With my Omega books in hand searching the internet for correct vintage pieces is so much fun! I was quite overwhelmed before not really knowing what was what and now it is just a night and day difference. Very few google image searches nowadays. I can now ask the right questions for validating if parts are correct on the watch being sold when there isn't a complete set of photos. And usually we all know what it means when certain validating photos are omitted from a listing... Have to give these sellers credit for trying I guess. Hope people are doing there homework before slinging a few grand at frakenwatches...
Good post CJ, and yes, searching for pieces with knowledge is far preferable over the buy and hope option.
Ebay is a lot less fun now they added sales tax. I've seen a lot of re-listings my guess is buyers backing out after seeing the new, final price.
I haven't bought yet, so I cannot comment. I live in NY though, so if I saw tax on something it wouldn't phase me. I've been programed since birth to pay tax. I add 10% to everything for simple math. Tax here is 8.75%.
We pay 12% in British Columbia.. and 17% (although hidden within the retail price) when we're hiding from old man winter in Colombia.
Indeed, I've recently had a number of mom-and-pop eBay sellers in other states add tax to things I buy. They obviously don't have a physical presence in California, but if they can get away with charging a little extra.........
Besides A Journey Through Time , Omega Saga which other book would have alot of information for Omegas Seamasters from the 1993-2002 Era ?
Browsing for a 3590 for one of my sons, I was reminded what a wonderful resource eBay is. If you're in any doubt because a listing's pics are not so good, you know you'll always be able to rely on well-written, informative detail descriptions, e.g.: Product Information One popular model representing Omega, as famous as the Moonwatch. The retro atmosphere with the "3590-50" called the 5th model and the manual winder movement are fresh one in reverse. With Chronograph function. Product Condition Beautiful Condition. It is a recommendation that trading snow condition of antique feeling is traded at high price well. So that's all fully clear then (?)
If I buy anything that is not EU based, eBay charge me the import duties plus extra for handling. Whether they pass on these taxes to relevant authorities I have no idea. I am Dublin Ireland based and taxes are high. Even if I buy in the UK they charge me through their Global Handling Programme so the same cost for 50 miles across the sea as 9000 miles ( Perth WA ). Seems unfair.
I find the Global Handling Program for imports here in Canada is much better than UPS, these guy up here are always over charging on customs fees. as for USPS their great I would say only 1 out 5 package gets checked at custom fees and they are still less than UPS.
eBay is fun if you win what you're after without spending more than you wanted to and it's much more fun if you win with your first bid!
Yes but I've heard about programs that lets you bid in the last second, I've been outbid many times in the last 5 second by bidders that had never bid on the item in the first place its quiet frustrating and if you try to win you got to enter some serious amount and you always end up spending more than you want to!
Yes, Those programs are called a "sniper" and they can sometimes win you something but if someone else is using one and sets his sniping amount higher than the max amount you set the odds are he will win but that's not a given...
Does Ebay tolerates that type of bidding ? and have you ever tried it ?, is it expensive? because most of the times if the items ends too late and I am not there to bid on it last minute most of the time I will loose the auction even if I bid more than I would have wanted to spend. Alot of the Omega related auctions for rare items are usually in Europe or Japan and items tend to end very late for us (in N.Y. or Montreal).
On most desirable watches I find that there is almost always willing to pay more, and more, and more than I want to. So you gotta be prepared to lose a few if you're bidding on a budget.