Buying from ebay

[feudallordcult]

nope, definitely won't buy anything from ebay that cost more than SGD500. no point in paying for a heartache IMHO.

[Metank]

Damm, there's actually some risk takers here. lol, u guys got balls.

[Cop]

If its a ROLEX, nope. Cos i heard b4 malaysia side got ppl sell outside real rolex casing, but inside is not rolex conponent.Its up to individual to see if the person willing to be a risk-taker.

But i ever purchase something more exp then normal rolex from ebay & its fine..still get extra stuffs from the seller..lol

Really depends lah..see the person wan to play you or not.Some may be sincere/real sellers..

[stash]

def no as too many scamers out there!

[jonolau]

Buying Watches on the internet/eBay

I've talked to fellow watch collectors in Singapore and around the region, and many have shared with me their hesitation about buying from the internet.

I understand your concerns as some buyers like to see the physical watch before parting with their hard-earned cash. I will share with you my experiences.

When it comes to buying brand new from overseas, it's okay to buy from physical shops that have their own website. But of course, being the internet, they can easily copy a picture of any watch shop and put on their website. But this very rare. Then there are some purely "virtual shops" which may be touch-and-go because they can describe anything they want to and buyers have very little or no avenue for recourse. In some cases where goods were paid for and not received, your local credit card company may help intervene and credit you for the goods, but it all depends on the outcome of their investigations. Therefore, this is not the preferred avenue for purchase.

Buying from dealers or sellers on eBay are better as there is both buyer and seller protection from eBay. Over time, I've bought quite a number of watches from eBay sellers after checking out their ratings and history of items sold. So far I've had 100% satisfaction buying the following second-hand watches from eBay sellers located in the USA, Japan and Hong Kong:

Patek Philippe Aquanaut
Blancpain Complete Calendar
Breguet Type XX Aeronavale
JLC Squadra Hometime
Zenith El Primero
Tudor Tiger Chrono White
Tudor Tiger Chrono Red
Tudor Tiger Hydronaut
Anonimo Militare Crono
Omega Planet Ocean
Rado Diastar Original Diver's watch
Omega Speedmaster

All watches came in good condition, well-packed and sent by reputable couriers such as FedEx, UPS and DHL with tracking numbers, usually arriving within 4-6 days after payment is made. Also no fakes or counterfeits.

Payment was hassle-free and done either by PayPal or by TT. To date, I've spent more than US$40,000 for the watches above. All were legit as they were serviced by local Singapore agents after receipt with the exception of the Zenith and Anonimo.

I know many people have fear or concerns about buying from eBay, but as I said earlier, check out the seller's ratings and take time to go through the list of items he's sold by looking out for other brand name watches and their value. Also check the ratings of the buyer for those items to see if they are bogus accounts or whether they've legitimately been purchasing many items (and the values) from different sellers on eBay.

At the end of day, it all depends on your appetite for risk, albeit a carefully calculated risk. I personally find it fun to shop on eBay and finding a bargain or a jewel in the rough is very interesting.

Just my personal experiences.

It would be interesting to read of other people's experiences too.

Please share with us.

[jonolau]

Just to add on:

I've received 3 watches from eBay sellers which had a little more scratches than expected. I wrote to them about the condition and they asked me to email them pictures.

After viewing it, they immediately gave me partial refunds of between US$150-200 to pay for it to be polished locally with no further questions asked.

[CFC]

care to share the name of the ebay seller?

[jonolau]

care to share the name of the ebay seller?

There are too many to list, and each one has different watches to sell from time to time.

You need to look out for the following if you're interested in an item:

1. Does the seller ship WORLDWIDE? Are there any exceptions because sometimes they refuse to ship to SE Asian countries due to bad experiences.
2. What are the payment conditions? Best to pay by PayPal as it will protect the buyer. But some may specify TT before shipment. In that case, you will need to be sure (in your own mind) of the seller's reputation before committing to the purchase and agreeing to the payment conditions.
3. Does the seller have an eBay PowerSeller rating? If so, it means they have a more solid reputation as a seller on eBay and lower chance they will mess up orders as they have a reputation to maintain.

I personally tend to avoid sellers with ratings lower than 100 or those who have no track record of selling high value items (ie. depending on the value of the watch you're buying, if the watch is US$3k, then has he sold other watches/items with sales value of at least US$1k etc.).

[z1971]

Hi,

Plan to buy a watch from US.
Qns that I'll ask:
- Fedex shipment is insured?
(How I know IT IS insured and for how much?)
- Seller mentioned has shipped several watches to Singapore, I'll ask for references
(Ok/polite to ask for references' phone number?).
- Series and Serial number of the watch
(Ask seller to take photo of the serial number? What if seller reject?)
- Photos of all items included in the sale (boxes & papers, etc)
- Seller's Return Policy

Anything else that I should ask the seller/about the watch?


Thank you.

[z1971]

and maybe a photo of the warranty card which I think states the serial number of the watch ? It's Rolex.

[DM101]

Bro, can U share the part about GST too? How to pay...

[louie]

Bro, can U share the part about GST too? How to pay...

courier will claim frm you.

[psee]

Bro Jonathan, thks for sharing.

Personally, I prefer to purchase pre-owned watches locally as I generally prefer to view the watches before finalising the transactions. Having said that, there are still occassions when I bought pre-owned watches from overseas, primarily from contacts on TZ. In such instances, it's important to do some 'homework' and deal only with guys with good references and when a deal sounds too good to be true, it might just be that ...

[z1971]

Bro Jonathan, thks for sharing.

Personally, I prefer to purchase pre-owned watches locally as I generally prefer to view the watches before finalising the transactions. Having said that, there are still occassions when I bought pre-owned watches from overseas, primarily from contacts on TZ. In such instances, it's important to do some 'homework' and deal only with guys with good references and when a deal sounds too good to be true, it might just be that ...

If you dont mind, can share the 'homework' tips?

[jonolau]

I think most of the questions above have been answered.

As for the bit on homework, take time to trawl through the seller's rating history (types of watches, value of sales), and also the buyers' rating histories. Best if seller has PowerSeller rating and also near perfect rating.

The rest will rest with courage and appetite for risk.