Online auction houses such as Ebay have a growing influence on the buying and selling of watches.  Purchasing a watch online can be a fun experience if handled with care and awareness of the risks.   Just like any transaction where you're unable to see the goods except through the eyes of the seller, buying online is a process fraught with danger for the unsuspecting.

Warranties

Many high end manufacturers do not honor warranties of watches purchased from dealers on the Internet.  This is to prevent gray market sales and to keep their distribution channels under control.  To this end, most manufacturers' web sites will warn you about purchasing watches from online sources.   Existing warranties for some manufacturers are also not transferable.

The safest way to buy any watch is from a reputable dealer for that brand.  This may mean a slightly higher price than from online dealers, but you get the peace of mind knowing your purchase and warranty is honored by the manufacturer.   Also the risk of unknowingly buying a counterfeit is negligible.

Buying from an Auction

When you come across the watch of your dreams on an online auction site there are several things you need to do before getting too excited.   Remember, all that you have to go by in evaluating the watch are:

1. Your knowledge of the watch in question.

2. The pictures the seller has posted.

3. The description of the watch he or she has provided.

4. The reputation of the seller (feedback percentage).

Before you purchase any watch online make sure you are comfortable with each of these areas.  Don't buy something with a wonderful description and pictures if the seller has a low feedback percentage.   If you know the pictures of the watch are from the manufacturers' web site be very wary of the seller.  Balance all the areas against common sense before you buy.

Your Knowledge

The purpose of this guide is to increase your general knowledge and awareness of the replicas on the market.  But you should also research and learn as much as you can about the genuine watch before you buy.  This means if possible visit your local dealer and get an opportunity to see the watch in person.   There's no real substitute for seeing the genuine watch and getting an chance to handle it.  Even if all you have to review are photographs your personal experiences with the watch will aid in your decision making process.

There are also many online resources to turn to in helping you evaluate a watch.  Never abuse the privilege by excessively posting auction listings to forums.   If you're sincere and request help many forums will provide you with their informal opinion on a listing.  Web forums like Timezone ( www.timezone.com) and Paneristi (www.paneristi.com) are well known hang outs for experts on particular watch brands.

Be familiar with the manufacturer's web site.  This means visit the site and dig into the information that's posted there.   Most manufacturers are light on information they post online.  They seem to feel its more important to have a flashy dynamic site than one that presents a list of features and data.  

Still these sites are wonderful tools to get an idea of the varieties of each model and to get a feel for the look of each watch.   Plus many pictures from the manufacturer's web site are stolen and reused as actual item pictures in auctions.  By being familiar with the manufacturer photographs (for example, Rolex always has their watches set to 10:10 and 30 seconds) you'll know what to look for.

The Seller's Pictures

It is very important to have good pictures available of a watch you're looking to buy.  It states several things: that the seller is being open and honest about the sale by providing you a clear picture for inspection, and more importantly that the seller isn't trying to hide something by posting fuzzy pictures that obscure details.

Always look for pictures that show a watch at different angles. You want to see clearly the dial, case back, band or strap, and the clasp.   By having clear pictures of these features it's easy to compare them to known genuine examples as well as look for flaws such as scratches, scrapes, and general wear.

Poor pictures provide you no assistance and actually harm the seller by withholding information.  If you have any doubts about a watch because of the pictures tell the seller that you're interested in the item but you would like to see some additional photographs.   One of the tricks you can use is to ask the seller to set the date or time to something specific to make sure that the pictures are actually of the watch they are selling.

Be aware that some unscrupulous people will use photos of other watches and represent them as their own.  When this happens you're never sure of what you will actually get from the transaction; it could be a real watch, replica, or worse, nothing.  Always feel free to ask the seller for additional pictures.   His response will aid in making your choice.

My rule is that when the pictures are poor to pass on the auction.  It's typically a sign of some kind of deception.   Still, if the watch is what you want ask the seller for additional photographs to help you gather the information you need.

The Seller's Description

The description the seller provides is your only source of detailed information about the watch in question.  You should look for detailed information about the condition of the watch, as well as exactly what comes with the purchase: i.e. box, papers, and paraphernalia.  Details are a good sign that the seller knows what he has and finds it important that you the potential buyer have enough information to make an informed decision. I avoid auctions with terse uninformative descriptions like the plague.

When attempting to settle disputes over a transaction, sometimes buyers will refer to the description when describing misinformation or out and out fraud.   Many disreputable sellers will try to hedge their bets by phrasing the description in a way where they can imply they were unaware of the authenticity of the watch.   Common examples are:

"I bought the watch at an estate sale."

"It belonged to my grandfather who just passed."

"I got the watch as a gift from work."

"I'm selling it for a friend."

"I don't have the box or papers, but my jeweler said it was authentic."

"I can't vouch for the authenticity so bid accordingly."

"I'm no watch expert, but it looks real to me."

"This was my ex-boyfriend's watch and I just want to get rid of it."

And many more; the gist of it is the seller is unable or unwilling to fully vouch for the watch.  This typically points to the fact that they are fully aware the watch is a replica; they're just hoping you'll swallow the bait and ignore the caveat.

