Watch Flippers Lounge

[PetWatch]

A place to comment and discuss all aspects and all issues associated with flipping watches, whether you have never flipped a watch, have a casual interest or are an experienced seasoned pro. Whether a proponent or opponent, we can all benefit from an exchange of information.

For many watch enthusiasts flipping (reselling, trading) watches becomes an integral part of the hobby. Many of us simply stumble upon watch flipping when we discover these online watch forums where every aspect associated with watches is infinitely discussed. Some come to it with sales experience, while most do not. Some are natural to sales and easily take to it while others dislike it, don't know where to begin, encounter resistance to starting and may stumble about using counter productive practices losing interest in what can be a fun, potentially profitable part of the hobby. Be aware that just like finding deals to save money, it takes time and effort, and money.

Flipping affords a means to gain financial benefits from the hobby, it can reduce the cost of the collection and finance the acquisition of additional purchases, perhaps more expensive watches at reduced out of pocket cost or even totally free by accumulating profits from prior sales. It affords the ability to turn over and refresh your collection, to experience different models by selling watches that are no longer wanted, which also reduces accumulation, hoarding, of many watches that are seldom worn or long forgotten in a safe or a closet somewhere. Perhaps you have other reasons to flip.

Two things are essential for flipping, you have to acquire a watch, usually by means of a purchase, and you have to sell it. Trading is fair game too.

Marketing and sales-craft employ various approaches, it is not a one technique fits all products, services and circumstances, opinions will vary about best methodology to use. Let's focus on flipping watches.

Comment, discuss, ask, advice, learn.

[Dub Rubb]

I have bought somewhere between 5-10 watches with the sole purpose of flipping thanks to finding smoking deals on them.

I haven't sold a single one. I end up liking them, or being too lazy to sell them. I did pay a buddy back some money I owed him with a Tag, and now he owes me money. I didn't make the profit off of it that I could have, but passed the savings on to a buddy. Well maybe a little profit, probably under $100.

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[PetWatch]

I have bought somewhere between 5-10 watches with the sole purpose of flipping thanks to finding smoking deals on them.

I haven't sold a single one. I end up liking them, or being too lazy to sell them. I did pay a buddy back some money I owed him with a Tag, and now he owes me money. I didn't make the profit off of it that I could have, but passed the savings on to a buddy. Well maybe a little profit, probably under $100.

Sent from my LG-M322 using Tapatalk

Consuming your own supply. Guilty, it happens, especially when we buy with the intent, but not the absolute commitment to flip. It's a hobby approach, not a business.

It helps to get one you don't like that may be popular with others, or one you already have.

Don't feel you have to make a profit, reducing the cost of ownership is a worthwhile objective, and helping out a friend is always plus.

As for the lazy part, just do it. I procrastinate often myself, prefer looking to buy. Lol. Take advantage of Ebay promos or list on a forum with minimal effort. Brief description and a few photos.

[yinzburgher]

I should preface my question by stating that I'm not exactly a flipper. I'm good at buying and not very good at selling. That probably makes me more of a hoarder. Anyway you flippin' flippers, below is the scenario. Non-flippers are welcome to weigh in as well. Anti-flipping crusaders?.......I already know how you feel.

I have a Zodiac Aerospace GMT. It's a ZO9401 if you wanna look it up. I love the watch and have no intention of selling it unless I come on hard times. Recently a different colorway was released. The "Sherbet" ZO9403, a limited edition......I'll drop a pic below only bc every thread needs one. When the watch was announced, I immediately liked it. I probably liked it well enough to own one but not enough to give up my own watch to do so. But the morning it was released I immediately found a 20% discount code. Well....ok maybe......not much time to waste if I'm gonna do this though. It's a brand I follow closely so I'm well aware that it's going to sell out. Knowing there is almost no possibility that I'll keep both watches in my collection for an extended period of time or that I'll keep the new one and sell the old one, I determine I'll take the third option........a route I've gone before. I'll buy the new watch and keep it in my collection for a few months and then sell it. I'm certain I can not only get all of my money back when I eventually sell it, but most likely an additional $100 at a minimum. So that basically means that I can enjoy the new watch in my collection alongside it's cousin, feel good about life, and then move it along to another happy collector at basically no net monetary cost to me. Selling can be a bit time consuming and annoying, but at least I get a little extra money for my troubles. Only this time, for whatever reason, I decide it just doesn't seem worth it. Not because I don't like the watch.....I do. But maybe because I already have too many watches I need to sell. Or the $100+ doesn't seem worth the effort of selling. Or maybe it just felt like excess. Or all of the above plus a few other things. So I play the hover game for a while and then opt out. I find something else to do until it sells out. Once it does sell out, there is maybe a tinge of regret, but there is at least as much relief to cancel out the regret. And that's it....that's the whole story.

