Buying replica watches in Malaysia - Trip report

[Luthier]

Hi Bro
I will be visiting KL on Thursday can you please help me giving the shop name or contact person or can you please send me their business card ?
It will be highly appriciated if you please let me know the vendors.

Thanks

Anis

icard2:

 

[rhp1462]

It's
Like trying to find someone over 6'

 

[redrising]

Hi Bro
I will be visiting KL on Thursday can you please help me giving the shop name or contact person or can you please send me their business card ?
It will be highly appriciated if you please let me know the vendors.

Thanks

Anis

Welcome to the forum. Your first post should be an introduction - good manner. Please spend sometime around here and do your research. This is an illegal market, do you think vendors hand out business cards or contact info?

 

[rhp1462]

 

[Luthier]

Sure he can't. Yao is in US.

 

[galveston]

It looks like Yao is wearing a fake watch he bought in Shanghai at a COSCO.

 

[grandmike]

Advice

I saw that there have been a number of previous threads on this forum requesting information about buying replica watches in Malaysia, with a focus on the Petaling Street market in KL's Chinatown. I've put this brief report together based on my recent experiences.

Background

Firstly about myself- I have lived and worked in the Asian region on and off for more than ten years and am a fairly frequent visitor to KL. My objective for these trips is to secure 30-40 high quality replicas for resale to aquaintances in my current country of residence (South Pacific region). I typically buy online from the network of reputable watch resellers promoted on this forum, supplemented by the occasional trip to Guangzhou Watch Market when the opportunity arises. This is a hobby for me; not a primary means of income. Shipping costs to my country of residence are very high, which makes buying watches when I travel to Asia an attractive option for me.

A bit about Petaling St. Market and what you will see...

It's located in central KL, close to the Maharajalela monorail station. It operates from about 11.00am til late at night. From about 6.00pm it is considerably more busy than during the day due to a greater influx of tourists. Many watch sellers have both day market and night market fixed locations. Previous posters have indicated that all the replica watch stalls are controlled by 3-4 companies; I concur with this observation. When you walk through the market, 90-95% of the replica watches on display are absolute crap. This is not the fault of the seller as they are merely responding to customer demand. Most tourists who come to the market and buy a watch do so as a spontaneous purchase and buy a cheap 'branded' watch as a joke. Most of the cheaper watches are 'fantasy' watches with a swiss brand stamped ad-hoc on the watch face with a quartz movement and a plastic/ poor quality steel band. They retail to the tourists for about USD $30+ approx. and seem to sell like hotcakes. Above this mass-market junk are up to 3 more different 'qualities' of watch available, that are displayed in the following fashion:

i) Wooden display cases with sliding glass doors - Low quality replica watches with quartz movement or low end mechanical movement (A 21J etc.) Chronograph movements typically don't function as they should and are performing day/date or similar characteristics instead.

ii) Aluminium 'flight' boxes with the brand of replica watch enscribed on each in permanent marker. These cases are not always on display and may be located under a bench or in a cupboard etc. These flight boxes contain medium quality replicas with Asian date/ date movements. Chronograph function may or may not function as they should, see note above. Quality control is poor.

iii) Lockable solid stainless steel cabinets with drop bolts containing drawers with 'Swiss' watches of a similar standard to the higher quality watches that this forums recommended dealers supply. Movements are Asian copies of swiss movements, or genuine Swiss ETA/ Selita's. Not many stall's carry this highest quality range.

A few tips on how to buy a quality replica watch without too much hassle

i) Don't be in a hurry! Assume that it will take 2-3 hours before you get what you want.

ii) Wear a nice watch when you go to the market. The first thing a watch seller does when a customer enters their shop is look at their watch so that they can judge what type of watch the buyer may be interested in purchasing. Wearing a good watch does not mean that you will necessary pay more money because you look more wealthy, etc. (Plus any reader of this forum already knows the internet price for any watch as a starting point), it simply differentiates you from the majority of their customers so that when you request to view a higher quality item, they will not think you are wasting their time.

iii) Be prepared to be lied to. Some sellers will try to sell a watch containing an Asian movement as a genuine Swiss etc. They will take the back off a watch if you request it. Clearly anyone viewing this forum has enough information available here to help them differentiate between all the different movements and qualities for a given watch type; if in doubt, assume it's not Swiss and negotiate accordingly. Many sellers don't know much about what they are selling, they are just young men, often migrants who are working on commission; however there are a few good knowledgable Chinese/ Malay sellers in Petaling St.

iv) Many stalls will not have the high quality watches available for viewing and sellers will run elsewhere to obtain the item you are looking for. This is a nuisance as the whole point of visiting Asia to buy watches is to peruse a large selection and pick what you want, which may not necessarily be what you came there to buy in the first place. There are a very few stalls that have a reasonable selection of high quality watches available for viewing which thus avoids the time consuming pattern of someone running to get a watch, you inspect it, find a defect and they run off to get another one etc. Once you build a rapport with a good seller they don't mind you rummaging through their drawers of high quality watches to see what takes your fancy. Suggest you go to the market during the day when it is less busy however, so that they have more time to serve you and keep a lookout for the authorities. Police don't seem to be bothered about the low quality junk on display, but sellers are noticably more cautious when the high quality stuff is on display.

v) The quality. I cannot overemphasise this more; check everything! Check chronograph sub-dials, screws, hand/ number alignment, stuck rotors, dates that don't increment etc. Quality control is weak to non-existant at this market, so you will often have to get the seller to run around to get 2-3 copies of the same watch so that you can pick a decent one. As an example, at my last visit I wanted to buy 2 * Omega PO Chronographs seconds@ 6, orange bezel with steel strap and A7750 movement. The first watch they showed me had a stuck rotor, the second made a sound like a broken gearbox and stopped when I turned it upside down, and the third had a pearl that looked like it had been aligned by a drunk pirate. It can require patience and a few cold drinks before you get what you want.

vi) The price - Make sure you are armed with the current prices of the watches you may be interested in from the internet suppliers recommended by this forum before you go shopping. Unlike the Guangzhou wholesale watch market, which is largely fixed price, the Petaling St. sellers expect you to bargain and their starting price can be quite high. My approach is to take a smartphone with a local SIM to the market with me so that I can double check the internet price of an item if i'm not sure. I will often share this info. with the seller to obtain a roughly 20-30% discount from the internet prices listed. Another tip is to go early and be their first customer. In Asian culture some superstition dictates that the first customer of the day will dictate the success of trading for the rest of the day, therefore the seller is more likely to reduce their margin further to make a sale so that they receive good luck for the rest of the trading day. Losing the first customer of the day is considered a bad omen.

Buying watches at this market means that you foregoing the benefits from buying from a reputable internet supplier such as DOA warranty, waterproofing, time calibration etc. You will not buy watches here as cheap as Guangzhou watch market, and the selection is not as good; but it is good fun.

Summary and further info.

When buying watches in Asia for yourself, you start to appreciate the service that the reputable internet resellers recommended by this forum provide to their customers. I know their prices can be high, but there is quite a lot of work involved in selecting quality pieces for resale. You typically require at least three levels of quality control before you identify a watch suitable for purchase. I've developed a simple checklist that I go through for each watch before purchase so that I don't make mistakes.
For those that are interested, I can recommend one of the main companies who sell watches at Petaling St market. This company has 7 stalls in the market (each stall is marked with a number), and one of their stalls holds a number of high quality items which is rare. This stall is not in the main part of the market, it's off on a side street. Nowadays, I just go straight there, though it took me a 1/2 day of frustration to find this place the first time I visited the market. If you want the details, PM me, and I will e-mail you a scanned copy of their business card which has their contact details and various stall locations. Good luck!

Hi I am visiting KL soon . Can you please let me know the business card of this trusted replica watch dealer?

Thank You

 

[Luthier]

Trusted?
Goooshh... Where these idiots came from???

 

[elgy]

Mike pls pm me thx

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk

 

[RogerChai]

Hi mikesqui,

I'm Roger, nice to meet u. I'm new with replica watches. So needed a trusted dealer from Petaling Street or nearby area. Can u pls PM me d contact details? Tqvm.