While even if the original box and paperwork is supplied with the watch these things can (and have) been forged or faked.   There is a market in replica Rolex boxes around the world; you can buy one for $25.  While not exact to the genuine Rolex they may pass as real in a photograph that doesn't focus on their details. Still, close ups of the paperwork (including the signed warranty card) are great.   A copy of the sales receipt also adds credibility.

The Seller's Reputation

After all is said and done it all comes down to how well you can trust the other party in the transaction.  You're purchasing a product sight unseen from a total stranger.  You have to establish a certain level of trust with that individual to reduce your overall risk in the purchase.

Ebay and most auction systems offer a method of feedback that provides a rating for a seller's previous transactions.   This allows other buyers to give the thumbs up or down on the way the seller handled the transaction and the quality of the goods compared to the description.  This is a handy tool to gauge someone's past performance.   But there is no guarantee that this transaction will be handled as previous ones have.

Ebay has actually two ratings: the feedback rating which lists how many happy sellers they've dealt with, and a percentage that shows how many transactions they've had that have gone smoothly. A person with a high feedback number but a percentage in the low 70s means they've been busy but have had a lot of unsatisfied customers.   Always look at both ratings when evaluating a seller.

Hackers and other family members may gain access to someone's auction account.  By posting a listing for a product they can use that seller's account and rating without the original user's knowledge.   This means that guy with the 440 successful transactions may be for this transaction someone else with designs on ripping you off.

One way of reducing this risk is to view the feedback of the seller.  Clicking on the seller's feedback number will allow you to view in detail the transactions they've been involved in.   Look for some kind of recent change in reliability.  Does the seller have plenty of good feedback until last month?   This may be an indication of a hacker taking over.

Also look at whether the transactions are from buying or selling goods.  A person that has bought 200 baseball cards in the past and is all of a sudden selling a $5,000 watch should be examined very closely.   Don't let it be the only deciding factor; everyone has a first time for selling on Ebay.

Higher ratings and sellers with storefronts are good indications that the person has something to lose by trying to cheat you.   If a seller has a low rating (fewer than 20) he really has little to lose if you're unsatisfied.  He doesn't have the built in value to his account that someone who has hundreds of sales stands to see in jeopardy.

But even the big watch sellers online can be duped.  I've seen several replica auctions from reputable sellers.   The photographs reveal the problem usually, their descriptions are detailed but making the assumption the watch is real.  Truly, this is where your knowledge and examination of the listing really becomes important.

The Transaction

Before you buy or bid on a watch look carefully at the details of the listing itself.  It will show the payment methods accepted, as well as the shipping charges incurred.   One of the tricks people use is to only accept money orders, wire transfers, or Western Union payments.  All of these methods allow them to get the cash and give you no recourse later if you are unsatisfied.   If possible pay with a credit card or even Paypal which give you some options to dispute the charge later if there is a problem.

Stay away from escrow services unless you are very familiar with the company.  Escrow services act as a third party in the transaction.   They hold the buyer's money until the buyer receives the item.  Once the buyer has inspected the item and is satisfied the escrow company releases the cash to the seller.

There are several scams that involve you sending your money to an escrow service that is in reality just a vehicle to get your credit card information, or to take your money.   Escrow handled properly is a good way in dealing with large transactions where a lot of risk is involved.  Frankly, if you're spending $20,000 on a Patek Philippe it's probably worth the plane ticket to meet the seller at an authorized dealer and handle the transaction face to face.

Shipping is something to be concerned with as well; if the seller is in a foreign country be aware that there may be trouble in getting the watch through customs.   Customs will want to charge you fees for importing the watch into the country. Buying from someone with experience in providing the proper forms for customs can aid in speeding up this process.

Buying from a foreign seller also involves higher shipping costs.  Always insist on the watch being shipped via EMS or some other carrier such as FedEx that can provide a tracking number and insurance for the package.  This gives you a way of following the shipment to your doorstep.

Buying from a seller in the same country is the easiest way to deal with this process as shipping is greatly simplified.   I prefer to use US Postal System's Priority Mail as it is relatively inexpensive and can provide tracking and insurance.  One of the nice features of Ebay is you can generate the necessary postage directly from Ebay and Paypal.   This makes shipping a package easy and aids in the paper trail.

It's Here!

Once you receive the watch, open the package carefully and inspect the goods.  Have your moment of satisfaction and excitement, but then move onto making sure you received what you paid for. This means look at the watch in detail; inspect the case back and dial.   Is it the proper color dial?  Do all the functions work properly?  Does it wind well and does the crown screw down tightly?   This is your best opportunity to find fault with the watch.

Hopefully the watch is what you wanted and you can happily leave positive feedback for the seller on the auction site.   Be sure to ask the seller to leave you feedback as well.  This benefits both parties by raising your ratings.

If you have a problem with the watch or the transaction immediately email or contact the seller and politely describe what the problem is. Perhaps they forgot to ship the paperwork, or maybe the watch doesn't meet the description on the auction.   Your first steps should be to try to work something out with the seller.  It could very well be an honest mistake on their part and something they'll work to correct.

If for some reason you're unable to contact or can't reach a settlement with the seller you can contact the auction house and have them attempt to mediate a settlement.   When all else fails it's time to contact your credit card company and dispute the transaction.  Remember to leave negative feedback that describes the problem at the lack of resolution.

Whatever you do, don't just sit and stew. This process is something best dealt with quickly while all the details are still fresh.