Reply With QuoteWhich watch were you intending to buy?
It's just impossible to even purchase a watch these days, didn't even get past the check out phase before sold out, couldn't have been more than 15 seconds, just ridiculous.
Which watch were you intending to buy?
Same here, I got one into the basket and then got the sold out message.
Really happy for Eddie on the business side of things and it’s nobody’s fault.
We need a TZ salon prive :)
Meantime I’ll get in first...
WTB PRS-47 please
Black dial Everest, this was my fourth unsuccessful attempt....Originally Posted by RLE
Same here, I had it in the cart and address already in account but disappeared from the cart before I was able to click on a button. Well, better luck to all next time in hope it will be next time for black Everest PRS-25.
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Seems like I was very lucky to get my order in successfully.
Well, congrats are in order, really!
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The situation is that I've probably got too many models on the go. The aim is to take 200 orders and then close so that I can get them alll shipped before the authority to take payment expires. I think the fairest way is to make a limited number of the hottest selling models available each time the site opens. Today, there were 50 each of the Everest, Caribbean and Commando available and the remaining 50 orders would be made up of other watch models and straps. In the event, 11 strap orders were received plus orders for other watchs, mainly Baby Dreadnought, Baby Speedbird and PRS-40 plus two 40mm Speedbirds and one Voyager.
It's not difficult to configure the shopping cart so that only one or two products are available to order, which is a possibility when new stock of the Everest is received.
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
Eddie I think quite a lot of people may like me have even given up trying given how some are managing to use technology to buy so quickly and then stick them straight on Ebay.
I've got no chance as my card relies on 2 stage verification.
I was watching the clock. Took about 35s to complete end to end, and then I went back to the PRS-25 site to click refresh to see when the "Add" button would disappear, and it disappeared on the 1m 21s mark. So not sure what you mean by 15s, because it took me longer than that to complete the process end to end.
Just keep your eye's peeled on sc , someone is bound to be flogging one soon.
That may be true (and may not), but it is also a very valid issue to raise that there are those quite clearly with fully automated form-filling who are openly buying for profit, whilst many that will want to keep what they buy are unable to buy at all, unless they buy from the profiteers and perpetuate the same problem (because you ca be sure many will buy again once they sell).
Eddie is doing a great job of increasing the Timefactors' breadth and attractiveness of the range, but less so when it comes to satisfying the demand for them.
The pipeline is pretty full with models to be released, so I see no reduction in pressure any tme soon.
I suppose it depends of what model of watch you were purchasing, I was attempting to pick up a black dial Everest and it was literally 15 seconds from when the watch became available at 14.00pm.
The Add to Cart button was available to click @ 14.00pm, watch was added to cart and immediately went to Check Out, clicked on the payment button to which the webpage hung for a few seconds and then, Sold Out, this process too approx 15 seconds.
I couldn't have typed/been any faster from the off, also depends how many pieces of the PRS-25 were available for sale on the day as well I guess.....maybe I'll be fifth time lucky when the shop opens next, that's if there are still any black dial Everest's left in stock or wait for the next batch to arrive and go on sale.
Would having only one or two products available when you open the shop make much of a difference to your own shipping logistics?
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
It wouldn't change the shipping at all but it would mean that more people could get hold of the "hot" models.
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
Would you then have a shop opening when non of the hot models are available in order to allow those who are after one of your less in demand models to buy one?
That would work well for straps and accessories as well.
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I think this would be a good idea if Eddie was to go for a 'hot items only' opening day.
BUT it would still add to Eddie's overall packing load.
I suppose I did everyone who wanted a hot item a favour on Sunday: I was going to buy a PRS-37 but (I can't believe this) forgot about opening. AGGH... Well, it meant that there was one more buying slot available than would otherwise have been the case for the hot items.
Last edited by markrlondon; 4th October 2021 at 10:59.
It’s a lovely position to be in.
Only Eddie, Patek and Rolex have managed it
It would be great to have the shop open all the time for non-hot items…. I’d just like a few NATO straps.
The hot items could stay on a limited opening?
I know I can turn individual items on and off on my shop software.
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My thought was that he’d have hot days and not hot days such that his workload wouldn’t be increased but his slower moving stock would also get a chance to sell.
To individual customers hot or not is largely irrelevant - someone may want a non-hot item as much as someone else wants a hot item.
As I see things a big improvement would be that once someone puts something in their cart it's there for 15 min or whatever, giving the customer time to complete the sale. Obviously dependent on the software.
I see what you mean but I disagree.
If hot represents 5 items, you will have 90 people out of 100 competing for them.
While cold could represent 15 items wanted by 10 people.
Those 10 orders would not delay the hot items by much but the current situation plays against both groups.
Furthermore as already said from Eddie’s perspective it allows him to move some stock that hardly gets a chance at the moment.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Ah, good thought.
Of course, then there'd be people complaining that the hot items they wanted weren't available for sale for periods of time even longer than is currently the case. I guess you can't please all the people all the time, whatever you do.
Whenever I chat watches with non wis I always say, referring to my eddie's, you could have all the money in the world and still not be able to buy one. It's simply precious and not expensive.
Nice sub by the way.
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Maybe you just need to develop a good relationship with Eddie to get on 'the list'
I know he always makes 'the call' to his favourite customers
M
PS lest anyone is in any doubt, he doesn't, as far as I know.
Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
Is the solution, not, for Eddie to get some YTS (or whatever that sort of thing goes by the name of these days) person in to help out with the packing and like? My daughters boyfriend is on some sort of scheme where a lot of his wages are paid by the government so he can get some actual experience after getting his masters. Would a logistics trainee not be a thing?
Only suggested semi tongue-in-cheek.
How about delegating to a trusted and willing member i.e. 10 or 20 go out the back door in one box to be relisted individually on SC at RRP ???
