Buying anything expensive is fraught with danger especially vintage watches.

The golden rule is to buy from a reputable retailer who can prove their credentials and has a good presence on the internet. A physical shop front is nice to have but the costs of running any business can literally go through the roof when you have premises and normally staff . All of these costs have to be added onto the price of the watch.

There is a golden rule in buying watches of any sort and that is you buy the seller not just the watch so here are the top 10 rules when buying a vintage watch.

  1. Is the buyer /seller a established dealership ?
  2. Is the buyer/seller contactable by multiple means ie phone and email?
  3. If the price being offered / asked is too good to be true then walk away.
  4. When meeting a buyer / seller always ensure it is in a public place with security cameras. If the buyer/seller insists one meeting in a car park when dark then do not turn up !
  5. If the buyer/seller changed the meeting point at the last minute then be very suspicious.
  6. Do not transfer funds unless you have the watch in your hands and don’t hand over the watch unless you have funds in your hands.
  7. Is documentation being offered with the watch ie a proper Invoice/ Receipt and some form of warranty and certification ?
  8. Is the watch being advertised on a reputable web site /platform or is the wanted ad linkable to the full business.
  9. Ask to see the movement , a professional dealer will oblige. Does the buyer sound like they know what they are talking about ?
  10. Ask the history on the watch and gauge the reaction.

We have bought many hundreds of watches over the years and whilst you can never be totally sure until you meet the seller the above rules are a good gauge to measure the outcome of any vintage watch purchase or sale and can be applied prior to arranging a visit.

There are a lot of Paypal scammers who think they can keep the Paypal funds ( which is not true ) .

They will often be selling a watch they dont actually have. The simple solution to this is to ask them to send you a picture of the watch set to a specific time . If they cant then obviously they are scammers.

If you want to sell any vintage watch irrespective of condition  and want to know what you can sell it for please visit our watch valuation page

You can also Whatsapp or message us on 07768316371 and we will give you a fast response.

February 2nd, 2017

Posted In: Second Hand Watches

Tags: , , , ,

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