Can Rolex Blacklist You? Answered!
The Rolex market doesn’t look or work like most markets. Today, a large portion of the Rolex watches have waiting lists and are difficult to get a hold of. And according to the basis of supply and demand, this has led to many models selling for more than the recommended retail price on the secondhand market. For some models, the price has shot up as much as 2x or even 3x the official retail price.
The fact that you can walk into a Rolex store, buy a hot model (if you are lucky and patient), and then go and sell it for a good profit the minute you walk out the door creates a very strange market. And understandably, that’s a very tempting thing that some people decide to do in order to make a quick profit.
But because of this, flipping new Rolex watches that you buy from the AD (authorized dealer) is something that is very sensitive. Rolex works actively to prevent people from reselling their watches best they can, and authorized dealers try to do what they can.
But can Rolex blacklist you? That’s what we’ll answer and discuss in this article!
Can Rolex blacklist you?
It’s no secret that Rolex and ADs hate flippers or resellers – people who don’t buy watches with the intent of wearing and enjoying. In the retailer contract, Rolex clearly states that sales must be done to the final customer. In other words, if a customer immediately goes on to sell it, they are technically not the final customer. Rolex’s goal is to sell watches to customers who will love and appreciate the timepieces for years and years to come. You can read in-depth about how they find out if you sold your watch in this article.
And so when people flip their watches, it’s not something they like and want to prevent best they can. Ultimately, this means that they can blacklist you.
The answer to the question is that it’s not Rolex themselves that will blacklist you, it’s the official retailer. Rolex is not a direct-to-consumer brand and doesn’t own any stores (with one exception). Therefore, Rolex doesn’t manage any customer contacts or sales processes directly to customers. It’s the Rolex ADs themselves that keep records of their customers and independently manage their allocations.
And the answer is yes, a Rolex AD can blacklist you. The most common reason for this nowadays is if they find out that you have sold your watch, in particular, if it’s a really hot model.
How Rolex retailers handle blacklisting varies depending on the store because each and every single Rolex AD is an independent company that operates its business differently.
To get some context, Mohammed Seddiqi, chief commercial officer for Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons which is one of the most prestigious luxury watch retailers and the largest Rolex retailer in UAE with multiple stores said the following:
“From the brand perspective, if they find a watch has been flipped, they inform us. If we find out, we black list them. They will never be able to buy a watch from us again,” Mr Seddiqi revealed.
And this is something that Ahment & Saddiqi is not alone in doing. Today, most, if not all, Rolex retailers have some sort of blacklist system, or at least keep track of customers that they will not sell to because they know they have sold watches in the past. Some Rolex retailers will ban you from buying any watch from them again, regardless of the brand. Others will just ban you from buying Rolex watches, and others may blacklist you from buying the hot models. How Rolex retailers handle their “blacklist” process varies and is up to them. Their goal and purpose, however, is to prevent themselves from selling watches to people who have the intention of reselling them.
But Mr. Seddiqi is the first Rolex retailer to publicly make an announcement about this topic.
And so whilst Rolex will not blacklist customers, they will inform the official Rolex retailer that sold the watch if they find that a watch has been advertised or sold online. We have previously reported that Rolex has an in-house team that works to browse the web and marketplaces and find watches being advertised online. If the serial number is visible in the AD, Rolex is able to see which retailer sold that watch and inform the retailer that their customer is selling their watch.
When Rolex informs the ADs about this, they naturally expect the retailer to take action. But they don’t give any guidelines for how they should handle it. Instead, it’s up to each and every AD.
Will Rolex retailers inform you that you have been blacklisted?
It completely depends on the Rolex AD and how their process for this sort of thing is. Some ADs don’t put a lot of time and effort into it, whilst others ADs take it extremely seriously.
We have been able to read emails that customers have received from their AD which inform the customer that they have been made aware that the customer is selling their watch. And as a result, they will not be able to buy any more Rolex watches.
But at the same time, far from all Rolex ADs actually contact the customers by email informing them about this. Some will not say anything but just stop delivering the watches that you request. If you are on a waiting list, you will simply wait forever as they have no intention of allocating you one.
In some countries, the topic of blacklisting customers is particularly sensitive. And whilst we are by no means any legal advisers, it may even be borderline illegal. It is particularly in countries like these that you will not be informed that you have been blacklisted. THey’ll just keep silent and stop supplying watches to you.
If you want to sell your Rolex watch
With the above in mind, if you want to sell your Rolex watch, it’s important that you do it discreetly. If you advertise it online, never display the serial number of the watch, neither on the warranty card nor on the watch. Furthermore, refrain from giving any details about which AD the watch was purchased from. For example, don’t show the original receipt that clearly indicates which AD sold the watch.
It can also be a good idea to sell the watch in a different market from your own. Otherwise, there is a greater risk that the next owner may walk into the exact same retailer who sold it, for example asking to have it serviced or authenticated.
