I bought a used Speedmaster Racing from Japan on Chrono24 for $2800 total. After all fees/tax. Heck of a deal. It was pretty much in perfect condition, no scratches at all.
One thing ive noticed with Japan’s sellers is that some of theme are drop shipping for another seller. Ive seen a few accounts with the exact same pictures and descriptions, light reflections, and photo backgrounds. I told two accounts that had the same photos. One said the watch was in storage and couldn’t send pictures. The other admitted he was selling for another seller for a profit and not in possession of the watch. Both sellers had great ratings
Harrison that bracelet tip is so so true. I just walked away from a purchase on eBay because I wouldn’t have been able to wear the watch and the cost of adding two links pushed it over my budget. Great tip man and appreciate the video 🙌🏻
If you get the chance, go to Japan with the intention to buy a watch and allow days for the pursuit not hours, it’s amazing over there, entire regions of the various cities dedicated to used watches. ❤
I’m soooo jealous of you guys getting a heck of a deal because the exchange rate is really favorable for the States. For us in Japan, buying from a foreign seller is like getting a total rip-off😂
I bought a vintage omega from a seller in Germany. I couldn't find any additional links and when I asked him about it he didn't reply back for over a week but said he could help. I decided to return it due to his lack of responding in a timely fashion, I had no confidence that he could actually produce the needed links and he agreed that it would be difficult, based upon the return window I promptly returned it, lesson learned. Thanks for the great information!
Spot on. I’ve ordered a couple from that same seller in Japan and was blown away with the condition of my speedy reduced. Then… I sold it and nabbed the 3861 from a great seller in CA. Also great advice on buying used. My friends think I’m insane when I show them my watches and I have to explain that I could sell them and not lose much.
I bought a Tudor 7904 from an eBay seller. I showed general interest in watches and he told me about a facebook forum I could join. It’s not always going to happen but showing appreciation and interest can lead to something.
Always good to reiterate good buying habits/protocols when buying used. I bought my SMP300 from a quality/vetted Japanese watch shop. A friend of mine personally worked with them for close to half a dozen watches, and my experience was great. And guess what? It was Closer, who you showed on eBay. Bought from them via Chrono24, got it within a week. Customs clearance took more time than the raw shipping time from JP to the US, and then US Customs in Ohio to me in Utah. But alas, the watch looked better than advertised, runs fantastically, and is entirely legit.
"But alas, the watch looked better than advertised, runs fantastically, and is entirely legit." FYI, this doesn't make sense; "alas" is used to express disappointment. e.g. But alas, the watch looked worse than advertised, runs poorly, and is entirely fake."
That is funny when I saw your video since I buy from Japan as well and the same seller also. Very solid transactions on my end and they are very meticulous with their stuff.
I bought a Speedy sapphire sandwich from that exact same shop out of Japan off Chrono for $3,800 on an aftermarket leather strap. Great deal, great condition, great watch. Highly recommend Closer.
It was mentioned that some watches are being offered by several different Japanese eBay sellers simultaneously. (I think Harrison was referring to that scenario -- not positive.) I wrote this to a few such sellers, "How is it that you are selling the same watch with the same photos at the same time as several other eBay sellers?" One seller replied (paraphrasing), "We re-post watches that are presently posted on Japanese sites that are for domestic bidders/buyers only. If you buy from us, we then go buy that item for you and ship it to you." I hear they sometimes cancel your purchase if the item is bought by someone else before the "intermediary" seller has a chance to buy the item. The mark-ups of each "intermediary" sellers differ. I haven't bought from any of these "intermediary" sellers.
I’ve bought several Swiss watches from Japan (Omega, Ball, Rado, Tudor) and have experienced little-to-no hassle at all. Fees are an annoying but necessary component to that. Condition-wise, anything I’ve gotten has either met or exceeded my expectations and I’ll continue to buy from Japanese sellers when I find new pieces that interest me.
thanks for showing the customs fees you've paid on a variety of different priced watches. looking at the customs website was more confusing that it was helpful
I have also purchased several pieces from Japan. Usually great pricing. My understanding is that there is a cultural thing in Japan where pre-owned items are not valued as highly by Japanese Buyers.