But my question to you is this. What would you have done in a similar scenario and why? Let's just assume that it's a watch you really, really like and would love to own but you know you're not going to keep it forever. Let's say it's in the $1000 to $1500 range and you have the money to spare. Sure, there is something wiser you could do with the cash but you won't miss it a bit if you spend it on the watch. If you're focused on how you feel about the Zodiac below, you've missed the point. My scenario above is really just for context. It's a watch that you feel similarly about. Do you buy it, wear and enjoy it, photograph it and post it here, move it along and then think fondly of having owned it? Or do you pass? Why? If you do pass bc the $100 just doesn't seem like enough to justify the whole experience, how much of a net profit on the flip might make you think otherwise? No wrong answers and no criticism.....or not from me anyway.

[AndroidIsAwesome]

I've only sold about 3 watches from my collection. I just can't bring myself to decide what to keep and what to sell because I like too many of them. Although I was never in this hobby for buying and selling watches, you kind of get to a point in your collection where you have too many pieces and need to sell. I'm hoping to force myself to sell off a large portion of my collection later this year though, and maybe put some of that money into an Omega Seamaster as that's the watch I've wanted since before I got into the hobby. When I buy any watch I buy it thinking of resale value though. I would have to REALLY like something to spend over market value on it, so most cases if I know I won't at least break even later on I probably won't buy the watch.

[yinzburgher]

I just can't bring myself to decide what to keep and what to sell because I like too many of them. Although I was never in this hobby for buying and selling watches, you kind of get to a point in your collection where you have too many pieces and need to sell.

Yea, this is a problem for me too. I REALLY like money........but I f*cking LOVE watches! After all, I bought whatever watch in the first place bc I really liked it. So if I don't absolutely need the money, I often just keep the watch by default......and I then keep it a little longer.......and longer. And bc taking no action is easier than taking some action, it ends up becoming more of a semi-permanent part of my collection. I wish selling was less work, more fun.

Edit: So given a scenario like the one above, is $100 worth it for you to buy and enjoy the watch for a few months?

[Dub Rubb]

I should preface my question by stating that I'm not exactly a flipper. I'm good at buying and not very good at selling. That probably makes me more of a hoarder. Anyway you flippin' flippers, below is the scenario. Non-flippers are welcome to weigh in as well. Anti-flipping crusaders?.......I already know how you feel.

I have a Zodiac Aerospace GMT. It's a ZO9401 if you wanna look it up. I love the watch and have no intention of selling it unless I come on hard times. Recently a different colorway was released. The "Sherbet" ZO9403, a limited edition......I'll drop a pic below only bc every thread needs one. When the watch was announced, I immediately liked it. I probably liked it well enough to own one but not enough to give up my own watch to do so. But the morning it was released I immediately found a 20% discount code. [emoji848] Well....ok maybe......not much time to waste if I'm gonna do this though. It's a brand I follow closely so I'm well aware that it's going to sell out. Knowing there is almost no possibility that I'll keep both watches in my collection for an extended period of time or that I'll keep the new one and sell the old one, I determine I'll take the third option........a route I've gone before. I'll buy the new watch and keep it in my collection for a few months and then sell it. I'm certain I can not only get all of my money back when I eventually sell it, but most likely an additional $100 at a minimum. So that basically means that I can enjoy the new watch in my collection alongside it's cousin, feel good about life, and then move it along to another happy collector at basically no net monetary cost to me. Selling can be a bit time consuming and annoying, but at least I get a little extra money for my troubles. Only this time, for whatever reason, I decide it just doesn't seem worth it. Not because I don't like the watch.....I do. But maybe because I already have too many watches I need to sell. Or the $100+ doesn't seem worth the effort of selling. Or maybe it just felt like excess. Or all of the above plus a few other things. So I play the hover game for a while and then opt out. I find something else to do until it sells out. Once it does sell out, there is maybe a tinge of regret, but there is at least as much relief to cancel out the regret. And that's it....that's the whole story.

But my question to you is this. What would you have done in a similar scenario and why? Let's just assume that it's a watch you really, really like and would love to own but you know you're not going to keep it forever. Let's say it's in the $1000 to $1500 range and you have the money to spare. Sure, there is something wiser you could do with the cash but you won't miss it a bit if you spend it on the watch. If you're focused on how you feel about the Zodiac below, you've missed the point. My scenario above is really just for context. It's a watch that you feel similarly about. Do you buy it, wear and enjoy it, photograph it and post it here, move it along and then think fondly of having owned it? Or do you pass? Why? If you do pass bc the $100 just doesn't seem like enough to justify the whole experience, how much of a net profit on the flip might make you think otherwise? No wrong answers and no criticism.....or not from me anyway.

