Do I buy a new SLGH005 from my local AD or online at a steep discount?

Do you like less money or more money? Does your AD also have another brand that you would benefit from spending money? Also, the first question again. I kind of regret not buying it when Topper's had it for about $5100.  

I always try to support my local AD where I can, it is worth the extra money.

I'd ask the AD to match or whatever they could do close to it.  They can always say no but you might be able to have your cake and eat it too.

Hahaha. Obviously I love having more money in the bank vs less. Besides the money, the issue is really just the wait time. I‘m also purchasing the watch to get my mind off the passing of my 15 year old pup. Not to say a material possession would make things better. Just trying to inject some pleasure into my life after running a doggie hospital at home for the last two months. Thought this could be a nice Christmas/Birthday Gift since they’re within a week of each other. Thank you for linking that website. They‘ve got some nice options on their page. Thank you very much! Oh, and to answer your question about any other brands at my local A.D- only Rolex, Tudor, Oris, Grand Seiko, Longines, TAG Heuer. No Omega, Brietling, or Cartier.  

Depends on the relationship and what else you do with the AD. I often negotiate two-watch deals where I might get more of a discount on the bundle than on one. Also you could negotiate for add-ons, like straps, that might be worth it to you. I’m always very frank with my AD about on-line prices, but say I’d like to avoid grey market dealers, want the AD’s help if there are warranty issues (and that’s been a help three times in as five years), and want them to get a fair profit and stay in business. We’ve always come to a deal that’s made us both happy. 

I asked and 8,200 is what they came back with. Almost a grand off isn’t too shabby. It’s just that these GS don’t hold value as well as the other watches in my collection. It’s not as though secondary market value is important since I never intend on selling a watch. But it’s nice knowing you bought the watch as close to its secondary market value as possible. 

Based on the information that the $8200 is what you asked for, and the AD agreed, I'd say stick with the AD. You've already started negotiating price, so to me that's a commitment to buy if they match your price. 

I voted wrong because I thought option C meant to wait until price dropped for some reason. 

If you like having a place where you can see and try on a watch, feed that wolf.

OP, if you go to Chrono24, due to the strength of the dollar versus the yen, you can pick up the SLGH005 for $6,432!

Sometimes saving a few dollars makes sense.  Other times, convenience makes more sense.  Good luck and sorry to hear about the loss of your pup.

I asked to match the $7,500 and they came back with 8,200. It’s not a commitment to buy. But they do know I’m serious and I never ask for a price match unless I’m committed to buying the piece. No need to waste their time if I’m not even considering the peace for myself.

Thank you very much for the advice about Chrono24 and the currency conversion. I’m going to have to take a look at that! 👀Cheers! 🥂

Ah... I thought you asked fist, then saw another price. Makes sense now. 

Disregard my previous post 🍻

Sorry about your pup, as you know nothing quickly fixes that loss.

@Edge168n said, try to negotiate. It can be tough with GS dealers, many do not budge, but if you are an honest buyer and propose a fair offer, they will likely come close to watching. In addition, given that they sell Rolex, even if you do not plan on purchasing one, it gets in solidly in the CRM and that will help in the event you want one. However, again, if they refuse to budge, it becomes a $800 decision, but honestly, I would go online if they won’t budge. 

I honestly think the experience of buying at a brick and mortar store is a big part of buying expensive watches, I'd probably pay a little more. $700 is not a little bit more so I think it'd depend on your priorities.

It depend on how you look at this relationship. Does it end the moment you step out of the door or do you plan to return for service or trade-in upgrades? 

Sorry to hear about your pup.  One of mine was taken by cancer last year.  We still think about him everyday. Whatever makes you feel better.  Maybe bring home another pup from a local shelter?

Buy from the AD to ensure that you are getting proper goods and that you have a full warranty. If you aren't worried about having a warranty than save the dough and buy online.

I usually will only purchase anything north of $5k at steep discount if I am not getting the warranty. If I can get a watch for 40-60% off list than I am willing to take the risk of self-insuring the warranty. To me $800 savings would not be worth the risk of going without a proper warranty.

Back to the watch thing: Honestly, unless you're a repeat, paying customer, your "relationship" is over after they ring you up and you walk out that door with the nice bag.  Next week they won't even remember your name.  Get it online and donate that $800 to your local animal rescue or sponsor some adoption fees for families that want to adopt, but can't afford the adoption fee.

