Is this normal/safe? Worried that I am going to get ripped off and need some advice..

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L

lilian

O.G.
Jan 3, 2006
1,207
12
#1
Hi everyone,

I'm finding myself in a situation that doesn't feel quite right so I wanted to get some advice from some of you ladies who are far more experienced in buying high-end jewellery than I am.

So, a few months ago I started a thread asking for advice on picking a watch that my parents want to buy me as a graduation present. I got some really helpful comments and suggestions. At the end of December, I was also in Las Vegas and walked into a jewellery store at one of the bigger hotels to try on a few watches, and the salesman said that, once I decided on the model, I could contact him and buy it from him. I took his card but didn't actually think that I would bother to buy the watch long distance.

Anyway, after months of trying to make up my mind (I'm ridiculous, I know ), I finally decided on a watch (a cartier roadster!) and for some reason decided to call him to ask for a price. He gave me a very, very good price on the watch (about $500 cheaper than the Cartier store), and also said that if he shipped me the watch (I live in California) I would not pay sales tax since it would be out of state. This means that the final price I would pay would be just under a thousand dollars less than what I would pay if I walked into a Cartier store, so I would really prefer to make this work if possible.

But this whole situation just feels weird to me, and I’m not sure if it’s because it really is weird or just because I’m not familiar with how these things work. First, I have been shopping around, and while some people have given me prices that are a bit less than the actual store, no one has been able to give me a price THIS good. Second, I've never bought something like this out of state for the purpose of not paying the sales tax so I'm not sure how it works, but he was absolutely adamant yesterday that he had to mail me the watch and I could not drive over to pick it up (it would still be insured though). Third, is there any possibility that I am getting a fake watch here? This is a real store in a legitimate casino (think Caesar’s, Paris, etc.), it's listed on their website, and there are even some articles written about it in local papers, but the guy gave me his cell phone number (but then returned my call from the store), so I'm not quite clear on whether I am officially buying the watch from him (rather than the store) and he is using the fact that I’m out of state to make me think otherwise. I figure I can just get this cleared up by making sure that it’s the store that charges my credit card. Fourth, I don't understand how he can possibly get such a great price that no one else is able to match.

Anyway, so my questions are: for those of you who have more experience buying things like this, does this situation raise any red flags for you? Am I just being paranoid? What could go wrong in this situation? Are there any questions I should be asking or any precautions I can take to make sure nothing goes wrong? Does Cartier "authenticate" watches the same way a place like Louis Vuitton does, and if so should I just take it over the store the day I receive it? Also, does this insistence on me not being able to pick it up in person (which is what's freaking me out the most) make any sense, or should that not worry me?

Sorry for the length of this everyone. Thanks for your help.
 
#2
I used to work for a boutique (many years ago) that carried Cartier and other brands and we would give 10% 15% off prices to all clients. Are the 500 dollars the 10% of the catalog price?
 
#3
lilian said:
Also, does this insistence on me not being able to pick it up in person (which is what's freaking me out the most) make any sense, or should that not worry me?.
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I wouldn't worry - that's completely normal. Many department stores & other well-known stores offer no tax if you have the item shipped to a state that doesn't have that store's location.
 
#4
Very normal here. The 'pay no sales tax' is a way the stores offer a discount without affecting their bottom line.
Even though we are LV locals, they usually ask us if we want to ship to a friend in another state to avoid sales tax. Too much hassel for us.
 
#5
I'm sensing one thing you're worried about is the fact that he was adamant that to save the out of state taxes you had to have it mailed, but that is not something you need to worry about! I tried to buy a pendant from VCA in Naples (I'm from Canada) and she said the same thing - because I'm out of state, she didn't have to charge me the FL taxes if she mailed it to me... BUT if I walked into the store in Florida she'd have to. The reason being is that if I'm physically in the store she is selling to a patron IN FLORIDA, where as if she ships outside of the state she is shipping to someone physically out of state. I think it sounds fine! :)
 
#6
Doesn't sound all that unusual to me. You can get some pretty hefty discounts on watches if you know what you are doing and have the balls to haggle :graucho:

A few years ago, I briefly considered getting a Tank Francaise and the SA at a duty free counter was very willing to give extra discount. If I remember rightly, the total would have worked out at about 30% off retail, just like that.

