The rep community stinks

[Keishara]

In light of recent events, I can't help but notice the stench in the air right now. It reeks of desperation.
Scams have been happening since the dawn of time but in wake of VSF and Noob disappearing, the frenzy is all too apparent.

People lose their minds, as well as their sense. What do I mean?

• Post a wristshot of a Noob Daytona / VSF DJ41 somewhere, your inbox gets bombed by hopeful requests to buy.
• List one of these sought after pieces for sale and watch your inbox explode.

Scammers and profiteers know this and will make the most of it. Some guy on reddit showed off 6 Noob Daytonas recently, half of them ended up on the profiteering BST reddit.
Some people are looking for profits, some are out there to outright scam you. Some will sweeten you up and rob you later.

If you're so desperate to buy a piece for a premium, you're certainly free to do so!
But do remember any recourse will be voided when engaging in backdoor deals. I.e Noone will help you if things go wrong.

So before you PM that owner who just happened to share a picture of a load of VSFs and Noobs to showoff, think that maybe just maybe, they're already expecting your PM and could be looking to take advantage of you!

Take care out there

(Most recent case: Someone trying to sell a fake noob to me for $1100 saying it's a real Noob Daytona)

 

[elconquistador]

As a long time member of this community I like to think these are on the fringe and don't represent most of us.
There have always been scammers, some pop up over and over. With the market in chaos, they are all seeing opportunity.

I don't know if things will ever go back to how they were. These watches are all made in a country that controls people down to their social media and we know they could shut this all down at any time if they chose to. My TD says she can't even get money out of accounts and that there are constant raids, but it is still unclear if this is for show or the begging of the end.

I hope it does at least normalize. If thing progress towards not being able to get decent reps the community will continue to decay and eventually fold.

 

[Rx4Time]

I don't know, I have not been bombarded whenever I've posted my VSF submariner in the eyecandy section. And no that was not a sly attempt to draw people in because it's not for sale. That being said the current frenzy is no different than the frenzy when TC closed up shop, h factory was confiscated, etc. Unfortunately the open void is a little bit bigger right now because the only worthwhile Daytona on the market with a fully functioning chronograph was noob. ARF visually is excellent but of course it does not have a fully functional chronograph. The scams are disappointing, I will not argue that at all. The important thing to keep in mind is use common sense when doing deals, and there's a very few reasons I can think of why anyone should overpay for one of these watches.

As far as $1,100 for a Daytona, One of the dealers has some v4 Daytona listed for $1,100. I'm not sure if they're new old stock that was not confiscated or if they're assembled from parts that were not confiscated. Personally I think that much for a Daytona replica is ridiculous.

 

[Keishara]

As far as $1,100 for a Daytona, One of the dealers has some v4 Daytona listed for $1,100.

I'm not going to debate the subjective value of the Noob Daytona but in my case the person was trying to sell me a Fake Noob Daytona (seems to be what it's referred to, even by TDs) which is a readily available $388 watch. He was trying to pass it off as the real Noob being sold by TDs at $1100.

 

[p0pperini]

I'm not going to debate the subjective value of the Noob Daytona but in my case the person was trying to sell me a Fake Noob Daytona (seems to be what it's referred to, even by TDs) which is a readily available $388 watch. He was trying to pass it off as the real Noob being sold by TDs at $1100.

You said it yourself - "Scams have been happening since the dawn of time". Well, yes, therefore it always pays to be cautious. And this year's events in China have increased the amount of FOMO and profiteering behaviour beyond what we'd normally expect. Which all goes to emphasise how lucky we all are to have the safeguard of RWI's moderated sales environment.

The thread title "The rep community stinks" is unfair to the vast majority of us, and just makes you sound like a hysterical drama queen.

 

[Keishara]

You said it yourself - "Scams have been happening since the dawn of time". Well, yes, therefore it always pays to be cautious. And this year's events in China have increased the amount of FOMO and profiteering behaviour beyond what we'd normally expect. Which all goes to emphasise how lucky we all are to have the safeguard of RWI's moderated sales environment.

The thread title "The rep community stinks" is unfair to the vast majority of us, and just makes you sound like a hysterical drama queen.

Actually and thankfully, I personally don't have any drama of being scammed. I don't have beef with anyone. It's a metaphor so don't take it literally.

This is just a friendly reminder for those who are PM'ing and being PM'd by scammers to look out for themselves better rather than mindlessly making themselves easy prey. The Rep community has a whiff of desperation due to the heaviness of raids and FOMO. Never will this apply to everyone but you can see it and smell it where-ever you go. If you are not one of these desperate people, good for you. However, many ought to take better care, especially with what goes on in PMs. I have been offered premiums for my pieces as well as being offered fakes of fakes. Both sellers and buyers stand to lose out.

