Selling Rolex on Craigslist vs Ebay?

[LOVE MY ROLEX(S)]

Hello,

My Rolex is listed for sale on Craigslist in Illinois. I was contacted by someone in Florida who would like to purchase my watch. Today I searched and found a few posts concerning Craigslist scams.

If I was interested in selling my watch to someone in another state would it better to list it and sell it from Ebay?

Thanks!

[doboy007]

People will recommend selling it here ;)

Although it would be pretty difficult without prior history.

[007_Omega]

Craiglist you avoid fees and if you are smart about it might actually be safer than Ebay where there are tons of scammers.

I'd only meet in front of a bank, jeweler for authentication, or near a police station. Screen the guy prior to meeting up. As stated above, the forums are another way to sell. There are scammers lurking here as well so be careful.

[mobster600]

Do not sell anymore on Craigslist. I had some psycho want so many details and wanted me to drive an hour away to meet him. He finally agreed to meet locally and I was already over it and sold it in a matter of days on eBay.

Craigslist is a much different place then it used to be.

[THC]

I have sold two Rolexes on CL but only locally. Both sales went very well. F2F is the only safe way to go though

[jimcameron]

Ask yourself, why would someone in Florida be trying to buy a watch located in Illinois? Unless your price is absolute dirt cheap, I can guarantee that there are more Rolexes to be had in Florida than anyone could ever want.

How does this buyer intend to pay for the watch?

I would guess 99% scam.

Selling on Ebay? Again, a minefield of potential ways to scam you.

[zengineer]

I am pretty adventurous about both selling and buying. I have a well over 1000 Ebay rating and half of what I sold probably didn't get feedback so the number of transactions is probably over 1500. Everything from shoes to motorcycle parts to cars to watches. I've also bought and sold dozens of hard to ship items on craigslist...tool boxes, cars, furniture, wheelbarrows...you name it. Craigslist is basically an online leper colony and it is not for the meek. I've dealt with buyers I wouldn't want around my family and am always armed when dealing with buyers and sellers.

All that said, even I would definately not sell, and likely not buy a Rolex involving Craigslist. As for Ebay, it can be the place to sell certain watches but a typical Rolex will sell just as well and without the fees right here on this or similar forums. Sites like watchrecon will get you broad exposure beyond the regular forum membership. I've sold more than a few to people who found my ad that way or even thru a Google search and joined just to contact me.

Almost anything I list on craigslist generates a half dozen immediate out of state texts offering to buy. 100% of them are scams. The common one lately is a tedtvfrom 6 states away "contact my mom at this email, she wants to buy your bicycle". Most I ignore, if they persist I usually let them know their mom is with me now and clearly interested in more than my 10-speed.

[Wizardly]

Craigslist is filled with scammers, from simple "get your number for sales" scams, to full wire fraud. On CL, whether I'm selling something of higher value or something cheap, I insist on using CLs email system and only dealing local and in cash. Beware.

Ebay is scary now too. You can sell somebody something and they can claim they never got it or the box was empty... essentially ebay will throw the seller to the wolves. Happens with buying also. I 'bought a microphone from someone and all they did was ship me a magazine with a verified delivery. They kept my money and then quit ebay. I eventually got my money back, but they made my life hell and got off Scott free.

[Jojoshop]

A huge NO to Craigslist and EBay is certainly not as safe either
If I m going to buy a watch it is either AD; reputano grey (here or something like DavidSW)

[214270Explorer]

Originally Posted by Jojoshop

A huge NO to Craigslist and EBay is certainly not as safe either
If I m going to buy a watch it is either AD; reputano grey (here or something like DavidSW)

Yes, all that.

The 'bay is dangerous territory.
CraigsList is dangerous territory.

Too many stories of various and sundry (and clever) rip-offs.

Plus when or wherever you meet (even INSIDE a bank or public eating area, misc., as has been reported), you run the risk of the popular "snatch and run".

Nope, no thanks; my daddy raised no fool.

