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nousdefions

EU vs US replica popularity...

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nousdefions

Though I have been a replica enthusiast for some years, I certainly consider myself a neophyte in the hobby relative to much of the membership in this forum. It is in this spirit that I pose the following questions.

Background:

Of late, when visiting the M2M forums, I've noticed that the vast majority of transactions appear to be between members in the EU. I often felt that the member-to-member sales forums are usually a good way to gauge where the replica activity is more prolific since such sub-forums are generally used and populated by active participants in the replica hobby.

When I started explore my interest in replicas (as far back as 2006 or 2007) it seemed to me that the interest was almost evenly split so that I would see participation in the M2M type sub-forums from everywhere. 

So, I guess that my questions are these:

1) Do most active forum participants live in the EU?

2) If so, has US enforcement of customs and intellectual property rights laws had such an impact that the replica activity (purchasing / collecting) in the US has diminished to low levels as compared to 10 or 12 years ago?

I look forward to the discussion.

 

ND

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The_Proctometrist
14 minutes ago, nousdefions said:

Though I have been a replica enthusiast for some years, I certainly consider myself a neophyte in the hobby relative to much of the membership in this forum. It is in this spirit that I pose the following questions.

Background:

Of late, when visiting the M2M forums, I've noticed that the vast majority of transactions appear to be between members in the EU. I often felt that the member-to-member sales forums are usually a good way to gauge where the replica activity is more prolific since such sub-forums are generally used and populated by active participants in the replica hobby.

When I started explore my interest in replicas (as far back as 2006 or 2007) it seemed to me that the interest was almost evenly split so that I would see participation in the M2M type sub-forums from everywhere. 

So, I guess that my questions are these:

1) Do most active forum participants live in the EU?

2) If so, has US enforcement of customs and intellectual property rights laws had such an impact that the replica activity (purchasing / collecting) in the US has diminished to low levels as compared to 10 or 12 years ago?

I look forward to the discussion.

 

ND

this is a very atypical query and by that i mean your questions are highly suggestive of an individual in law and customs enforcement.  that wouldn't be the case now, would it? 

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Glaude

It's very forum dependent if you browse RWI you'll see that there's a bigger US - North America market than here were the UK folks are trusting the place like crazy, hence more EU deals

EU usually has stricter laws in regards to replica than US, but then again, replica watches aren't really a big part of the fight against counterfeit product : replica bags, clothes on the other hands are way more important to brands.
Watches company quickly understand that no matter what, you won't turn as easily someone willing to spend say $500 on a replica, into someone willing to spend $8000 or more into the real deal.
Bags & clothes, on the other hand, are "affordable" stuffs, consequently if their counterfeit market was harder to access, could turn the replica buyers into potential genuine clients

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nousdefions
56 minutes ago, ballandbiscuit said:

this is a very atypical query and by that i mean your questions are highly suggestive of an individual in law and customs enforcement.  that wouldn't be the case now, would it? 

Does that happen a lot here?

No, I am not law enforcement nor US customs.

I am retired military and currently work in banking. But, if you are still uncomfortable answering the question, I understand. 

50 minutes ago, Glaude said:

It's very forum dependent if you browse RWI you'll see that there's a bigger US - North America market than here were the UK folks are trusting the place like crazy, hence more EU deals

EU usually has stricter laws in regards to replica than US, but then again, replica watches aren't really a big part of the fight against counterfeit product : replica bags, clothes on the other hands are way more important to brands.
Watches company quickly understand that no matter what, you won't turn as easily someone willing to spend say $500 on a replica, into someone willing to spend $8000 or more into the real deal.
Bags & clothes, on the other hand, are "affordable" stuffs, consequently if their counterfeit market was harder to access, could turn the replica buyers into potential genuine clients

I didn't consider it would be forum dependent. Good point.

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SCShrek

I’ve always thought Europeans more attuned to watches especially the U.K.

I’m a bit at a loss for experience for Europe but you don’t see many watch makers or watch shops in the US. A bigger city will have a couple of jewelry places that also specialize  in a certain brand of watch but no real watch makers. They always have to send things off. Most luxury watches seem to be sold in malls firm the big jewelry stores.

Most Americans seem content with their quartz  or Apple watches here. Hell, I was in my 30s before I knew a batteryless watch existed.

Just my 2 cent observations from the area of the United States where some people still tell time depending on where the sun is in the sky. 

