A simple guide to buying watches on eBay

So you're thinking of buying a watch on eBay? Great choice. But before you do, there are some things you should be aware of.

The sad reality is that many of the top brands such as Rolex or Omega are counterfeited to no end. Not only is it illegal to trade in counterfeit watches (unsuspectingly buying one doesn't count... don't worry) but it also cheats you out of a watch is the real thing. Even a relatively inexpensive watch, such as Casio's G-Shock is vulnerable to counterfeiting because it's so popular.

 

Buying brand name watches at retail prices can be a very expensive proposition that can set you back thousands of dollars, depending on what you're looking for. That's what you'll pay if you buy one from a watch store. For some people, going into a store, touching the watch and wearing it is justification enough to pay full price.

If you're searching on eBay, that strategy doesn't work for you. You want a better price. Period. If you're going to do that, and we recommend that you do, you need to have your guard up and not jump at any cheap opportunity.

On eBay, you can easily pay a fraction of retail prices, for genuine watches with papers. Why pay more than you really have to? As North Americans, we're conditioned to buying things at a discount... if it's not on sale, then it's not a good deal. As with anything, you just need to be careful because there are many fakes of many different types of watches on eBay.

 

We've seen fake watches ourselves and here's a tip that we often don't read online: for most people it is IMPOSSIBLE to tell whether a watch is fake or genuine online. Knowing that, you have just increased your chances of not getting ripped off by a significant factor, because you now have an inquisitive mind. Sure, there may be some photos of fakes that are so obvious that anyone could notice, but to the untrained eye you simply don't know what to look for. The key to successfully buying a watch on eBay is to know what your rights are.

 

eBay's biggest advantage is the choice that is offered to you as a buyer. At any given time there are around 200,000 eBay auctions for watches alone. TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND! Most of these are genuine articles. eBay is trying hard to be more buyer-friendly these days. So take your time. New auctions come up all the time.

*Shameless marketing interlude: Please check the rest of BrandNameWatchAuctions.com regularly for up-to-date listings on a wide range of Brand Name Watches for sale on eBay.*

Back to our regularly scheduled programming...

 

Unless you already know what you're looking for, our #1 advice is to do your research.

The seller feedback is your ammunition. Ensure that the feedback received is for WATCHES purchased. A common scam on eBay is for sellers to rack up positive feedback by selling tons of cheap items (not watches) and then using that feedback to drive sales of counterfeit watches. Beware and do not fall for that trick.

 
The feedback section should list what was purchased, as well as the price. The buyer's feedback should be related to the watch that was purchased. If the feedback is questionable, then move on. With 200,000 watches to choose from you don't have to waste your time.

Secondly, always ask the seller questions. The first objective from asking questions is to make sure the seller is communicative. On such a purchase, you must be personally comfortable with the seller. You could be parting with $500 or perhaps more. If the seller responds within 24 hours or 48 hours at most, then that's a good sign. If they're to the point and respond specifically to your question, then that's even better. Go to the watch manufacturer's website and get the technical data for the watch and ask some technical questions.

Third, ask the seller about their return and refund policy. The best scenario is when a seller gives you a grace period to have your watch appraised if you so choose. We know someone who purchased an Omega Speedmaster from a very reputable eBay watch seller, only to find out it was actually a fake when he got it appraised. He informed the seller who promptly issued a full refund and asked that our friend return the watch to him. Even the seller had no idea he had a fake on his hands. Pros can be fooled too.

 

Many eBay watch sellers are actual online stores that also have eBay stores. They have separate non-eBay websites in addition to having their eBay stores. These people usually sell new watches. They have contracts to buy watches from distributors at wholesale (or near wholesale) prices, or even have agreements with the manufacturers directly. That's how they pass on the savings to you. Most of these are trustworthy. Don't be overly concerned.

There's a whole other market for used watches, many sold by private collectors, watch enthusiasts, individuals and yes, scammers as well. All of these people have different motivations for selling their watches. Perhaps a collector is bored of his Cartier Roadster and wants to offload it, a grandfather has passed away and his grandchild has no use for his vintage Omega, or a scammer just purchased a bunch of fake watches from a local street vendor and seeks to pawn them off to the highest unsuspecting bidder.

 

 

As always, do your due diligence and find out the seller's motivation. The only way to do that is by communicating with the person. An enthusiast or collector WILL be VERY knowledgeable and should respond quickly and precisely, unless they're on vacation or something. Someone selling the watch because they need the money or because it was their grandparents (or a similar case) may not really know much technically, but that should be evident as well.

Many of these sellers may have feedback for different items, not just watches. Look through the feedback to see if they do have feedback on watches. If not, look at the value of items purchased. If they've been selling $10 items (not watches) for a year and all of a sudden have a $400 auction for a brand name watch, then it should raise a yellow flag in your mind.

 

We hope that this little guide, developed based on your own experiences, has been useful to you and that you have the information you need to make the right decisions. If you would like to leave us a comment or if you pruchase a watch and would like to relate your experience, please do contact us anytime.