Online Private Sales

Hey guys,

I’m always hunting for deals and have recently started looking online. I’ve had one successful purchase and I asked for the following when payment was made prior to shipping:

1. Identity verification,
2. Watch verification-seller possession and serial #,
3. Sales agreement detailing the watch, describing payment and shipping methods/timelines.

During my first successful purchase, the seller had no issue. He sent me a photo of himself holding his driver’s license. We wrote up a quick contract and I paid him via PayPals ‘goods and services’. He shipped the watch and the deal was done.

My last two attempts have met with resistance. One guy (fb marketplace) wouldn’t verify that he had the watch with a quick picture timestamp. He then wanted me to meet him with cash. Another seller, who quickly accepted my admittedly lowball offer, wanted to remain anonymous. When I told him that I would need his personal information for the shipping and insurance that we agreed I would arrange, he sent a driver’s license photo but refused to include a picture of himself holding the license proving that it was his. He then asked when I would send the money before we had discussed any details. He also suggested that I send it via ‘friends and family’ even though I had offered to cover the fees in my initial offer.

Have I just run into two scammers or am I pushing sellers away by asking too much?

What do you guys do when vetting unknown sellers? Obviously, I don’t feel the need to vet a reputable dealer or a seller on a forum who has completed numerous successful deals.

In advance, thanks for your input.

I've never asked for identity as a buyer or seller. I've only been asked once as a buyer - never a seller - and I declined.

Thanks for the input. As a buyer, how do you vet an unknown seller before sending them thousands of dollars? Is it just a leap of faith in my part and rely on a credit card chargeback in the event that the watch doesn’t arrive?

F2F and cash or don't go through with it at all if you're not comfortable with all aspects of the sale.

I don't think there's a one-size-fits-all answer to this question. Every buyer & seller has a different threshold, and each transaction has variables. I don't mind selling via eBay, but I generally avoid sites like that--and Chrono24--as a buyer: just too many scams and fakes. If possible, I go with a "trusted seller"; generating a list of those is just a matter of searching around on this forum and elsewhere. NEVER do Craigslist.

For a private seller transaction, sometimes it comes down to a gut feeling: if it's a known user on a forum like this whose longstanding history (of sales and other posts) I can research, then I might be willing to take a bit of a risk wrt verifying the details. If it's a higher dollar amount or if it's a seller I don't know, I might ask to do a FaceTime/Zoom call to see the person holding the watch, showing me that it's operating correctly, and generally giving me a good vibe. I would never ask to see ID, and I would never share my ID with a potential buyer or seller: that would spook me, as I'd assume it was some kind of identity-theft scheme at work. That said, at the first whiff of something even slightly off, I bail---have bailed many more times than I've actually followed through. If someone doesn't email/PM back as quickly as I'd like, if they seem even slightly evasive or noncommittal, if they start asking about shipping to a different address, etc, etc, I'm out. Just a courtesy "sorry, I changed my mind," and then they're added to the blocked contacts list and I move on.

Common sense and trusting your instincts will take you a long way. For real high-dollar purchases, there are third-party escrow services you can use, and you can also see if one of the trusted sellers will host the transaction for you---but both of those options would command a fee.

I'd only agree to meet someone with cash if it were inside a watch/jewelry store with a security guard (and you'd want to ask the store for permission first) or at a police station... or I'd meet somewhere public and ask one of my Marines to stand behind me with an M27 and a look of indifference. The last thing I'd suggest is meeting a total stranger who allegedly has a watch, but who definitely knows I have $$$$ in my pocket somewhere that I'm not familiar with. That sounds like the makings of one of those stories you'd be reciting to the cops later, with an icepack on your forehead.

Thanks for the thoughtful replies. I’m glad I posed the questions.


I’ve always been above board in my dealings, but I see now how I could have spooked someone. I think the FaceTime call is a great idea when dealing with an unknown. I’ll give it a try next time.

Within this context, of you sell an omega, under warranty, to another private buyer, does the warranty transfer to new buyer.

Yes, the warranty follows the watch, not the possessor.

Too many fakes. Buy an established seller.

Let's see ...

You lowball sellers
Ask them for a photo of themselves holding their driver's license
Want them to sign a contract
Want them to pay taxes on the sale by refusing to send the payment as friends and family

... I think you're fine