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Thinking of selling a watch for the first time - Advice?

watchthinker
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Hi Gang,

I''m thinking about selling a watch - for the first time. On impulse I bought a Seamaster 1948 - beautiful watch, loved it, really wanted one.

BUT, I've had it for almost 2 months and I'm just not connecting with it - at all. It isn't quite my dress watch and it isn't right for my regular wear ( which are mostly divers or chronos). It's magnificent, but not for me. In fact, it has spent virtually no time on my wrist.

I'm not yet sure that I want to part with it. If I do sell it, best way to do so? Should I just box it away and wait a few years? How long after getting a watch should you wait to see if it "connects"?

I'd welcome all advice - practical, strategic, emotional...anything.
Edited:
 
Larry S
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I’m assuming it is the SS model, and not the eye watering precious metal models, and you bought it from AD. If you sell it, you will lose a bundle. My advice is to park it and see if it grows on you.
 
watchthinker
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Larry S Larry S
I’m assuming it is the SS model, and not the eye watering precious metal models, and you bought it from AD. If you sell it, you will lose a bundle. My advice is to park it and see if it grows on you.

I assume I'd do "fine" with it - but yes, I bought it new. It's not so much the economics, it's that it just isn't "right...". I'm happy to hang onto it for a while, but I've not really had this experience before.....Maybe it is because I bought it so quickly? Maybe it was a bit too close to another purchase ( I'd been gifted a green 300M on Xmas) - only 90 days beforehand...? I'm not sure, but it is an odd one.
 
SC1
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watchthinker watchthinker
I assume I'd do "fine" with it - but yes, I bought it new. It's not so much the economics, it's that it just isn't "right...". I'm happy to hang onto it for a while, but I've not really had this experience before.....Maybe it is because I bought it so quickly? Maybe it was a bit too close to another purchase ( I'd been gifted a green 300M on Xmas) - only 90 days beforehand...? I'm not sure, but it is an odd one.

To live is to regret... to be into watches is to deeply regret... to buy watches is to infinitely regret.

Welcome friend, welcome.
 
X350 XJR
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Lots of nice large clear photos.

A realistic expectation on value.
 
watchthinker
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SC1 SC1
To live is to regret... to be into watches is to deeply regret... to buy watches is to infinitely regret.

Welcome friend, welcome.

it’s true! I’m no spring chicken, having acquired my first speedmaster 25 years ago….so this has me stumped a smidge …if I wanted to sell with the least hassle…who with? Chrono24?
 
SC1
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watchthinker watchthinker
it’s true! I’m no spring chicken, having acquired my first speedmaster 25 years ago….so this has me stumped a smidge …if I wanted to sell with the least hassle…who with? Chrono24?

All sales are a hassle but here would be good once you hit the 200 genuine legit post count, the subreddit "Watch Exchange" (no fees) and possibly Chrono 24 (but be prepared for fees).
 
Evitzee
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Buying stuff is the easy part, selling said stuff is always more difficult. There are a lot more outlets now to sell unwanted watches (dealers, private, on line, auction, etc), it just depends on how you balance the financial aspect compared to the hassle factor. A Seamaster 1948 is still a generally wanted watch so your potential for loss is somewhat mitigated. You say it's not really about the economics, rather the watch is just not for you, fair enough. If you don't think it will grow on you just get rid of it. I'd take a couple of good pics and send them off to the usual on line dealers and see what they will offer. That minimizes the hassle of selling it yourself and you can have the cash in your pocket in less than a week, they even pay for insured shipping to get the watch to them. If you go the eBay or C24 route you have to deal with fees, tire kickers, scamsters and the usual unpleasantness of dealing with these outlets. When we make mistakes in getting the wrong watch you just have to deal with it like a bad stock; take your lumps, learn and move on.
 
High Hope
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Move on if it’s not right for you. Try here first, the private sales forum. After a week or two w no action, try eBay. eBay sucks and drains away a lot of your money, but there will be a million people who might be interested. I’ve sold a few there and while the site sucks, my watches did sell.
 
