Please help,
the past few months I have been buying what i believe to be bargain watches on ebay and taking them to local stores and putting them on consignment and waiting for them to sell to make a profit, i have made some money but this buisness model just inst working. people look to ebay and expect to get the same prices. i have tryd to buy watches through the classifieds also in order to get good prices but i really lack the skills to verify or validate anything. are there any tips to buying watches that would be at a price that i can resell on ebay? or ideas where i can buy watches or anything to help with my business model. I love watches with a passion and i am hopeing one day to design my own watches consisting of Swiss movements. please advise me ! need help and connections! Im not a greedy man and would be happy to make even a few dollars of ebay sales.

 

No offence intended here at all, and please take what i write with a pinch of salt - but have you really thought this business model through? Not sure you are qualified for this, after all you write " you lack the skills to verify or validate anything"

I,d quit now and leave it to the professionals - these guys and gals add value in some way shape or form

Cheers, paul

 

Good Advice guys.....and good restraint as well.......if you know what I mean.

 

Maybe spend a few years working in the biz model and learning about the market, watches, etc. Just a thought. Not sure what businesses there are where you can take short cuts to success.

 

You should stick with what you like to do. I hope that it isn't your primary source of income. I do it as a hobby. Sell everything on ebay. I buy broken watches and fix them myself. Add value then resale. If you are competing against ebay, keep that in mind when you buy your watches. If you pay somebody to fix, you have to buy REALLY low. There are plenty of side benefits of hunting for watches. Gold, for instance. I have an account at a smelter and melt all my gold filled junk to cash. When you are hunting watches, check out the vintage sunglasses, jewelry, etc. Develop an eye for high end stuff and sell it, too.
Just some thoughts.....

 

Sure, waltz right in and expect overnight success without any knowledge. I mean, who needs to be educated or have experience in the job they choose?

 

Sorry to be blunt, but if you have to ask this question you need to hear this: Rule #1 of common business sense...know what you are selling. If you lack the skills or knowledge you shouldn't be in business.
First you are going to fail, but worse you are going to mislead those who assume you know what you are doing. My advise- Spend your time researching and learning about a specific type of watch...then when you are an expert, you might come back and try this again but focused only on the watches you have knowledge on.

There is wisdom in the old proverb:
A fool and his money are soon parted.

 

...Hmmm....this sounds like a certain duckling...Anyway, without any knowledge, I see only two possible outcomes 1. You will either get ripped off buying on ebay or 2. You will buy a piece of junk and then go on to rip another unsuspecting noob off, either way it doesn't make a sound business model. Just because you can sell doesn't make you a dealer.

 

Another watch "chancer" hopeing to make an easy buck. Ebay, is a minefield of this type of thing. As usual this character wants to bang pics on here and get experts to verify if real, how good and the million dollar question, how much?
I'm not posting on this thread after this one, as its knobish....
Ian

 

I want to be a neurosurgeon but i can't be arsed to spend time and money at medical school. I'll just take pics during my surgeries and send them to real doctors who can tell me where to attach this bit of squidgy purple stuff.

Ridiculous.

 

Wait what? I am starting to grow tired of the use of this forum to help buy and sell their craft. Instead of using the search function or taking the time to learn and be part of this wonderful community posters such as the OP just blatantly uncover the truth behind the reason they are here and add little value to the group.

 

Start a special section for asking about value of watches

 

We would need a sub-forum for "Uncle Watches", not to be confused with the "How much is this watch worth" section.

 

Like all the cooking reality shows that pit amateur cooking minded people against each other i am going to give you the same advice i scream at the TV ( Become a fucking chef )

Watchmaker for you

 

I think we need another sub-forum for "Grandfather Watches", as well . . .

 

Windy & I used to eat at Carman's Country Kitchen near 10th and Washington. The owner, and cook, was one of the whackiest but most interesting women we knew. She had a Rolex on one day that started us talking, and man did she have some great stories. My two favorite signs on the wall were "A fool and his money...... make a great date!" and "Carman puts the 'c*nt' in country".

Here's the problem George: it isn't their craft. If it were, they'd know what they're doing. These people have NO intention of reaching the knowledge level required to make it their job, they want to sponge data and experience off us FOR FREE so they can make an easy dollar. NOT GONNA HAPPEN.

I'm wondering if a minimum post count should be mandatory, and proof that you've done some homework yourself, before you can start asking about watches.

EDIT: Now that some of you have seen the repetitive nature of watch forums and this kind of crap, imagine dealing with it over 6 or 7 years. Not just seeing it, but having to handle cleaning it up and the inevitable load of grief a mod gets having to deal with these characters behind the scenes after their thread gets deleted or they get a bunch of shit like in this thread. Now, I'm all for giving these putzes what they deserve - at best, we can call it tough love - so don't stop.

 

Buy low, sell high .

 

Sounds like Uber.

 

Sorry, but the passion and love that you claim to have for watches l doubt exists. If that were true you would not be here asking for such help.