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Watchprompt
·Who pays for it?
Are marketplace commissions still justified today?
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Foo2rama
··Nowhere near as grumpy as he used to be...very active "premium" users or professional retailers would be options to consider
Congrats your back where you started.
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Watchprompt
·I dunno, there may be a market for such a site but;
1. It will stall or fall based on its mistakes/scams. How will you deal with hacked accounts of sellers with a previously good history and what checked will prevents someone using bots or manually creating a fake, positive selling history?
2. How will you market this? Presumably it will be of most benefit to new collectors or individuals who are seeking one or two vintage watches. How will they find you?
Fair play for trying this and it could be successful but the devil as always is in the detail.
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Watchprompt
·Ahh so the sellers have to raise the price to cover the service.
Congrats your back where you started.
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theluckyluke
·Personally, I think there is something interesting to scratch there.
The watch world is dominated by seller listings, and spread across multiple platforms. (and that’s true for most sectors - real estate listings, fashion etc.). Buyers are fragmented all over the place. That said, in some instance, like in real estate agencies, potential buyers can communicate their criteria, budget, location preferences and the agency will get in touch, sometimes even before the listing gets published.
Searching for a specific watch in high condition is difficult in my opinion - there are so many listings to go through and so many factors to consider (trade tariffs now on top). How many bad condition watches do people look at before getting to the one? Likely hundreds+ for patient people looking for high condition.
Arguably the search is fun for those in the hobby, but sometimes speeding it up wouldn’t hurt! Putting more balance between potential buyers and sellers can be a good idea in my opinion.
If sellers enter watch references they might consider selling into the platform, their geographical location and perhaps some keywords around condition, desired price etc. (from what I understand these would be privately-held parameters) - when a trusted buyer enters the platform and puts a “wish” for a geographically proximate reference, price range, condition, then only sellers that fall within the criteria would get a notification. And vice versa.
Effectively the way I understand the concept - correct me if I am wrong - is that the platform is an enhanced WTB mostly, giving more visibility to the large but very fragmented buyer’s group.
In time, I suppose the idea from the OP here is that, if there is some adoption of the platform, that could “speed up” the sales cycle and the churn rate for the watches, so might benefit buyers who can find their grail quicker, and sellers. In this case, the “trusted” aspect of the sellers/buyers is really just an enabler for the a large-scale adoption of the platform longer term. At least this is how I interpret prior messages.
The watch world is dominated by seller listings, and spread across multiple platforms. (and that’s true for most sectors - real estate listings, fashion etc.). Buyers are fragmented all over the place. That said, in some instance, like in real estate agencies, potential buyers can communicate their criteria, budget, location preferences and the agency will get in touch, sometimes even before the listing gets published.
Searching for a specific watch in high condition is difficult in my opinion - there are so many listings to go through and so many factors to consider (trade tariffs now on top). How many bad condition watches do people look at before getting to the one? Likely hundreds+ for patient people looking for high condition.
Arguably the search is fun for those in the hobby, but sometimes speeding it up wouldn’t hurt! Putting more balance between potential buyers and sellers can be a good idea in my opinion.
If sellers enter watch references they might consider selling into the platform, their geographical location and perhaps some keywords around condition, desired price etc. (from what I understand these would be privately-held parameters) - when a trusted buyer enters the platform and puts a “wish” for a geographically proximate reference, price range, condition, then only sellers that fall within the criteria would get a notification. And vice versa.
Effectively the way I understand the concept - correct me if I am wrong - is that the platform is an enhanced WTB mostly, giving more visibility to the large but very fragmented buyer’s group.
In time, I suppose the idea from the OP here is that, if there is some adoption of the platform, that could “speed up” the sales cycle and the churn rate for the watches, so might benefit buyers who can find their grail quicker, and sellers. In this case, the “trusted” aspect of the sellers/buyers is really just an enabler for the a large-scale adoption of the platform longer term. At least this is how I interpret prior messages.
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STANDY
··schizophrenic pizza orderer and watch collectorI’m not pretending this would solve every problem. Scammers will always try to find a way in, but my aim is to focus on a few specific issues.
From my experience, Google is showing fewer and fewer watch listings in organic results unless it’s paid ads, and those ads mostly come from big retailers or marketplaces paying heavily for placement. That cost ultimately feeds into higher prices for the buyer.
WatchRecon is great, but it’s still a search engine. If someone lists the same watch multiple times, it shows up more, which can be misleading. The matching approach I’m thinking of works differently: you don’t browse endless listings. Instead, you record either a “wish” or a watch you want to sell, and the seller gets notified only if there’s a match. That way, relisting the same watch over and over just spams the seller, not the buyer.
It won’t replace smaller trusted pools for those who prefer them, but it could help connect the dots in a way that’s harder to game and less driven by paid visibility.
Are you talking high end watches ?
Say a vintage Omega Seamaster. Yes I see a heap of overpriced dealers watches that claim rare and outstanding condition. But sifting for the hidden gem is part of the penance in the watch game.
I am still not sure who is your market if your just a connection to a potential sale and not an actual sale.
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Davidt
·That’s a good point, is the goal to become simply a marketplace (or perhaps more accurately a sourcing engine), or are you going to try and weed out dealers or even watches that are overpriced or in poor condition?
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Foo2rama
··Nowhere near as grumpy as he used to be...Still not sure where the paid adds or commissions you talk are ?
Are you talking high end watches ?
Say a vintage Omega Seamaster. Yes I see a heap of overpriced dealers watches that claim rare and outstanding condition. But sifting for the hidden gem is part of the penance in the watch game.
I am still not sure who is your market if your just a connection to a potential sale and not an actual sale.