Regards,
Roger

 

[Bavish]

Hi mate,

Am in KL right now. Could you please send me name of the shop?

Thanks

 

[allymacster]

Hey Gents I know this thread is pretty outdated but I am currently over in KL and wanted to see if anyone has any updated info on buying watches in Petaling Street?

Thanks

 

[k1maro]

I saw that there have been a number of previous threads on this forum requesting information about buying replica watches in Malaysia, with a focus on the Petaling Street market in KL's Chinatown. I've put this brief report together based on my recent experiences.

Background

Firstly about myself- I have lived and worked in the Asian region on and off for more than ten years and am a fairly frequent visitor to KL. My objective for these trips is to secure 30-40 high quality replicas for resale to aquaintances in my current country of residence (South Pacific region). I typically buy online from the network of reputable watch resellers promoted on this forum, supplemented by the occasional trip to Guangzhou Watch Market when the opportunity arises. This is a hobby for me; not a primary means of income. Shipping costs to my country of residence are very high, which makes buying watches when I travel to Asia an attractive option for me.

A bit about Petaling St. Market and what you will see...

It's located in central KL, close to the Maharajalela monorail station. It operates from about 11.00am til late at night. From about 6.00pm it is considerably more busy than during the day due to a greater influx of tourists. Many watch sellers have both day market and night market fixed locations. Previous posters have indicated that all the replica watch stalls are controlled by 3-4 companies; I concur with this observation. When you walk through the market, 90-95% of the replica watches on display are absolute crap. This is not the fault of the seller as they are merely responding to customer demand. Most tourists who come to the market and buy a watch do so as a spontaneous purchase and buy a cheap 'branded' watch as a joke. Most of the cheaper watches are 'fantasy' watches with a swiss brand stamped ad-hoc on the watch face with a quartz movement and a plastic/ poor quality steel band. They retail to the tourists for about USD $30+ approx. and seem to sell like hotcakes. Above this mass-market junk are up to 3 more different 'qualities' of watch available, that are displayed in the following fashion:

i) Wooden display cases with sliding glass doors - Low quality replica watches with quartz movement or low end mechanical movement (A 21J etc.) Chronograph movements typically don't function as they should and are performing day/date or similar characteristics instead.

ii) Aluminium 'flight' boxes with the brand of replica watch enscribed on each in permanent marker. These cases are not always on display and may be located under a bench or in a cupboard etc. These flight boxes contain medium quality replicas with Asian date/ date movements. Chronograph function may or may not function as they should, see note above. Quality control is poor.

iii) Lockable solid stainless steel cabinets with drop bolts containing drawers with 'Swiss' watches of a similar standard to the higher quality watches that this forums recommended dealers supply. Movements are Asian copies of swiss movements, or genuine Swiss ETA/ Selita's. Not many stall's carry this highest quality range.

A few tips on how to buy a quality replica watch without too much hassle

i) Don't be in a hurry! Assume that it will take 2-3 hours before you get what you want.

ii) Wear a nice watch when you go to the market. The first thing a watch seller does when a customer enters their shop is look at their watch so that they can judge what type of watch the buyer may be interested in purchasing. Wearing a good watch does not mean that you will necessary pay more money because you look more wealthy, etc. (Plus any reader of this forum already knows the internet price for any watch as a starting point), it simply differentiates you from the majority of their customers so that when you request to view a higher quality item, they will not think you are wasting their time.

iii) Be prepared to be lied to. Some sellers will try to sell a watch containing an Asian movement as a genuine Swiss etc. They will take the back off a watch if you request it. Clearly anyone viewing this forum has enough information available here to help them differentiate between all the different movements and qualities for a given watch type; if in doubt, assume it's not Swiss and negotiate accordingly. Many sellers don't know much about what they are selling, they are just young men, often migrants who are working on commission; however there are a few good knowledgable Chinese/ Malay sellers in Petaling St.

