Why are Jomashop Watches so Cheap? Detailed Review

Last Updated on October 10, 2023 by swisswatchreview

Luxury items always have high price tags that result in lower bank balances. These price tags make luxury items unattainable for most people, but that’s not true when you shop at Jomashop.

Jomashop is an online company that sells luxury items, accessories, and fashion from over 650 popular brands. Jomashop gained popularity among customers by offering high-end products, specifically watches, for 50-80 percent less than the original cost. Their low prices are due to the gray market, allowing them to buy their stock cheaply. 

When looking for a low-priced quality watch, Jomashop is the place for you to get the best deal- but is it too good to be true? In the rest of this article, we will review all things Jomashop and why their watches and other wares are much cheaper than other companies.

What is Jomashop?

High quality does not always have to come with a high price tag. Jomashop’s slogan is “never pay retail.” They deliver on this slogan by promising that their customers can look great without breaking the bank.

Jomashop started operating its business in 1987 before the internet was available to the public. Since there was no online shopping in 1987, Jomashop was a mail-in company that started by selling crystal figurines and watches out of a Manhattan office. Watches soon became their niche.

The company provides a great shopping experience by housing all sorts of wares on their website. From watches to purses, clothes to jewelry, sunglasses, and more, Jomashop seems to have it all, making it a convenient one-stop shop for all luxury brand shopping.

No matter what luxury brand you are shopping for, Jomashop promises to be there to help you get the best deal. Many customers stumble across Jomashop while browsing for luxury goods they can afford since their prices tend to be, on average, 50% off of regular retail costs.

Why is Jomashop so cheap?

Anyone scrolling through Jomashop is sure to notice their drastically low prices. Prices vary depending on the product and whether or not the item has been pre-owned. Regardless of the final price, it is always guaranteed to be a good sale compared to the original retail price. Jomashop promises their prices can be as low as up to 80% off.

On top of having low prices, Jomashop often offers sales on their extensive stock, giving their customers an even lower price. But customers often ask themselves a common question: how can Jomashop afford to sell their products so cheap?

The main reason that Jomashop can sell products so cheaply is that they purchase them as a third-party company at a very low cost.

What is the gray market?

Jomashop is a gray market industry. Despite its misleading name, the gray market is a completely legal system. A gray market company sells products legally without the brand’s permission.

For example, in a regular market system, a manufacturer or brand will sell goods to a distributor. The distributor then sells the goods to authorized retail outlets. Ideally, the manufacturer would create the perfect amount of goods. With the right amount of goods, consumers would purchase everything, and there would be no leftovers at the end of a season.

But often, a manufacturer creates too many goods for authorized retail outlets to sell. At the end of a sales season, retailers do not sell out and instead end up with lots of old stock they can choose to sell to other third-party dealers at a low cost.

These other dealers then can turn around and sell the leftover merchandise cheaply to the public. Sometimes the dealers can sell the products even cheaper because they purchased the goods from another country. Other countries often sell products at much lower costs than the United States, where Jomashop originated.

Is Jomashop’s merchandise legit?

Jomashop’s price tags and affiliation with the gray market often make people wonder if their products are legit.

Some customers have purchased watches or other products from Jomashop and gotten them appraised by professionals to verify their authenticity. To their surprise, all consumers have had satisfactory results, and many have become regular customers.

You can rest assured that all products on their website are authentic. Jomashop purchases its products as close to the brand’s branch as possible. Their products are often bought wholesale from the brands themselves or overseas branches.

While Jomashop is not an authorized dealer for most brands, meaning that the manufacturers did not intend for them to sell the products, the company still only sells reliable merchandise.

Top 4 things to know when purchasing a watch from Jomashop

Anyone quickly glancing at Jomashop’s inventory can be overwhelmed by the number of watch options. Every luxury watch imaginable seems featured on their website. Rolex, Timex, Seiko, and more!

You want to be well informed when purchasing a luxury watch online, especially if you still plan to drop a pretty penny on one. Here are the top 4 things you need to know before purchasing a timepiece from Jomashop:

1. The watch will not come with a manufacturer’s warranty

All luxury watches, when bought at authorized retailers, come with a warranty from the manufacturer. The warranty is what guarantees a product’s quality. It makes the company legally responsible for repairs or replacement services within the conditions of the contract.

Since Jomashop is a gray market retailer, it will not give you the manufacturer’s warranty. This lack of paperwork means that any service you have to have done on the watch has to go through Jomashop.

Jomashop, thankfully, does offer warranty services to customers. These warranties are for specific watches and only cover certain damages or issues. Check out this list of watches to see what qualifies.

The good news is that signing up for a warranty from Jomashop is super easy. All you need is your general information, the watch’s serial number, model number, and brand name.

2. Jomashop might offer a lower price than it has now.

Jomashop’s store offers great low prices on name-brand watches. But the price you see now might not be their best price. Jomashop frequently offers additional sales, such as Black Friday, back-to-school, or others that will further knock down their already low prices.

A Seiko Recraft Blue Dial Brown Leather men’s watch, originally retailed at $225.00, regularly sells for $188.99 on Jomashop. But during their back-to-school sale in 2022, it cost only $109.99, taking it to a total of 51% off the retail price.

If you have your eyes on a particular watch, it might be worth your time to wait and see if the price decreases any further. However, items do tend to sell out eventually.

If you know the watch you want is a hot item that many might be shopping for, don’t wait too long and thus miss out on it. The buyer’s regret is sometimes less painful than the hesitator’s remorse.

3. Purchasing with Affirm

If you don’t want to wait to purchase a watch from Jomashop but don’t quite have the money for it yet, you can choose to pay with Affirm.

Jomashop offers Affirm payment plans with every purchase for people who want to lower their costs even more. While the total price will remain the same, your initial upfront cost will be significantly lower since Affirm breaks up the total cost into four interest-free payments.

A Tissot T-Race MotoGP Chronograph Automatic Blue Dial men’s watch, originally retailed at $1250.00, costs only $454.00 from Jomashop. Affirm’s 4-interest-free payments plan takes the cost of this watch down to as low as $42 a month.

You do have to qualify for Affirm before being able to take advantage of these great deals.

4. Jomashop has high customer satisfaction.

Jomashop’s customers usually get their packages within a week after purchasing and are very satisfied. The Better Business Bureau gives Jomashop an A+ rating, making it a top-tier company for customers.

Jomashop also sells products through eBay and Amazon. Customer reviews on both sites average a 99% satisfactory rating, with over 77,000 reviews on Amazon.

With their stellar reviews and ratings, you can rest assured that customer satisfaction is very important to Jomashop.

Should you buy a watch from Jomashop?

Jomashop can sell their watches and other wares for much cheaper than the regular retail price because of the gray market. Their watches are legitimate but do not come with a manufacturer’s warranty. If this is something that does not bother you, Jomashop is an excellent place for you to purchase a luxury watch.

There is always a risk involved when you spend a lot of money on a watch. Purchasing a high-end timepiece from Jomashop that costs around $2000 may not be worth it to you, especially without a warranty directly from the watch’s manufacturer.

However, if you are planning to purchase a watch with a lower price tag from Jomashop, it will likely be worth it. Jomashop’s customer service team is highly rated and always willing to help its customers.