I actually ended up getting a Jaeger LeCoultre and after some haggling got it for over 40% off. They would have discounted even further if we were paying cash. All this at an authorised dealer. I would never pay full price for a watch these days (unless it was some super-desirable, rare limited edition or something).
 
#7
You're totally OK here. Reason he gave you is cell is probably bc he doesn't want anyone taking his sale.

Getting 10% off ticket price is normal and you cannot pick it up if you want to avoid sales tax. That's tax fraud you'll both be committing if you do.

Ask what the return policy is as well.

Why not try and haggle some more? :) Maybe some more discounts or a further extended warranty (if the store has it) in addition to the regular Cartier warranty?
 
#8
It is SO great to hear that this was just my paranoia! Something similar has happened to me before, which is why I am always hyper-crazy about it happening again.

Anyway, I will definitely try to haggle some more now that I feel more confident that he is not trying to rip me off, especially since I am willing to pay cash (like Loony suggested). The price was just under 10% off, so I guess he does have more room to come down. Just one question though: from what Vegas said, it sounds like it should still be okay if I went there and paid in person but just had the watch shipped to me. Is that correct? Thanks everyone!!
 
#10
totally normal
I recenty purchased a watch in Las Vegas...SA suggesting shipping (even though I was there) to avoid sales tax
I tried to get her to ship the empty box and let me take the watch so I could have it right away. She said that was against the law/rules. So I had it shipped.
 
#11
missD said:
Why not try and haggle some more? :) Maybe some more discounts or a further extended warranty (if the store has it) in addition to the regular Cartier warranty?
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lilian said:
Anyway, I will definitely try to haggle some more now that I feel more confident that he is not trying to rip me off, especially since I am willing to pay cash (like Loony suggested). The price was just under 10% off, so I guess he does have more room to come down.
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Good idea! If he's accommodating and eager to make a sale then it doesn't hurt to haggle some more. Worst thing that can happen is he'll say that he can't go any lower.

Make sure to post some pics when you get it ;)
 
#12
Not to be a party pooper, but just because they ship the watch and don't charge you sales tax it doesn't mean YOU don't owe the sales tax. States like California are beginning to look at this and will soon start to put the screws to us to collect these owed but seldom paid 'use' taxes. Take a look at your state tax return form. California's has line on the income tax return form for 'use tax'.
 
#14
I think it would be safe to go ahead with this; highly unlikely that an employee at a high-end store is in the business of swapping genuine items for fakes :thinkin: I guess there is always a risk though (even of a small degree) for going outside the "normal"....

Possibly, I think the SAs just try to do whatever they can to secure the deal (i.e. their commission) and if it means dangling a carrot in front of the prospective purchaser, they will.

My DH had this happen to him in a very well known men's store.......he hesitated on a suit that he tried on (not because of the price but because he wasn't 100% convinced on the style) and the SA popped his head in the change-room and whispered that he was happy to buy it on his behalf, using his staff discount :amuse:

Because the discount was a very substantial amount, DH went ahead and agreed, met the SA in a cafe and exchanged the goods LOL and to this day, my DH still is not convinced about the style :rolleyes: so now if he points out any of my "bad" purchases, I just refer back to the XX suit that is languishing in our cupboard LOL
 
#15
Just wanted to comment on something other than the sales tax. I used to work for a very large jewellers and the discount that I as an employee received was amazing. I received any item I wanted at cost, plus 10%.
So, say you had a ring that retailed for $6,000
To figure out what I paid for it, you divided the retail price by 5, and added 10%. That was my price: 6,000/5=1,200+10%= $1,320.

My guess is that the salesman is using his discount to buy this watch as a personal purchase, adding a bit of cash in on the price for himself, and presenting you with the sum of the two.
 
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