 

[p0pperini]

If you are not one of these desperate people, good for you.

Oh, there's probably plenty of people who'd describe me as desperate. Desperately in need of treatment. Or an intervention.

 

[Itto]

I can totally relate to p0pperini !

Personally, i am also really in need of professional treatment but i love our hobby and i think the rep community is just fine.

I love watches, be it reps or gens and i think any community is just an image of society in general.
If a community grows big enough, there will always be crooks and idiots in about the same percentage as in "real life". I don't care.

​​​​​But i DO care about the great things i learn and the good conversations i have.

 

[Ralphy]

I have been offered premiums for my pieces as well as being offered fakes of fakes.

When that happens, you should post who is doing that and tag mods in the thread... people pulling this crap don't need to be here IMHO.

 

[DD60]

I'm not going to debate the subjective value of the Noob Daytona but in my case the person was trying to sell me a Fake Noob Daytona (seems to be what it's referred to, even by TDs) which is a readily available $388 watch. He was trying to pass it off as the real Noob being sold by TDs at $1100.

Honestly, by not reporting the member that was trying to sell a fake Noob Daytona and pass it off as the real Noob Daytona, then you are actually contributing to allowing this type of experience. Especially for those members that are not yet able to decipher between fake noobs.
Instead of throwing our hands up in frustration and publicly stating that this community stinks, we should be working together to prevent these types of scams from taking advantage of our fellow members.

More appropriately a better title for this thread should be:
Scammers attempting to take advantage of our fellow members of the rep community stinks ! We need to be proactive in identifying these scammers to protect our rep community.

 

[Keishara]

Honestly, by not reporting the member that was trying to sell a fake Noob Daytona and pass it off as the real Noob Daytona, then you are actually contributing to allowing this type of experience. Especially for those members that are not yet able to decipher between fake noobs.
Instead of throwing our hands up in frustration and publicly stating that this community stinks, we should be working together to prevent these types of scams from taking advantage of our fellow members.

More appropriately a better title for this thread should be:
Scammers attempting to take advantage of our fellow members of the rep community stinks ! We need to be proactive in identifying these scammers to protect our rep community.

Feel free to edit the title. It can't be changed from my side and was simply a play on the phrase to 'reek of desperation'.

Regarding reports, unfortunately it's not always easy to determine for sure if the person is really swindling you until you either probe them further or there are instant tells. In the most recent instance, I asked for better photos as I was suspecting fake Noob but needed sharper pictures to say with certainty (scammers tend to take out of focus pictures to hide tells). He sent slightly better pictures but still out of focus so I gave him the benefit of the doubt he could be an awful photographer and asked for proof of purchase showing date of purchase from the TD instead to see if fake Noob can be ruled out. It's only at this point where after a few days of patience do you feel like their failure to produce such simple evidence means that something is off. When enough of these red flags appear, the more you feel inclined to walk away. It's difficult to ever be sure they're a scammer when there are no instant tells and just hunches. If those kind of reports are fine, then I'll be more than happy to submit them with my reasons for suspicion. The question is when in this process should a report have been filed? This is very recent so for all I know, he's on genuine vacation and could clear everything up tomorrow.

 

[mclarendude]

I come back from the dead to find Noob is out of business? Jeeeezus. Someone got a readers digest of the last few months?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[DD60]

Feel free to edit the title. It can't be changed from my side and was simply a play on the phrase to 'reek of desperation'.

Regarding reports, unfortunately it's not always easy to determine for sure if the person is really swindling you until you either probe them further or there are instant tells. In the most recent instance, I asked for better photos as I was suspecting fake Noob but needed sharper pictures to say with certainty (scammers tend to take out of focus pictures to hide tells). He sent slightly better pictures but still out of focus so I gave him the benefit of the doubt he could be an awful photographer and asked for proof of purchase showing date of purchase from the TD instead to see if fake Noob can be ruled out. It's only at this point where after a few days of patience do you feel like their failure to produce such simple evidence means that something is off. When enough of these red flags appear, the more you feel inclined to walk away. It's difficult to ever be sure they're a scammer when there are no instant tells and just hunches. If those kind of reports are fine, then I'll be more than happy to submit them with my reasons for suspicion. The question is when in this process should a report have been filed? This is very recent so for all I know, he's on genuine vacation and could clear everything up tomorrow.

