I’ve seen some curiosity here and there about what it’s like buying reps in China. Is it much easier? Is it much cheaper? Are there better reps out there?
I’ve spent close to 7 years in China now and bought multiple reps locally and from the TD list and I can tell you; yes, no and no.
Is it easier?
Actually, that depends on how you look at it. In terms of availability, reps are insanely widespread. You can just about find a dealer on any platform you look for, able to source watches from every factory. However, in terms of qualifying purchases, the service is so widespread that there is almost no degree of accountability.
QC is not a thing locally, you receive the watch shipped directly from the factory. The local equivalent is “support for payment upon delivery”, where for a premium you can choose to pay after the product has been delivered. This isn’t as convenient as it sounds because with a delivery guy standing in your doorway you have to quickly unbox the watch without damaging any packing and with said delivery man breathing down your neck, determine if you want to keep the watch or reject it.
Dealers are mostly completely interchangeable, offering little to no difference in price and the same absence of any expertise. They understand basic lingo, but you’re responsible for assuring they find the product that you want.
Is it cheaper?
There are a lot of fees associated with the purchase of a rep outside of China, you generally save between 20-50USD buying locally, that’s basically the difference on international shipping. Besides that, sometimes dealers are willing to shave off a few % to speed up a sale, but it’s usually made back up with you elect to “pay on delivery” which sets you back about 10 USD.
However, as I mentioned above, you get absolutely no service, QC or warranty of any sort.
This is only true of watches, any replacement parts such as straps, replacement parts or other types of merchandise cost about an average of half as much as far as I’ve seen.
Are there better reps here?
Simply put, no. Everything that is available here in China I have also seen sold abroad. Conversely, due to the general interchangeability of dealers, the absence of QC and the total lack of accountability, the reps sourced locally aren’t necessarily as good as the ones sold abroad.
Nowadays, having experimented with a bit of everything, I choose to buy all my reps from the TDs, it’s slower for sure, and sometimes more expensive than from local dealers, but the peace of mind from the better purchasing process is so much greater!
There is one huge perk though, between QC and delivery it's usually 2 days and there is absolutely no concern of seizure of your package!
If anyone has any other questions related to buying reps in China, shoot away!
I’ve spent close to 7 years in China now and bought multiple reps locally and from the TD list and I can tell you; yes, no and no.
Is it easier?
Actually, that depends on how you look at it. In terms of availability, reps are insanely widespread. You can just about find a dealer on any platform you look for, able to source watches from every factory. However, in terms of qualifying purchases, the service is so widespread that there is almost no degree of accountability.
QC is not a thing locally, you receive the watch shipped directly from the factory. The local equivalent is “support for payment upon delivery”, where for a premium you can choose to pay after the product has been delivered. This isn’t as convenient as it sounds because with a delivery guy standing in your doorway you have to quickly unbox the watch without damaging any packing and with said delivery man breathing down your neck, determine if you want to keep the watch or reject it.
Dealers are mostly completely interchangeable, offering little to no difference in price and the same absence of any expertise. They understand basic lingo, but you’re responsible for assuring they find the product that you want.
Is it cheaper?
There are a lot of fees associated with the purchase of a rep outside of China, you generally save between 20-50USD buying locally, that’s basically the difference on international shipping. Besides that, sometimes dealers are willing to shave off a few % to speed up a sale, but it’s usually made back up with you elect to “pay on delivery” which sets you back about 10 USD.
However, as I mentioned above, you get absolutely no service, QC or warranty of any sort.
This is only true of watches, any replacement parts such as straps, replacement parts or other types of merchandise cost about an average of half as much as far as I’ve seen.
Are there better reps here?
Simply put, no. Everything that is available here in China I have also seen sold abroad. Conversely, due to the general interchangeability of dealers, the absence of QC and the total lack of accountability, the reps sourced locally aren’t necessarily as good as the ones sold abroad.
Nowadays, having experimented with a bit of everything, I choose to buy all my reps from the TDs, it’s slower for sure, and sometimes more expensive than from local dealers, but the peace of mind from the better purchasing process is so much greater!
There is one huge perk though, between QC and delivery it's usually 2 days and there is absolutely no concern of seizure of your package!
If anyone has any other questions related to buying reps in China, shoot away!
