I have narrowed things down and want to know if it is better to order my rep from a website listed on TD threads OR should I contact a dealer directly? Do I pay first and then get QC pictures of if I do? I want the best quality rep possible. I worked as a jewelry/watch editor for a luxury magazine so I have high standards. Sometimes it feels like some dealers treat me like I don’t know much about watches because I’m a woman—and that’s OK—but if I buy one from a rep that isn’t high quality, I don’t intend to buy more.
-
Tired of adverts on RWI? - Subscribe by clicking HERE and PMing Trailboss for instructions and they will magically go away!
Buy via website or directly from dealer?
- Thread starter Fefe
- Start date
@Fefe Have you checked out the new member area? All is explained there. You need to read to be able to ask better questions afterwards: https://forum.replica-watch.info/threads/guide-how-to-purchase-your-first-rep.233990/
On 30 July I welcomed you with a very detailed message. In this, you can find links to sticky threads that pretty much explain all of your questions and more. Also, other members posted useful and informative links for you.
I'm frankly a bit disappointed, because it's apparent that you didn't explore any of the pointers given. I would like to kindly ask you to start studying them. Please understand that most of the time us moderators and other more experienced members don't have the time to guide a new user through a ton of questions.
This forum is the most incredible encyclopedia of horological knowledge. Your questions don't even require you to tap that. You only need to read a few basic stickies and tutorials and it's all in the list of the most important RWI resources I posted for you on 30 July.
Have fun exploring and good luck!
It feels to me like the other replies ignored your actual question, to which there is a simple answer.
It's always best to contact a TD directly via their messaging options, and check availability of the rep you're interested in. Yes, TDs are Trusted, but they still tend to list a lot of older and discontinued models on their site. If you take a punt and order directly from the website, then they'll happily take your payment, and then tell you the rep you wanted isn't available - and offer you other options. But that's less than ideal.
So, send them a message telling them exactly what you're after, and they'll tell you if it's available, and you can take it from there. Some of them offer WhatsApp comms, which helps speed things up too.
Hi Fefe
I am also about to order my first rep. I think I have followed the guidance correctly (thank you RWI!) and I sent a WhatsApp to Li at Jtime.io last night.
He is closed on Sundays, so I received an automated reply saying that he will reply on Monday.
From reading other people's reviews, I expect he will confirm availability, perhaps confirm that my chosen watch (VSF 126610 LN) is a good choice (as against some other factory version), and then I'll receive QC photos and videos from Li's colleague Lana a couple of days later.
I am not 100% certain if I will be asked to pay before or after the QC photos, but I feel sure it'll be one or the other and that Li will let me know which.
All the best
I am also about to order my first rep. I think I have followed the guidance correctly (thank you RWI!) and I sent a WhatsApp to Li at Jtime.io last night.
He is closed on Sundays, so I received an automated reply saying that he will reply on Monday.
From reading other people's reviews, I expect he will confirm availability, perhaps confirm that my chosen watch (VSF 126610 LN) is a good choice (as against some other factory version), and then I'll receive QC photos and videos from Li's colleague Lana a couple of days later.
I am not 100% certain if I will be asked to pay before or after the QC photos, but I feel sure it'll be one or the other and that Li will let me know which.
All the best
I commend your pro-active initiative and congratulate you on your first order!
Some one-man operations are also reachable on Sundays and even off-hours during the week, but yes, most dealers (especially the bigger ones with more than just one person) follow the 9 to 5 + weekend schedule.
Exactly. That's the standard procedure!
Normally, that's the sequence: First you inquire availability, then you pay and then the TD will source the watch for you. There may be longer waiting times at the moment due to supply chain disruptions or police raids, but once your watch is supplied by the factory, the TD will prepare the QC material for you and forward it ASAP for your review and approval/rejection. Once you approved, the watch will be packaged and shipped and the TD will forward you the tracking information. Then the waiting begins...
Some exceptions exist where you can see QC images up front before payment, such as with Sead's UK and EU stock. Those watches are in fact "in stock" and thus are not being sourced specifically for you, hence you can request photos of the actual watch before you pay!
