Buying used watches
Where do you mostly purchase your used watches, and why? What are the pros and cons of purchasing your used watches from these sellers?
- Local used watch dealer
- online marketplaces e.g Chrono24
- online auction sites e.g eBay
- watch forums e.g watchuseek
- others (please specify)
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Ron
I love Cartier 🐆 and neo-vintage watches.
Hong Kong
Member since
Last active: 2 months ago
Ebay most of the time and amazon once in a while
Ebay is good for me because I get my watches (mainly seiko divers) at a good price and they are always in almost new condition.
I love browsing ebay
I have also purchased from sellers on eBay and from other collectors through forums. I have also purchased some open box watches from online grey market dealers like Jomashop. I have not purchased anything from Chrono24, although I have looked in the past. I tend to use eBay the most, because you can find some great deals there, although you do have to be more careful there than you would with Chrono24 or online sites like Jomashop. When I first started collecting seriously, I was amazed at the low prices available on eBay. Luckily, I believe in the old axiom that anything that seems too good to be true usually is, and I did my research and discovered the large Frankenwatch market out of India before I bought what I initially thought was a great deal; $35 for a vintage 1970s Seiko 5. 🤣
I have bought from the only local dealer we have and I was glad that I can support his business but he has a limited selection.
My go to channel is Chrono24. The filter function is splendid (geography, brand, case model nr etc). I have bough from both private sellers and vintage dealers through Chrono24. I also use Chrono24 to find dealers with their own webshop. I found Watches83 (also mentioned by SimplyVintageWatches in his top5 video) and other dealers that way.
WUS, eBay. Always buy the seller and trust your gut