Robert65
488
Respectfully/professionally executing a face-to-face deal
Procedural question if I may... from a first time buyer who wants to carry out a successful purchase in the private sale of a pre-owned Patek. I'm aware that each seller may execute deals in a unique way, and when it's friends or trusted associates coordinating with each other - many of the steps can be abbreviated or skipped entirely. But I hope you won't mind offering a few words of wisdom to a first time customer in a private face-to-face deal. Here are the assumptions: the seller is a trusted veteran of this forum and has successfully traded/sold/purchased on the WatchProSite Collector's Market. Both seller and buyer are able to meet face-to-face. The amount is already determined. I'm hoping this question isn't imprudent, because everyone had to start somewhere and a leap of faith had to be taken. Hopefully this question is stated delicately enough that someone won't throw the flag that this topic is wrong for this forum. I've searched else where online and can't exactly find what I'm looking for. All that someone needs to do is point me in the right direction - another link perhaps or this topic may have been addressed on this site before.
For example, I recently sold a Mercedes on Autotrader. The gent who purchased the vehicle was a stranger to me. He flew into my town from a different state in the US. I picked him up at the airport in the vehicle that was for sale. But this took place AFTER the buyer had spoke at length with my authorized MB dealership where I serviced the car for 7 years. Also before his trip an inspection was carried out on the car on his behalf and paid for by him. Anyway, when he arrived at the airport I picked him up and we drove together directly to his bank (in my town) and the cashier cut a check in my name for the amount agreed upon and the cashier was also a Notary Public and she signed a 'sale affidavit'. At this point the car was his and (as we prearranged) he kindly gave me a ride home from the bank, dropped me off and the deal was done. At no point was either party at unacceptable risk. The deal was carefully planned by both parties ahead of time, ironed out, and executed exactly as planned.
How can two strangers plan and execute a watch transaction in a similar way in which at no point is either party at unacceptable risk? Perhaps some watch sellers would find the above amount of pre-coordination and administrative/logistic tasks totally unacceptable. I seems most gents on this forum - who post most frequently - are old friends and have a high amount of trust for each other. But I am an unknown and long time members of this forum are unknown to me. There must have been a first time for you gents - can you take a moment and give me some reasonable pointers? For example, do you confirm a serial number with the seller's authorized dealer? Do you ask an AD to review the watch - or disguise that question by simply asking that the AD send the watch away for a spa treatment? Do you go to the bank together so you can witness the check being created? Do you do an electronic funds transfer on the spot with your phones? My research has shown that an electronic funds transfer isn't necessarily immediate, and could take hours or days for the banks to carry out their confirmations.
Again, I hope I haven't committed a foul on this wonderful forum. There must be other folks that are new and interested to purchase and have similar interests.
Respectfully,
Robert
Respectfully/professionally executing a face-to-face deal
You have to define the level of safety needed by you.
Many thanks Oliver
advice