Donn Chambers
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From someone who has a long history of selling watches after a few years because they never “connected”:

1. Go in expecting to take a loss. You’re not a known seller, with a golden reputation.
2. Understand the fees charged for online sites - they can cut your profit by 20-25%.
3. Take a lot of photos, and make sure they aren’t blurry.
4. If a buyer is too quick to say “I’ll take it” but then doesn’t want to communicate further to make you feel comfortable, find another buyer.
5. Protect yourself - make sure you have any funds in your account before sending the watch.
6. Document packing the watch and get insurance on the shipping.
7. If meeting publicly, do it in a public place.

To be honest, I haven’t sold a high value watch online in about a decade, and then it was in the $2k range. I’ve flipped four at local dealers getting trade value toward a watch they had which I wanted. See point 1. I treated that loss as my price for enjoying the watch while I had it.
 
Larry S
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The Father The Father
upload_2023-4-15_13-53-48.jpeg

is this what we are talking about

over $40k damn
No … SS model … 8k.
 
sathomasga
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High Hope High Hope
Move on if it’s not right for you. Try here first, the private sales forum. After a week or two w no action, try eBay. eBay sucks and drains away a lot of your money, but there will be a million people who might be interested. I’ve sold a few there and while the site sucks, my watches did sell.

OP doesn’t have the post count to sell here. I’ve sold on eBay, Chrono24, and r/WatchExchange, and would recommend C24 every time. Fees are 6.5%, but you get the security of an escrow service for funds. EBay’s fees are at least twice that, plus cost of authentication (mandatory at this price), and in any dispute eBay strongly favors buyer. Reddit is okay for lower valued items, but I wouldn’t trust it for anything over a few $100.
 
gbesq
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sathomasga sathomasga
OP doesn’t have the post count to sell here. I’ve sold on eBay, Chrono24, and r/WatchExchange, and would recommend C24 every time. Fees are 6.5%, but you get the security of an escrow service for funds. EBay’s fees are at least twice that, plus cost of authentication (mandatory at this price), and in any dispute eBay strongly favors buyer. Reddit is okay for lower valued items, but I wouldn’t trust it for anything over a few $100.
+1. I’ve had very good experiences selling on C24. Reasonable fees and I like their escrow service.
 
The Father
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upload_2023-4-15_15-56-44.png


handsome watch SS. Like to know what is at hand. As an uneducated bum, it is nice watch.
 
gbesq
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The Father The Father
upload_2023-4-15_15-56-44.png


handsome watch SS. Like to know what is at hand. As an uneducated bum, it is nice watch.
+1. I wouldn’t be quick to sell. Beautiful watch and given the limited production, I would expect demand - and prices - to rise as time goes by.
 
Scarecrow Boat
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The Father The Father
upload_2023-4-15_15-56-44.png


handsome watch SS. Like to know what is at hand. As an uneducated bum, it is nice watch.
watchthinker watchthinker
no! I have a new central second in steel!!
You are 0 for 2 on this 😁

It's this one, which in my humble opinion, looks far nicer 👍 But I'm biased as I'm not the biggest fan of sub seconds.

omega-seamaster-seamaster-1948-51113382002001-l.png
 
Marsimaxam
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I have sold...

1. Face to face local transaction... know your buyer ( I had references from a website which we were both members ) and meet in a public place... met in my office and buyer paid cash. Obviously the watch was posted on a watch group site as a For Sale item. (See # 4 ).
2. eBay
3. Gray Market Sellers... I have used a few over the years and I paid between 10 to 15% of the purchase price as a commission. It took awhile, sometimes upwards of 6 to 8 months to sell the watch. If they desire your watch, they may offer upfront cash, but, it will usually be less then what you will get if you put the watch up for sale on commission.
4. Advertise, when you can, on group forums such as the Omega Forum. You avoid any fees, but, the buyer knows this too and you and the buyer may take this into consideration when negotiating.
5. Auction Houses... Sotheby's, Christies, Phillip's. etc... but you will pay a commission fee which seem to increase every year.
 
Dan S
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As you can tell from the responses above, there is no magic and wonderful way to sell watches, especially when you don't have a lot of experience or history as a seller. Just the standard approaches, which all have their pros and cons, and overall, it's a pain in the neck. If you are starting from scratch with no eBay or Chrono24 experience, it's going to be a learning experience.

If you are willing to take a loss to move it on, you will be able to find a buyer, and the most convenient way is an in-person sale. So if you are a member of any local watch enthusiast groups, take it with you to meet-ups and offer to sell or trade it. If you find someone who likes it, work with them to make a deal.
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