I bought a Seiko shippo enamel for these exact same reasons. However I didn't quite realize just how thick it is. Got a great deal during an ebates cash back on RGM(RIP). Love the watch, the dial is stunning. Haven't worn it, planned to either rock it or flip it. 2 years later, it's still in its box. Still haven't made up my mind[emoji23]

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[AndroidIsAwesome]

I just can't bring myself to decide what to keep and what to sell because I like too many of them. Although I was never in this hobby for buying and selling watches, you kind of get to a point in your collection where you have too many pieces and need to sell.

Yea, this is a problem for me too. I REALLY like money........but I f*cking LOVE watches! After all, I bought whatever watch in the first place bc I really liked it. So if I don't absolutely need the money, I often just keep the watch by default......and I then keep it a little longer.......and longer. And bc taking no action is easier than taking some action, it ends up becoming more of a semi-permanent part of my collection. I wish selling was less work, more fun.

Edit: So given a scenario like the one above, is $100 worth it for you to buy and enjoy the watch for a few months?

If you asked me that question a couple years ago I'd say never. But now I've come to appreciate that it's fine "spending" $100 or so here and there to try out a watch and see if I like it. Of course I probably won't do it on something cheaper because then you start wasting money

[watchpalooza]

If you do not need the money, why not hold onto it for a few years or more and then sell it. It should be a highly sought after limited edition by then...perhaps you make more than $100 on it.

[yinzburgher]

If you do not need the money, why not hold onto it for a few years or more and then sell it. It should be a highly sought after limited edition by then...perhaps you make more than $100 on it.

Good question. That's another possibility. Especially because having a new/unworn example will get you even more money. Here's the reason I generally don't do that. If I like something well enough to be gawking at it online and laying down over $1K for it, I'd probably want to wear it. I lean more towards "enthusiast" vs "collector". I basically see it as the best of both worlds if you can own a watch, wear it for a while, and then make some $ on the flip. So I would want to wear it but also, I would feel a little bad about tying one up on the sidelines so that nobody else could enjoy it. Another possibility is to buy two. Keep one to wear and another to sit and appreciate. I did actually buy two of the "Gulf" Aerospace and made a little money selling the unworn example. Also, I'm not sure I am soooo confident in myself as a prognosticator of future prices to do this with very many brands or watches. And in the particular case of the Sherbert SSW GMT above (a brand a watch I do know a bit), I don't see it rising in price all that much over years. Partly because I believe they will be releasing even more limited editions in different colors over the span of a few years and that may dilute the "want" for this particular model. I do think there will be one with a world time bezel coming soon and if they get the colors right, I think it could be a good candidate for a flip (if I can keep it off my wrist). All that said, I'm not above holding on to an unworn highly sought after piece in the right circumstances. I could potentially see doing that with just the right Seiko Prospex Zimbe release. It's too late for this example now but maybe something like the SPB057J Shogun below. It's a watch that I like but I could easily fill the void for myself with another blue dial Seiko diver. But I think I could have felt confident that others would go crazy for it and that it would continue to be desirable and sought after years later. I think if you don't mind just sitting on stock, there is money to be made this way. But I also think there are better ways (stocks and other financial instruments) to passively turn your money into more money.

Is a flip like the one you suggested something you would ever be interested in doing?

[watchpalooza]

If you do not need the money, why not hold onto it for a few years or more and then sell it. It should be a highly sought after limited edition by then...perhaps you make more than $100 on it.

Good question. That's another possibility. Especially because having a new/unworn example will get you even more money. Here's the reason I generally don't do that. If I like something well enough to be gawking at it online and laying down over $1K for it, I'd probably want to wear it. I lean more towards "enthusiast" vs "collector". I basically see it as the best of both worlds if you can own a watch, wear it for a while, and then make some $ on the flip. So I would want to wear it but also, I would feel a little bad about tying one up on the sidelines so that nobody else could enjoy it. Another possibility is to buy two. Keep one to wear and another to sit and appreciate. I did actually buy two of the "Gulf" Aerospace and made a little money selling the unworn example. Also, I'm not sure I soooo confident in myself as a prognosticator of future prices to do this with very many brands or watches. And in the particular case of the Sherbert SSW GMT above (a brand a watch I do know a bit), I don't see it rising in price all that much over years. Partly because I believe they will be releasing even more limited editions in different colors over the span of a few years and that may dilute the "want" for this particular model. I do think there will be one with a world time bezel coming soon and if they get the colors right, I think it could be a good candidate for a flip (if I can keep it off my wrist). All that said, I'm not above holding on to an unworn highly sought after piece in the right circumstances. I could potentially see doing that with just the right Seiko Prospex Zimbe release. It's too late for this example now but maybe something like the SPB057J Shogun below. It's a watch that I like but I could easily fill the void for myself with another blue dial Seiko diver. But I think I could have felt confident that others would go crazy for it and that it would continue to be desirable and sought after years later. I think if you don't mind just sitting on stock, there is money to be made this way. But I also think there are better ways (stocks and other financial instruments) to passively turn your money into more money.

Is a flip like the one you suggested something you would ever be interested in doing?

So....keep it....wear it...and in a few years sell it. The longer you wait, the less it being in an unworn state will matter. It will be vintage. Perhaps I oversimplify, but...why not? You get to enjoy it, it goes up in value, you get to profit on the sale....or decide to keep it afterall. No seller‘s remorse.

[yinzburgher]

Unfortunately I think I'm probably pretty bad at forum-ing, and at posing hypothetical questions. Sorry. It probably sounds like I'm soliciting advice on an existing dilemma. I'm not. I was first trying to give an example of what I did in a given scenario and why I did it. It's a scenario that no longer exists. The watch has sold and is no longer available at that price. I made my decision and I'm content with it. I just thought it was interesting because I surprised myself and went a different route than normal by not buying it. But mainly I was hoping to see what others would do in a similar situation. I know exactly how I think about this stuff but I'm just genuinely interested in how other people might think about these things......maybe to hear a different take or to see how common my perspective is. Maybe I'll try to think of a different way to word it but I think the replies so far are interesting. Hoping to hear some more too.

[watchpalooza]

Unfortunately I think I'm probably pretty bad at forum-ing, and at posing hypothetical questions. Sorry. It probably sounds like I'm soliciting advice on an existing dilemma. I'm not. I was first trying to give an example of what I did in a given scenario and why I did it. It's a scenario that no longer exists. The watch has sold and is no longer available at that price. I made my decision and I'm content with it. I just thought it was interesting because I surprised myself and went a different route than normal by not buying it. But mainly I was hoping to see what others would do in a similar situation. I know exactly how I think about this stuff but I'm just genuinely interested in how other people might think about these things......maybe to hear a different take or to see how common my perspective is. Maybe I'll try to think of a different way to word it but I think the replies so far are interesting. Hoping to hear some more too.

Personally I am thankful that you posted it...and that someone else has these thoughts! Were it me, I guess I would enjoy the watch and take my time selling it . Others may have other approaches to happiness. No right or wrong.

[recapt]

Great topic. I’ve bought a few deals just because I was (at least mildly) interested in the watch and figured I could make money or break even if I didn’t like it. This has yielded mixed results from a profitability standpoint but has allowed me to see more watches in the metal and understand how they fit my small wrist. Overall I find it to be a worthwhile part of the hobby. It helps that I don’t hate the selling process.

The main thing I try to manage is risk... the more expensive the piece, the more confident I need to be that I’m not going to take a meaningful loss if I have to resell it.

[PetWatch]

This is how I would approach this situtation.

You bring up several issues, easiest one first, 5-10% estimated profit, excluding value of your time spent in sales activity that you consider unpleasant, plus risks associated with any sale, that's an easy no go.

For a watch that I “really like”, as in enough to really want it to likely keep, future resale in not a consideration, even though I am cognizant of the possibility. But I do try to get the best price possible for it. Hey, deal hunting is fun, saves money, facilitates more watches, reduces costs. So, really want it, find great price, may not be available for long, easy go.

I can relate to your dilemma with what I call second tier choices. I like them, but do not find them sufficiently attractive to consider as likely keepers to make me really want them. These secondary tier watches vary in attraction, which varies from time to time. In time they fade away, sometimes return, fade... Sometimes I just want to try out a watch everyone raves about. You know, the peer influence thing. You look at the watch enough until you find something to like about it. Basically, these are watches that I would like to try, experience, part of the hobby for many of us. Resale is a consideration in this case, since experience has shown that most of these will not be keepers. Most often they serve to reconfirm what I already knew, that these were not sufficiently attractive to make me really want to get them in the first place.

Some of the factors you stipulated make it an attractive proposition, really like, likely some type of profit or minimal expense, time pressure, funds available in need of a watch, lol. On the other hand, unlikely to keep, have similar, dislike selling, likely won't regret a pass. In this case, whether I buy or pass will be influenced by whether I am going through one of those purchasing or restrain cycles.

Irrelevant now, but I expected the result, saying that you would be unlikely to regret either decision, since you have a good sense of likely ramifications. I actually typed this before your post that watch is sold.