[SLS]

Be careful, any sign of a red flag, bail. There are a lot of scammers out there. As mentioned F2F in a public place and try to deal only with another local. Bring a marking pen if buyer is paying by cash. Friend of a friend got scammed selling with fake $100 Bills.

[emtee]

I sold one watch privately through WUS forum and it was all good as the guy came to my place and we had a chat and then he paid via PayPal. But honestly I’d feel very uncomfortable selling privately over the internet as you just never know who’s on the other side and the bullshit that could ensue for whatever reason.

Since then I’ve only sold a couple of watches and both to watchfinder. Yeah I maybe could have got more but the hassle free process is worth a few hundred quid IMO.

Having said that this was a couple of years ago and I hear their buying prices have got way low lately so YMMV.

[oldman2005]

No craigslist or ebay...I remembered reading a story about a guy who was selling his SS Daytona on Craigslist then arranged to meet at a local fast food restaurant, he was robbed of his Daytona by a few big guys. And other story when fake money was used in the mix.

[79280_116520]

Anything face to face on Craigslist for expensive watches is a scam or high probability of you getting jacked with a gun pointed at you.

The worst are the scammers who try to pull the venmo scam during face to face transactions.

[rolehex]

I think you need to do more research in the Forum. I would never sell a watch on CL unless you meet INSIDE a police station. Too many stories about guys grabbing and running out of the banks with your valuables. They have a driver waiting out front.

Here's what I would do if I was selling face to face.

I would make the buyer send you a picture of their drivers license.
Make sure their face matches the picture.
Have my Rolex connected to a wire cable that is attached to me. And I don't unlock it until I have the money in hand and have checked for counterfeit bills.

I would also tell the prospective buyer that I would be doing the above. If he/she questions it... just say, because you've been burned before. If they don't agree...no deal.

[blue lion]

Both of my watches I bought on eBay with no issues. If I was selling I'd choose this over CL.

[vintagewatch]

I've purchased numerous watches (sold only a few) via craigslist over the years. If you use common sense and due diligence craigslist can be a good source, that said you need to be very knowledgeable about the watch you're buying or if selling the potential buyer.

If buying a watch I usually ask for additional pictures (watch set to a particular time), additional details, and other questions that will help determine if watch is legitimate. If making it to the next step (viewing the watch) I'll meet someone in at my bank (or branch) so no cash is involved until the watch is seen and price is agreed on by both parties.

[asiparks]

Craiglist is fine for face to face transactions, don't go alone with the watch, meet somewhere with cameras, have your friend snap a picture of the buyer and save it to the cloud.
I'd meet at their bank, watch them withdraw or get a cashiers cheque, so you don't get a wodge of monopoly money...

[train-time]

Originally Posted by LOVE MY ROLEX(S)

Hello,

My Rolex is listed for sale on Craigslist in Illinois. I was contacted by someone in Florida who would like to purchase my watch. Today I searched and found a few posts concerning Craigslist scams.

If I was interested in selling my watch to someone in another state would it better to list it and sell it from Ebay?

Thanks!

I have never and would not use Craigslist to sell a high end watch. I used to use eBay many years ago to sell buy and sell, but no more. If I were to sell any of our pieces I would go directly to one of the guys on the forum, such as DavidSW or Patrick (OCRolexguy). They are fair and buy watches all the time.

[zengineer]

Originally Posted by rolehex

I think you need to do more research in the Forum. I would never sell a watch on CL unless you meet INSIDE a police station. Too many stories about guys grabbing and running out of the banks with your valuables. They have a driver waiting out front.

Here's what I would do if I was selling face to face.

I would make the buyer send you a picture of their drivers license.
Make sure their face matches the picture.
Have my Rolex connected to a wire cable that is attached to me. And I don't unlock it until I have the money in hand and have checked for counterfeit bills.

I would also tell the prospective buyer that I would be doing the above. If he/she questions it... just say, because you've been burned before. If they don't agree...no deal.

