You want to part with your Rolex or another watch model. It's not easy, because you're wondering how you can sell it easily and at the right price online.
Many questions remain unanswered:
On which site should you place an ad?
How to make your advert as attractive as possible?
How much to sell your watch for?
Here are the steps we advise you to follow before putting your watch online.
1. Choose the right showcase
The first thing to choose is the site where you want to sell.
It all depends on what you want from the sale, whether you want to sell quickly, or at the best price.
In any case, we advise you to place your ad on a specialised site. Most watch lovers go to these sites because the sellers are more professional and there are not as many scams as on ebay or leboncoin for example.
On Chrono24 there is a fixed commission of 6.5%, whereas on other specialised sites such as Chronext or Watchfinder you will have to fill in all the information about your watch in order to know the price you can expect. On the generalist site leboncoin there is no commission, and on Ebay it varies between 3 and 12%.
To maximise your chances, you can of course put your watch on several sites.
If you don't want to deal with all this, you can also make a deposit with a watchmaker. He will take care of everything, and he can also help you choose the best price, in exchange for a commission. However, this may take a little longer.
When selling on the Internet, you should also be aware of the hidden costs, particularly delivery with insurance: this cost is about 1% of the price of the watch and depends on the carrier. Please note that watches worth more than $500 are not covered by UPS.
Things can become even more complex if the site is international, the watch will be available to people all over the world and so there will be customs charges, in which case be sure to specify whether all charges are included. Also expect potential customers to negotiate your price, this is a common practice in this market.
2. Take good pictures
Now that you have chosen the site(s) on which you are going to put your watch, let's see how to make the best possible ad.
The most important part of your advert is the photos of your watch, even if it's a simple vintage Omega or a Rolex Datejust or Patek Philippe, they will give an idea of the condition of your watch and make the buyer want to buy it.
So take your photos with a camera or a good smartphone, with daylight and a uniform background or a nice setting. Take a photo from every angle (several from the front, the back, both sides, the strap...). If your watch has the slightest defect (scratches, traces of a shock...), specify it in the description and take photos of it. Transparency is highly recommended, as this will avoid unpleasant surprises with a return and the subsequent refund.
Here is an example of the different elements of a watch to get the perfect ad:
Photos taken from a Rolex Submariner 16800 from the collection of watchmaker Romain Réa.
3. Provide a full description of the product
Think of your description as your sales pitch, which allows you to give all the information that you cannot get from the photos. Be as precise as possible by saying everything you know about the watch, the year, the calibre, the material of the strap, the additional elements you have (box, papers). The information you provide is very useful for the filters, and will allow your ad to be displayed in the more advanced searches of certain buyers.
You can also add a more personal dimension to your ad by storytelling or explaining the attractions of this particular model, its history...
4. Finding the right price
If you have no idea what the price is, type in the brand name of the reference model on a shopping site and compare with the watches available that have the most similar criteria to your model. Don't rely on the purchase price as prices can quickly rise. For the rarer models, a different colour of the bezel or an inscription can make the price jump, try to find out beforehand by finding watches similar to yours.
For example, a classic Rolex GMT-Master 1675 can be found at around €12,000, whereas if it has the Tiffany signature, the price will reach €50,000.
There are variables that will increase prices, here is a non-exhaustive list:
Presence of box and/or papers, perfect condition, nice polishing, the watch has already been serviced...
Conversely, the absence or poor quality of the above criteria will lower the price you can expect.
Now you know everything to maximise your chances of selling online. However, if you have little information or want to reassure your buyer about the authenticity of your watch, you can make a Watch Certificate.
You'll get a precise estimate of your watch's value with 53 checkpoints, including the condition of each part.
