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TDBK
·in this situation, should the watch be listed on the Stolen Watch databases?
And, if it turns up at a later time, shouldn't the Buyer have first right to buy it at the prior eBay deal agreed-to price?
Well it happened...authenticator lost the watch itself.
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Foo2rama
··Nowhere near as grumpy as he used to be...Omg who is running this shit.
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Evitzee
·So does the authenticator 'expert' pay any price or does he just carry on until he sees the next watch he likes?
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Tony C.
··Ωf Jury memberBegs the question: who authenticates the authenticator? 😁
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mr_smith
·So does the authenticator 'expert' pay any price or does he just carry on until he sees the next watch he likes?
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TDBK
·So does the authenticator 'expert' pay any price or does he just carry on until he sees the next watch he likes?
eBay is out a few grand on this watch so presumably they'll be managing that risk and spend.
I hesitate to lean in here, but I can totally see why eBay put this program into place: fakes for modern luxury watches are getting so good that "caveat emptor" wasn't cutting it anymore; it was quickly getting to a point where nobody would be willing to buy such a watch on eBay because they couldn't be sure they'd get the real thing, and sellers who are selling authentic watches wouldn't be able to get fair value (due to the market uncertainty) and might have to deal with buyers disputing the sale, or other problems.
While the program is obviously a giant pain in the ass to operate and has a huge set of logistics challenges (which have been discussed here at length), it's not obvious to me what else eBay could have done to preserve their role as a market provider for these kinds of watches.
The program isn't designed for collectors who know how to "buy the seller" and who are trading in esoteric vintage watches; it is to keep random Schmoes from getting ripped off when they try to buy a Rolex, and eBay losing the whole watch resale market to other channels (Chrono24, physical dealers). (Not to mention placating brands who were pissed about eBay as a facilitator of such frauds and the purchase of fakes.)
A portion of the collector market has gotten swept up in the authentication program, but the collector market is small potatoes to eBay when compared to the trade in commonly-faked luxury watches bought by less-sophisticated consumers.
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connieseamaster
·@TDBK, all very good points. I think a lot of the complaints seen on this forum would have been mitigated with an "opt out" button for the buyer once the transaction was in the payment stage.
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Archer
··Omega Qualified WatchmakereBay is out a few grand on this watch so presumably they'll be managing that risk and spend.
I hesitate to lean in here, but I can totally see why eBay put this program into place: fakes for modern luxury watches are getting so good that "caveat emptor" wasn't cutting it anymore; it was quickly getting to a point where nobody would be willing to buy such a watch on eBay because they couldn't be sure they'd get the real thing, and sellers who are selling authentic watches wouldn't be able to get fair value (due to the market uncertainty) and might have to deal with buyers disputing the sale, or other problems.
While the program is obviously a giant pain in the ass to operate and has a huge set of logistics challenges (which have been discussed here at length), it's not obvious to me what else eBay could have done to preserve their role as a market provider for these kinds of watches.
The program isn't designed for collectors who know how to "buy the seller" and who are trading in esoteric vintage watches; it is to keep random Schmoes from getting ripped off when they try to buy a Rolex, and eBay losing the whole watch resale market to other channels (Chrono24, physical dealers). (Not to mention placating brands who were pissed about eBay as a facilitator of such frauds and the purchase of fakes.)
A portion of the collector market has gotten swept up in the authentication program, but the collector market is small potatoes to eBay when compared to the trade in commonly-faked luxury watches bought by less-sophisticated consumers.
Thanks for writing this. Lost watches here and there, or lost parts in shipments are likely very small potatoes compared to the benefits for eBay here. For every collector who gets upset (rightly so) there will be hundreds more who are happy to know the watch they just bought has been looked at to ensure its real. This program won’t be going anywhere anytime soon...
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Rasputin
·eBay is out a few grand on this watch so presumably they'll be managing that risk and spend.
I hesitate to lean in here, but I can totally see why eBay put this program into place: fakes for modern luxury watches are getting so good that "caveat emptor" wasn't cutting it anymore; it was quickly getting to a point where nobody would be willing to buy such a watch on eBay because they couldn't be sure they'd get the real thing, and sellers who are selling authentic watches wouldn't be able to get fair value (due to the market uncertainty) and might have to deal with buyers disputing the sale, or other problems.
While the program is obviously a giant pain in the ass to operate and has a huge set of logistics challenges (which have been discussed here at length), it's not obvious to me what else eBay could have done to preserve their role as a market provider for these kinds of watches.
The program isn't designed for collectors who know how to "buy the seller" and who are trading in esoteric vintage watches; it is to keep random Schmoes from getting ripped off when they try to buy a Rolex, and eBay losing the whole watch resale market to other channels (Chrono24, physical dealers). (Not to mention placating brands who were pissed about eBay as a facilitator of such frauds and the purchase of fakes.)
A portion of the collector market has gotten swept up in the authentication program, but the collector market is small potatoes to eBay when compared to the trade in commonly-faked luxury watches bought by less-sophisticated consumers.
Understandable but the authentication program should be optional for collectors who are confident about their purchase with the understanding they hold ebay legally harmless in case a question of authenticity arises. Making authentication mandatory leaves room for potential foul play by the authenticator and logistic mishaps.
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JwRosenthal
·Understandable but the authentication program should be optional for collectors who are confident about their purchase with the understanding they hold ebay legally harmless in case a question of authenticity arises. Making authentication mandatory leaves room for potential foul play by the authenticator and logistic mishaps.
Sorry this happened, but appreciate you sharing the cautionary tale. I won’t be buying a $2k+ watch from eBay if I can help it.
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timoss
·FWIW, I recently purchased a watch that went through Ebay's third-party authentication program without a hitch.... Agree it should be optional, though. I wouldn't be surprised if they make it optional and start charging for it at some point when the kinks are worked out.
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Dan S
·This is awful, but the silver lining is that at least it wasn't a rare vintage watch. This is a situation where money can basically make things ok.
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NGO1
·
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Jonathan40
·Fine, I’ll send it back...
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eugeneandresson
·Sorry for the question: what is a "third-party Authenticator"?
The two politest definitions that jump to mind : ‘some ___ who loses parts and whole watches’ and ‘the last person anyone of us wants involved in the hunt’.
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NGO1
·You nasty, just nasty 😀
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Scarecrow Boat
·Two pages and no Pam photo. Someone has to do something...
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kyle L
··GrasshopperJust got a call from the authenticator that the watch arrived with a broken stem and crown...sure didn't look that way in the auction pictures...🙄
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OllieOnTheRocks
·Omg reading this thread, is literally hilarious. It's one of those nervous laughs that are uncontrollable. Like a laugh at a funeral that you really shouldn't do. I feel so sorry for you guys, this is like a comedy show. Are you sure the authenticators aren't Del Boy and Rodney Trotter?
