Shady Ebay seller

[Waltesefalcon]

With all recent scam posts, I thought I'd share a recent experience I had on Ebay. I purchased a Seiko 6139 from a seller in Argentina, wattches.ar. He describes himself as a watchmaker and collector, and had 98% positive feedback. I felt that I was likely safe in buying from him. The watch was described as fully functional and original, but in need of a cleaning.

When the watch arrived I found that the inner bezel did not rotate, the chrono would not reset properly, and that it would sometimes stop. I posted it here and several members pointed out that it had an incorrect crown.

Thinking that a service would sort it, I sent it to my regular watch maker who said that it was cobbled together, that the stem and crown were both incorrect for the watch, and that the movement was damaged.

I contacted the seller, and he agreed to take it back. He has had the watch now for quite some time and has not issued a refund. Enough time has elapsed that there is no recourse through ebay or paypal. I do not have the watch nor the money I spent on it. Caveat emptor.

 

[gbesq]

I do not purchase anything from Argentina or Peru for this reason. Both countries seem to have a disproportionate number of untrustworthy sellers and scams. Thanks for sharing your experience for the benefit of other members. Very unfortunate that this happened to you.

 

[X350 XJR]

If you funded your PayPal payment with a credit card you may still have recourse.

 

[Waltesefalcon]

gbesq

I do not purchase anything from Argentina or Peru for this reason. Both countries seem to have a disproportionate number of untrustworthy sellers and scams. Thanks for sharing your experience for the benefit of other members. Very unfortunate that this happened to you.

For twenty years I avoided S. America, India, and the Philippines. I allowed myself to ignore my own advice, and had to relearn why I don't buy from S. America and Asia the hard way.

Edited: Jul 19, 2024

 

[Waltesefalcon]

X350 XJR

If you funded your PayPal payment with a credit card you may still have recourse.

Nope, I had a little money in my PayPal account and used it. I was too trusting for too long to open a dispute by the time I knew I had been taken.

 

[asrnj77]

Waltesefalcon

Nope, I had a little money in my PayPal account and used it. I was too trusting for too long to open a dispute by the time I knew I had been taken.

You should at least ding his 98% approval rating a notch.

 

[pilotswatch]

Hi,I just had a similar experience. I bought a watch off Ebay which came from Serbia.
I found it was worth the chance and I'd had a few good experiences come from that area before. The seller also had 100% feedback in last year so I felt confident.
The watch arrived in due time. As I unpacked the watch and inspected it, I found that the crown was glued to the stem and that the bezel was also glued to the middle case.
I made this know to the seller and told him I wanted a refund. He said he was sorry about the situation and that he would refund me as soon as I had returned the watch.
I confirmed with Ebay, that since the item was not as described that the seller was responsible for the shipping cost to return the watch and that he had to send me a shipping label. The seller insisted that I shouldn’t involve Ebay in the process and that I should just send the watch back and he would refund the watch and shipping cost once he received it.Suspicious…I told him that the procedure was that he should send a shipping label or send me the money so I could buy one locally.
He tried to send me a partial refund so I could use that amount to buy a shipping label.
I made it known to him that if I accepted his partial refund that afterwards I could never get my total refund…Second suspension.
Finally I had my case escalate to a dispute with Ebay.
Ebay gave the seller time to sort things out , which he never did, and I finally got my total refund.

My conclusion , follow the rules even if the person sounds honest.
Be extra careful and consult with Ebay agents (chat). They were very helpful in my case.

PS. Ebay insisted that all communication be done through their site so to follow our exchanges.
They consult these exchanges to reach a decision.

 

[Spruce]

Just for balance, a couple of years back I bought an Eterna 1000 from a Buenos Aires based eBay seller/dealer called Estelau.

The transaction was smooth. The watch arrived in the UK quickly and was as good or better than advertised.

 

[JwRosenthal]

Spruce

Just for balance, a couple of years back I bought an Eterna 1000 from a Buenos Aires based eBay seller/dealer called Estelau.

The transaction was smooth. The watch arrived in the UK quickly and was as good or better than advertised.

This is true. I bought a nice watch from Columbia and a couple from Mexico without problems.

 

[sheepdoll]

I have accidently impulsed parts (and perhaps a watch or two) from S America, only noticing when the tracking updated. No problems yet , but I would never do 50 bucks shipping. So if the shipping is reasonable ...

The only out and out subterfuge was a Florida pawnshop. Had to involve eBay. Curiously some wrong and rusty parts were shipped after I got the refund and left negative feedback.