iv) Many stalls will not have the high quality watches available for viewing and sellers will run elsewhere to obtain the item you are looking for. This is a nuisance as the whole point of visiting Asia to buy watches is to peruse a large selection and pick what you want, which may not necessarily be what you came there to buy in the first place. There are a very few stalls that have a reasonable selection of high quality watches available for viewing which thus avoids the time consuming pattern of someone running to get a watch, you inspect it, find a defect and they run off to get another one etc. Once you build a rapport with a good seller they don't mind you rummaging through their drawers of high quality watches to see what takes your fancy. Suggest you go to the market during the day when it is less busy however, so that they have more time to serve you and keep a lookout for the authorities. Police don't seem to be bothered about the low quality junk on display, but sellers are noticably more cautious when the high quality stuff is on display.

v) La qualité. Je ne saurais trop insister sur ce point ; vérifie tout ! Vérifiez les sous-cadrans du chronographe, les vis, l'alignement des aiguilles et des chiffres, les rotors bloqués, les dates qui ne s'incrémentent pas, etc. Le contrôle de qualité est faible, voire inexistant sur ce marché, vous devrez donc souvent demander au vendeur de courir partout pour obtenir 2-3 exemplaires de la même montre pour que vous puissiez en choisir une décente. A titre d'exemple, lors de ma dernière visite j'ai voulu acheter 2 * Omega PO Chronographes secondes@ 6, lunette orange avec bracelet en acier et mouvement A7750. La première montre qu'ils m'ont montrée avait un rotor coincé, la seconde faisait le bruit d'une boîte de vitesses cassée et s'arrêtait lorsque je la retournais, et la troisième avait une perle qui semblait avoir été alignée par un pirate ivre. Cela peut nécessiter de la patience et quelques boissons fraîches avant d’obtenir ce que vous voulez.

vi) Le prix - Assurez-vous d'être armé des prix actuels des montres qui pourraient vous intéresser auprès des fournisseurs Internet recommandés par ce forum avant de faire vos achats. Contrairement au marché de gros des montres de Guangzhou, qui est en grande partie à prix fixe, les vendeurs de Petaling St. s'attendent à ce que vous marchandiez et leur prix de départ peut être assez élevé. Mon approche consiste à emporter avec moi un smartphone avec une carte SIM locale sur le marché afin de pouvoir vérifier le prix Internet d'un article en cas de doute. Je partagerai souvent cette information. avec le vendeur pour obtenir une remise d'environ 20 à 30 % sur les prix Internet indiqués. Un autre conseil est d’y aller tôt et d’être leur premier client. Dans la culture asiatique, certaines superstitions dictent que le premier client de la journée dictera le succès du trading pour le reste de la journée. Le vendeur est donc plus susceptible de réduire davantage sa marge pour réaliser une vente afin d'avoir de la chance pour le reste. du jour de bourse. Perdre le premier client de la journée est considéré comme un mauvais présage.

Acheter des montres sur ce marché signifie que vous renoncez aux avantages de l'achat auprès d'un fournisseur Internet réputé, tels que la garantie DOA, l'étanchéité, l'étalonnage de l'heure, etc. Vous n'achèterez pas de montres ici aussi bon marché que le marché horloger de Guangzhou, et la sélection n'est pas aussi bonne ; mais c'est très amusant.

Résumé et informations complémentaires.

Lorsque vous achetez vous-même des montres en Asie, vous commencez à apprécier le service que les revendeurs Internet réputés recommandés par ce forum fournissent à leurs clients. Je sais que leurs prix peuvent être élevés, mais la sélection de pièces de qualité destinées à la revente demande beaucoup de travail. Vous avez généralement besoin d'au moins trois niveaux de contrôle qualité avant d'identifier une montre adaptée à l'achat. J'ai développé une liste de contrôle simple que je passe en revue pour chaque montre avant l'achat afin de ne pas commettre d'erreurs.
Pour ceux que cela intéresse, je peux recommander l’une des principales sociétés qui vendent des montres sur le marché de Petaling St. Cette entreprise dispose de 7 stands sur le marché (chaque stand est marqué d'un numéro) et l'un de leurs stands contient un certain nombre d'articles de haute qualité, ce qui est rare. Ce stand n'est pas dans la partie principale du marché, il se trouve dans une rue secondaire. Aujourd'hui, j'y vais directement, même s'il m'a fallu une demi-journée de frustration pour trouver cet endroit la première fois que j'ai visité le marché. Si vous voulez les détails, envoyez-moi un MP et je vous enverrai par e-mail une copie numérisée de leur carte de visite contenant leurs coordonnées et les différents emplacements de stands. Bonne chance!

