| Part I - How to have safe online transactions |
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There are now a multitude of online stores selling pre-owned or new wristwatches through the internet, and these do not include sellers on Amazon, eBay, or other auction sites. While the prices can seem tempting, buyers are concerned with authenticity of the merchandise as well as legitimacy of the retailer. With large sums of money involved, it can be a mine field with significant consequences when a poor decision is made. As such, buying watches through the internet presents a great deal of difficulty.
With this in mind, we would like to write up a series of articles on buying pre-owned watches online. The first part deals with simple steps that you, the client, might take to protect yourself from a fraudulent seller. The second part deals with how to inspect watches - what to look for - to help you understand if the merchandise is authentic or a counterfeit.
To begin with, let us discuss some simple steps that can be taken to protect yourself if you are the buyer. One of the first issues to tackle is the legitimacy of the seller. Many sites put the requisite logos on their sites, perhaps indicating membership with the Better Business Bureau or various industry groups (IWJG or NAWCC). Suffice to say that none of these badges necessarily mean that the seller won’t seek to take your money is less than honorable ways. Rather, a potential client should seek to determine if there is a legitimate business. Perhaps there is a bricks-and-mortar store, or contact information, that you can personally confirm or have a trusted colleague confirm for you. Although asking for references might seem like a good idea, be aware that you may never know for sure if those are genuine references from prior clients unless you should happen to know that reference personally. Having an independent third party, for example members of an online watch community forum, vouch for the legitimacy of a seller can be helpful in this regard as well. Nevertheless, in the end, trying to decide if a seller is legitimate can be a decision fraught with peril. Luckily, there is a relatively simple method to help with the decision, and that would touch upon the use of photographs.
Next: Part II
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