Fake or Damage - whats the bigger issue when buying online from private seller?

Hi folks- for those who’ve chosen Other. Please can you add a line on that in the comments. Thanks!

My experience has been receiving the wrong watch or on four occasions(in the last few months) no watch at all.

As an aside, while not wanting to pay for an original and receive a fake I'd like to look at and take apart a "super clone" some day just out of curiosity.

Both. As i ve burnt in the past i d never ever again would buy from a private seller online. Only trusted shops with good reputations

D. All of the above. A superfake damaged during shipping, and the serial had been reported stolen 😂 😂

Issues with customs clearance when the strap is made of prohibited material

In the price range I would consider buying online from a private seller, I‘m mostly worried about the watch not arriving at all and not so much about fakes.

I have done this in the past but it was too much worry for me, so I‘ll stick to AD, grey market, reputable online sellers, or local private sellers from now on.

I’ve only bought cheap watches over eBay, usually HMTs and more often than not, especially with Indian sellers, you have to be very thorough. Mine was shipped on the wrong type of strap for example and the inside of the caseback had some rust not shown in pictures!

I learned the hard way, NEVER buy on Ebay any seller from India.

All of the above

I picked other - ALL OF THE ABOVE!

Buying online (Ch24 or other plateform) is quite securized. My main concern is about chronometric performance of the watch bought.

Damaged can be repaired, but fake is always a fake.

Worried that the previous owner polished the shit out of it 😅

No one is going sell a fake Zelos. But they will sell a damaged one (not to me thankfully).

Not worried about A or B as if buying from "reputable" grey ADs or other sites ( Ebay, C24, Catawiki ... ) they have good buyer protection if you are prudent so with good due dilligence you are quite secure ( happened to me once, got a fake/super clone ).

From listed fears stolen could be an issue as the watch is legit and if later serviced at manufacturer it could get confiscated.

I don't tend to worry because I tend to buy cheaper vintage pieces. I assume they are not 100% and buy because I like the look.

I have bought from Chrono24 and the seller said that the watch was in great condition but in the end, it needed a new movement and cleaning under the bezel because it was stuck with all sorts of gunk. I have heard worse from other watch lovers. You just have to be careful out there.

Usually I feel like I’m buying something unique or inexpensive enough that it wouldn’t be worth faking; damaged or not maintained properly is more of a concern.

As I’m just starting my collection journey, my biggest fear right now when buying a watch online is not liking it… either it fitting wrong or thinking I was buying a quality piece and it’s actually junk — haven’t been stung yet, but it’s bound to happen eventually

To me, getting a damaged watch is so much better than getting a fake. If you are spending $5k or more on a watch, getting it repaired might be $1,000? Maybe 2K? You are then out that money. But if you got a fake, you are out the full price of the watch, which can be multiples of any repair.

I agree with others on this thread. I will only buy watches now that are from a reputable dealer, either retail or a well-regarded pre-owned seller like Bob's Watches, DavidSW, Watchbox, etc. I don't mind paying a little more for peace of mind.

I've never had an issue buying a watch online which I haven't been able to resolve easily. I buy everything through eBay and the buyer protection is absolutely excellent.

In fact it's skewed in favour of the buyer for watches under $2000 which means that selling via eBay can be risky.

E.g. Someone sells a perfectly working watch which happens to have an unusual movement. The unscrupulous buyer receives it, opens the watch, removes a couple of rare parts. The buyer then claims the watch isn't working as described. Ebay supplies a free returns label. The seller provides a refund and gets the watch back minus two parts. Unless the seller has taken photos of the movement they have little chance of redress. And even then it's touch and go.

Over $2000 is much worse for informed buyers. There you have the so-called "independent verification" service. I reckon that's good for sellers to avoid the above type of scam. But it introduces risks for the buyer as the verifier will never be expert enough to know whether a watch has all original parts, service parts (e.g. service hands or dial) or is a Franken.

If I was going to play in that space I'd probably go with one of the very few reputable dealers like Wind Vintage and pay the considerable mark-up for their expertise and credible assessment of authenticity.

Thank goodness I buy nothing over $500 these days.

Both fake and damaged in some way. I recently purchased a used watch, excluding my two vintage watches this was my first new to me piece. I purchased it only because I had an opportunity to meet the seller and browse his collection of watches during a watch meetup.

I bought the seller first. Unfortunately I would suspect that's much harder to do online except for looking at reviews, etc. And even those reviews can be manipulated...

buy the dealer not the watch

I don’t worry. I only buy from trusted sellers with loads of positive feedback. Of course, nothing is perfect but I don’t worry knowing that I bought the seller first, and the watch 2nd.

I back myself to spot a fake and tend to buy weirdo things no one is faking.

However - undescribed problems - especially of the intermittent variety - can be a real pain.

I bought watches between € 1000 - 3000 from private sellers in Chrono24. Never had any kind of problem using their Escrow Service for payment. Seller only receives the money after your approval. If you receive a damaged watch or a super fake, just return. My biggest concern are the perfect fakes and, of course, stolen. Buying from certified stores for me is the best way.

Thanks @brunocmf. By certified stores, did you mean Certified Pre-Owned? Or Second Hand Dealers? Or Retail Authorized Dealers? Thank you! :)

YAWN

For me it’s often B, D, A, C. The more well known the brand, the more I’d have to something tangible to assure me