When was the last time you saw a Louis Bolle wristwatch in a retail store with a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $2,449?

Never. 

Why? Because Louis Bolle wristwatches, and many other brands of watches such as Rousseau, Tavan, Wohler. S.U.G., Balmer, Jeanneret, Eberle, Romilly, Bernoulli, DuBoule and many others, are never sold in retail stores such as your local jeweler, the chain jewelry stores, or even Wal-Mart.  Therefore, the watches have no legitimate "retail" price because there is no retail market for them.  They are manufactured cheaply SOLELY for selling at online auctions.  They are never sold at legitimate jewelry stores or other legitimate retail stores.

Their only market is the online auction, where eBay sellers, flea market dealers and others buy them for resale in the hope of making a profit. 

A person buys the watch on one auction site and then lists it on eBay with the hope that someone even more gullible or optimistic than he will be willing to pay much more for it.

The watch's value is nothing more than the average online action selling price, which you can easily research on eBay by doing a closed item search.

A more gullible person then buys the watch on eBay and may list it again himself in the hopes of finding an even "greater fool" on whom to unload it.  The cycle of sale and re-sale never ends.  This is simply capitalism at work.  The sellers are not dishonest.  They are simply trying to make an honest dollar, however the suggested "retail" price is false.

With regard to the Louis Bolle watches specifically, the official statement from Bolle is: "Currently our timepieces are sold exclusively through internet auctions and not in retail establishments."  You cannot go to any retail establishments and compare prices on the watch.

If there are no retail sales, there can be no retail price, and therefore no MSRP. 

The real value of these types of watches is simply whatever prices they bring in Internet auctions such as eBay.  Typically, a Bolle watch with an alleged MSRP of $2,449 or so will sell in the range of $25 to $150 or so, perhaps more, perhaps less (depending upon the gullibility and ignorance of the bidders), with most selling in the $75 to $100 range. 

If the unsophisticated buyer actually believes that he is bidding on a watch with a legitimate retail value of $2,449 he might bid much higher.  Does anyone actually believe that $2,000+ watches routinely and consistently, almost hourly, sell on the Internet for $100 or so?

Never has there been a documented sale of such a watch for the full MSRP of $2,449 or whatever the claimed retail price might be.

The inflated manufacturer's retail prices being claimed by eBay sellers for certain brands of watches sold only on online auctions are simply false. 

The watches themselves might be perfectly attractive and functional inexpensive watches, but the claimed retail prices are false. 

Watches with legitimate Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Prices (MSRP's) are sold in retail stores and in other venues, including eBay and the Internet.  You can research their prices by going from store to store, by searching the Internet, and by doing searches on open and closed auctions on eBay. 

As you do your research, you may find many retailers who actually do sell, or offer to sell, the watch at or near the MSRP.  Most however, will have their prices much lower, perhaps even 60% or 70% or more lower, depending upon the demand for the watch.  A popular, sought-after watch sells at a much firmer and more consistent price than a watch that almost nobody wants.

However, not one legitimate seller will consistently sell his watches at 3% or 4% or 5% of MSRP.

Be skeptical about Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Prices for wristwatches.

Do $40,000 watches sell on eBay with starting bids of $1?  Yes, of course, all the time.  Are their final selling prices consistently anywhere near 5% or even 10% of their value?  No, never.

Do $2,449 watches sell consistently, hour after hour, day after day, for 5% of their MSRP's? Of course not.  The MSRP is a fake, intended to part you from your money. 

It is OK to pay $50 or $100 for a watch that you know is worth only $50 or $100.  It is not good, however, to pay $50 or $100 for a watch that you have been duped into believing is a $2,449 item; that is fraud, pure and simple.

Keep in mind that eBay is the world's largest dumping ground for fakes, frauds, knock-offs and reproductions.  A substantial percentage of watches sold on eBay are fakes.  Indeed, a substantial percentage of almost everything sold on eBay is fake.  The LVMH group obtained a $63Million verdict against eBay and eBay is being sued by Tiffany & Co, along with many other plaintiffs. 

Before you commit to purchase an expensive watch on eBay, make certain that you can return it for a full refund if you find that the item is a fake when you have it appraised or authenticated.  Purchase only by using a credit card or via PayPal so that you have some buyer protection from fraud. 

A fool and his money are soon parted.

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