WatchProSite|Market|Digest
WatchProSite|Market|Digest

Horological Meandering

Never either or

 


We all have made or will make such choices.

You argued that you belief yourself to be a rational person who takes logical decisions. That almost implies that you belief your decision not to pursue coz of your feelings towards the dealer, was not a rational decision.

Well my friend, I can assure you, you’ve made a rational decision not to pursue based on an emotional interpretation.

A decision is never 100% rational nor 100% emotional. Simply because that’s impossible unless you’re a robot or you’re conscious brain is deleted permanently (in which you wouldn’t be buying a watch).

Here is my view: in our decisions we look at several factors, numbers, values, average depreciation, liquidity etc etc.

But then our brain starts doing something magic. It takes an emotion linked to the subject, and it actually values the emotion and rate it as if it was a mathematical number. It’s then added into the equation with the other numbers et voila.

What we call “rational decisions” are actually equations with low rating factor for emotions. And vice versa.

Ok still with me? Let’s go back to your potential purchase. All numbers were looking good and getting even better.
Yet the behavior of the trader hit a nerve with you? And be thankful for that because it triggered an alarm bell that you will not ever trust this trader again with any purchases. The monetary discount he offered you, did not compensate the big negative number associated with “not liking, which is probably low factor” to “”he tried to screw me so don’t trust him anymore”. That’s a show stopper for any sale or purchase.

Apologies lengthy explanation but this topic is one I’ve studied many times over many years (no Phd staff far from that bachelor at best)

Hope it helps you finding the answers you’re looking for

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23 Comments view entire thread 

Bored at home, so here are some musings on the psychology of watch purchasing.....

 
By: NickO : April 1st, 2020-10:08
A few months ago, a well-known dealer got in a watch that I was very keen on. He was asking $80K and I thought that was a very good price. I was prepared to give him his asking price, my one requirement was he gave me fair value on a trade-in which I knew... 

I think you made the right call, for the simple reason this is a hobby, hence in my opinion *every* single aspect of a purchase should leave us satisfied...

 
By: FabR : April 1st, 2020-10:29
Even when you could have financially been happy with the transaction, something else still didn’t feel right, in this specific case the greed of the other party. A sufficient reason, in my view, to pass and fully enjoy acquiring your next watch elsewhere😉... 

The dealer needed to make a profit in order to support his costs.

 
By: Tyo : April 1st, 2020-10:33
I don’t think anyone should never appreciate the profit of a dealer . You could have offered your watch for the same price you had asked to the dealer for example to the fellow collectionneur That’s my 2 cents, and because I’m also a dealer in another fie... 

Tyo presumably meant, but didn’t express it correctly, the dealer offered rather than you asking for.

 
By: Boron : April 2nd, 2020-05:53
Probably didn’t want to use the same word twice in the sentence to save repetition, obeying one of the numerous rules of English grammar.

Yes, you’re right!

 
By: NickO : April 1st, 2020-11:53
People low-ball me in business all the time and I don’t take any of it personally - I just smile and continue to negotiate the deal. I think I just worked out what bothers me so much about this case: I didn’t mention in the original post, but I’d bought t... 

Totally understand

 
By: Uncle Chico : April 1st, 2020-15:15
Had I really wanted the watch, I would have probably returned with the cash after having sold the trade in privately and after the purchase, severed ties with the AD. The AD assessed your relationship differently than you which can sour both a deal and th... 

For a any deal to work...

 
By: Cpt Scarlet : April 1st, 2020-12:53
Inevitably both parties have to compromise, however in this case it sounds as if the dealer made a fundamental error and misjudged the situation. As a result he lost the deal and more importantly, he lost a future customer.

Never either or

 
By: Jurry : April 1st, 2020-13:50
We all have made or will make such choices. You argued that you belief yourself to be a rational person who takes logical decisions. That almost implies that you belief your decision not to pursue coz of your feelings towards the dealer, was not a rationa... 

“A rational decision not to pursue based on an emotional interpretation”

 
By: NickO : April 1st, 2020-14:16
I think that sums it up, perfectly! I had felt let down by someone I had rightly-or-wrongly considered a friend. Perhaps we weren’t friends at all and it was purely business the whole time. Either way, that was the emotional trigger that led to a rational... 

WWND

 
By: NickO : April 1st, 2020-14:18
What Would Nico Do? That’s going to become my go-to mantra 😀

Sometimes the "fed up factor" enters into it.

 
By: mkvc : April 1st, 2020-13:58
If it starts to feel like more trouble than it is worth, it's always your right to stop dealing with it. I have had watches that were so much trouble to get serviced that by the time I got them back in working order (in some cases after several round trip... 

I would have reacted exactly the same way. Yes it business to personal- I understand the concept

 
By: watch-guy.com : April 1st, 2020-14:26
But when I feel I have been taken advantage of or low balled, then the deal is now soured and cannot be done in good faith I once bought a watch from dealer- ref 3417. The market went nuts on this piece and after 2-3 years I wanted to trade this piece on ... 

So, I have a different viewpoint.

 
By: shafran : April 2nd, 2020-10:26
I have bought. traded and sold many watches. More than I care to remember. My decision was always based on the spread. If they low balled me but low balled their selling price, it was the same as if they gave me my asking price , but wanted more on the sa...