I have my eye on a 1980 Datejust ref. 16030 Blue dial with a jubilee bracelet in a store near me. Kind of an out of the way place. No papers or box. I am wondering how hard I should haggle with the seller, he is an antiques dealer, but he knows his vintage watches and clocks. He always has about 5-6 vintage watches and another 5-6 pocket watches showing. The watch appears to be in very nice condition, it has been polished and the case-back brushing looks a little uneven too me. (I really wish I could post some pictures)
His asking price is about what you would find via online sellers (can I post the price in this forum? or is it against rules?).
It would take me about a month or two for me to sell some other watches I have, to get close to his asking price. I might try to work a trade plus cash into the deal as well with a 14K Gold Hamilton Thin-o-matic I have.
Any tips or ideas on how to work a deal without offending? I would love to get about 25% off his asking price.
Thanks, I know I have to be prepared to walk away, but I might also leave him my name and number if he wants to think it over and get back to me.
There is also the question of authenticity. Would I lose pricing leverage if I asked him if I could take it to a local watchmaker to make sure it is legit Rolex?
Many years ago I heard a saying that "a good deal is a fair price on something you really want" and have found that to be universally true for making purchases. If the watch is what you want, and the price is reasonable, make a counter offer and see what happens, he can only say no. Only you can decide what the watch is worth to you, we can't make that decision for you. And you won't know how motivated the seller is until you try to bargain with him, but its probably fair to assume he's not interested in giving it away for a lot less than its worth.
I would find some comparable sold listings on ebay. Ebay has a filter cold "sold/completed" listings to show you what the listing ACTUALLY sold for, not just an asking price. I would print out the listings that closely match the watch as best as possible, and match the price as best as possible. This will help show him what type of pricing the market is supporting for comparable watches. Hope this helps!
I have my eye on a 1980 Datejust ref. 16030 Blue dial with a jubilee bracelet in a store near me. Kind of an out of the way place. No papers or box. I am wondering how hard I should haggle with the seller, he is an antiques dealer, but he knows his vintage watches and clocks. He always has about 5-6 vintage watches and another 5-6 pocket watches showing. The watch appears to be in very nice condition, it has been polished and the case-back brushing looks a little uneven too me. (I really wish I could post some pictures)
His asking price is about what you would find via online sellers (can I post the price in this forum? or is it against rules?).
It would take me about a month or two for me to sell some other watches I have, to get close to his asking price. I might try to work a trade plus cash into the deal as well with a 14K Gold Hamilton Thin-o-matic I have.
Any tips or ideas on how to work a deal without offending? I would love to get about 25% off his asking price.
I have my eye on a 1980 Datejust ref. 16030 Blue dial with a jubilee bracelet in a store near me. Kind of an out of the way place. No papers or box. I am wondering how hard I should haggle with the seller, he is an antiques dealer, but he knows his vintage watches and clocks. He always has about 5-6 vintage watches and another 5-6 pocket watches showing. The watch appears to be in very nice condition, it has been polished and the case-back brushing looks a little uneven too me. (I really wish I could post some pictures)
His asking price is about what you would find via online sellers (can I post the price in this forum? or is it against rules?).
It would take me about a month or two for me to sell some other watches I have, to get close to his asking price. I might try to work a trade plus cash into the deal as well with a 14K Gold Hamilton Thin-o-matic I have.
Any tips or ideas on how to work a deal without offending? I would love to get about 25% off his asking price.
Sounds like he knows the vintage Rolex market and has set a fair price. Rolex is very hot right now so he's not going to be motivated to lower the price much if at all. Unless there is something wrong with the watch 25% is not going to happen.
The key is the trade in value of the watches you're willing to trade. If you have pieces that he believes he can flip for good money that's the best way to get him to give you the Rolex at a better price.
Thanks for many of the thoughts and tips here! After a few days, I am less tempted to really make a go at this one. I don't think I want it even if he took my 75% offer. I think going for something newer might be better a better option. Instead of the 16020 I am thinking a 16220 would be wiser for a first Rolex.
Same look (with less patina). Improvements include updated 3135 caliber movement with better reserve power as well as currently still in production. The other improvement being the sapphire crystal vs the old acrylic one. The difference in used prices is between $500 to $1000, so I think I shall continue considering my options for the time being.
The only wild card I might consider is an Omega Aqua Terra 38mm. With the impressive 8800 movement.
As everyone here can probably attest it's a lot easier to buy a watch than to sell one. He's probably put a 40% mark up on what he paid for it to cover his costs, so he's still getting a profit and it's all about keeping the stock moving.
Make your best offer and be prepared to walk away.
If its the exact watch you want and priced fairly (ie enough for him as a business to make a profit & you as a consumer to be happy) then just go for it, life is too short!
I would opt for one of the trusted sellers who regularly advertise on this forum. They have a lot of experience and mostly won’t try to cheat you. They don’t have the same overhead costs as a brick and mortar store so they probably have more flexibility on the price. And most of them accept returns.
I would opt for one of the trusted sellers who regularly advertise on this forum. They have a lot of experience and mostly won't try to cheat you. They don't have the same overhead costs as a brick and mortar store so they probably have more flexibility on the price. And most of them accept returns.
What you say is absolutely true regarding buying from a trusted seller. A buyer should buy the seller as much as buying any watch. On the other hand there are pitfalls for sellers as well, and a seller should also be wary of dishonest buyers that are looking for creative ways to cheat an honest seller out of a watch with a payment that somehow bounces, switching out movements and returning the watch, etc. Hence as only an occasional seller, for the most part I will only sell a higher end watch to someone I know well or as a trade in for another watch from a trusted seller that I know. I've heard too many horror stories of both buyers and sellers being cheated.
I am horrible at negotiating but I have two close friends that are naturals. Here is how they might approach it. Walk in and be mentally ready to buy at your number. The smoothest approach after looking at the watch, is "I love this watch and would love to buy it, but I can't swing the $XXXX. Could you possible take less?" At this point you may get a bald No. If that is the case you walk away and look elsewhere. More likely he will come back and ask you what you are thinking. At this point I would be honest and tell him what you can pay. If that is 75% of his asking then state that. However you have to be ready to walk away when he says No. Frankly, my guess is that on a vintage watch and if you have done your due diligence on pricing and you think he is near a correct price that there will be little to no discount. Maybe a 5-10% no sales tax discount.
Do realize that you can get that 5-10% no sales tax discount by dealing with a dealer on Chrono24 or other facilitator's site so long as you by out of state and you buy in the next couple of months as the facilitator websites likely will all have to collect sales tax on any US sale later this year.
As my dad used to ask the car salesman when he was shopping on the last day of the month: "I don't need to buy a car today...do you need to sell a car today?"
A good opener is to just ask: “What’s your best price on this? I’d like to take it home today. “ that way he is doing the haggling for you, in some sense. The way in which he responds will tell you what your chances are of moving that figure closer to where you’d like it. Alternatively, If he comes out with something reasonable, you shake on it and both walk out as winners. Never assume that you will only haggle with a person once and always be polite.
A good opener is to just ask: "What's your best price on this? I'd like to take it home today. " that way he is doing the haggling for you, in some sense. The way in which he responds will tell you what your chances are of moving that figure closer to where you'd like it. Alternatively, If he comes out with something reasonable, you shake on it and both walk out as winners. Never assume that you will only haggle with a person once and always be polite.
I agree with this generally, and certainly with the part about being polite when negotiating. If the seller does take the bait and tries to answer your question, then you are off to the races. If I were the seller and had room to move, I would ask the potential purchaser to make an offer because I will not start negotiating with myself -- that would put me at a disadvantage.
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