As someone who needs every link in that 8” bracelet, sellers pulling a couple of links to sell separately is a real nuisance. I basically assume that, if it doesn’t come with spare links or is stated as not resized, I just assume it’s not going to fit. If I see spare links for a model where I’m interested in several variants of going for a sensible price, I’ll pick them up on spec just so I know I can wear a possible future watch as it comes in.
I buy from that seller too and once they even messaged me to point out polishing has removed part of the logo on the crown. They helped me find another watch.
I have noticed that almost every watch I've looked at on Ebay is nowhere near large enough to fit on my wrist. I thought that they were pulling links and selling them separately, since that's what most firearms distributors do with police trade-ins. They get them with three magazines, and then sell them with one magazine and sell the other two. I've spent 4 months trying to find a new bracelet or just some links for my vintage seiko flightmaster with minimal success.
Great video, and appreciate the tips! Residing in Dubai, purchasing in Japan could be a viable option. I'm on Chrono24 & Ebay, but have yet to buy a piece on either platform...
India is absolutely notorious for "Frankenwatches". Japan is usually fantastic to buy from, as older Japanese people tend to REALLY take care of their belongings.
You really need to watch out for those import fees since it varies depending where you live. I bought 3 expensive watches in total on Ebay (1 from Dubai et 2 from Japan) and the fees were 20-22% on the total amount (I live in Canada ; took about 1 week to receive it). All 3 transactions were stress free and shipped via DHL. Absolutely do your research before buying on Ebay, especially those feedback ratings and what the actual seller is selling. I've came across a lot of Japanese selling over 15000 items in their stores (almost like an online mega pawn shop) and some that specializes in luxury goods or watches.
Japan sellers will overpolish massivly most of their watches, as a scratch is considered a dishonnor in their country. Plus they have the tiniest wrists so it is always quite small in average. And if your in Canada, you're going to pay 23% import fees on top of the actual price. Yes the prices are lower, but they are for a reason, make sure you pay attention to these details as well
Great video! Learned a lot. Bought a vintage Speedy of eBay from Brazil and it never arrived. I don’t think they actually sent it even though they gave me a tracking number. Thankfully with eBay I got my money back. Do you have a video about selling watches? I live in Canada and recently sold my Seiko SBDX017 (MM300) to a buyer in the USA using chrono24. Customs has contacted me and wants the breakdown of the watch parts!!! I tried my best to figure out what each part would cost but what a hassle. Still waiting for it to clear customs. I think I may just sell to buyers in Canada to avoid this headache. Has this happened to you? Kind regards
Just bought my Navitimer 41 B01 on eBay from a Japanese seller. Fantastic price and experience. Japan actually has some stuff laws when it comes to fakes and replicas so it’s pretty safe.
I bought about 5 watches from Closer. 1 hit, 1 miss, the rest kind of average. All had flaws, some hidden like short treads on crown, some visible but there is always a problem with this seller, you just need too look for it properly. There is a reason, why they are the cheapest and I learned to pay a bit more and buy elsewhere.
Very helpful video. Been thinking about buying a Grand Seiko off of Chrono24 from Japan. So if I was to buy off a dealer from Japan there they should fill out that paperwork correct?
I'm looking at buying an Omega from Closer,but i've noticed they use the same photos for several watches....and i can't get a response from them at all.
Guys, im really sorry you had that experiences, I am a seller from Argentina and I sell on eBay, all i want is to have my clients satisfied. There are some stupid people that make us all see as bad people
Anyone know if Japanese sellers tend to polish or instead leave the watches unpolished. Would of course ask before purchasing as it depends on the seller. But curious if there was a trend.
i didnt realize people were too stupid to count the links or ask before paying thousands lmao. i count online. ask them to verify also so when i receive the watch, they didn't pull links afternthe listing. Google will tell you how many links a watch should have. why wouldn't you use a non fully linked bracelet as a bargain chip
