< Home - What's News? - SEIKO - CASIO- GOODIES - CITIZEN- ENICAR - Watch Accessories - PayShipMisc - Rabbit- FAKE PAYPAL - Some Photos - Contact Me >

A. Demand & Supply -

In watch business, these two buddies will never be matched each other perfectly.  The mostly-wanted models are always arrived very late (In my mind, they were!) comparing to other parts of the world.  For example, Monsters.  Hong Kong's authorized wholesaler has started importing it "officially" for the local market at the end of 2004.  "Official" monster means the watch comes with international warranty paper and original Seiko box.  From Day One of its arrival, I have offered this kind of monsters for sale, and recently, I've provided also an option for "no-paper" monsters again.

Actually, my margin of one monster with warranty paper is thinner, both papered / non-papered monsters are real though. (06/02/03)

******************

Some brands available in this web site adjust their price once a year and I have noticed that at least one brand adjusts watches' prices arbitrarily (Please see "E. Evil Corporations" latter on).  All I have said is the situation in Hong Kong, not the other places in the Universe.

SEIKO adjusted its watch products' prices twice in 2005; once for its mechanical watches while the other time for the quartz watches.  I think it was fair and reasonable.  Last year, I received price increment notices in advance from my suppliers on the other brands like Titoni, Enicar and Sandoz.  I pressed the news at once, and will press also in the future as soon as possible for your reference. (06/02/03)

******************

Watch prices may be adjusted during the year unexpectedly.  In this web site, this situation is possible with >90% chances the direction of adjustment is downward.  I mentioned the possibility in this section as for the reason of Supply.  New models of whatever brands will not be available at all shops at once.  The retailers who have new models for sale earlier could have their prices firmer because of the temporarily monopoly they would be enjoying.

There were more than one occassion that I was awared of new models arrived shortly and I put them for sale in this web site immediately.  As more and more local retailers get the new models, the prices would normally go down, and I will then "chop" the prices accordingly.

However, this price (downward) adjustment rule WILL NOT apply for sure on limited edition models.  This kind of goods are rare and there exist scarcities.  Their prices will only go up and up until the last piece sold; the price will become meaningless for no actual stock in display window.  I have learnt several bitter lessons from Seiko 40th Anniversary SS and Ti models, Casio Frogman Dolphin & Whale 2004 Edition, Casio Frogman - Gold Defender, Casio Frogman - The Brazilian, Casio Frogman....(Too much bad memories about Frogmans), Citizen Super Tough Millennium LE (O.M.G.!), ALBA air divers AL4001X1, AL4003X1 & AL4005X1, and now, the SEIKO 5 SPORTS Titanium Limited Edition.  Some of the illustrations are:

I made fair money on the first piece of SKZ205K1 but almost no margin on the last three pcs!  I sold the first Gold Defender at USD159.00 in 2004 to the Netherland and my cost today to get one for sale is more than double than in 2004.  I inquired recently about the Brazilian from one of my Japan suppliers and he replied me a figure higher than that of mine offered to the public! (06/02/03)

******************

---To be cont.---

B. NOS -

Personally, I do not suggest you guys to buy so-called NOS (New Old Stock), especially the watch you are looking for is produced before any attainment of technology of some kinds, or of certain level of sophistication, e.g. "motion energy storage battery", surface treatment, sun power storage battery/circuit.....!  I do not mention the real names of them but do want you to understand what I meant by that. (06/02/03)

"Motion Energy Storage Battery"

I think it was a good idea to store up body motions (by battery, through rotor) as energy to drive the accurate quartz calibre for months.  Early days of the invention was a bomb in market.  As time goes by, the defect of old products reveals.  I have a used watch (a 98/99 model) given by someone else two years ago.  The watch was very accurate and was great for beating (it's been very well beaten already).  I let the energy ran out as I have another new watch for daily use.  After 8 months, the battery cannot be charged up again. (06/02/03)

Surface Treatment

People are in great concern on the surface of NOS.  Those watches that are claimed to be brand new never worn may have been actually "tried on" (sometimes re-sized before trying) and replaced back to the original display location in a carbinet for hundreds of times.  Scratches are unavoidable.  The problem of scratches / hairlines in early days that no concept of "anti-scratching" surface is especially serious.

I've found that Titanium was especially vulnerable to scratches, or simply hard surface "touching" in old days.  One very outstanding example I had discussed with some customers before is the power reserve diver models (several years old) of a Japan brand.  I don't think their surfaces would be softer than that of the Ti case and Ti bracelet of the others, but it was about the hardness of Titanium, and the technologies that made it.  I was able to source them here as for their good-margin internet prices, and I wanted to buy one for myself in 2004.  However, I have discovered one serious thing that pull me from the trap.  Not about its lacking of warranty paper, also not about its incompetent "Agent" (No authorized dealer here for more than 2 years, but an agent. Weird?!), but for the incapability to resist daily "touches".

I did examine at least four of them on hand personally.  I put off the protective but shiny plastic wrappings and scaned the watches.  My main finding was : Even the watch with the best condition has at least couples of ten "marks" all over its body.  You should know in early days, Titanium watches did not seem to be as polished as its stainless steel counterpart, but now.  They looked like very dull and not so metallic at that time being.  Any people can easily give the watch a new "pattern" on such surface, and yes, I saw various "patterns" on them and I have made my decision on this kind of watches therefrom. (06/02/08)

---To be cont.---

C. Experience

D. Rip-Off Artists

I.   This term is not necessarily talking about sellers as people of this kind is also a buyer in certain circumstances.  I hate to mention the untold 'history' of the others openly but I have no choice.  I've discovered at least one of my suppliers was the victim that more investigations will be carried out!  As you know, no one is perfect.  But some people may try every hard to evening the lossing-making consequences of their incapability to catch up with the market trend, or simply because of their bad taste in choosing trading goods.

All of my suppliers run their business in Bricks-and-Mortar shops.  They depend on their own shops to make a living and have lots of bills to pay besides the staff salaries every month (Life is hard in Hong Kong!).  I have never heard customer would / could "return" goods to retail shop for money back without any reasonable cause but until recently.  The explanation of the victim supplier was : Someone told him the goods do not make money (They cannot be re-selled for 'a very long time') so he has to return them.  The supplier has in fact never had those models for sale but ridiculously, 'Someone' insisted.

Worse thing was 'Someone' kept begging my supplier to spare spaces in his shop for consigning the unwanted goods but profit sharing ratio is not mentioned.  This means he can take away the goods at any time when customer comes at his own side and yes, the re-seller won't share his own profit with my supplier in this case for sure.  Also, if it is so lucky that my supplier can sell those stuffs, he has to provide maintenance for the coming years.

Worst thing happened finally.  My supplier has discovered the goods are highly suspicious : No proof of production origin for those old and unwanted 'things' that can be found.  Factories in old days seldom follow rules imposed on them strictly so that products came out may not be up-to-standard.  My poor but smart supplier checked and proved the 'things' in front of him by opening them.  He said the parts inside that 'things' are apparently unfamiliar to him, even he has been in his own field for about half a century already!  He is so sure that products are not made from the place they proudly claimed to be (THUMB DOWN!!!). 

(06/09/15)

---To be cont.---

E. Evil Corporations

F. Bad Guy(s) : Number One!

G. Me, my web site