Super bummed…so close, but no cigar
I’ve had my eye on the Formex essence. It’s what I decide I wanted as the next best thing to my grail watch the omega seamaster aqua terra. I had finally saved up enough courage to put upto a thousand cash.
There I was on eBay doing that scrolling thing, when I spotted the exact white dial version I’ve been eyeing. It had no bids and starting under 1000$. It was a long shot, I was prepared with a bunch of others watching it to not even have a chance.
I wait patiently for 4 days and then I pull the trigger at minute 4 for my max bid of 1000… I did just like they said in the forums… and it worked. I won it. I paid. I had that feeling, you know, of having earned something good through patience and discipline.
Then two hours later I get message from seller that he was cancelling, because of “address issue”, but that doesn’t make sense I use that address for years to buy and sell on eBay.
Turns out that the seller already reposted for 100$ more…Whomp whomp
…so close, but no cigar
Affordable watch guy, living abroad as a social impact entrepreneur
What a dishonest and pathetic person that seller must be 😡‼️
Cut your losses and never again bid on sales from this seller who proved to be a shifty and dishonest person.
Name the seller ,so nobody else wastes time bidding for his items
That's half way to a good used Aqua Terra, he's done you a favour!
(I paid £1300 for my early quartz Aqua Terra a couple of years ago, so keep saving & get the watch you really want rather than a place holder that'll postpone getting your Grail!)
A blessing in disguise. Agreed that you can get what you really want if you wait a bit longer. Good luck!
He didn’t get what he wanted so he cancelled. You’re lucky because who knows what condition the watch would be from a dirtbag like that. Save for your grail. That would have been a grand spent that could have been put towards an AT.
That's half way to a good used Aqua Terra, he's done you a favour!
(I paid £1300 for my early quartz Aqua Terra a couple of years ago, so keep saving & get the watch you really want rather than a place holder that'll postpone getting your Grail!)
Really, I love the teak dial patter, ima sucker for a textured dial, but haven’t seen any of those for less than 4000 pre-owned. Although there is a vertical striped one from like 2017
Really, I love the teak dial patter, ima sucker for a textured dial, but haven’t seen any of those for less than 4000 pre-owned. Although there is a vertical striped one from like 2017
Save up. It took me from 2014 to 2020 to save for my grail. Best watch decision I ever made. It was painfully long time, but saved me a fortune in the long run.
I recently lost an eBay auction in a manner similar to you, but at a much lower price point. I was the only bid for the watch. Minutes before the auction ended, the bid jumped up by $5, and then a few moments later the auction was canceled. My assumption is the seller used a fake account to outbid me and then cancel to make it look like he was canceling someone else's order and not mine.
A couple of days later, I got a "second chance" email from eBay because the item had been relisted. But it was relisted with a higher minimum bid.
Leave a bad review if possible!! Better luck next time mate!!
That does suck, but it’s the way things go on eBay. I got lucky and recently purchased a used Tudor Ranger with the original bracelet on eBay for $2,075. So good deals can happen, but it was also from a reputable seller 🤷♂️
That is dreadful by the seller. You might well of dodged a bullet though with that seller.
On the subject of the Formex Essence, I can wholly recommend it. IMO it’s a fine watch which punches above its price point. I’ve had mine about a month and the AT is no longer a grail watch of mine.
Update:
So I reached out to the seller and… nothing for like 48hrs. Then I went ahead and gave him a negative review. I kid you not, within like 2hrs he had sent me three messages explaining, offering the watch back to me, and pleading to change the feedback.
According to him someone else messaged him with a similar username asking to ship to a different address so he just canceled everything. I ultimately caught him some slack since I know what it’s like to be seller and when you feel a scam you just want to cut off all ties. And I did get my money back right away, so I amended my review but didn’t take up to offer to buy the watch. Life’s too short…and i figure that could have been me. #grace
…now for the good news. I was inspired by some the comments here and started looking more earnestly for an Omega AT pre owned. They still are like 3K minimum. Though there are some interesting quartz options. But I really wanted something nice, you know, to go big (at leader bigger than I ever have for a watch), in commemoration of this personal milestone.
Soooo I pulled the trigger on another micro-brand watch instead, the #Farer World Timer. It’s totally different style of watch but I dig the complications and find it actually useful for my work. Plus I also got it for well under retail. I especially love the decoration on the movement and the rotating globe on the dial. Here’s a terrific review of the newest model: https://youtu.be/_zTqXhb6tWs?feature=shared
Unfortunately, gonna be 45 days till i get to wear it, since i shipped back to the US… but I’m psyched!
Thanks to all for helping me process that momentary loss. I’m back stronger and more enthused about the hobby