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It’s really here - eBay’s unilateral 3rd party authentication

airansun
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Just ran across my first one.

Oh well....

7888FAA5-6C31-42B3-AEFF-9158B901147C.jpeg 848AE000-5925-4345-92D2-D76E5F75D6A7.jpeg


Hell no.

I suspect I might be a better authenticator than eBay’s, at least in this particular instance. 📖

In fact, I’m pretty sure I can authenticate this watch from where I’m sitting right now. 😎 No need to send it to who-knows-who, risking two additional, unnecessary shipment legs and the greasy, clumsy fingers of an alleged authenticator. 🤬 How stupid. :whipped:

I’d read that they were going to do this, but this is the first instance that I noticed it on a watch in my area of collecting. 🫨
 
OmegaRody
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Maybe scam cases had gone up and they came up with that. Hope not is more hassle for sellers.
 
Dan S
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Are we sure this isn't from a seller that is enrolled in the voluntary program? The only reason I say that is because I'm not seeing a massive new number of these listings. I would expect that when it goes into effect, it will be really noticeable.
 
airansun
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Dan S Dan S
Are we sure this isn't from a seller that is enrolled in the voluntary program? The only reason I say that is because I'm not seeing a massive new number of these listings. I would expect that when it goes into effect, it will be really noticeable.

I don’t think so, but it’s not entirely clear.

Here’s some precious things eBay tells us about this program

EDFB5F40-1A59-4AB5-8314-0E27A7937B78.jpeg 9F7A7B6B-A00E-47E4-8098-72F9E6DA301F.jpeg
 
Dan S
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Yes, I've read that in detail, it's just not clear exactly when it will go into effect. And as you know, there has been a different authentication program in place since 2018, mainly used by frequent (professional) sellers. My expectation is that it will be quite dramatic when this new program goes into effect, since on that day, we will suddenly see a massive number of these authenticity guaranteed listings, including every Omega listed for more than $2k on eBay.com.
 
airansun
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Understood. Nothing I could find speaks to when eBay will begin forcing everything into the program. But, I assume the program has now ‘begun’ by eBay picking items like this one.

Based on this language in their terms and conditions, I gather eBay reserves the right to unilaterally pick whether and which items it puts in the program, so they can control the speed of the ramp up. (I’m sure you’ve seen this too, @Dan S . Just being complete for the thread. 😉)

F5942C03-3652-42DF-8D7C-7731A94CD5DD.jpeg


And maybe, they’re starting with sellers who’ve had ‘issues’ before with buyers.

FYI: I’ve bought four or five watches on eBay in the last thirty days without running into this authentication program.
 
airansun
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I just sent the seller a message that I won’t buy a watch in that program, for the reasons I’ve already stated here.

I also suggested he let eBay know of my email.

Here’s the link, in case anybody else wants to do the same.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/174405061519
 
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Dan S
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I have no doubt that eBay can make their own decisions about which listings to pull into the program. I just don't know how you can tell that the OP watch is part of this program, as opposed to the voluntary program that dates back to 2018, since they look the same. I guess the seller may tell you if he responds.

If I list anything for sale in the near future, I will be watching it like a hawk, and if the listing gets that badge, I will pull it immediately. I'm not interested in being an early adopter.
 
STANDY
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Looks like anything over $2k will have to go through the Authentication before long.

Would be nice to know the address you have to send too. So we know who the Authenticity specialist is.
 
Marsimaxam
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It is a step in the right direction. Hopefully whoever is authenticating knows what they are doing. I was scammed on eBay many years ago and ever since I have been very hesitant to purchase a watch from the eBay site.
 
studeb
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two things - is there any recourse if the ebay "authenticator" is found to be in error? Can they contact the factory archives and verify serial numbers in three days? It sounds like the authentication is simply inspecting the watch for "correctness" to the listing. Does this include determining if a watch is a fake, marriage or franken. Are they the final word?

The other thing is that this works to cover buyers who swap out parts and return the item. This is known to happen with other vintage items.
 
Dan S
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gatorcpa gatorcpa
For a dealer’s perspective:

https://mb.nawcc.org/threads/ebay-rules-discussion.171505/

Interesting that the dealer in question is now in favor of the policy, when he didn't choose to take part in the voluntary program for the past two years.

It's also interesting that he generalizes about buyers making up problems with watches, demanding partial refunds, and leaving a bad mark on the seller's record. I have bought watches from his company on eBay, and I have to admit that his photos and descriptions are often not very good or accurate. However, I have been careful not to overpay so I've been satisfied with my purchases. I have also sent messages to him pointing out egregious errors in his listings, and he has refused to correct them.

As a private seller, I have never had any of these problems. Do dealers have a higher percentage of deals that go bad? If so, maybe it's because they are not transparent about flaws in their watches, and they deserve what they get. Or maybe it is a very low fraction of their sales, and they are just pissy about it.
 
gatorcpa
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I think it’s more about once he found who the “authenticator” was, he knew them, was comfortable with them and was willing to try it out. But this is someone with inside information that we don’t have at present.

Until eBay is more transparent about this process, I remain skeptical as a buyer and a seller.

The glory days of finding good buys on eBay are officially over.
gatorcpa
 
Dan S
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Yes, if I found out that the authenticator was a buddy of mine, it might change my feelings.
 
MikeMan2727
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gatorcpa gatorcpa
The glory days of finding good buys on eBay are officially over.

Why do you think this service will affect the deals we find?

Alternatively, I wonder if it could make deals even better as it keeps the most discerning of eBay collectors away from these auctions/listings...
 
Japanred
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airansun airansun
I just sent the seller a message that I won’t buy a watch in that program, for the reasons I’ve already stated here.

I also suggested he let eBay know of my email.

Here’s the link, in case anybody else wants to do the same.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/174405061519
Excuse my ignorance but why won’t you buy through this programme? Surely authentication can only be a good thing?
 
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Dan S
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Japanred Japanred
Excuse my ignorance but why won’t you buy through this programme? Surely authentication can only be a good thing?

You may want to read the threads that @gatorcpa referenced, since various people have already explained their concerns. Others are apparently willing to trust that eBay will do a good job authenticating watches for free, and that the program won't cause problems.


gatorcpa gatorcpa
For a dealer’s perspective:

https://mb.nawcc.org/threads/ebay-rules-discussion.171505/

Our previous thread on this subject:

https://omegaforums.net/threads/ebay-authenticity-guarantee-applicability-to-vintage-watches.118041/

gatorcpa
 
gatorcpa
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MikeMan2727 MikeMan2727
I wonder if it could make deals even better as it keeps the most discerning of eBay collectors away from these auctions/listings...
Doubtful. I think this will suppress supply as most sellers (even if 100% legitimate) won’t want to deal with the risk and potential delivery delays.

Buyers also won’t like the delays either.

What happens if there are even more delays because authenticators leave or get backed up with too many watches to look at?

Too many “if’s” and “but’s” here for me to feel comfortable. Then again, I’ve never bought a >$2,000 watch on eBay anyway.
gatorcpa
 
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