ALSO....What is the collective opinion of chrono24.com?

 

I think you just answered my question. Individuals posting, so there is no vetting process for sellers, might as well be e-bay.

 

It's just a market place dedicated to watches. The single watch I've found & bought from there was a really good deal.

Post your watches in a different thread, no doubt people would love to comment.

 

I got a good deal on there, but I took a bit of a risk in paying by bank transfer. I spent a lot of time checking out the seller though, phoning their work number, checking their facebook page and generally digging into everything I could find out about them online, before sending the cash.

Theres nothing wrong with the site, but you need to do everything you can to check the sellers out before sending your cash.

Same as ebay really, some good deals, lots of overpriced crap, but the downside is, most sellers want paying by bank transfer.

As much as I hate paying paypal fees as a seller, it does give you a bit of security as a buyer!

 

Only bought one watch from there. I was more than happy with the watch and price, though less so with the advertised paperwork. A qualified ok from me.

 

Bought a watch from a seller there years ago. Appeared to be a total scam. Paid in full and never got the watch delivered (I know, stupid, that is when greed takes over....)
C24 does/did not check reliability of the sellers listed. Went to court in Germany, then C24 acknowledged reluctantly. Seller of course by that time gone / bankrupt / nowhere to get my money back. Sad story, also for the other buyers involved.
My advice: consider C24 as eBay, do your own due diligence on seller and watch, and then decide.
I, for myself, will never ever buy a watch from them again if the seller doesn't add up completely.
Wise lesson!!!

 

I bought one watch from a dealer on C24, and was completely happy with the result. I believe C24 also run a sort of escrow payment system (for a fee) where you pay funds to then rather than the seller and they are held pending proof of despatch.

But as others have said, I did some digging on the seller before committing.

 

most probably started that after the law case......

 

I sold a watch there (paypal'd)... to be honest, I find posting a FS ad up here or on WUS is most faster and cheaper and less hassle also... weird that you find all kinds of "not really trustworthy" professional sellers there ("watch available within 2 weeks" ? come on are you selling something you dont even hold???)

and as private seller I had to take pics of the watch at a certain time (to make sure I actually have the watches in hand) --- the time was given to me at the moment of upload ...

so, I will not go there again as seller ...

 

I've tried to buy a few things of there in the last couple of months... 9 times out of 10, the sellers don't respond... and I've then followed up by emailing their businesses directly, the watches are long gone.

I guess some people keep old stock on there to drive interest?

 

What about Crown and Caliber? I know it is a dealer but the guarantee and lack of risk may be worth the extra $$.

 

I agree with above comments that it is a collection of dealers and advertisers (as is eBay) and may therefore be of interest. However as an organization, Chrono24 I regret is not to be trusted: their label ‘Trusted Seller’ is to attract dealers to pay them to advertise – but don’t believe it! On examination, they will offer ‘assurances’ such as ‘no outstanding disputes’ – but don’t believe it. I had a dispute with a dealer and I had to take legal action (through a lawyer) to resolve it: Chrono24 were fully-informed but refused to acknowledge it.

 

I have only ever purchased one watch using Chrono24, but it wasn't from lack of trying.

The Breitling Pult I purchased was ,imho, a great deal from a relatively well known watchmaker/collector from Germany. The transaction was extremely smooth and payment was via paypal which gave me additional confidence in making the deal.

I have inquired about a number of other watches on Chrono24 from both private sellers and dealers and seldom receive a response. That said, I still have notifications and alerts setup there as on ebay in the event something I've been hunting for shows itself. Good luck!

 

Not entirely risk free. I used to swear by these guys and even got some great bargains there in the past, but things seem to have changed somewhat. If you look at the number of watches they have on offer, it's gone from less than 500 to around 4,000 in about a year. They seem swamped and are not giving the same level of vetting and customer service they once were. Plus, they now appear to be 'broking' watches for a number of other dealers, so delivery times have increased, and the vetting process seems to have fallen by the way side. I recently purchased an AP RO chrono which was described as 'excellent condition' ... When it arrived it had some very significant scratches on the case, and a strange shape along one side of the case back. I took it to AP to get a second opinion, and they described it as 'warped'!... I sent it back and got a refund, but doing so is also at the buyers expense. I used to recommend without hesitation.... Now I might more inclined to steer clear, and definitely be extremely thorough in checking it out ... One other point, refunds are only accepted if a sticker that covers the case back has not been removed - this prevents you from checking the movement, which is also a big negative in my book.

 

Wow.....I appreciate the info, seems like the extra expense isn't worth it after all.

 

IMHO... The Overall Risks Outweighs & Overides the Total Benefits of purchasing thru Chrono24. Dunno bout you Guys... but purchasing important timepieces are a "Zen Thing"
- One With The Watch = Great AD ~ Customer Trust & Relationship + Total Happiness +Zero Worries +Scam Proof + Hassle Free +Blood Pressure Lowering Effect + Achieving Euglycaemic blood sugar control levels !!!

 

Saying that you will never buy through chrono24 because of the bad experiences some has had, is about as daft as saying that you'll blindly buy everything through them because of those who have had good experiences. It differs in very few ways from eBay - evaluate each product by its own virtues and make decisions based on your individual assesment.

If I purchase a rotten tomato from my usual seller at my local market, it doesn't mean that I will never buy a fish from the fishmonger next to him. Hell, it doesn't even mean that I won't buy from the greengrocer again, just that I'll look more carefully at the goods the next time!

 

Uhuh, I will give you my bank-account number so you can transfer the money ....

 

Proof of dispatch could just mean that the carefully bubble wrapped Rock has been sent.