I don’t know if this was discussed previously but I’d like to know what implications this has for the independent watch collector.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-swiss-watches-secondhand-idUSKCN1NP1YD

Will this potentially make it more difficult for us to buy and sell on eBay? Competition from retailers aside, eBay imposing an “authentication” fee to sell on their site may make it less desirable as an option for the average watch collector.

 

It’s already around. Just an expansion to what they have been doing with hand bags. This program has been around already for about a year on watches. It’s been discussed here a few times . I see very little affect personally.

 

Interesting development..: to some extent I sympathise with eBay, having had the misfortune to have been both a victim of a few “inauthentic” watches and having had to deal with dodgy buyers...I do hope however that fees, t&cs won’t price enthusiasts/hobbyists out...

 

It’s basically an added service which as a seller you pay for. Should have little affect on sale prices.

 

One of the concerns being that a private collector eventually will no longer be able to list a watch for sale without obtaining the eBay “stamp of authenticity” and thus paying even greater fees.

 

It’s fairly widely available on high end bags right now and I don’t see it affecting things.

@WatchVaultNYC has some experience with this. I wish I could find the post.

 

I'm on the "Ebay Authenticate" / "Authenticity Verified" Program. Lots of stuff that I can talk about it, but for buyers it means:

- Its an invite only program, so basically you completely eliminate "hit and run" scammers.
- There are certain quality standards - photography standards, and product standards such as no aftermarket parts, etc (goodbye to most vintage watches on straps)
- There are operating and performance standards - we're required to videotape all boxings for shipment / unboxing for returns, to minimize he-said/she-said situations. We're required to follow certain shipping and return policy standards (more generous),
- there is constant monitoring and a quarterly performance audit, you send inventory samples to a third party so your watch grading / descriptions are consistent with Ebay standards

- all in all it adds about 0.5% to the cost of selling a watch, which obviously gets passed on to the end consumer. But in exchange it's a no-brainer if what is most important to you is an accurately described watch and virtually no chance of being scammed.

 

Very interesting! Thanks.

However, I expect that the vast majority of buyers will be perfectly happy to continue buy from individuals with perfect (and substantial) feedback.

 

You are correct in the general case, but there is one vintage watch dealer with 100% good feedback on Ebay that constantly offers watches with incorrect features. Only uses Ebay and their own website, never ChronoTrader and I don't think I have seen them on Chrono24 -- I wonder why

I have bought from Ebay individual sellers, but only after examining the goods in person. So far so good.

 

For sure Caveat emptor applies, as it should even when buying from those taking part in the program.

As for requiring a physical inspection, that strikes me as being wildly over-the-top, unless it is an extremely expensive watch. I have purchased hundreds of vintage watches through eBay on photos and descriptions alone, and can count the serious disappointments on one hand.

 

Interesting, thank you.

I don't quite get where is the "guarantee" for a buyer of not being scammed. I mean, you say you have to send watches for evaluation of sorts but... ¿who do that evaluation? ¿are they experts in what? ¿does ebay have people that can expertly tell if a watch is the real thing and all seller's claims are legit? I find it hard to believe.

 

This new Ebay division is to be headquartered in Lima, Lima Peru.

 

The best deals will of course will be with individuals, especially those who describe their listings poorly or incorrectly (i..e risk discount). But that is where the seasoned collectors fish. IMHO there is a significant portion of the market that is not as knowledgeable, and may not even enter the pre-owned market at all unless their hand is held and they are given assurances.

The barrier to entry is quite high. First you enter only by invitation (by a reputable seller already in the program). Second is that the requirements are so stringent, a casual scammer is not going to take the time to go through all the hoops just to be banned for selling a bogus watch. As hard as it may seem for you to believe, it's very easy to get kicked out of eBay for out-and-out scams. Scammers will just go for easier game yes?

The audits are done by industry-recognized expert companies, not Ebay (Ebay contracts with them). These are the same companies that vet watches for the Jomashop and Amazon CPO program. You can only sell watches that are part of their database, so many vintage watches and smaller brands you can't even sell if you are in the program. This limitation of what brands and models you can list makes sure that they have the expertise to tell if the watch is real. They have watchmakers perform mechanical tests such as timekeeping and WR tests to vet the rest of the seller's claims. It is of course in the vetting company's interest to make sure that their vetting is accurate, else there would be no value in their service and no one would pay to have it done.

 

More on the same topic:

https://usa.watchpro.com/inside-ebays-billion-dollar-luxury-watch-business/

 

Interesting. I think this would actually benefit, other than buyers, individuals who don't sell frequently on ebay.

 

If I'm not mistaken, this is the organization in question.

https://www.watchfacts.com/

The WR test weeds out a vast majority of vintage, so doesn't affect me, but good for those ppl that are nervous about using ebay and looking for newer stuff.