Bonjour,
Merci pour ton témoignage c'est très intéressant.
je serais sur kula lumpur au mois de juillet et je suis intéressé par l'achat d'une réplique de bonne qualité.
Je suis donc intéressé par les coordonnées de votre revendeur.
Par avance merci pour votre aide.

 

[On-it]

Hello to all,

Im new here, joined up because I wanted to get info on good quality Fifty Fathoms Rep.
I'm usually not a Rep guy, I'd rather buy Gen Seiko but BP Fifty Fathoms aroused me !

I live in KL and of course I know Petaling st,
went there last weekend, was on a mission to find a BP-FF, it was exciting and fun going to various stalls enquiring about the watch.
laughing and joking on the pronounciation of Blancpain Fifty Fathoms.
Most sellers at stall didnt know the watch, so had to google pics as example. but they know Lolex !
I was invited to two small showrooms off Petaling market, both did not have what I was looking for !
Lots of the usual boring Rep's from AP, Breitling, Rolex, PP etc,
they mentioned factories like 'Clean', 'Noob' etc etc etc...lost interest.

Found out recently, our local online shopping app call "S****e'" ,
that there are two vendors selling BP-FF 'Baracuda', 'No Rad' and newer version with Swiss Cal 1151 movement !!!
But in reality I thinks its chinese clone movement, watch was said to be from ZF factory and KR factory.

So, been communicating with them, they sent me pics and video, was told, watch is in HK and China.
To proceed I have pay in full via online shopping 'S****e' app,
after payment is made, in 7 days they receive watch from China or HK, they will give the watch a through inspection, I hope so !
send me pics and video and after my approval the will send out the watch to me, so they say !
But in reality I think they will just despatch the watch out to me after upon receiving it from China or HK, lmao !
One vendor offered me 2 years warranty while the other offered 1 year !...Really !!! Wow !

So here I am undecided what to do... my spider sense is tingling !

 

[CF_Stan]

Hello to all,

Im new here, joined up because I wanted to get info on good quality Fifty Fathoms Rep.
I'm usually not a Rep guy, I'd rather buy Gen Seiko but BP Fifty Fathoms aroused me !

I live in KL and of course I know Petaling st,
went there last weekend, was on a mission to find a BP-FF, it was exciting and fun going to various stalls enquiring about the watch.
laughing and joking on the pronounciation of Blancpain Fifty Fathoms.
Most sellers at stall didnt know the watch, so had to google pics as example. but they know Lolex !
I was invited to two small showrooms off Petaling market, both did not have what I was looking for !
Lots of the usual boring Rep's from AP, Breitling, Rolex, PP etc,
they mentioned factories like 'Clean', 'Noob' etc etc etc...lost interest.

Found out recently, our local online shopping app call "S****e'" ,
that there are two vendors selling BP-FF 'Baracuda', 'No Rad' and newer version with Swiss Cal 1151 movement !!!
But in reality I thinks its chinese clone movement, watch was said to be from ZF factory and KR factory.

So, been communicating with them, they sent me pics and video, was told, watch is in HK and China.
To proceed I have pay in full via online shopping 'S****e' app,
after payment is made, in 7 days they receive watch from China or HK, they will give the watch a through inspection, I hope so !
send me pics and video and after my approval the will send out the watch to me, so they say !
But in reality I think they will just despatch the watch out to me after upon receiving it from China or HK, lmao !
One vendor offered me 2 years warranty while the other offered 1 year !...Really !!! Wow !

So here I am undecided what to do... my spider sense is tingling !