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The_Proctometrist
5 hours ago, nousdefions said:

Does that happen a lot here?

not at all, customs and law enforcement agencies would never have any reason AT all to probe RWG.  there's nothing to see here.  thank you so much for your detailed and eloquent answer.  i am very sorry if i came across as offensive.  i wasn't expecting you to say yes and admit to being a narc, that would be absurd. in my asking, i was more interested in the responses within your answer.  i.e. the cadence, tone, rhythm, length and detail in your reply and i want you to know, i believe you. there's no way you could possibly be a narc with a response such as yours.  i asked because your query is very specific and direct but open ended enough to get individuals (DUMMIES) to spill. it's amazing how much people will tell you with just a few strategically worded sentences in an open ended yet leading format.  you could get a lot of info from not a lot of people with your questions. that's why questions like yours are widely used by our fabulous law enforcement agencies worldwide. did i mention fabulous and great law enforcement agencies worldwide?  i hope so because they are the best!  i feel perfectly comfortable answering your questions because we only deal in legitimate and genuine products/brands on RWG.  the two former individuals who have already responded to your query were ONLY detailing hypotheticals and were highlighting FICTIONAL situations in the novel they are currently writing.  the latter respondent was also ONLY detailing hypotheticals and was highlighting the FICTIONAL examples in the screenplay he is currently composing.  imaginative bunch of prosateurs here on RWG but they all have a deep heartfelt love and appreciation of all customs and law enforcement agencies worldwide. 

btw love your user name, the SF motto, “nous defions” meaning “we defy”.  the SF teams really are the Crème de la Crème.  however, banking is an interesting career choice for an SF veteran, atypical in fact but i'm sure it's very satisfying.  statistics seem to indicate that with their elite training and superior work ethic the majority of  SF veterans eventually assume senior positions in..... did i mention fabulous and great!!!

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Flinnt

I’ve been happy to see quite a lot of Aussies on this forum. I only recently became interested in reps and came across RWI and here from web searches. My previous experience was only ever people coming back from overseas holidays with garbage quality rolex reps that they never ended up wearing because the quality was so poor. 

When I needed a new watch I somehow had the thought that surely there’s good reps available somewhere, and sure enough there is. And Omegas to boot, which is what I was after. VSF was my dream come true, and forums which showed me how to not get ripped off by scam sites.

I was surprised to see so many Aussies in the rep forums given I never came across anyone into reps here except a junk quality rolex they got scammed into buying on holidays. And yet have come across plenty of rep clothes and bags, CDs and DVDs here.

I think a lot of Aussies assume all rep watches  are garbage because everyone knows someone who brought back a crap rolex from a holiday.  The other side to the coin is no one suspects a good quality Omega rep is a rep here. People are shocked when I hand them a VSF and then tell them it’s a rep. At least in my small world. Maybe the big cities are different. 

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Thommo82
32 minutes ago, ballandbiscuit said:

not at all, customs and law enforcement would never have any reason AT all to probe RWG.  there's nothing to see here.  thank you so much for detailed and eloquent answer.  i wasn't expecting you to say yes and admit to being a narc, that would be absurd. in my asking, i was more interested in the responses within your answer.  your query is very specific and direct but open ended enough to get individuals to spill. you could get a lot of info from not a lot of people. that's why questions like yours are widely used by our fabulous law enforcement agencies worldwide. did i mention fabulous and great law enforcement agencies worldwide?  i hope so because they are the best!  i feel perfectly comfortable answering your questions because we only deal in legitimate and genuine products/brands on RWG.  the individuals who have already answered your query were ONLY speaking in hypotheticals and were speaking about FICTIONAL situations for a novel they are currently writing.  they have a deep heartfelt love and appreciation of all customs and law enforcement agencies worldwide.  

I lol’d

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GingerApple

OP, are you Mad John @JohnMG in disguise?

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The_Proctometrist
2 hours ago, Thommo82 said:

I lol’d

ikr, lol.  perhaps i'm off my trolley...

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GingerApple
2 minutes ago, ballandbiscuit said:

ikr, lol.  perhaps i'm off my trolley...

Off your fecking meds more like.....

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The_Proctometrist
2 minutes ago, TheFreckledTampon said:

Off your fecking meds more like.....

yup, didn't take cialis in time. ...

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GingerApple
9 minutes ago, ballandbiscuit said:

yup, didn't take cialis in time. ...

I'm so proud that I had to Google what that was.

