eBay has been a leader in the trade of pre-owned luxury watches for over a decade. The marketplace, used by around 140 million people worldwide to buy and sell goods, has spent the past few years rolling out services in the luxury sector with the express intention of building trust within its community so that buyers and sellers are protected and confidence grows between the two.
Those services will be the focus of eBay’s presentation at WATCHPRO Salon in London in November, where it will show the sophistication of its Authenticity Guarantee and how it builds trust in pre-owned watch trading.
And to ensure the message gets across in the most exciting way possible, eBay is going to be giving away pre-owned luxury watches to lucky visitors to Salon.
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Full details of the giveaway and how visitors can win a luxury pre-owned watch are still under wraps, but eBay is promising to create a lot of buzz around the Authenticity Guarantee, and how it protects buyers and sellers in the UK for all watches purchased for over £2,000.
Authenticity Guarantee launched in the UK last year, the second market in the world to offer the service.
WATCHPRO visited eBay’s authentication facility in the UK shortly after its launch. The process blends advanced technology and human expertise checking every timepiece on route from a seller to a buyer.
Authentication in the UK is handled by Stoll & Co, a leading giant service business in the United States that opened a UK subsidiary last year.
Stoll & Co’s experts carry out a multi-point physical authentication inspection of the watches including the crown, bezel, dial, case, clasp/buckle, hands, end links, and reference number to guarantee the watch is genuine and that the seller has described it correctly in their listing.
Cleverly, the process protects both the buyer and the seller. Once authenticated by the experts, the watch is dispatched to the buyer. If the buyer decides to return it for any reason, the watch is checked again to ensure it continues to be the same item, in the same condition, as it was when heading in the other direction.
“Giving our customers the confidence to purchase luxury goods, in this case a watch, knowing it is authentic, is pivotal. We launched Authenticity Guarantee for watches, as part of our wider goal to build more trust on the eBay marketplace for the whole community and allow them to buy with complete confidence.” says Kirsty Keoghan, director of luxury goods at eBay UK.
Stoll & Co head watchmaker, Graham Foster, adds: “Buying an expensive watch online can be a nerve-wracking experience, that’s why this process is of utmost importance to the second hand luxury watch market, giving customers the security of knowing that their purchase is authentic. It’s the details within high end watches that make us tick, so we’re excited to bring our skills and expertise to the UK to help power eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee for watches.”
The Authenticity Guarantee coupled with eBay’s sheer scale and reach is a perfect combination for both buyers and sellers who, before the creation of online marketplaces, would have found it almost impossible to find each other.
Globally, eBay has over 100,000 watches covered by the Authenticity Guarantee spanning across new, pre-owned and vintage watches that come with the stamp of approval from independent experts.
WATCHPRO Salon 2022 exhibitors and partners
WATCHPRO Salon is a showcase of prestige watchmakers where collectors, brands, retailers and press meet in 5-star luxury.
Back for a second time after a sensational debut in 2021, the two-day event takes place from November 11 to 12 at The Londoner, one of the capital’s most spectacular 5-star hotels on London’s Leicester Square.
Exhibitors & Partners at WATCHPRO Salon 2022:
