Anytime I meet someone about a watch and they start off saying that I want to walk away. You know they have a number stuck in their head and haggling with them will be pretty much impossible.

 

So you're sour because you can't haggle the buyer below market price?

 

This forum frequently tells people looking for values to go to eBay as that’s the market value. Seems fair enough to me. Obviously it’s not black and white as there are factors like condition to consider, but it’s a start

 

Well it's better than: "I saw Hodinkee selling one of these for..."

 

well, it depends if selling or buying

 

Condition, condition, condition.

 

Negotiating is another matter. If a seller has a well researched position they are quite justified in walking away.

 

Saying "I see these selling on ebay for..." is a well-informed seller. Saying "I see these listed on ebay for..." is a different matter...

 

Maybe it's because he's found that buyers who say that base their estimate on the lowest-priced worn-out redial, whilst sellers who say it base theirs on listings at three times the market price.

 

and... Seller, seller, seller

 

Exactly! Ebay listing--near mint example with original box and papers with a recent servicing. Their watch--so beat up it looks like it was used to hammer nails and hasn't been on a watchmaker's bench in 40 years.

Yep. Just because they saw a similar watch with a $3k BIN doesn't mean that watch, or theirs, is worth $3k.

 

No, I'm sour because I can't haggle them down to market value.

 

Ok so negotiate on condition ... if you remain far apart ...walk away.

 

Last night I went to see an interesting 50s Landeron 52 chrono in a chromed case. Nice looking watch with a good movement, a pretty dial but certainly nothing spectacular. Seller is asking $2000 CAD. I ask what he's basing that price on and he shows me a some UG Uni-Compax watches on ebay and says those are selling for much more than he's asking

 

People use eBay and Chrono24 to gauge prices both as buyer and seller. Watches will sell for what people are willing to pay. If your watch isn’t selling then you may have to adjust the price. The prices on eBay and Chrono24 are usually inflated for a built in negotiating cushion. eBay sales with no “best offer” and only a buy-it-now price rarely sell.

I saw one seller on an auction site that also lists his watches abnormally high on Chrono24. So when somebody googles the watch to see if it’s a good deal they come across his inflated Chrono24 price and figure the prices on the auction site are comparably good even though they’re inflated too. They probably don’t pick up that it’s the same seller.