If it's close i would buy from a store. I bought my Seamaster from the boutique because I wanted to have someone I could contact if Omega came out with a new model I wanted. Probably a little naive on my part, thinking my $5000 purchase could get me an inside track when some are dropping 20-30k often in there, but I tried anyway.   However, when it was time to get my Grand Seiko Omiwatari, I couldn't justify the local $8300 price when ordering it from Japan is $5300.... $3000 is a lot and it wouldn't be fair to even try to get a local guy to match it.   So if it was within 10-15% difference and with a brand I love I would buy local ... any more than that and I'm going online. 

Get it cheaper online. I too faced your dilemma quite often, and I always acquire more online vs in-store. But it also depends on your goal with the AD. Are you hoping to get an allocation on a rare piece? Are you on friendly terms? If not, your just another dollar sign in his account, thats how I view my relationships with my AD.

Depends if there are good fakes floating around for that model.

Personally I'd go new just because of that if that was a risk. 

Though I would never spend this much personally. Too many other great things one can do with money. 

Sounds like the online option is a grey market dealer.  I bought two watches from grey market, and never will again.  When problems occurred, and they did in both transactions, grey market dealers show why they aren’t ADs - because they aren’t as good as ADs.  I understand wanting to save money.  I really do.  But since I switched to my AD I’ve never had a problem with a transaction.

I faced this dilemma with my SBGX261. Buy online from Japan vs from an AD while on vacation. MSRP is $2200, online retailer from Japan had it for $1600. I asked hoping they’d go down to $1800 and I could buy it then and there. The sales associate got pretty offended and felt a little rude to me. The response was they could only drop the price down MAYBE 3% and include a gift with the purchase. I decided the rudeness was enough to make me buy from someone else, and 3% isn’t competitive enough to earn my business anyway. It would be an extra ~$750 after tax and all that.

I look at it this way. Someone offers me $750 if I can wait up to 2 weeks to get my watch. Do I take the deal? I’m a huge fan of delayed gratification, so I’ll take that deal 10 times out of 10. $75? Ehh I might just pay it  😝 but this is business, not charity. I’m not going to give away $750 just to be nice.

I'm fortunate to live in Switzerland so every Swiss watch I buy here is easy to service and all and there are no shipping delays when doing so, etc. With my SLGH005 I decided to get it at the AD because if there is something wrong they'll take care of the whole hustle of shipping it to Japan and getting it back for free. And who would have thought: There was something wrong with my model (bracelet clasp and movement) so I handed it to them. It was quite the story with customs in the end and if I had to handle it myself it would have been a lot of time and quite the chunk of money by now. This way though I haven't paid a penny and they just take care of it for me. That alone to me was worth the premium.

I’m a pretty frequent customer. I’ve bought over half a dozen watches (Tudor, Rolex & GS) in the past year and a half or so. I’ve used them for service three times this year alone (2 Tudors and 1 Rolex). We’ve also spent tens of thousands of dollars on custom jewelry with them as well. I’ve spent quality time and money on building out my profile and relationship. 

I started adopting dachshund puppies a couple years ago in anticipation of this happening. Fortunately, I have those pups to spend time with now. But the grieving process takes time. Just trying to do what I can to keep my mind off it. Sorry to hear about your pup too. They give us so much. 

I’m a very repeat customer. 🙈 Over half a dozen watches in only a year and a half. We are all on a first name basis. They invited me to a Tudor event a couple weeks ago and they probably expected me to buy the Black Bay Chrono ”Panda” but all I had been thinking about was my new GS SBGA413 Shunbun that I acquired only three weeks prior. I told them at the time that I wanted the White Birch and couldn’t get it out of my head. I think I’m leaning towards going with my AD. 🤷‍♂️

Ya, it was on Chronext and would come with their 2 year warranty but it’s not the Grand Seiko warranty. I’m not sure if the watch was originally bought from an authorized reseller and then sold to Chronext. In which case I would get the manufacturer 5 year warranty since it’s transferable. (At least that’s what my US warranty card said) Either way, I decided to go with my local AD to have total peace of mind as well as to thank them for all that they’ve done for me. I really do appreciate and respect my AD. I consider many of them friends. Cheers! 🥂

I always try to buy from an AD. Buying watches online makes me feel un-easy at that price point.  I like the experience of the AD.  Good ones that is....