How To Sell My Watch Online (We Buy Used Watches)
If you have been wondering “how to sell my watch online”, just know that it is easy. However, there are a few important things to consider and steps you should take. Nonetheless, you are in luck because at Raymond Lee Jewelers, WE BUY USED WATCHES, and the process is simple.
The purpose of this article is to address and answer all of the following questions you may have:
What kind of watch do I have?
How much is my watch worth?
Where should I sell my luxury watch online and what is the process of making the sale?
Let’s jump right into it.
How to sell my watch online (5 quick and easy steps):
Step 1: Learn everything you can about your watch.
The first step in selling your watch online is finding out as much as you can about your secondhand timepiece. The reason you should do this first is so that you can easily research what the approximate value of your watch is worth. You may find that it’s not worth selling as it has more emotional value than monetary value. You may also find that this is a collectible watch and if you hold on to it, it could be worth even more in the future.
A luxury watch is an asset – be sure to know what your asset is worth before you just jump into selling it. To do so, you need to first know what kind of what you own
Check your watch’s papers
By accessing your watch’s accessory set, sales receipt, original paperwork, or just the marking on the dial and case, you can learn vital information about the make, model, and age of your watch.
However, there are many cases where people have watches given or passed down to them and they don’t know exactly what kind of watch they have. It is likely that you have a watch without papers or the original box, and sometimes it’s hard to find out what model number is.
If you can’t find the model number to your watch, here’s what you can do…
If you know the brand, the first thing you can do to find your watch’s model number is to Google ‘model number on a (insert brand name here)’. It will tell you where you can find the model number on your watch.
If this fails to produce an answer, there are still more options for figuring out what kind of watch you have.
There are tons of watch experts out there and they can tell you all about your watch. The best part is, you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your home to get in touch with them. Hop on a forum dedicated to luxury watches and make a post “what kind of watch do I have”, you might even want to add in – “and, what’s it worth?” then attach a picture so people can comment with answers. You will be surprised how helpful and knowledgeable people are on these forums, and it’s free! Here is a good forum on Reddit dedicated to luxury watches.
The simplest way is to contact Raymond Lee Jewelers with a few pictures and ask “what kind of watch is this?”
Once your watch model has been identified, you can learn everything about it.
There are three things you will want to consider first:
- Brand
- Model/Limited Edition Pieces
- Age
Some brands retain more value than others (more on this below).
The model is important as it will tell you if your watch is a limited edition piece or if they are still producing it or if it was a coveted vintage model like the Universal Genève Polerouter or the Tag Heuer Autavia
And, age is an important factor as well (older doesn’t necessarily mean it is worth more money, but it can greatly affect the price).
There are other important factors and features that help a watch keep sufficient value for resale, such as:
- The complexity of the watch (was it created by hand and how intricate is the design).
- If it is made from stainless steel.
- Traditional – it has hours, minutes, seconds and date; if it has features that are too faddish or garish the watch is less likely to hold its original value.
- The size is average (this depends on current trends, if big-face watches are in, then a big face watch could be worth more now).
- It has an automatic Swiss movement.
- The brand sells well when new.
- It was previously owned or worn by someone of note.
- The components and strap are original.
The more points above that you can check off, the better chance you have of selling your watch at a high price.
A really important factor to note is that there are some brands and models that are generally more expensive than others…
Which watches hold their value best?
It really depends on the model number and if it is a limited edition, plus the current demand in the secondhand market, however, generally speaking, the following brands can retain good value:
- Alain Silberstein
- Lange & Sohne
- Audemars Piquet
- Blancpain
- Breitling
- Breguet
- Bvlgari
- Cartier
- Chaumet
- Chopard
- Chronoswiss
- Corum
- De Grisogono
- Ebel
- Dubey & Schaldenbrand
- Franck Muller
- Gerald Genta
- Gevril
- Girard Perregaux
- Glashutte
- Harry Winston
- Hublot
- IWC (International Watch Company)
- Jacob & Co.
- Jaeger Le-Coultre
- Omega
- Panerai
- Parmigiani
- Patek Philippe
- Piaget
- Roger Dubuis
- Rolex
- Tudor
- Ulysse Nardin
- Van Cleef & Arpelsbr
- Vacheron Constantin
- Zenith
Step 2: Estimate the value of your watch
What makes watches valuable?
- Brand
- Box and papers
- Model/Limited Edition Pieces
- Condition
- Age
The 5 points above can all change the value of your watch.
If you have the original box and paperwork, it shows the authenticity, which can land you a significant amount more when reselling. The case it came in and the papers alone can add between 20%-50% to the resale value of your watch.
The condition, of course, plays a big role in how much it’s worth.
Determining the condition:
Excellent: Rarely worn, has all of its original parts, and is in perfect condition.
Sufficient: VERY few, fine, tiny scratches or slight markings on the original bracelet.
Good: Worn well with care, works perfectly; the crystal, case, and winding crown were cleaned and serviced regularly; the bracelet has the original clasp and is in good condition.
Sufficient: Small, hardly visible scratches on metal bracelet or case, needing very slight polishing.
Average: Worn often and not well-maintained; hasn’t been for the previous 5 years, some service required; must check water resistance; the case needs thorough polishing; slight work needed on mechanism; and if it has a leather strap that needs replacement.
Sufficient: Various small-to-larger scratches visible; potential problem with the mechanism, scratches on crystal; anti-reflection finish is bad and bracelet worn-out.