Just thinking out loud.
My nephew is helping but there isn't enough room in the workspace for a third person.
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
What about Click and Collect if I send a cheque or bring cash ?
The neighbours will love that; there’s be bigger queues than at the pumps. Sheffield would be gridlocked!
I was rather thinking about Eddie getting a pop up shop on Eccy Road .
At last I've quitted hoping to have the chance to buy some Timefactors' watch. I bought the first one back in 2006 (Precista PRS-17), then other watches and, most of all, straps and other accessories followed up. But now the "lottery" of the "click-Sunday", which I've lost when i I've tried to buy, have discouraged me. Not to mention the "customs and VAT thing" that is another big problem since Brexit has run its course.
Maybe Eddie should find an online retailer who can do "the dirty job" managing the selling process, collecting orders and shipping them, based on the continental Europe to avoid customs and who could be able to satisfy much more customers. Many other micro-brands have done so. I have at least three of this retailers in mind, but obviously I'll not mentioning none of them here.
In the meantime, Eddie could manage the rest of the market, and follow the R&D and supplying part of his work more easily.
Best wishes.
The issue seems to be that UK Retail Guidance/Law restricts Eddie from taking our money until he actually sends the items. As Shopify (the site manager/payment handler) limits the holding of funds to seven days, Eddie cannot accept more orders than he can ship in that time - otherwise he would not be able to draw down on our payments.
If there’s a Consumer Law barrister/solicitor on here who can opine on this, then that might help. If there's a way that we can authorise payments to be drawn immediately then that might work, too.
Perhaps we might accept as customers that the cost of the watch (minus £1) is a ‘deposit’ and that we pay the remainder of the cost (£1) on dispatch?
Eddie's previous platform (the old site) allowed payments to be held for 30 days, but this still only allowed c. 300 watches to be sold each time as that's all he could send in a month.
The logjam is not the system, it is the inability to process more orders (get the watches sent in other words).
Payment held over for 7 days or 30, doesn't matter, the latter just means longer before the next opening.
Eddie can still only send a certain amount out each week.
I too have given up trying which is a shame for me anyway. Really fancy a PRS40 chrono but no plans to join the 2.00pm Sunday scrum to get one. A couple of suggestions neither of which I have tested with anyone. Not an expert on this so just my thoughts.
1. could the shopping cart be configured so that you get a reasonable amount of time to complete the transaction. As others have mentioned it is quite infuriating to get an item into your cart for it to sell out while you are entering your credit card details.
2. if people are using bots or some other form of online software to complete their transactions (I have no evidence they are but it seems likely - someone has 3 PRS25 gilts listed on eBay for £500 BIN and says in his advert that it is a 'really rare and hard to get to watch', no wonder) then could some form of reCaptcha be added to the transaction process to level the playing field so that transactions are not being completed automatically.
As I said I have no experience in this area and no idea if these suggestions would add to Timefactors' costs unreasonably. It is clearly a very successful business model it is just that a few more of us would like a chance of getting a watch.
Don't worry. The PRS-40 Chrono will never be as popular as the Everests. When the time comes we are going to breeze in... and out with the loot.
I have every sympathy for the logistical realities of Eddie's situation, and I'm delighted his watches are so popular, but I do think that the present system means folk from here who are long-terms fans of the brand(s), and even collaborators in the sense of engaging with Eddie for months on the forum as new models are developed, are the ones loosing out. The profits for flipping the watches on eBay are now so huge that there's no doubt some (many?) each month are bought by people who's only interaction with this place is to do just that, and the longer it goes on the bigger those profits and the more passing flippers will bombard the system each time the shop opens. Who can blame them?
Just a thought, and it may not be possible, but could there be two openings? One like now, a complete public free-for-all, and one maybe done through SC for people who can post there (i.e. longer time "members") to commit to buying in the thread and then pay by bank transfer or whatever works. This latter could be a smaller number and there would still be an element of first-come-first-served but at least those who succeed will want the thing for themselves, not to flip, and if they do move it on it'll stay within SC?
'someone has 3 PRS25 gilts listed on eBay for £500 BIN'
Do they have 3 or is 3 listings?
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
I took it to be that he had three watches for sale and three separate listings - if you search Timefactors PRS25 gilts its the first three results you get. I may of course be wrong and its the same watch listed three times.
That made me laugh. I may give it a go then.
I did not bother trying this weekend, using my iPhone is too slow and proved futile on last two attempts.
Hey Ho
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I wonder about the mechanics of it all - I have made many fruitless -and frustrating- attempts to land one / some of the popular models and like many .... fail.
Yet, some people consistently score these pieces and sell them for a healthy profit on eBay. One would think that, statistically, all of us have the same number of fails and successes .....
Ha, I hope we are the lucky ones indeed.
Got a new watch, divers watch it is, had to drown the bastard to get it!
I am going to try and order Eddies new PRS 57 on the 14th and wonder what is the most efficient, quickest, way of processing an order.
Much as you can store credit card details on your PC to speed up an on-line order is it not possible to also store your delivery address?
Also does anyone know if logging on to the time factors website speeds up the order process?
I fear that my banks requirement for two stage authorisation will probably preclude me, but I want to give it a go.
Thanks
Sean
Hehe, my strategy is secret. ;-)
But it did involve buying a server right next to Shopify's UK server farm for that super-reduced latency...
Drat! Foiled again.
If you sign up to / log in to timefactors it will store your address, sign in before the site opens and then place your order.
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
You are wise in the way of ordering Grasshopper.
I thank you.
Thanks, just done that. Can you also pre register card details so if you're quick enough it all auto fills?
Young Padawan here has also clocked onto this ready for Eddie's new year release. Fingers crossed.
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