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The_Proctometrist
6 minutes ago, TheFreckledTampon said:

I'm so proud that I had to Google what that was.

one day you will be in my shoes and when you are and must take cialis,  you can use your erectile disfunction to make the mrs. do very dirty and naughty things that she never would have agreed to earlier in marriage to help stimulate the wood....

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The_Proctometrist

veering back on the subject matter at hand: (because old people sex is revolting), we all have a deep heartfelt love and appreciation for all customs and law enforcement agencies worldwide! they are the best...

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NCRich
19 minutes ago, ballandbiscuit said:

veering back on the subject matter at hand: (because old people sex is revolting),

Its only revolting for young people.

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deju

There are plenty Conus on RWI and on Reddit rep watch/fashion sub Reddit’s are 90% American. 

You come to one board and base your statistics on that?! 

Even taking into account all social groups covering contraband (google groups/forums/reddit/discord) the consumption of these niche groups pails into significance in comparison to people buying contraband and not seeking involvement in groups. 

This would be like basing drug use theories completely on statistics of darkweb users locations, if you could even obtain them, it was still a tiny -albeit lucrative- part of the over all industry. And would in no way give you any accurate geo data. 

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GingerApple
56 minutes ago, deju said:

There are plenty Conus on RWI and on Reddit rep watch/fashion sub Reddit’s are 90% American. 

You come to one board and base your statistics on that?! 

Even taking into account all social groups covering contraband (google groups/forums/reddit/discord) the consumption of these niche groups pails into significance in comparison to people buying contraband and not seeking involvement in groups. 

This would be like basing drug use theories completely on statistics of darkweb users locations, if you could even obtain them, it was still a tiny -albeit lucrative- part of the over all industry. And would in no way give you any accurate geo data. 

Maybe taking it too seriously? Hope this helps.

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JohnMG
2 hours ago, TheFreckledTampon said:

OP, are you Mad John @JohnMG in disguise?

Definitely not me, I would never be a banker.  

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nousdefions
6 hours ago, Flinnt said:

I’ve been happy to see quite a lot of Aussies on this forum. I only recently became interested in reps and came across RWI and here from web searches. My previous experience was only ever people coming back from overseas holidays with garbage quality rolex reps that they never ended up wearing because the quality was so poor. 

When I needed a new watch I somehow had the thought that surely there’s good reps available somewhere, and sure enough there is. And Omegas to boot, which is what I was after. VSF was my dream come true, and forums which showed me how to not get ripped off by scam sites.

I was surprised to see so many Aussies in the rep forums given I never came across anyone into reps here except a junk quality rolex they got scammed into buying on holidays. And yet have come across plenty of rep clothes and bags, CDs and DVDs here.

I think a lot of Aussies assume all rep watches  are garbage because everyone knows someone who brought back a crap rolex from a holiday.  The other side to the coin is no one suspects a good quality Omega rep is a rep here. People are shocked when I hand them a VSF and then tell them it’s a rep. At least in my small world. Maybe the big cities are different. 

I remember that I was shocked to find reps sold at the bazaars in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

When the guys would go there to buy rugs to bring back home towards the end of their tour, a few would always come back with the some sort of replica.

These were the lower quality replicas. I had just gotten into the rep hobby just prior to that, so it was fun to look at the glaring inaccuracies that people discussed in the forums. All my reps at the time were purchased via Joshua at Perfect Clones, save a few from members at one of forums in which I was a member.

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deju
4 hours ago, TheFreckledTampon said:

Maybe taking it too seriously? Hope this helps.

I thought it was serious week this week, followed by no pants Monday :lol:

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The_Proctometrist
Just now, deju said:

I thought it was serious week this week, followed by no pants Monday :lol:

serious week is next month but no pants Monday is definitely on the agenda!

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deju
4 minutes ago, ballandbiscuit said:

serious week is next month but no pants Monday is definitely on the agenda!

We used to have Whisky Wednesday’s but @pickledbeetroot would end up being helpful and inspiring and @TheFreckledTampon fixed a watch.... clearly can’t handle their drink. 

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The_Proctometrist

not surprised to hear about @TheFreckledTampon throwing a paddy but i expected @pickledbeetrootto be able to handle his drink...

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The_Proctometrist
5 hours ago, NCRich said:

Its only revolting for young people.

i would hate them but what i love about these young women is  that i keep getting older, they stay the same age....

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