Is it me or does anyone else feel a bit funny about buying a watch off eBay? I look everyday at Speedy's and Seamasters and see some really nice vintage pieces but when i look at the location i decide not to bid if its outside of the UK or CONUS. There is a really nice Cosmic on there at the moment which i would buy but i am petrified i win and its a 'dud' it would grieve me no end knowing that some guy sold me a fake. I spotted an omega Speedy Pro for $10K that has apparently been in the 'safe' in a jewellers for 18 years and is old stock, he has had offers on it since 2010 and its been listed a tonne of times, but with the fact you can buy boxes, old warranty cards etc off the same place, throw it all together & hey presto you have a 'watch' that is never used etc. I would rather look for watches on here and a few other sites as i know it will be legit coming from a bunch of watch nutters like my good self, so make a note... i look at the sales threads everyday! Keep up the good work on the forum and for me its better than WUS. D
i guess there are risks you take on the bay. On the cosmic, if it is the black triple date moonphase from alex in mexico, we've discussed it in a threat titled TDMP if you want to look. Alex is a trusted seller, would have no hesitations buying from him - although with that watch note that the movement is not in good condition, but Alex is honest enough to give you high res photos of the movement so we know what we are buying!
I should add that most of us buy most of our stuff on the bay - when there are just THAT many watches there, it makes sense. But in general I wouldn't buy unless I'd sought opinions of people here first. There are a lot of shonks, but we do have a thread on recommended ebay watches, which only our esteemed moderators list, and a thread on trusted ebay sellers.
Of my watches current and previous, I've bought a Seamaster Pro Chronograph, Seamaster 300 Watchco, two seamaster Piepans, Cal 320 chronograph, and Speedmaster Pro all from ebay. All of them were great deals for me so I can't complain in the slightest.
Here is one fact that might change your perspective: eBay sells 10,000 cars a week via their mobile app.
No doubt, but consider for a moment what Christies are making, eBay's comissions are limited, and dealers with eBay store setups get even better deals, while Christies and other large auction houses take 30% or so off the price of a watch in commission. Imagine what they make every time a Patek 2499 sells.
Christie's though is like Barney's and eBay is like Walmart. Income wise, eBay makes more than 10x what Christie's makes and 20x what Sotheby's makes (since Christie's is a privately held company actual income figures are unknown but doubt it is making double what Sotheby's is making.
With the number of high end Omegas that go in private transactions, eBay is also probably your best chance to get a good watch (provided you've done your homework) on en equal footing to everyone else.
Im looking for a few... Im looking at one tomorrow that is listed on The Bay, its in Miami where i am at the moment, so we will see.
Auction houses are usually the best places to pick up vintage pieces if you want a solid, quality photographed timepiece although you are paying quite a premium to avoid headache of getting a dud or frankenwatch. Ebay allows us to get a chance at some great pieces due to either market insecurities or poor owner marketing. I love buying on Ebay but I HATE selling on Ebay lol.
...and you are not necessarily avoiding a dud or frankenwatch by paying that premium. I have often been underwhelmed by the due diligence practiced by auction houses.
underwhelmed means that they are not thoroughly checked the watch? Well I think Shoteby's, Christies' and Antiquorum could outsource their due diligence work to the mods of this forum .......Seriously
I'm thinking particularly of the forged A 386 Primero in Hong Kong November 2011, and the Luna Luxe Primero with nonfunctioning chronograph - detail not mentioned in the catalog, and unknown to the house until I tried it myself at the preview - in the December 2012 NY sale, both at Antiquorum. I'm happy to take my chances on Ebay. The main reason to deal with the auction houses IMO is that watches of a certain caliber and rarity just don't appear on the 'bay.
I was actually previewing an auction sale when a lad with a sheaf of emails was carrying out condition reports, on seeing me inspecting a few pieces he asked if I knew much about watches and then asked if I knew what this missing piece was - The Crown - He was a pleasant young guy and I spent five minutes or so helping him out but if you had been on the receiving end of some of his reports, you would certainly have outbid me who was fortunate to view in person. Ok you have a returns procedure but there are a lot of grey areas. My deal of choice, auction house with no web presence and close enough from home to visit - oh and none of you guys around
Yes! Alas, in this age of connectivity, the purely local auctioneer is a rare breed. One has to trawl among all kinds of nonspecialty houses - painstaking, time-consiming work.....
