Reply With QuoteUsing the phrase "resale price" seems a bit odd as well?
Has that changed on the website or do you know if that has always been the case?
Nice watch though.
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Just seen this on the AP website, quite wild. I'd imagine the price is set at RRP for AP House but elsewhere all bets are off.
Interesting strategy.
Using the phrase "resale price" seems a bit odd as well?
Has that changed on the website or do you know if that has always been the case?
Nice watch though.
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Wording is interesting in RPP not RRP & resale price....
Originally Posted by wigdog
Could it be because as far as they are concerned, they sell the watch to their ADs at a price and what they do subsequently is not their problem? A way to tell other ADs (PP?) that there are other ways to do business with a brand?
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
One thing we can all agree on - TOO MUCH
This wording also gives the AD scope to (re)sell below the RPP.
What effect will this have on the grey market? Will there be some squeaky bums in the Watchfinder boardroom or will the knock-on effect be that used prices go even higher?
Brave move, the perverse side of me wants to see the chaos if Rolex choose to go down this route.
This is a good move. The practice of insisting that the retailers stick to RRP is unlawful in the UK and it is disgusting that many watch manufactures have got away with openly flouting the law. Hats of to AP for expressly operating legally.
ETA: unless, of course, the messaging on AP website is just for show because they have reason to fear an investigation and, in practice, the price fixing will continue. Be very interesting to see if ADs do start to set their own price a la Tokyo.
Last edited by Satori; 13th December 2021 at 17:05.
I think this ties in with AP taking distribution back into its own hands more next year.
Doesn't mean that RRP will cease as the boutiques will still be operating at retail, even tho it isnt expressly noted on the website.
When watch companies state the RRP is it not just that? For many of them you can buy online so they are simply telling the customer what the price is in their country helps them to know what they should be paying instead of the over inflated prices of some brands.
If Production levels are kept down, the prices will remain high - simple as that.
The high end watch trade has turned the tide in their own favour and it's here to stay.
Also for every punter who hates high prices, there is a contented another owner smiling with glee.
Surely it's not price fixing if they're setting the price of their own products?
What AP dealers do we now have in the Uk? Harrods and the Boutiques but AP have removed dealer status from a few this year and its likely to continue.
Mick’s favourite daily wearer is currently in Watchfinder’s “secret” sale - 12% off
There are only 6 UK locations to buy a new (non Grey) AP Mark;
1. AP House, London
2. Harrods, London
3. Sloane Square, London
4. Bucherer, London
5. Watches of Switzerland, London
6. Rox Diamonds and Thrills, Glasgow
The first three are AP owned boutiques and the others are the only UK AD's for the brand. I'd be very surprised (given what I know) that there will still be 3 AD's (non AP run/owned) after 2022 but let's see.
I read the legalese in the first post as meaning that AP will indicate the required retail price rather than impose it.
I expect that any discounting/gouging will be actively discouraged.
______
Jim.
RRP or MSRP has never really been a thing in many eastern markets. Mid-East, South Asia & Far-East are a perfect example.
In these regions a buyer would pay a substantial premium for sought after pieces, on the flip side the discounts on slow movers can be massive relative to Europe/USA retail recommended/suggested.
Sort of what I thought, what exactly is illegal about them telling UK customers the price of their product?
Rox in Glasgow are no lionger AP dealers as of the end of Dec. I was in and spoke to them last week. This leaves none in Scotland and the otgers all in London but for how long.
Selfriges carry AP too last time i was there. But yea still same category.
Have Owen and Robinson in Leeds lost AD status? I've not passed / looked in a few months.
Any evidence to support that production levels are being kept down, Mick?
Unfortunately they lost the AP brand quite a few years ago
He's trolling.
Everyone knows AP production has been put towards the anniversary Royal oak lines for 2022
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Okay thanks. I must've not noticed once I started looking at the Lange models instead.
I have no idea whether he's right or wrong but put together a huge reduction in dealers and an upturn in demand, one might surmise that if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck then there's a good chance......
Yes, that's true. Last time I was in there (summer this year) they had a smattering of AP's on show......literally 2/3 I recall. Don't know if its an AP concession though? I'll ask next time I'm in AP House..
Nothing wrong with suggesting a retail price, it becomes illegal when the manufacturer dictates to the dealer that the price they state must be the price charged and threatens the dealer in order to make them comply. Twice I’ve purchased from a particular brand where the dealer put together a nice A4 sheet to send to the maker which included a copy of my driving licence, credit card, warranty card and till receipt. The dealer was completely open that the sheet had been demanded by the maker to make sure that the dealer was not discounting their products, the alternative was loss of AD status, which they eventually lost anyway. That is illegal and you can probably guess the brand.
It happens but the alternative would create more uproar. Imagine getting a call from an AD and they say “That watch you’ve been on the list for for three years is in, come and collect it, the price is current market value at thee times RRP.”
It's amazing what you can get away with when you're a charity.
That doesn't equate to production levels being kept down though, does it?
If demand rises, this doesn't mean that supply can rise in tandem with that demand. You'd first have to determine if it was just a spike. Where on the bell curve is the recent demand? If determined the demand is there for the long term, where are the watch makers coming from to accommodate the increase in output?
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