Updates on Authentication for Luxury Wristwatches

[community_team]

The newly announced Authenticity Guarantee protects you when you sell a luxury wristwatch in the US with verified returns, so you can sell luxury watches with peace of mind and your buyers can shop with confidence. 

You can read more about this change here, and leave any questions below so our experts can review. 

[tartan43]

In vintage watches there are so many variables and details to know about for each and every model of a specific brand, much less know everything about all major brands how can one really trust the assessment of an Authenticator whose credentials are unpublished/unverifiable? What happens if eBay Authenticator declares a watch to be authentic, but the Authorized Dealer concludes the watch is a fake?

[Anonymous]

We have partnered with a reputable and independent authenticator who has 30+ years of experience working with luxury watches that are both modern and vintage. If you have questions about the authentication results, we have a dedicated Watches Customer Service Team that can assist you.

[1tuna]

how do I get ahold of this team Watches Customer Service Team

[Anonymous]

If you call or email in to eBay Customer Service with a question related to Authenticity Guarantee, you will be routed to the dedicated team.

[shipscript]

Based on  forum feedback, this is something I've been wanting for quite some time for fine jewelry (gemstones, gold, silver) as well. Many buyers and sellers are taken for a ride in those areas, either by sellers of fake stones and plated metal or by buyers who remove a real stone and return a fake.

New Authenticity Guarantee protects you when you sell a watch for $2,000 or more in the US with verified returns, so you can sell high value watches with peace of mind and your buyers can shop with confidence. Now when you sell a high value watch with the “Authenticity Guarantee” badge, you’ll ship your item [at seller expense] to our authentication partner for verification of condition and authenticity [at eBay expense]​​, then our authentication partner will ship [at eBay expense] the verified watch to your buyer.

If your item qualifies for Authenticity Guarantee, it will automatically be given the Authenticity Guarantee checkmark.

Aside from the brand and value (over $2k) of the watch, are there any seller requirements for receiving the Authenticity badge ?

[brian_burke@ebay]

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@shipscript wrote:

Based on  forum feedback, this is something I've been wanting for quite some time for fine jewelry (gemstones, gold, silver) as well. Many buyers and sellers are taken for a ride in those areas, either by sellers of fake stones and plated metal or by buyers who remove a real stone and return a fake.

New Authenticity Guarantee protects you when you sell a watch for $2,000 or more in the US with verified returns, so you can sell high value watches with peace of mind and your buyers can shop with confidence. Now when you sell a high value watch with the “Authenticity Guarantee” badge, you’ll ship your item [at seller expense] to our authentication partner for verification of condition and authenticity [at eBay expense]​​, then our authentication partner will ship [at eBay expense] the verified watch to your buyer.

If your item qualifies for Authenticity Guarantee, it will automatically be given the Authenticity Guarantee checkmark.

Aside from the brand and value (over $2k) of the watch, are there any seller requirements for receiving the Authenticity badge ?

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@shipscript 

The program is item based, so if the item meets the criteria it is eligible for the Authenticity Guarantee.

There are some exclusions, see FAQs https://pages.ebay.com/authenticity-guarantee-seller/  - this is more for others, I know you've read them. 🙂 

Thanks

Brian

[anotherahab]

I recently sold two wristwatches here, each for well over $2,000 US, in auction format. My understanding is that these items, shipping from the US to the US, would automatically be subject to eBay's new Authenticity Guarantee. Yet when I used the eBay-supplied shipping labels for each item, they were sent directly to the buyers, and not to the eBay authenticator, as represented in all of eBay's posted articles on the Authenticity Guarantee program.

What am I missing here? Has this program been abruptly discontinued? Is there a reason some watches would not be subject to the Authenticity Guarantee, despite meeting eBay's stated criteria (US origin, US destination, not listed as vintage, sold for >$2,000)? I am concerned that both my buyers and myself have been misled here.

[tartan43]

Looking at US only, auction-style, Rolex wristwatches starting at above $2k, on Oct 2nd, there were 318 active listings. Only 53 had the “Authenticity Guarantee”. That’s less than 17% of items qualifying. When excluding “vintage” items, there were 219 of which 47 had the “Authenticity Guarantee” or 16% of non vintage wristwatches. Every item with “Authenticity Guarantee” listed shipping outside of the US.

Is there more to the criteria than listed in the FAQ?

[tartan43]

Correction 291 nonvintage wristwatches...

[comics-scifi-collectibles]

@anotherahab  If your listing does not have the authenticity guaranteed blue logo then it is NOT participating in the program.