ShopWorn, a New York-based trader of overstock watches, has been in hyper growth mode over the past year, according to its chief executive Larry Birnbaum.
He says his role is to take customers on a journey of discovery and encourages them to come back regularly to the site to see what new brands and watches have come in.
“That’s the excitement we like to present to our customers as they find a watch they missed when it first came out, only to find it again on ShopWorn at exceptional value,” he says.
ShopWorn currently works with more than 80 brands — presenting past seasons’ unsold inventory — and aims to increase that to more than 120 this year.
A key message from Larry is that they are not in the gray market business, but rather provide a valuable service for brands seeking to manage the seasonality of product drops without undercutting authorized dealers.
“We want brands to understand the ShopWorn business model is not just the sustainable alternative to destroying their unsold inventory, it’s also the best means of keeping their watches off the gray market,” he explains.
“Nothing is ever presented on our site as ‘new’ with our being clear with our customers the savings they’re receiving is because the item isn’t of the moment.
“In this way, we protect our brand partners’ value proposition as our customers aren’t comparing a ShopWorn watch against a watch at their local dealer.”
