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Thread: eBay "authenticity guarantee"

  1. #1
    Master FrontierGibberish's Avatar
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    eBay "authenticity guarantee"

    Sold a watch more than a week ago, buyer paid immediately, I posted it RMSD the same day and sent him the tracking number.
    Three days later I got a mysterious email from eBay's "authenticity centre" saying my watch had been authenticated and would be professionally repacked and sent to the buyer. Had no idea what this was.
    Yesterday the buyer sent me a message demanding to know where his watch was, not unreasonably. I try to be a great ebayer so was really concerned. Called ebay, turns out that any watch listed (that's listed, not sold) for £1,500 or more is automatically subject to this new system. So the address I send it to wasn't the buyer but some warehouse near London where the check is done.
    Anyway, they sent it on via UPS who have been trying to deliver it (they claim) for three days. I messaged the buyer and got ebay to do the same but he just told me he's been in all day and they have again claimed they couldn't deliver it, despite not actually trying and not leaving a card. So he's asking for a refund. That's between him and ebay it turns out, but that's not the point. Poor bloke has shelled out a lot of money for something which a week later hasn't arrived and shows no sign of arriving. Really upset for him and annoyed for me.
    I understand why they're doing this, to protect buyers from fakes and sellers from scams (although of course what they're really protecting is their market which watch sellers have been leaving in droves because it's such a mess of swindling) but the system clearly doesn't work.
    Anyone else had experience with this sh*tshow?

  2. #2
    There’s a thread somewhere about this. A few people here appear to have used it w/o issue.

  3. #3
    Grand Master markrlondon's Avatar
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    https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.p...%A31500-and-up

    Fwiw, it seems to be working for most people.

  4. #4
    Craftsman kinyik's Avatar
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    Buyer should’ve been told by eBay re their authentication process on checkout. Unfortunately this doesn’t stop the buyer from being annoyed at the seller too. Hope you get sorted!


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  5. #5
    Grand Master markrlondon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by FrontierGibberish View Post
    Anyway, they sent it on via UPS who have been trying to deliver it (they claim) for three days. I messaged the buyer and got ebay to do the same but he just told me he's been in all day and they have again claimed they couldn't deliver it, despite not actually trying and not leaving a card.
    Just think, if you'd sent it direct via UPS then you'd be on the hook to the buyer/eBay for the missing watch!

    I've heard negative things about UPS recently. Used to be good, now going down hill. That said, I had several shipments from Eddie via UPS last year which all went well for me.

  6. #6
    Master FrontierGibberish's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kinyik View Post
    Buyer should’ve been told by eBay re their authentication process on checkout. Unfortunately this doesn’t stop the buyer from being annoyed at the seller too. Hope you get sorted!


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    Thanks. At this stage he's saying he understands it's not my fault but i also think he thinks the refund is coming from me and what he's about to discover is that his dispute is with ebay. Fully expect his (understandable) fury to result in some horrific feedback before to long. Just feel for him really.

  7. #7
    Master FrontierGibberish's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by markrlondon View Post
    https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.p...%A31500-and-up

    Fwiw, it seems to be working for most people.
    I'm very suspicious of it. Firstly how many watches are going in to that warehouse in Ruislip everyday? 200? 500? Not convinced about the quality of the checks.
    Secondly, someone soon is going to wake up to the fact that every single package posted to that address contains a watch worth £1500 or more, with inevitable consequences.
    And finally UPS have presumably done a deal with ebay to deliver these things on the basis of volume, i.e. as cheaply as possible, which may explain why they're telling my guy outright lies.

  8. #8
    Grand Master Wallasey Runner's Avatar
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    I sold a watch for just short of £4k and the system worked fine. Communication is the key and each time I got an e-mail off e-bay I screen shotted it and sent a copy on to the buyer so he knew what was happening during the whole process.

    No idea what checks were carried out on the watch, but the process was very smooth.

    I can see how it would go wrong if the buyer had no idea what was happening.

  9. #9
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    Just finished a deal today using this I was the seller took 2.5 days from start to finish, watch was a 20k Rolex I’m really impressed with how it all went

  10. #10
    Master FrontierGibberish's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hooshabak View Post
    Just finished a deal today using this I was the seller took 2.5 days from start to finish, watch was a 20k Rolex I’m really impressed with how it all went
    Clearly some folk have had better experiences than me. I guess in my case neither I nor the buyer knew this system existed, and now UPS have gone in to crapo mode just to make matters worse.

  11. #11
    Master blackal's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by FrontierGibberish View Post
    I'm very suspicious of it. Firstly how many watches are going in to that warehouse in Ruislip everyday? 200? 500? Not convinced about the quality of the checks.
    Secondly, someone soon is going to wake up to the fact that every single package posted to that address contains a watch worth £1500 or more, with inevitable consequences.
    And finally UPS have presumably done a deal with ebay to deliver these things on the basis of volume, i.e. as cheaply as possible, which may explain why they're telling my guy outright lies.
    Yeah - I'm not convinced they provide full integrity. I reckon they will examine a percentage (and may concentrate on the higher value watches), and play the odds on the rest.

    As you say - they have watched their revenue for those items ebb, and are responding with a scheme to bring the sellers back.

    A small dealer told me that he just sends Rolex off to RSC by RMSD (with no additional cover) as "RM look after parcels going to RSC". As you concur - it merely becomes an address where the chances of striking gold by snaffling a parcel - are pretty high.

    Anyway - time will tell (so to say)

  12. #12
    Sounds like the issue is with UPS, not eBay nor their authentication service.

    As someone said higher up the thread, imagine if you’d posted the watch directly and this issue happened. In this circumstance, you’re protected, the buyer is protected and the watch has been verified as genuine. Whether or not one trusts the quality of the authentication process is another matter altogether.

    As to whether the postie is going to get wise to packages being delivered to the authenticator, that’s true of any watch service centre too. I don’t remember hearing about lots of packages never arriving to STS.

    As far as I see it, it helps their platform. I’d sell / buy through it again

  13. #13
    Master FrontierGibberish's Avatar
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    Just an update. The item has still not arrived (according to the buyer) so ebay have asked UPS to return it to them. Meanwhile, the buyer has opened a payment dispute. Great.

  14. #14
    Grand Master markrlondon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by FrontierGibberish View Post
    Just an update. The item has still not arrived (according to the buyer) so ebay have asked UPS to return it to them. Meanwhile, the buyer has opened a payment dispute. Great.
    All frustrating but at least it should all be eventually resolved so you are not out of pocket.

    Will be interesting to see if the watch gets back to eBay/Stoll.
    Last edited by markrlondon; 22nd March 2022 at 18:04.

  15. #15
    Master FrontierGibberish's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by markrlondon View Post
    All frustrating but at least it should all be eventually resolved so you are not out of pocket.

    Will be interesting to see if the watch gets back to eBay.
    Yes, ebay say I’m covered but it it goes against me then we’ll find out how real that is. Potentially no watch and no money. Shambles.


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  16. #16
    Craftsman
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    UPS are normally good, DHL on the other hand.

    If is was the buyer I'd want to know what checks eBay are doing i.e are they opening up the watch, if so who is trained for this.

    As a seller it's a bit of having to be the one updating the buyer, eBay should be doing this.


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