process. Also, a bigger 'hit' starts to be required each time to regain the same feeling. At first, a vintage Omega would do it, then suddenly it's a Nautilus. At some point, common sense starts to prevail, but not before there is rather more 'invested' than would have seemed wise at the start.
As mentioned above, a combination of the thrill of the chase, researching a new model or type, boredom, impatience, funding the next purchase on a limited budget etc.
I invariably lose money but view the loss as the cost of the hobby.
Compared to other interests Ive had in the past its a relatively inexpensive pastime.
Only twice?
I'm up to four so far with the Zeno Explorer, five with the Seiko Pogue, three with ePRS29a etc
For me this summary is spot on, and so much better than I could have expressed!
Its the influence of consumerism. Same reason there are lots of unworn shoes coats etc available
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For some people it is the frill of the chase... I spent a long time researching and selecting the "right" watch (Sinn U2) which I wore for 10 years.
I have only ever sold two watches: a Seiko early 90's military chronograph with the "P" on the dial. That was before I joined this forum. I let it go for £30 as I didn't wear it... now they are valuable... really wish I had kept it now. The other was an original Seiko "Tuna Can" ... another I should have kept.
I tend to hold on to the things I buy whereas my father is a constant flipper when it comes to a hobby we both share.
The chase. Ok sure...some
$/£ wasted? No such thing. Bills are paid. $ saved, House in order. Rest is for living/play
Can't take it with me
No shops near me that have anything interesting. Am I to fly to England to Timefactors to take a look on a Tuesday morning or do I lay out a few hundred quid and see what I think?
Even if I drive to Chicago to look and maybe get a watch I will have $300+ just in the journey for 1 night and day plus time. If I can buy a nice one for a good price and only lose $300 flipping it I'm even. And I didn't spend 10 hours in the car either.
Post praising new watch with dozens of loving close ups --> watch is going on SC within a week
Post stating that this one's a real keeper --> watch is going on SC next month
I have bought all 21 of these this year but I only own 7 of them currently. Why?
1: I keep falling in love with watches I need to buy.
2: I can't afford to keep them all.
So #2 forces me to sell when #1 happens, over and over. :)
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