Cheeky Resellers.

[stroppy]

I was out and about this evening at a large shopping centre (mall) about twenty minutes drive from my house.  I haven't been there for about three years as I usually do all my shopping locally.  Anyway...I was going for a stroll around the mall and looking through the windows of various jewellery shops lusting after various watches (as you do) when I spied a little stall in the middle of one of the thoroughfares offering key cutting and shoe repairs and watches.  

 

I stopped to have a look and, blow me down, the guy is selling all the cheapy stuff from China.  Brands like "Curren" and "Skmei" and "Soki" blare out at me.  Now on this particular evening I was wearing my Skmei dual core knockabout watch...the watch I wear when I'm doing manual work...in the garden, etc.  I paid $11 for the thing off the Bay and it's been a decent watch for the year I've had it and survived many a hard knock in the garage and garden.

 

The stall holder noticed my watch and said, "Ah...you have one of my watches."  I replied that I'd bought mine off Ebay.  I asked him what he was charging for the watch and he answered (with a straight face), "Eighty bucks!"

 

I almost fell over on the spot with laughing!  I told him he was a bit adventurous with his pricing.  He asked what I'd paid and I told him.  He went red in the face and walked to the other side of the stall feigning disinterest.  Then I looked at the price tags on the "Winner" mechanical watch...a watch I know you can buy for $14 on the Bay.  He was asking $110 for it!  Every price was inflated to the max and the sad thing was that he obviously had customers.

 

I honestly felt like standing there and warning every single sucker that came along to buy something that they were being had but I thought the better of it.  The cheek of the guy!  And, sadly, it's an indication of how dumb some people can be buying stuff without doing some research on the prices first.

 

I suppose there are shysters in every retail field. 

[bobm12]

I wonder how much was he charging for shoe repair and key cutting!! :)

[stroppy]

I wonder how much was he charging for shoe repair and key cutting!! :)

Never thought of that....if the watches are anything to go by then I reckon his shoe repair skills might be a tad rusty!

[ausimax]

Stroppy, check out the number of watches of that ilk being sold on Gumtree for highly inflated prices, They apparently sell enough to make it worth while, though the same thing happens on eBay, one item i remember was a watch crystal press advertised from China for $16.95 post free, the very next listing was exactly the same crystal press for $129.00 plus $9.00 postage from Aust, I sometimes wonder if some of these sellers ever check their competitors!

 

OK I don't mind paying a reasonable amount more to buy local and avoid the long postal time from OS, but not that far over the odds.

 

Max

[stroppy]

Stroppy, check out the number of watches of that ilk being sold on Gumtree for highly inflated prices, They apparently sell enough to make it worth while, though the same thing happens on eBay, one item i remember was a watch crystal press advertised from China for $16.95 post free, the very next listing was exactly the same crystal press for $129.00 plus $9.00 postage from Aust, I sometimes wonder if some of these sellers ever check their competitors!

 

OK I don't mind paying a reasonable amount more to buy local and avoid the long postal time from OS, but not that far over the odds.

 

Max

Yep...I see that all the time.  If you search an item, let's say a "Jaragar" watch, and input "Australia only" in the location of sellers section you might see a nice multi-complication watch for about, say, ninety bucks but then if you click "worldwide sellers" you'll find the exact same watch originating in China or Hong Kong for about $30.  I reckon these "local sellers" (a lot of them drop-shippers) bank on a lot of people being hopeless when it comes to using Ebay and buying online.  Naturally they think buying locally promotes jobs, is safer, etc...  When really they are lining the pockets of drop-shippers.

[ramrod]

what i can't wrap my head around is some of the buy it now watches that go for under 2 bucks! brand new! shipped!

how is that possible? is labor that cheap in china?

[Blacklab]

Answering the original post, it sounds like the same business model used by numerous Swiss brands...........

[ausimax]

I struck one inverse example of this a reseller  in Oz selling cheap Chinese watches cheaper than I could buy from China, with free post and 12 months replacement warranty on a $6.00 watch - I can't even post one for that amount.

 

Max

[stroppy]

I struck one inverse example of this a reseller  in Oz selling cheap Chinese watches cheaper than I could buy from China, with free post and 12 months replacement warranty on a $6.00 watch - I can't even post one for that amount.

 

Max

Yep.  There is a Queensland seller (100% approval rating) who will sell you a Soki military-style noctilucent watch for $9, post free in Australia, whilst the cheapest Chinese retailer was asking $12.

[stroppy]

what i can't wrap my head around is some of the buy it now watches that go for under 2 bucks! brand new! shipped!

how is that possible? is labor that cheap in china?

 

You have to be VERY careful with some of the Ebay listings.  What the dubious sellers do is show a much more expensive watch in the ad picture and they list a price at, say, $1.99 post free.  When you actually click on the listing you have to select what model and colour you want from a drop-down menu box.  It's only then that you discover that the pictured watch is actually 15 to 25 bucks and the watch they are offering for $1.99 is this horrendous "fitness" silicone band thing with a tiny digital quartz watch.  As the old saying goes; "caveat emptor"!