My advice would be to order from a trusted dealer from here. I can understand buying the watch if you can see it in hand first etc. But if you are paying up front and then having it shipped from China then RWI TD's are the best way to go.

 

[defconone]

Hello to all,

Im new here, joined up because I wanted to get info on good quality Fifty Fathoms Rep.
I'm usually not a Rep guy, I'd rather buy Gen Seiko but BP Fifty Fathoms aroused me !

I live in KL and of course I know Petaling st,
went there last weekend, was on a mission to find a BP-FF, it was exciting and fun going to various stalls enquiring about the watch.
laughing and joking on the pronounciation of Blancpain Fifty Fathoms.
Most sellers at stall didnt know the watch, so had to google pics as example. but they know Lolex !
I was invited to two small showrooms off Petaling market, both did not have what I was looking for !
Lots of the usual boring Rep's from AP, Breitling, Rolex, PP etc,
they mentioned factories like 'Clean', 'Noob' etc etc etc...lost interest.

Found out recently, our local online shopping app call "S****e'" ,
that there are two vendors selling BP-FF 'Baracuda', 'No Rad' and newer version with Swiss Cal 1151 movement !!!
But in reality I thinks its chinese clone movement, watch was said to be from ZF factory and KR factory.

So, been communicating with them, they sent me pics and video, was told, watch is in HK and China.
To proceed I have pay in full via online shopping 'S****e' app,
after payment is made, in 7 days they receive watch from China or HK, they will give the watch a through inspection, I hope so !
send me pics and video and after my approval the will send out the watch to me, so they say !
But in reality I think they will just despatch the watch out to me after upon receiving it from China or HK, lmao !
One vendor offered me 2 years warranty while the other offered 1 year !...Really !!! Wow !

So here I am undecided what to do... my spider sense is tingling !

Hello, fellow citizen (I am assuming). Yeap there is on the online e-commerce app and I have spoken before with the one that offers 2 year warranty. I believe the watches offered could probably be made locally here in Malaysia as we have major movement manufacturer plants here that make Jpn movements for export. However the prices are higher than ordering from the TD's here, I believe this is due to the factor that they have a local watchmaker whom can service the watches for you when needed. They also do the QC on behalf for you instead as they mentioned hence its an easier buying experience unlike here where you have to QC on your own in order to GL/RL as needed.

If they do not make it locally, they will order from China and the price will go up higher also. Hence the high price point is their guarantee to getting a quality product from what I can gather from my conversation with one of them.

 

[On-it]

Hello, fellow citizen (I am assuming). Yeap there is on the online e-commerce app and I have spoken before with the one that offers 2 year warranty. I believe the watches offered could probably be made locally here in Malaysia as we have major movement manufacturer plants here that make Jpn movements for export. However the prices are higher than ordering from the TD's here, I believe this is due to the factor that they have a local watchmaker whom can service the watches for you when needed. They also do the QC on behalf for you instead as they mentioned hence its an easier buying experience unlike here where you have to QC on your own in order to GL/RL as needed.

If they do not make it locally, they will order from China and the price will go up higher also. Hence the high price point is their guarantee to getting a quality product from what I can gather from my conversation with one of them.

Hello Tuan,
The past few days I have been doing abit of researching as mentioned previously, 40mm Fifty Fathoms has got me aroused.
I have found the 2 vendors on S****e app are abit cheaper than recommended TD on here or Aliexpress, Dhgate, etc,
they claim the watches were/is manufactured by KR and ZF factory ?
How can I tell the difference the two manufacurers, stickers, secret hidden logo, factory box ??

I think S****E" vendors are abit like TD's,
They are offering the same service as TD's, where they will inspect and video (so they say) the watch to buyer before send it out when buyer approves.
I think TD are a good source if your are residing in Europe or the America's, but where you or I are at, Im not so sure.
S****E app will only release the paid amount to seller when upon receiving the item, customer is happy with purchase also they have a "free return" to vendor "change of mind" policy.
Will wait and see if there is going to be a Chinese new year promotion coming up across the app, may scratch the itch then !