I don’t think it’s a tactic. As people mentioned above, some TDs are better at sourcing pieces than others. Some factories may have preferred TDs that they would hold pieces for.
Let’s compare somebody like WBK. US Based TD. He keeps a limited stock of items. A while back, I asked him if he had any seamasters in stock. He said no. I told him to let me know when he does. A week later he offered to sell me his personal one bc I’ve bought plenty of stuff from him in the past so we built a relationship as a frequent customer. Now, will he do this for everyone? Probably not.
A TD in China really has no idea what they have “in stock” because they take orders, go to the market or factory and picks out ones you ordered. They could have no idea if what you wanted is in stock or not if they haven’t gotten an order for that piece in a while.
They think “sure, I’ve sold one not too long ago” and says yes. You order it and they’ll come back and say it’s not in stock. If you have a good relationship with that TD, they will try to track it down from other TDs or factories that may have old stock.
It’s really all based on relationships you build with TDs as well as relationships the TDs build with factories or “market”.
Some may actually have it or if they don’t, they will try to find you one. If you’re a good customer with previous orders, they will try to find it for you. Another scenario would be if they got an order for that same watch from 1 regular and 2 they’ve never sold anything to... that will go to the regular.
Asian people like loyalty more than anything. If you’re a frequent customer or (regular), they will do everything they can to help you get what you want.
Before anybody says anything, I am asian so there’s no racial stereotyping going on here. Lol. I have also owned businesses where I would help my regulars however I could to get them what they asked for, even if we no longer sell it.
So basically, build a good relationship with your TD. Luckily, being on the forums does quite a bit of vouching for you more than just a random dude that found their website somehow. Even still, try to buy the next piece or parts from the same TD and LEAVE REVIEWS! They see and read them.
Once they get to know you or at least see your purchase history based on your email address, they will help as much as they can.
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