Ebay full of fake watches?

[lapince]

It seems to me that 80% of fake watches reports come from Ebay, don't know why but I would never go on Ebay to find a watch, 10 years ago a guy even tried to rip me off while I was selling an expensive mobile phone, 700$, I got a message from a "buyer" saying that he was buying and I received on my email a mail which seemed to be from Paypal saying that the sum had been credited to my account, not being very naïve, I logged into my Paypal account to see that it was empty, Ebay hassled me for practically a year to pay their commission on the transaction, they hard a long and hard time admitting the fact that no transaction had been made at all and that I still had the phone in my possession, so ebay thanks but no thanks…

[AbsolutelyROLEX!]

Yes Ebay and paypal are a total disaster, i have had my fair share of crap from them myself.
This forum is the best place to buy a watch, the odd time a slimebag manages to slide in, but then many who can step up to help catch the pond scum, with quite a bit of success.

[jvmartin]

Ebay can be a great place to get deals but you really have to know what you're looking for.

First, vendor is very important. Even if they are not a dedicated Rolex reseller, if they are a pawn or gold shop with a few hundred, if not thousands of feedback, you know they at least have something to lose if they sell a fake (i.e. their Ebay account).

Second, the actual watch pictures. All pictures should be consistent. A lot of scammers do not know much about the product and go online and download a mishmash of pictures from different watches that look similar. For instance, they will show a no holes case model in the upfront photo, a holes case for the side picture, and a ladies for the back.

Third, description. Always read descriptions thoroughly. A lot of vendors will steal descriptions from other vendors or will use Ebay's "Sell a similar item" tool. Always make sure the description makes sense. If you see discrepancies, message the vendor to create a record.

Fourth, the price. If it's too good to be true, it is. Sorry, good deals exist, but not fantastic deals.

Fifth, pay with Paypal. Never wire money. If you do an in person meet up, know your watches or meet somewhere that it can be authenticated. Paypal isn't perfect, but its the closest thing.

Sixth, I always message vendors before I pay to clarify details. (i.e. so this is an all original model with box and papers, correct?). I also ask them to call me on the phone before they ship to clarify these details.

Seven, and actually the most important. Make sure you know your stuff about watches or consult with someone who does. 99% of fakes are junk with serious signs of being fake. Don't believe anyone's found this in my dead dad's drawer story.

Hope this helps!

[crowncollection]

You can buy on eBay if you know what your doing and but off established sellers, many trusted seller also sell on eBay

[ctang]

I don't know why anyone would buy a watch off of eBay. Seems like the service has gotten worse with every tweaking of a pixel or feature since the late 90s.

[locutus49]

Inexperienced Rolex buyers should avoid ebay IMO. But many inexperienced Rolex buyers don't know about this site, and are pure price buyers.

[thomaspp]

Ebay is a hassle. I've never been able to get anything there due to robot bidders, fakes, etc.

[Goiguidoc]

Originally Posted by crowncollection

You can buy on eBay if you know what your doing and but off established sellers, many trusted seller also sell on eBay

I totally agree with that.
I had bad experiences with highly reputated auction houses...

[MickCollins1916]

Personally, I hate dealing with eBay as a rule. I would far rather buy from a trusted seller here.

As a small time, amateur seller of watches - aka, a handful sold to fund other purchases - I tried to sell a few here, posted ads, heard crickets, and subsequently posted and sold them easily on eBay (same username, excellent feedback).

It drove me nuts to give them their usurious fees, but my hope was selling a few there and getting good feedback would help me sell the occasional item here, for less (if people here bother to check my years of feedback on the Bay selling various items and see I am a solid guy).

So far, I've only sold one watch on TRF, and it went swimmingly, but I obviously don't have the army of trade partners to vouch for me like some of the big sellers, who have well-earned good reps.

So, I hate dealing with eBay as a seller and as a buyer, but it proved to be a viable outlet for me to sell a few unwanted timepieces.


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[MickCollins1916]

Originally Posted by Bone Collector

Ebay's definitely not the place for Luxury Watch enthusiasts. I have come to know many people who ended up getting fakes!

I prefer official stores and sometimes, Amazon. A close friend of mine has just put up a site listing top 12 watches to buy after much research. I stumbled upon Piaget Altiplano on it that I'll be ordering soon. I recommend you check it out and share your views with me.

Interesting list. I am boring and stick to Rolex, Breitling, and B&M, but seeing some of those pieces makes me want to branch out a bit. The more I see the polar explorer and milgauss though, the more I covet both!


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[Colin M]

I personally would never even dream of purchasing a watch from Flee bay,AD for me every time, even if it means spending that little bit more, peace of mind you have the real thing. !

[MonBK]

Originally Posted by ctang

I don't know why anyone would buy a watch off of eBay. Seems like the service has gotten worse with every tweaking of a pixel or feature since the late 90s.

I do.

[ctang]

It's not just watches, but pretty much I'll only buy off of the site if it's the only and last resort. People fake everything from watches to hair gel there. Sometimes the whole thing is not fake but just watered down (in the case of watches that means frankenwatch'd)

[powerfunk]

I've gotten fantastic deals on vintage Rolexes on eBay. Avoiding good eBay sellers because there are fake watches on there would be like avoiding New York jewelers because of Canal St.

[mjm800]

The only Rolex I have ever bought off of Ebay was posted by a Trusted TRF seller. I verified that it was him through PM on this site and then bought without fear. I see fakes and Frankenwatches from people with 200+, 100% positive feedback...that's scary.

[linesiders]

I have purchased several pieces on Ebay without issue and I have avoided many listings like the plague.

[AK797]

Ebay is great for buyers if you have a problem. I recently asked for a partial refund for an item not in as good condition as described but comms with the buyer were lost in translation so I asked ebay to decide and they gave me a full not partial refund and didn't even ask me to send back the item. I would never sell anything valuable there but buying is pretty much guaranteed these days.

[Cc1966]

I buy everywhere, CL and ebay included. You just have to be vigilant...

[lapince]

Originally Posted by mjm800

The only Rolex I have ever bought off of Ebay was posted by a Trusted TRF seller. I verified that it was him through PM on this site and then bought without fear. I see fakes and Frankenwatches from people with 200+, 100% positive feedback...that's scary.

Yeah that's really scary if a guy with a lot of super feedback sells crap...

[big lou]

Steel pins on a gold Sub, asking 9k from a online Ebay jewelers, Fake ? 100% positive feed back. My second Rolex buy ? me thinks not.

[Urosfan]

Never tried ebay and never will

[lapince]

Originally Posted by Colin M

I personally would never even dream of purchasing a watch from Flee bay,AD for me every time, even if it means spending that little bit more, peace of mind you have the real thing. !

I never go to an AD, too expensive, but have 2 great grey dealers with super reputation, bought 4 watches from them, 100% new, with guarantee, and between 8 to 25% discount, the 25 being on a daytona rose gold 116515 retail is 23400 euros, got it for 17500, the 8% being on a GMT BLNR, both of them are super and I strongly recommend them for anyone living in France...

[mjm800]

Originally Posted by crowncollection

You can buy on eBay if you know what your doing and but off established sellers, many trusted seller also sell on eBay

I just got a great deal on a Rolex for my wife on eBay from a trusted TRF Seller.