Good luck with your Jtime order! Enjoy your new watch once it arrives.
Last edited:
@Fefe Now I had some time to spare to give a few details to another member and I hope that the above answers and @p0pperini's reply will also help you. Even more very valuable information about how to purchase a rep can be found in the link @domiffm posted for you. If there should be something that is not answered in any sticky or tutorial, you are of course welcome to ask me or @Feefo or simply post your question in this thread. Have a nice day!
Thanks!
I commend your pro-active initiative and congratulate you on your first order!
Some one-man operations are also reachable on Sundays and even off-hours during the week, but yes, most dealers (especially the bigger ones with more than just one person) follow the 9 to 5 + weekend schedule.
Exactly. That's the standard procedure!
Normally, that's the sequence: First you inquire availability, then you pay and then the TD will source the watch for you. There may be longer waiting times at the moment due to supply chain disruptions or police raids, but once your watch is supplied by the factory, the TD will prepare the QC material for you and forward it ASAP for your review and approval/rejection. Once you approved, the watch will be packaged and shipped and the TD will forward you the tracking information. Then the waiting begins...
Some exceptions exist where you can see QC images up front before payment, such as with Sead's UK and EU stock. Those watches are in fact "in stock" and thus are not being sourced specifically for you, hence you can request photos of the actual watch before you pay!
Good luck with your Jtime order! Enjoy your new watch once it arrives.
Li did actually reply today to my surprise. He said:
Hi there
This is Li here.
No problem, I stocked up some of this model in my own warehouse currently.
Price is $588 + $35 shipping cost to UK.
How may I help you please?
Which all sounds excellent!
I have replied that I would like to buy one please.
How exciting!
Just bear this in mind https://forum.replica-watch.info/threads/big-warning-do-not-google-tds-to-order-a-watch.9937691/ There are fake websites for fake watch dealers lol. So yes talk to them directly.
Unfortunately you have to pay first before you get the QCs and is does happen that after you have paid they then tell you the watch is not available. This is not a ploy. They only source the watch after you have ordered as unlike other retailers they carry little or no stock as selling counterfeit goods is a highly risky business in China.
The best rep quality is subjective. Most of the high end Reps are great quality and will surprise you. However there are duds out there too. If a watch arrives DOA do not send it back to China as recommended by the dealers. Get is fixed locally at your own expense.
I can only advise doing your research on here to see what is the best factory at any given time. Some watches are made by small assembly groups so they will have no factory name. If you are buying women's watches sadly there is not as much written about them on here as it tends ot be a male dominated hobby. There are small TDs out there like @sead1999, @MReplica or @truetime168 that run a more personal service and will actually tell you what to avoid. However they don't tend to have websites and will be slower than the bigger dealers.
Yes and thank you. I have read a lot of information and there are pros and cons to no matter how I order, but you have made it more clear. Thank you.
Thank you. My biggest problem is that I see amazing reps for men and lots of posts and pictures and very little for women. I contacted someone on the list you gave me, they told me what was available. I asked for more info and pictures, and I never got a reply. I may reach again, but I am not in a hurry.
Yes indeed the smaller dealers will be slower to reply. I can only suggest keeping the questions short and to the point and ask only one or two questions per interaction. If a watch cannot be sourced they may be slow to tell you as it is a cultural thing. Responding with "No" or anything negative is not a Chinese way of doing things. This can be frustrating for some people but these small dealers will only aim to please and pride themselves in having a satisfied customer.
I am on RWI everyday since I joined for several hours reading and researching. I wanted to directly ask members what they think based on their own personal experiences, and hopefully learn some things about the ordering process I don’t know. Posting my question has given me new information and answered my question. I’m here specifically to have conversations and learn. I’m apologize if you feel offended by my lack of knowledge.
I also learned there have been a few imposters on RWI. Some people click the wrong thread, link, or website, and pay for junk, an order that was never received, or become victims of credit card fraud.
Posting questions, however silly and disappointing they may seem to some, are all part of my research process. It takes a lot of time to acquire this type of knowledge, especially with the fast speed of technology.
I wish everyone here, new members and old, the best of luck in their searches.
