First of all, this is going to be a long post. So, if you do not feel like reading, come back to it later or read the last paragraph
Here is a little history first:
I have been on Breitling Source since 2008 and though I have a relatively "low" post count (256 over the few years), I'm sure they count for something as far as credibility goes. I used to work for an AD and would always try to give advice or help someone out with questions/concerns/pricing, etc. I have talked to Roff on many occasions in past and have had nothing but positive experiences here, until recently.
So, I have listed and sold my Super Avenger on here as well as the SuperOcean Heritage 46 before. The time has come to sell a yellow gold 6.75 which I had listed on Ebay for a while and then finally listed here for a better price. I had a few inquiries, some from dealers (which is OK and common), and finally two guys came forward. I will refer to them by their screen names on here, not actual names, for privacy reasons even though they are rather obvious. Stevenfdemar messaged me saying he is interested in just purchasing the 18kt gold buckle. My initial reply was: "No thanks, I am looking for a buyer for the whole watch, "parting it out" would not be in my best interest." Shortly after, I get a message from conrad27 saying that he would buy just the head. Wow, I thought, is that a perfect situation or what! So, I came back to stevenfdemar and asked him if he was a serious buyer. We then discussed a price and I have clearly stated that these sales depended 100% on each other and if one does not come through, then the other one will not happen and I needed at least a verbal commitment. I didn't even ask for a deposit because I wanted a smooth, painless transaction and everyone would be happy. Stevenfdemar agreed to it and was on "standby".
I went back to conrad27 answering all of his questions, sending high resolution pictures, sending pictures with revealed serial numbers on watch, warranty, and COSC cert. Hand-wrote his name on a sticky note next to a watch. I am REALLY just trying to sell it, not scam someone
. Now, this is a 18kt yellow gold Bentley, OBVIOUSLY he has every right in the books and then some to question it, shoot holes, verify, verify, and verify. This is not a $1000 transaction, this is a "high" dollar watch. I understand that completely and complied accordingly. I gave him my cell number, I told him I'd have NO issues meeting in person. A day or so has passed since I heard from him and I messaged him asking if he was still looking to make the deal. Again, no pressure, I just need a clear "YES" or "NO". He replied back saying: "A buddy of mine has me spooked about this watch. Is it OK if I ask you to send the watch to a dealer in Florida (who is reputable and who is on these boards) for him to check it out and then I will PayPal/wire the money. Well, do I feel uncomfortable mailing a $22,000 watch to someone who I do not know, without any deposit or payment, nor verbal or written guarantee he would buy it after it "checks out", and no security? I would say I felt very uncomfortable doing that. I wasn't worried or thinking about anything else in that message though, except for the word Florida. I happened to have planned a business trip to Florida already and after looking the AD up, he was only an hour away from where I was going to be. Man!!! EVERYTHING seemed to be structuring perfectly with this transaction! What are the odds, right? So, I reply to conrad27 saying that I would be more than happy to go to the AD and show him the watch and then while I'm there he could wire or PayPal the money. The only thing I requested was to add $100 to the price for my troubles of driving down there, etc. There reply I get from him was: "DEAL!". Great, so I asked him to please send me a "small" $100 deposit via PayPal for delivering the watch to the AD. Now, please NOTE, that this is Wednesday morning, a day before I was leaving to Florida and conrad27 was fully aware of this! He REPLIES asking for my Paypal address and saying that "He's still in on this". He the proceeds to tell me that he has already spoken to the AD and he is expecting me Friday. Ok. Great. My 6.75 is sold. Or is it?So I email BOTH conrad27 and stevenfdemar giving them the Paypal address and instructions (obviously different from one another). I get a reply from stevenfdemar within half an hour, the money is in my PayPal account, I took the buckle off the watch and am getting it ready to ship it to him since the full payment was made. About an hour later, still nothing from conrad27. Ok, no worries, it is a Wednesday, he is at work. I call his office. The receptionists answers and I tell her I need to speak to ___________. She asked who was calling and after about a minute of holding she came back saying he couldn't take the call and would call me back. Now, this was red flag number 1 for me. I work in an "office" environment now and its obvious that she actually asked him if he wanted to take my call or not and not just "know" he was unavailable. Ok, so I give him the benefit of a doubt, I call the AD.
me - "Oh, hey ____, conrad27 said you will be looking at my watch on Friday!"
AD - "yup, he called me this morning, I will be here 10-5 on Friday"
Cool, I guess we're still "on" I thought. Another hour or so passes and I still have no emails, no $100 in PayPal or call. By this time stevenfdemar emails me asking for tracking number and is obviously "worried" now. I shoot another email to conrad27. Nothing. So I wait until the end of a business day. Still nothing. At all. Not even a "hey man, i changed my mind, sorry". So i packed everything up, including the watch, still hoping there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Wednesday night I get another email from stevenfdemar who is showing an obvious concern as he has not received a tracking number yet. I email him, feeling like a complete scumbag, apologizing and telling him about the situation as an "excuse". I HATE making excuses. I offer him to do a FULL refund on the buckle since I just can't send out the buckle without a guaranteed sale of the head. I decide to take the buckle with me to FL in case conrad27 shows up and then I can just ship the buckle from there. So, here is my dumba$$ at the airport with 2 gold watches in boxes in my carry-on (the reason I was going down there was to meet a guy for another watch, but that's a whole another story). Still no emails or calls from our wonderful conrad27 dude but a rather demanding email from stevenfdemar, and rightfully so. The last thing I want is bad rep or claim through PayPal for no good reason so I decide to go ahead and grant a full refund to stevenfdemar for the buckle.
I keep calling and send few more emails to conrad27 and nothing! NOT EVEN A LAME EXCUSE AS TO WHY HE DISAPPEARED! At this point I am furious! I took this watch down here for no damn reason, I have one guy who thinks I'm scamming him for a gold buckle, and airport security going nuts! Thanks conrad27!!!
So, the outcome of all this was: The guy I met for the other watch liked the 6.75 (or maybe felt bad for me) and bought it on the spot. Stevenfdemar is an honest buyer who wrote me an email thanking me for refund and understanding my situation and I have YET to hear from conrad27 through private messages here, my email, or by phone. You sir, are prime example of a d-bag and I would be doing a lot more than just posting this little story on BSource if stevenfdemar or the "other guy" didn't make the day. Regardless of whether or not I was already going down there, you KNEW the two transactions depended on each other, you KNEW I was devoting time to come to "your" AD and if you can give a sh*t about how I feel, at least apologize to stevenfdemar who THOUGHT he was excited about getting a new accessory for his Breitling!
Sellers, don't waste your time with this joker. Ok, /rant