ebay watches

knzn · Oct 9, 2003

I have been watching ebay to get the feel for what various watches are worth. In particular to my question are Seiko watches. And my question is why when selling brand new Seiko's they always (almost) say "no box and no papers?" Is this what is known as the "grey market?" Thanks

kinzli · Oct 10, 2003

Consider buying from http://www.chronograph.com - I've bought a Seiko Diver from him, great prices (much better than ebay), quick shipping and very nice transaction. Of course, it's coming from Asia, but it only takes about 6-7 days to the west coast and shipping's included

GB CROW · Oct 10, 2003

IF YOU WANT SEIKO, CITIZEN , NEW IN BOX, WITH PAPERS , THE ONLY PLACE TO GO IS WWW.SKYWATCH.COM. ADRIAN lOW IS THE OWNER GEORGE

Tightwad · Oct 10, 2003

For watches on e-bay.......
If it says used (as my Rolex did) and the seller is
rated at 99% or better I'll take a chance.

If it is supposed to be new and say no box /papers
then it's NO SALE even if the seller has a good
rating.

Remember, a lot of watches comming out of asia are
NOT THE REAL THING....THEY ARE PHONIES.

RunzWithScissors · Sep 9, 2004

I bought a Seiko 5 off of eBay that came with no box and no papers. It was a real Seiko and was only about $20 shipped from Singapore. From what I understand they ship the box and papers back to the company for a refund. Kind of like when they tear the cover off of magazine.

chucklehead · Sep 9, 2004

Tightwad said:
For watches on e-bay.......
If it says used (as my Rolex did) and the seller is
rated at 99% or better I'll take a chance.

If it is supposed to be new and say no box /papers
then it's NO SALE even if the seller has a good
rating.

Remember, a lot of watches comming out of asia are
NOT THE REAL THING....THEY ARE PHONIES.

I completely agree. if you have any doubts do not buy.

RattlerXX · Sep 9, 2004

Another good guy is BORN2WATCH! I got one from him at the first of the year, and it went very smooth.

johnniet · Sep 9, 2004

RunzWithScissors said:
I bought a Seiko 5 off of eBay that came with no box and no papers. It was a real Seiko and was only about $20 shipped from Singapore.

How do you know it was real???

From what I understand they ship the box and papers back to the company for a refund. Kind of like when they tear the cover off of magazine.

For a $200 refund???

RattlerXX · Sep 9, 2004

That is a good question. How can you tell if a Seiko is real?

Jazzman · Sep 9, 2004

As far as the Seiko 5 is concerned, there have been about a million different watches sold under the name with almost all of the same movement. It is would be pretty difficult to tell a real from a fake because of this. However, IMO, if the movement is signed on more than one part, as is the face and bracelet, I'd be pretty confident. I've bought a Rolex Tudor, an Omega, and a Seiko off of Ebay with no problems.
Matt

DB1 · Sep 9, 2004

There are a lot of fake watches on ebay, so please be careful - if a deal is too good to be true it probably is...

That being said, I have bought several watches off of ebay in the past, including an Omega and Breitling, with good luck - both sellers had actual storefronts in addition to pristine ebay reputations.

I've never bought a Seiko off of ebay, but have had excellent service from chronograph.com (no box, but with papers and warranty) and princetonwatches.com (box, papers, warranty).

Blue Jays · Sep 9, 2004

Good Evening All-

KNZN, a great place to conduct research is at www.timezone.com or if you're particularly interested in hopped-up Seikos, visit www.mkiiwatches.com to see what is available. Bill Yao has an exceptional reputation with regard to Seiko automatics.

If you haven't really been bitten by the horology bug, SAVE YOURSELF AND RUN AWAY! It's an all-consuming and expensive hobby.

~ Blue Jays ~

johnniet · Sep 10, 2004

Blue Jays said:
If you haven't really been bitten by the horology bug, SAVE YOURSELF AND RUN AWAY! It's an all-consuming and expensive hobby.

~ Blue Jays ~

Holy Cow! If that's what the addicts say, it's probably a good idea to listen.

I may be getting a new Casio soon...first new watch in 3 years!

Blue Jays · Sep 12, 2004

Hi johnniet-

Yeah, it was meant to be a tongue-in-cheek comment because horology IS a great hobby, but it has the potential to deplete your bank account in a hurry!

If one is really interested in collecting wristwatches, the array of choices can be dizzying...which is also what makes it so fun. It might make sense to at least create some "boundaries" (e.g. Swiss automatics only, waterproof, 40mm or larger, $xxxx or less, round case only, etc.) to make the first few more easily attainable. Your choices can then expand from there...

~ Blue Jays ~

pseep · Sep 12, 2004

The link for Skywatches is http://www.skywatches.com.sg/

I have purchased from both Skywatches and Chronograph.com with no problems. Skywatches also sells on ebay under Watches59. There is lots of good info over at the Seiko/Citizen Watch Forum