If you've just joined and are reading this,
welcome to RWI.
If you stop here, or read just the next few lines, that's on YOU, but don't ever say you weren't warned.
If you are approached by ANYONE,
absolutely ANYONE, offering you a watch, or a deal, via Private Message (PM), exercise common sense, do your due diligence, read the below (then RE-READ them) & if in doubt, report & ASK.
If anyone tres to redirect communication outside of the secure RWI PM environment (to an email or Whatsapp etc) this should be an instant red flag, especially when done by a non-certified and/or new member.
Compulsory reading
Compulsory reading 1 (only supporters)
Compulsory reading 2
Compulsory reading 3
Compulsory reading 4
Stop and think, but if YOU decide to switch off your brain & ignore common sense - YOU are on your own.
This
thread is a prime example, unfortunately one of many, it just happens to be the most recent one at time of edit.
If YOU ignore this warning, the contents of this forced thread & the countless other announcements by Staff, you have no-one to blame but YOURSELF!
If you're not new, but instead clicked another link and ended up here, please consider this a little refresher
RWI is a community of watch lovers, both genuine & replica, spanning all corners of the globe.
Several fora came beforehand, but in 2006 RWI was founded on several principles & below they are ranked in order of importance:
#1 Identify / Prevent scammers selling replicas as genuine (on eBay or gen fora)
#2 Train an army (self-trained people) with the knowledge found on RWI to identify aforementioned scams.
#3 Have a forum where like-minded people can discuss this hobby.
#4 Allow the sharing of forum friendly dealers who are known to not scam, price gouge, or take advantage of people.
#5 Allow the trading or sales between members that align with our mission (see all above).
#6 Have fun
As you will come to learn, the knowledge on here is unparalleled & if the question has not already been asked, and thoroughly answered, which is unlikely, you are guaranteed to get the answer somewhere on the forum,
by posting in the correct section.
Just please, for your own sake, do not ask who makes the best X, Y or Z, even in the Flame Free Zone & this excellent
thread explains why.
T.L.D.R - You could ask 10 members for their 'opinion' as to the 'best' and in theory get 10 different answers. Everybody's tolerances are different and what one member sees, another may not. By reading and researching yourself, you will be able to make your own mind up and make an informed decision as to how you spend your money.
Remembering at all times, details on a watch, magnified X-times on a computer screen, are normally next to impossible to see without a loupe in real life on your wrist. Plus at a fraction of the price, 1:1 replication can not, and should not, be expected.
Image: Fakemaster
Below are some of the main areas that we feel will be helpful for new members & depending on your reason for being here, will assist you in navigating the forum more efficiently.
We would urge to you read them, as they will make your stay here, hopefully long, but even if short, a pleasant and fun one & prevent issues arising or escalating unnecessarily.
Some of the links are to old threads, and that's because the process hasn't changed that much over the years so the advice is still relevant:
- You choose the watch/watches
- You choose the factory/model/version
- You choose the TD*
- You pay
- You approve QC
- You wait
*TD sites could be out of date showing discontinued/unavailable models, so best to check availability before you send 1c.
Note that the key word here is '
YOU'
This is your money, so your decision to make, based on your research. Would you go to a car dealership and ask another customer in there what they thought about X, Y or Z you were thinking of buying?
If you decide to stop here, and go no further, click this
link and read every stickied thread there, but don't ever say you weren't offered a treasure trove of collated information all in one place.
If you're looking at the length of this and thinking wow, that's a bit overwhelming, it's because it is. You're not going to learn this hobby in one sitting. I still proudly consider myself a newbie years later & predict I always will.
The best advice is to take your time, don't rush in, read & research. You have landed on an amazing forum so enjoy the exploration.
This is not Am@z0n Click and Collect, trust me when I say this is something else entirely, something far more fun
If there is a question I don't have the answer to, I am absolutely certain that there are countless experts across the globe who will help me find the answer, because we are a community.
The question is do YOU want to be part of that community?
What is the reason YOU are here?
If you want to
BUY, you have several options:
- TD (Trusted Dealer) Link
- Supporting Vendor Link
- M2M (Member to Member) Link
- WTB ads (leading to a reserved sale) Link
Key reading regarding TDs:
Never google them
How to purchase
QC &
QC (2 threads, that's how important it is!)
After you've ordered
Never ever do a chargeback
Read this before sending a cent
How to PM someone
Regarding TDs, their review section is there for a reason. It is for members to leave feedback, both good and bad. Once it is factual & honest, there is no problem with that, but you will see several, shall we diplomatically say, 'unreasonable / emotional' reviews & the responses they elicit.
Your choice of a TD is a very important one, one not to be rushed.
My advice would be, when deciding a TD, to check whether their preferred payment method suits you, their shipping costs, their first order refund/replacement policy in case of customs seizure/loss. Do they offer any discounts for certain payment methods. These are what will differentiate them.
The factories produce the watches, the dealers source. We have over 20 TDs, so the choice is yours.
Key reading regarding M2M
Protect yourself
If you want to
SELL, there is the
M2M (Member2Member) trade area.