It feels like the OP wants a free service that verifies the watches and takes out the hunting and knowledge accumulation needed to buy at good prices and not get burned.
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Watchprompt
·Personally, I think there is something interesting to scratch there.
The watch world is dominated by seller listings, and spread across multiple platforms. (and that’s true for most sectors - real estate listings, fashion etc.). Buyers are fragmented all over the place. That said, in some instance, like in real estate agencies, potential buyers can communicate their criteria, budget, location preferences and the agency will get in touch, sometimes even before the listing gets published.
Searching for a specific watch in high condition is difficult in my opinion - there are so many listings to go through and so many factors to consider (trade tariffs now on top). How many bad condition watches do people look at before getting to the one? Likely hundreds+ for patient people looking for high condition.
Arguably the search is fun for those in the hobby, but sometimes speeding it up wouldn’t hurt! Putting more balance between potential buyers and sellers can be a good idea in my opinion.
If sellers enter watch references they might consider selling into the platform, their geographical location and perhaps some keywords around condition, desired price etc. (from what I understand these would be privately-held parameters) - when a trusted buyer enters the platform and puts a “wish” for a geographically proximate reference, price range, condition, then only sellers that fall within the criteria would get a notification. And vice versa.
Effectively the way I understand the concept - correct me if I am wrong - is that the platform is an enhanced WTB mostly, giving more visibility to the large but very fragmented buyer’s group.
In time, I suppose the idea from the OP here is that, if there is some adoption of the platform, that could “speed up” the sales cycle and the churn rate for the watches, so might benefit buyers who can find their grail quicker, and sellers. In this case, the “trusted” aspect of the sellers/buyers is really just an enabler for the a large-scale adoption of the platform longer term. At least this is how I interpret prior messages.
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Watchprompt
·This!
It feels like the OP wants a free service that verifies the watches and takes out the hunting and knowledge accumulation needed to buy at good prices and not get burned.
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Watchprompt
·That’s a good point, is the goal to become simply a marketplace (or perhaps more accurately a sourcing engine), or are you going to try and weed out dealers or even watches that are overpriced or in poor condition?
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Dan S
·Give an example of a service you are referring to.
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Watchprompt
·Still not sure where the paid adds or commissions you talk are ?
Are you talking high end watches ?
Say a vintage Omega Seamaster. Yes I see a heap of overpriced dealers watches that claim rare and outstanding condition. But sifting for the hidden gem is part of the penance in the watch game.
I am still not sure who is your market if your just a connection to a potential sale and not an actual sale.
I get that for many collectors, the “hunt” is part of the fun. But there’s also a big group of buyers, especially less experienced ones, who just want a straightforward, safe path to the right watch without endless sifting. The idea isn’t to replace the treasure hunt for those who enjoy it, but to create a low-friction way for people to connect when there’s a potential match. Not everyone has the same level of expectation, and beyond that, what you’re willing to pay for or not can be very much a matter of taste. And from a seller’s perspective, you’d often rather connect with the right person who values the watch because it matches exactly what they want, rather than pay listing fees to promote it to a large audience where most people aren’t interested at all.
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Foo2rama
··Nowhere near as grumpy as he used to be...Most watch buyers aren’t horologists. Like anyone making a purchase, they want to get a fair deal and limit their risk. By promoting sellers with a solid transaction history or a physical store where buyers can come, try the watch on, and see for themselves they’re not dealing with a scammer, I hope to make a larger, safer pool of inventory accessible to non-experts. And if a watch happens to be certified by something like WatchCertificate, that’s definitely something that would be highlighted.
You want a free service and people to do your work for you. That is not how it works.
It’s like the old saying it can be cheap, fast, and good, but only 2 of those things at the same time.
You want a great trust worthy seller that has verified the piece? That is why you go to trusted sellers like bobs watches. But you pay a premium for this.
You want to verify a watch and not do the research? You’re going to have to pay someone. There is no way around this.
Most of my pieces have been identifying a watch I like, doing the research to verify, and hunting it sometimes over years. Each time I’ve gotten killer examples at great prices, and with great stories to boot. I’ll tell you what each of them is a banger that gets attention at watch gatherings and didn’t break the bank.
These are some of the pieces I’ve hunted and have great stories attached. Plus I met wonderful people during the research and buying process, and then shared that information to other people looking for them:
Lemania Majetek sold in Bratislava during WWII.
Lemania powered Sinn 903
Ghost dial birth year Speedy
Seiko 6117-8000 Navigatortimer
IWC officer dial (hunting for a 34-36mm officer dial)
Current Hunt list
Grey dial C-case Connie
1976 Grey Dial Datejust OM dial
1976 Sub or Kermit ( who am I kidding on this one I’ll have to pay through the nose)
1st Gen 2500 42mm Planet Ocean black bezel white numbers.
An interesting Marvin Flying Dutchman or 5.
Sometimes the hunt leads you to other pieces like a Harrods LE Tudor BlackBlay, or a moded Seiko 5KX in rose gold. Or the perfect reinterpretation of a Rolex Steve McQueen. TBH I thought Christopher Wards was it, but Nezumi Studios was n Sweden knocked it pit of the park. You never know what you will find in your journey and the stories that will go with it.
The journey and gathering of knowledge is what brings us together. Not amassing of things.
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STANDY
··schizophrenic pizza orderer and watch collectoror a physical store where buyers can come, try the watch on, and see for themselves they’re not dealing with a scammer,
You want to try on a vintage watch your paying dealer prices with $$ on top for the shop experience.
And just because you buy from a shop doesn’t mean said watch isn’t redialed or over polished and not a scam.
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Mediocre
·Why would someone develop, maintain, host, and deal with the issues of offering such a service without the financial support from fees?