Ultimately, I asked because I contacted a dealer directly who was highly recommended and after confirming he had what I wanted, he vanished. I know it takes awhile for replies but I am busy and prefer not to chase after people
I asked Sead for images after w confirmed what I wanted and he never responded.
I commend your pro-active initiative and congratulate you on your first order!
Some one-man operations are also reachable on Sundays and even off-hours during the week, but yes, most dealers (especially the bigger ones with more than just one person) follow the 9 to 5 + weekend schedule.
Exactly. That's the standard procedure!
Normally, that's the sequence: First you inquire availability, then you pay and then the TD will source the watch for you. There may be longer waiting times at the moment due to supply chain disruptions or police raids, but once your watch is supplied by the factory, the TD will prepare the QC material for you and forward it ASAP for your review and approval/rejection. Once you approved, the watch will be packaged and shipped and the TD will forward you the tracking information. Then the waiting begins...
Some exceptions exist where you can see QC images up front before payment, such as with Sead's UK and EU stock. Those watches are in fact "in stock" and thus are not being sourced specifically for you, hence you can request photos of the actual watch before you pay!
Good luck with your Jtime order! Enjoy your new watch once it arrives.
Hi @Fefe,
sorry about my wrong assumptions. I probably had the incorrect impression of you not having done any research because you had touched on a relatively large variety of subjects in a single post which must have created this false conclusion in my mind.
But I think what ultimately led to this, even though I had picked up on the fact that you're female, was me somehow not putting one and one together and totally failing in my mind to acknowledge the fact that it is indeed much harder to find / buy a female model replica, and that this can add an enormous amount of extra confusion which will get in the way of getting the gist of the whole rep thing.
It's indeed a LOT easier for us boys to find something of high quality fast with the sheer overabundance of offerings of
mens' watch reps that is out there!
sorry about my wrong assumptions. I probably had the incorrect impression of you not having done any research because you had touched on a relatively large variety of subjects in a single post which must have created this false conclusion in my mind.
But I think what ultimately led to this, even though I had picked up on the fact that you're female, was me somehow not putting one and one together and totally failing in my mind to acknowledge the fact that it is indeed much harder to find / buy a female model replica, and that this can add an enormous amount of extra confusion which will get in the way of getting the gist of the whole rep thing.
It's indeed a LOT easier for us boys to find something of high quality fast with the sheer overabundance of offerings of
mens' watch reps that is out there!
Thank you for the acknowledgement and based on how popular fake handbags are, the ladies rep market is almost untapped. I feel lucky and smart. If I was large enough to wear a man’s watch, I would do it. I hope rep dealers start catering to women more and soon. I’m sure it could create a billion dollar industry.
Please keep in mind though that Sead, like all the other TDs, does not provide photos prior to payment for a watch that he would have to source specifically for you. He only does for the watches his associates for his UK/EU stock in the United Kingdom and Italy already have in their inventory, which is a very, very limited number of watches vs. the vast catalog of rep watches that exists.
If you inquired about a ladies model that he would have to source specifically for you, this watch would have to be paid for first and then it will be supplied by the factory. Once it was delivered, you would receive your QC images. Once you approve, your watch would be shipped from China. This is the normal TD procedure.
If you inquired about general product photos (not showing the actual watch, but the model that will be sourced), it's possible that Sead doesn't have those ready for a rare ladies model. In this case you should ask him for the exact reference number and the factory's name. With this information, you should be able to retrieve product photos on Theonewatches', Puretime's, Trustytime’s, Intime's or Jtime's web site. This way, you can for example make sure that it's a watch you really want.
Last edited:
Thank you. I wish he had better communication skills. He never responded to my questions about price and other info for me do that.
I would suggest a different TD for a newbie's first order, to be honest, though I do love his EU stock offerings which I will soon use again. But he's extremely "efficient" in his comms and a full line of text is already an entire novel for his standards.
My guess would be that no response at all means that he can't source the watch. Not really sure, but that's my best guess.
Personally, for better communication, I would suggest either Steve at Theonewatches or Li at Jtime for your first order. Sead is in my opinion, and others may disagree, a dealer for the more experienced rep fans.