Selling is a privilege and strictly policed.
There is
zero tolerance to any breaking or ignoring of the
rules.
Please pay special attention to
Link.
"
I didn't know" is not a defence, don't try it, you will be wasting both your and our volunteer staff's time.
If you list an ad, you are ticking you have read the rules, if you haven't - boom, it's game over, reset time.
So if you get Nuked, don't argue, it'll make matters worse. You were nuked for a reason, learn from it.
The M2M area is where you can buy from, and sell to, fellow members - do not abuse it, or you will lose access to it.
For your own sake, do not conduct back door deals (that is one without an approved sales thread). If anyone is offering one, via PM, and is not prepared to do a reserved sale, that should be a red flag, and reported to Staff.
If you want
Repairs and/or Modifications or perhaps have a technical question, you can ask the experts in the
Tech Section.
If you want to talk sh!t and check out some NSFW stuff
Link
English is the language to be used in ALL areas, bar the
International forums, the main ones being:
German
French
Italian
If you want to see
what happens to those that break the rules & trust me when I say, you do not want to get an <
INMATE> banner attached to your avatar, check out
The Brig.
As you can see there is a section for most things and even an
Off-Topic one.
And here is some additional reading for those looking to delve even further
Constitution of RWI
Rules
Terms and abbreviations
RWI is not a sales site
Multiple accounts
The best advice is that when you go into any new section across the forum you check out the
stickied threads at the top.
This is information deemed, by the Powers, to be exceptionally helpful, informative & therefore worthy of
pinning.
If you're thinking of asking a question, chances are it has been asked and answered, so I would start there.
Si après avoir lu tout cela, vous souhaitez soutenir ce formidable forum, c'est facile, cela coûte très peu et est toujours apprécié.
Il vous suffit d'envoyer un MP à
@trailboss99 en cliquant
ici et de demander à devenir Supporter ou Mécène. Vous trouverez tous les détails sur les nombreuses raisons pour lesquelles vous devriez le faire en cliquant
ici .
Il ne reste plus qu'à prendre plaisir à explorer le forum, poser des questions bien sûr, mais sachez qu'une plus grande satisfaction vient toujours de trouver la réponse soi-même, plutôt que de se faire gaver d'informations, ce qui est généralement mal vu ici.
Si vous êtes arrivé jusqu'ici, tout ce qui précède est ce que nous pouvons vous offrir, comment nous pouvons vous aider, mais voici un petit aperçu de ce que l'on
attend de vous.
Une bonne dose d'auto-ironie vous aidera beaucoup dans vos relations avec les autres membres. Nous aimons nous amuser ici et, tout comme lors de vos fêtes de jeunesse, se moquer de quelqu'un est assez courant, mais personne n'est jamais blessé dans le processus, et si vous pouvez aussi rire de vous-même, tout ira bien.
Les traits communs auxquels la plupart des membres sont allergiques sont le sentiment d’avoir droit à quelque chose, l’hypersensibilité et l’arrogance.
Quel que soit votre âge, vos origines, votre sexe, votre race, votre compte bancaire, etc., vous êtes ici
entre pairs , personne ne bénéficie d'un traitement préférentiel d'aucune sorte.
Respectez le prochain garçon ou la prochaine fille et vous serez respecté.
Il est important que vous puissiez faire la différence entre la publication sur le forum et l'interaction directe avec une personne physique.
Une citation mémorable de
@p0pperini
« Malheureusement, une mauvaise interprétation du mot écrit (qui manque des nuances supplémentaires essentielles de l'expression faciale et tonale) conduit à maintes reprises à des malentendus et à des querelles ultérieures . »
Veuillez garder cela à l’esprit si vous sentez parfois qu’un autre membre
a été irrespectueux envers vous.
Il se peut que ce ne soit pas le cas, qu'il ait omis un emoji, que le sarcasme ne soit pas passé dans le texte, que la blague soit tombée à plat, que l'anglais ne soit pas sa langue maternelle, ou qu'il ait eu l'intention de faire quelque chose de complètement différent.
Allez-y doucement, détendez-vous et profitez de la compagnie et des plaisanteries, ne prenez pas tout trop au sérieux, nous sommes là pour nous amuser en bonne compagnie.
Il y a beaucoup à apprendre ici et être ouvert est le meilleur moyen d'accéder aux informations que vous recherchez.
Citation
@Teamjlf
« Soyez prêt à lire, à vous informer, à discuter et à vous armer de la réalité, puis à avancer. Faire l’inverse est une fatalité. »
J'espère que cela vous aidera à mettre les choses en perspective et que vous savez maintenant, non seulement à quoi vous pouvez vous attendre, mais aussi, et c'est tout aussi important, à quoi vous attendre.
Si à tout moment il y a quelque chose que vous ne comprenez pas ou que vous sentez que quelque chose ne va pas, vous pouvez toujours compter sur
@Feefo et
@eBoy, nos modérateurs de la section de la zone des nouveaux membres.
Ils vous soutiennent,
si vous suivez les règles .
