eBay, which houses one of the largest inventory of new, vintage and pre-owned contemporary and fine watches in the world has expanded its ‘Authenticity Guarantee’ programme to luxury watches in the UK.
The specialised service has been designed to offer consumers an extra level of confidence to ensure that they are buying authentic luxury goods on eBay, all at no extra cost to the buyer. The ‘Authenticity Guarantee’ offers independent authentication by watch-specialists Stoll & Co, including a multi-point inspection, a unique authentication card, and secure fast-tracked delivery.
The process covers all wristwatches sold for more than 2,000 pounds across all brands, including the most popular players – Rolex, Omega, Tag Heuer, Breitling, Patek Phillipe and Audemars Piguet.
Kirsty Keoghan, director of luxury goods at eBay UK, explains: “When it comes to purchasing luxury goods such as watches, confidence and trust is paramount for our customers. Our number one goal is to bring more trust to our marketplace for our entire eBay community which is why we are investing in authenticity guarantee for watches at no extra cost to the buyer or seller, so customers can buy or sell luxury watches with complete confidence and have the item delivered to their door within two days via secure delivery.”
How does eBay’s ‘Authenticity Guarantee’ for watches work?
Worried about whether pre-loved designer watches are genuine? Well, eBay’s ‘Authentication Guarantee’ service takes the worry out of shopping with third-party authentication and enhanced seller protection with verified returns.
- Proof of authentication: Upon receiving the item, the authenticator confirms they are consistent with the listing title, description, and images. Each watch is given a unique barcode and entered into a tracking system. An eBay tag embedded with NFC chip technology is attached to guarantee its authenticity and finalise the process, driving confidence in the collectability and resale value.
- Third-Party authentication: eBay has partnered with an independent team of authenticators from watch-specialists Stoll & Co, who will carry out a multi-point physical authentication inspection: including the crown, bezel, dial, case, clasp/buckle, hands, end links, and reference number. Any collateral that is sent alongside it is also vetted, including the watches’ inner and outer boxes, as well as the pillow on which the watch is presented.
- Enhanced seller protection with verified returns: For sellers who choose to offer returns, eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee programme ensures the exact item initially sold is returned to the seller, via a verified returns process. Returns are shipped back directly to the authentication centre, where the third-party authenticators verify each item and its condition before returning it to the seller.
Shop eBay’s authentic timepieces
The expansion to luxury watches follows the success of the ‘Authentication Guarantee’ for sneakers earlier this year, where new and used sneakers from popular brands sold on the marketplace for 100 pounds or more are similarly vetted and verified by an independent team of authenticators.
It also comes as interest in watches has spiked, with searches on eBay.co.uk increasing by 31 percent over the last two years with one watch selling every 28 seconds on the platform last year. The most expensive watch sold on eBay UK in the past three years was a Rolex GMT Master II 126715CHNR Rose Gold 40mm Black Dial 2019 with papers for 50,000 pounds.
The three most popular watch brands, based on sales are: Rolex, Omega and Tudor and the platform has many styles to choose from, including the popular Rolex Datejust, Omega Seamaster, and Tudor Black Bay. All the consumer needs to do is look for the blue ‘Authenticity Guarantee’ tick badge when searching for timepieces – to purchase with confidence.
Learn more and browse eBay’s full collection of authenticated luxury wristwatches
Image: courtesy of eBay