If I was buying a watch and the seller wanted all my cash before he unlocked the watch.....first of all, nobody does that. If they did I would walk away and just for good measure probably slap them.

Seriously? a wire cable...you really should not be selling anything on Craigslist if you think a stunt like that is anything but a fantasy.

[Chiboy]

Originally Posted by zengineer

If I was buying a watch and the seller wanted all my cash before he unlocked the watch.....first of all, nobody does that. If they did I would walk away and just for good measure probably slap them.

Seriously? a wire cable...you really should not be selling anything on Craigslist if you think a stunt like that is anything but a fantasy.

I guess you're also against the idea of strapping on a vest of dynamite until buyer pays for watch?

[beshannon]

I could never imagine trying to sell anything over $100 on a free unmonitored bulletin board like Craigslist.

You are just begging for trouble.

[zengineer]

Originally Posted by beshannon

I could never imagine trying to sell anything over $100 on a free unmonitored bulletin board like Craigslist.

You are just begging for trouble.

That depends. I bought a used tractor/ loader at an equipment auction to use while I built my house. It was way to big and heavy to keep around once I had a lawn in so the plan all along was to sell it.

It was in the same price range as a SS Rolex. Craigslist is the perfect way to sell something like that and that's exactly what I did. It's not like they could get away too fast with a 6000 lb. tractor.

Everything went fine and I didn't even need to chain myself to the tractor. Yes, I did check out his cash before accepting but in general with an item like this a phone call before you meet goes a long way. No scammer is likely to know much about 40 year old construction equipment and own a large trailer...so treat every situation for what it is.

Watches, coins, jewelry, guns...probably not. Cars, motorcycles, lawn mowers...probably. Tractors, toolboxes, furniture ...yes.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[Luap1976]

I don't know about Craig's list i guess it's like gumtree we have in England.never sell on there.ebay is even worse.you sell your watch on ebay the buyer receives it says not as described .you will be forced to accept return and refund him.then the buyer sends you a fake .and there is nothing you can do about it.its so common this scam on ebay for watches it's a joke.3 of my mates had this happen to them.and going to the police don't help either here in uk.taking pics of the serial numbers and filming yourself pack the parcel again is not enough evidence.ebay care about the buyer only.i would not sell anything on the bay I'm not willing to lose

[Marcjvr]

I sold my last watch on CL and it was really easy as long as you follow a few simple rules. Firstly treat everyone as a potential scammer. Don’t ignore any red flag, ignore any offers to ship. Insist on face to face local only. Watch for bad English. Google the name of the buyer and make it clear you will only meet at a police station or inside a bank. Never let your guard down.

With that said I sold to a local guy and we met inside a local bank branch, inside a bankers office who witnessed and notarized the signing of a simple bill of sale. Not for a second did I have any concern and the buyer was more than happy to do it this way.

[mistercoach32]

I've sold several watches on CL and they all were easy like Sunday morning. Purchaser asked to meet at an AD to verify and they all went great. I would have no problem shipping the watch as long as I had confirmation that the purchaser's money was in my PayPal account. Only watches I ever purchased online were from trusted sellers on TRF.

[1bad750]

Originally Posted by zengineer

If I was buying a watch and the seller wanted all my cash before he unlocked the watch.....first of all, nobody does that. If they did I would walk away and just for good measure probably slap them.

Seriously? a wire cable...you really should not be selling anything on Craigslist if you think a stunt like that is anything but a fantasy.

Lol a wire cable? I bought a rolex on Cl met at an ad chked it out paid and left..

[blown5.0]

I would not recommend CL or Ebay. I would look into selling on this forum or thru Chrono24. Don't become a victim the way many have.

[SeaDweller50]

Not sure about CL, first I’ve heard about it. eBay has seller / buyer feedback. I always use that as a good indicator of whether the person is trustworthy, or not. Anything less than around 500 feedback with 100 percent positive I’ll stay away from.

[ltmgeller]

Try selling it here. If you sell it online use a reputable seller. Depending on the model, DAVIDSW might be an option.