“Can I sell a broken watch?”
You might be surprised to read this but, yes, sometimes you can sell a broken watch. It is possible that there can still be value in a broken watch. This depends on the brand, the amount of damage, and costs of repair. If your watch is broken, don’t be discouraged just yet… continue reading.
Search online to discover the current value of the watch.
Once you know all about your watch, you can get an idea of what it’s worth. There are various sources that you can use to determine the value. You can start by checking the brand’s website and retailer sites that sell your watch to see what price it’s being sold for.
If you have an older, vintage watch, you likely won’t find it on the brand’s or retail jeweler’s websites. In this case, you can check auction sites. You may not find the exact model, but if you can find watches of the same brand with a similar style and age, you can get a pretty good idea of the current market value (what buyers are willing to pay).
You also need to factor in the condition of your watch. If the watch has any scratches or dings, or if the watch has been serviced or repaired, the value will likely decrease. Sometimes vintage watches will have replacement pieces, which inevitably brings the value you down. You can get it appraised to see if it has any service history. Even if the watch works completely fine now, the service history will tell you if it lost a lot of its value.
* Having papers for service history also makes life much easier when selling a used watch.
After-market Price
You need to understand that the after-market price will be much different than the profit-inclusive retail price. This is because when you sell a watch, the person buying it is usually looking to resell it… unless you are selling it to someone who wants to wear it or someone who collects watches (in which case you could be trying to sell it for a long time as finding this kind of buyer is difficult).
It’s likely that your watch is worth much less than what you, or whoever gave it to you, paid for it. Yet, it’s quite possible that it could have increased in value because of its rarity or collectible status.
Once you determine if it’s worth selling, you can move forward with finding a buyer.
Step 3: Choose the best place to sell a watch online.
Let’s just get straight to the point; the best place to sell your watch online is to a reliable, reputable jeweler that will buy your watch online. This method of selling a used watch is quick, safe and the process is simple.
Reputable jeweler that buys watches online – Raymond Lee Jewelers:
Raymond Lee Jewelers offers a quick, easy, safe and convenient way to sell your watch online. The process is simple and we offer you a price that is extremely fair and accurate to the secondhand market. We are confident in saying that we are the best option, as many customers have told us that we offer the best price and we have a process that is headache free. We want to provide you with the best experience when selling something as valuable as a luxury watch, and we hope that you will always consider us in the future for any of your jewelry needs (selling or buying) – we always keep a long-term vision and hope to build relationships with our customers.
Our goal is to provide trust, transparency, and 100% customer satisfaction. Our customers can also rest assured that the transaction is being handled by experts and with expert care from start to finish.
Now, to be clear, this isn’t a simple sales pitch, it’s just a simple FACT, as you won’t get this kind of experience and service when selling to pawnshops or on eBay.
By the way, if you are in Boca Rotan or the South Florida area, please drop by our store to visit us!
You probably already know why you should avoid pawnshops for the sale of your vintage or luxury watches, but why should you avoid eBay?
Firstly, you can consider eBay as the armpit of online watch sales (for a lack of a better phrase). Any watch you sell on eBay is essentially a gamble. eBay always sides with the buyer, so if anything goes wrong with your sale, you could be in for a long and demanding process to get your money or watch back; eBay is best for selling watches of lesser value.
Does Raymond Lee Jewelers accept broken watches?
It’s possible that we will accept a broken watch. We will analyze the damage, factor in the repair costs, and then make a competitive offer if it makes sense for us. However, if your watch has water damage, we usually will not make an offer on it.
Step 4: Prepare your watch/documents
1. Gather the papers, original box and any pieces that may have been replaced.
Firstly, don’t bother cleaning it, let us as professionals have it serviced and cleaned as to not risk damaging and lowering the value.
If you have the original papers and box, great. Prepare those. If not, don’t worry about it.
Also, if you have any pieces that may have been serviced/replaced, prepare those as well, they may be of more value than you expect. Many buyers of watches place more value on original pieces over new, shiny replicas.
2. Take photos of your watch
Take high-quality photos of your watch. You don’t want pictures that are misleading.
- Make sure to get all angles of your watch in hi-resolution.
- Make sure the lighting is bright and doesn’t affect the color or create any blind spots on scratches or dings.
- Use the right camera. That doesn’t mean you need a DSLR. Smartphone camera technology has come a long way. A new iPhone would be just fine.
With all that being said, we don’t need professional photos, we just need photos that make it clear on exactly what your timepiece is and any issues it may have.
3. Take pictures of the documents and case that came with the watch.
If you have all the documents and the watch’s case, take pictures of all of these as well. Again, if not, don’t sweat it.
Step 5: Submit a request to our Contact Form.
- Fill out our online form and in the ‘message’ section let us know that you want to sell your watch to us.
- We will email you back shortly requesting the pictures and documents that you took.
- We will coordinate the purchase of your watch from there.
Once we have all the information, we will make you an offer and provide assurance of the sale.
If you accept, we will send you a prepaid label to ship the item to us. The label is for overnight, fully insured shipping to our store in Boca Raton (Raymond Lee Jewelers).
From there, we send you a check or bank transfer (depending on your preference) the same day we receive your watch.
We make sure the sale/purchase of your watch is intimate and we follow up with a phone call or email (depending on what you prefer) to finalize everything. We strive for 100% satisfaction in both efficiency and experience.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us.
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