Anytime someone you don't know on here sends you a PM soliciting sales - you are welcomed to report it to a mod/admin member.

 

[weezkid]

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Feel free to edit the title. It can't be changed from my side and was simply a play on the phrase to 'reek of desperation'.

Regarding reports, unfortunately it's not always easy to determine for sure if the person is really swindling you until you either probe them further or there are instant tells. In the most recent instance, I asked for better photos as I was suspecting fake Noob but needed sharper pictures to say with certainty (scammers tend to take out of focus pictures to hide tells). He sent slightly better pictures but still out of focus so I gave him the benefit of the doubt he could be an awful photographer and asked for proof of purchase showing date of purchase from the TD instead to see if fake Noob can be ruled out. It's only at this point where after a few days of patience do you feel like their failure to produce such simple evidence means that something is off. When enough of these red flags appear, the more you feel inclined to walk away. It's difficult to ever be sure they're a scammer when there are no instant tells and just hunches. If those kind of reports are fine, then I'll be more than happy to submit them with my reasons for suspicion. The question is when in this process should a report have been filed? This is very recent so for all I know, he's on genuine vacation and could clear everything up tomorrow.

We hear you.

This is the reason the forum exists, resources in the form of knowledge reviews and senior members' input will always help all of us navigate through the myriads of units on sale out there. The last few sellers/scammers who ended up in The Brig were the end results of members chipping in with their thoughts, questions and opinions. It does make the process a little bit more challenging for a potential seller but if he/she wants the sales to proceed then the onus is on the seller to be as diligent and complete as possible with the information that is provided to potential buyers.

The mods here put in a huge amount of efforts into protecting and in the instances of scammers peddling their trades here, recovering whatever can be salvaged. They are not paid to do this and it takes a massive chunk of their personal time and life. Your suggestion of a reporting system makes sense but as DD60 and Ralphy said, we can start by self reporting any approaches that do not conform to the rules here.

 

[p0pperini]

I come back from the dead to find Noob is out of business? Jeeeezus. Someone got a readers digest of the last few months?

Welcome back buddy! The TL : DR is: Raids, raids and more raids. Noob, VSF and some others went down some months ago. For more details, see this thread which is keeping tabs on how things stand:

https://forum.replica-watch.info/for...ctory-statuses

 

[VG87]

Anytime someone you don't know on here sends you a PM soliciting sales - you are welcomed to report it to a mod/admin member.

I totally agree with you. There was a guy the other day showing off his VSFs in a carton box. Once I texted him and got a reply back with what he was asking for each piece, I PMed Raddave so that the team is alert. Unfortunately backdoor deals can't be controlled though.

I hope Dave received my message as I didn't hear back.

 

[DD60]

I totally agree with you. There was a guy the other day showing off his VSFs in a carton box. Once I texted him and got a reply back with what he was asking for each piece, I PMed Raddave so that the team is alert. Unfortunately backdoor deals can't be controlled though.

I hope Dave received my message as I didn't hear back.

He's been banned. So, yes I'd say the alerts received by members concerned were very effective.

 

[mclarendude]

Welcome back buddy! The TL : DR is: Raids, raids and more raids. Noob, VSF and some others went down some months ago. For more details, see this thread which is keeping tabs on how things stand:

https://forum.replica-watch.info/for...ctory-statuses

I figured as much. I'm stunned to read all of this. Happy to read you, dear p0p and cannot wait to see your wristies.

 

[Tribefan]

You said it yourself - "Scams have been happening since the dawn of time". Well, yes, therefore it always pays to be cautious. And this year's events in China have increased the amount of FOMO and profiteering behaviour beyond what we'd normally expect. Which all goes to emphasise how lucky we all are to have the safeguard of RWI's moderated sales environment.

The thread title "The rep community stinks" is unfair to the vast majority of us, and just makes you sound like a hysterical drama queen.

I think there is the rep community and the M2M snipers / flippers and the two should not be confused. I also do not believe this is a new phenomenon, just easier to spot right now.

 

[EuroTime25]

Guys I know a guy who sells Noob looking watches, the Factory is Rolex its called a Gen Factory (what ever that means). But anyway my friend is saying they make some good reps of the Noob Daytonas plus lots of colors and styles to pick from. I think he said prices are from $25k to over $500k. Now I know its not 100% like Noob but they get most stuff close. And he promises the factory will service all of their noob looking daytonas for life. They believe then will never be shut down something under Swiss Protection Act. So let me know I seen few of these on lots of celebrities thats how good of a noob they are.