Black Friday watch deals are a classic fear sell. I better buy that watch now. It will never be this cheap again! It’s a limited time offer during the busiest shopping day of the year. When it’s gone, it’s gone. Blink and I’ll miss it! Deep breath y’all. I know it’s a piercing glimpse into the obvious, but . . .
Black Friday watch deals are timepieces manufacturers/dealers can’t sell at full price. They would if they could, right? But they can’t. So they use Black Friday hysteria to lure bargain hungry buyers into purchasing watches they’d otherwise ignore. The “urgency” of the “special” day – not to mention the stress of putting up with your mother-in-law – short-circuits rational thought.
Black Friday discounts don’t disappear into thin air never to be seen again – especially if they move the metal. In truth, watch sellers charge as much as they can for a watch before, during and after Black Friday. Cyber Monday! Independence Day! Labor Day! I reckon watch sellers would “celebrate” Mega-Tsunami Day.
There are two areas where watch buyers are particularly at risk of ending-up with Black Friday buyer’s remorse: gray market watches and pre-owned watches.
Gray market watch dealers tempt addicts to act out with discontinued models, blinding them with Black Friday brand cachet. A brand new TAG Heuer for how much? I’ve always wanted a TAG! Easy tiger. The manufacturer killed that model for a reason, and it ain’t because they got tired of counting the money.
Don’t get me wrong: discontinued watches models aren’t worthless. But they’re worth less than a lot of brand-bitten buyers believe. Actually, they’re worth exactly as much someone’s, anyone’s willing to pay. No more. No less. A fact that’s equally true in the pre-owned watch market, where things get seriously hinky.
As used watch prices fluctuate constantly, a seller can simply declare a Black Friday discount. Who’s to say the “original” price was more? (In fact, most buyers and sellers of pre-owned pieces focus on what the watch sold for new.) The final-price to-you is more or less what you would have paid before Black Friday. And after.
Sorry to throw a wet blanket over your Black Friday watch buying plans. I just don’t want you to see you end up with a watch you don’t want, bought in haste from a place of ignorance or greed. When Black Friday comes, ask yourself a simple questions: would I buy that watch if it wasn’t on sale? If not, don’t do it. Don’t break your heart.