The Breitling Watch Source Forums

When it comes to haggling with an AD, there are certain rules they must follow such as 30% discount max determined by the manufacture (just an example). Assuming you were someone skilled at haggling and you were purchasing a decent watch, not some cheap $500 watch, do ADs sometimes bend the rules a bit? Maybe stretching to 5 or 10% more than they really should? This is based on a healthy AD, not one going out of business, because I have seen up to 75% however, they were like 2k and under watches.

Thanks,
crasian1030

Simply put.. YES. If you know what you want go there with a set amount of cash and play 'lets make a deal' It also depends on what you're looking at. If you want a Limited Edition they may be less likely to haggle because when you leave someone else may walk in and pay full price...so there is less of a need for them to discount. Certain watches that are harder to get by the AD are also less likely to be discounted. But if you're looking for a fairly common watch, then money talks and don't be affraid to walk if you don't get your price.

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"I don't own any watches, I just lease them"

I couldnt care less about how much the AD is making or what guidelines they are supposed to follow. That is for them to deal with. Do your homework and figure out what the best price out there is, and start working on that. If you want to pay less, offer less. I dont think there are any rules to follow, other than that you need to be prepared to be turned down a lot if your demands are unreasonable. We KNOW what the best deals on Breitling are, so its fairly easy to shop around if your AD isnt working with you. My experience has been that just about every big brand out there, excluding Rolex and Panerai, are attainable at a similar discount to Breitling.

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-RJ

I've found that panerai is even harder to get a discount on than Rolex. My AD gave me a great discount on my Rolex...when i asked about Panerai it was difficult to even get 5% off.

Also....visit your AD at the end of a quarter...if they need to hit their month/quarter goals they may be more willing to take your offer.

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"I don't own any watches, I just lease them"

serge quick question regarding your pam experience. when you say 5% off is does that mean 5% off MSRP taxes in? for example if the watch was 10,000 than 5% off would make it 9500. or is it 5% off then tax on top of that??

i was working with an AD a while back to acquire a PAM and she basically offered me the watch for MSRP no taxes. since i live in Canada thats like saving 12% on the watch. to me the taxes are BULL so i would want to save the taxes plus some.

and yes i understand we all have to pay taxes blah blah blah.

I cant speak for Serge, but generally, a dealer wont do a discount + no tax on a Panerai (or Rolex in most cases). If im not mistaken, those two dont allow discounting, so the dealer offering to cover tax is a sort of loophole that they use. No tax on a PAM is actually a pretty good deal (especially at 12%), although in the US if we order from out of state, we dont pay any sales tax.

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-RJ

I've actually heard of a dealer offering a discount PLUS no tax...here is how it works. I live in New Jersey, lets say I buy from an Authorized Dealer in New York...if the New York dealer doesn't have a store in NJ, he can ship it to me and I would not have to pay sales tax. Apparently, it's some kind of loop hole in the sales tax system.

Normally, discounts are calculated off of MSRP then tax is added onto that number. If someone is basically willing to pick up your 12% tax then that's a pretty good deal....but I'd still hold out for a discount also.

Rolex does allow discounting although minimal...and I've seen some Panerai discounts but VERY very small. 5% range.

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"I don't own any watches, I just lease them"

I always haggle. Even if the watch looks to be a good deal already (second hand/on sale/etc.)

I sometimes start at a price that may be considered silly.

If they can't afford to let you have it for that price then they won't.

However, this is a double edged sword because you may want to use the dealer in the future and you don't want to loose respect. I am "in" with two main dealers and they often contact me with great deals. This wouldn't happen if I had fallen out of favour with them by trying to "rip them off".

Plus, I always find it helps to name drop a little. For example "I am considering this _______ because it will fit in my collection of ______, _______, _______, _______ and _______". Makes you look like you will probably return to them in the near future.

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Cool, thanks for all the answers. Definitely found what I was looking for.

Every state has that. As long as you buy from out of state, and the store you are buying from does not have a physical presence in your state, they do not collect sales tax. Technically, you are supposed to pay a "use tax" for those untaxed items, which you are to list when you file your taxes, but ive never heard of anybody actually doing that.

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-RJ

I don't have much to add, but wanted to say that Panerai dealers usually have the upper hand because PAMS are limited to a certain number of pieces and demand is high...vs Rolex which will just keep producing the watch model along with demand (in most cases).

I remember when the Rolex Daytonas came out. They were very hard to come by, but if you were patient, you'd eventually get one. Now....no problem.

Panerai's...not so much....a hot model....well....you snooze, you lose.

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