How to buy the seller when everything online can be fake?

I certainly wouldn't be sending him anything unless I can verify that it is a bona fide business that can be telephoned at their business premises. Even then I would be gaining as much information that I could about them, such as financial reports, tax numbers etc. Some countries I just wouldn't buy from irrespective.

Only buy from trusted sources. Period.

AD, pre-owned at a reputable jeweler (Moyer comes to mind), legit grey market dealer (jomashop, Watchfinder), online grey market shop with safeguards (Chrono24 - dealers only, no private sellers), or in-person if you know enough to spot the exceedingly good fakes.

eBay, random online shops, forums, etc, it's a gamble. The deals are there, but so are the fakes. I would advise caution. Especially when dealing with 4 figures or more.

Paris?

I wouldn't be put off by a French company but really where they are located is the least of the concerns.

There are millions of watches for sale across platforms that offer you some protection. Why would you take the risk when I'm sure you can buy the same watch elsewhere with these safeguards?

Just a quick comment on Chrono24: there are private sellers on the platform, I am one of them. Still, the escrow service Chrono24 offers works with private sellers as well. But the return of the watch for reasons like „I do not like it after I bought it“ does not work with private sellers.

Bought there from private seller once, had no issues. There might be other experiences out there.

I just made a deal to buy a watch from another WC member. Since I don't know who he is I wanted to send a USPS MO to his home address. If he didn't send the watch I could report him to the local PD and the US Post Master General for mail fraud. He didn't want to do that.

He said that he could provide references, I didn't ask for them as you mentioned they can be faked. He said that he ships stuff from his business from as little as $10 to as much as $50K in value. I said fine, since you have an online business send me an invoice that I can pay online with my credit card. He did and I paid. I have the protection of the CC company.

Moral of the story, don't be afraid to insist on doing business in a way that gives you protection. My deal was only for $85 and I can afford to loose $85, but why should I put myself in that position?

With an international transaction, I would only do so with a CC. You really have no other protection as the buyer.

Good luck with your purchase.

I think you've really hit the nail on the head, regarding the problem with "buy the seller." No amount of due diligence looking into the seller can guarantee your safety. The only way you can protect yourself is by leveraging the protection offered by purchasing platforms like PayPal, credit card fraud protection, and eBay. I've had my fair share of problematic purchases from eBay, but never lost a single dime because they have fantastic buyer protection, as does PayPal. I've lost time, and time is money I guess, but I've always at least gotten my money back, including shipping and fees. Never had someone send me a fake watch, but if they did I'd test easy knowing that I have multiple layers of protection from the purchasing platforms that I tend to use.

Thank you everyone, buy with protection it is!!