[m j b]

If I may...

I am an occasional seller (and buyer) on this forum. I'm not a full-time dealer by any stretch of the imagination, I'm just an enthusiast who keeps a watch for typically two years and then flips it for something else. As a buyer, I want to know everything I can about the watch before I buy it. I assume that all buyers are like that. As a seller, I want my buyers to be happy and satisfied with the purchase. So I take the best pictures that I possibly can, sweating the lighting and focus so that there are no issues, questions or doubts about any damage or lack of damage. And then I carefully list all of the defects that I am aware of. That's a lot of work, and I probably lose a lot of potential buyers with my obsession to disclose everything. But that's me. I just received an email from the guy who bought my latest, and he said: " I am very happy, condition was better than described!" That makes me very happy. Sure, I may have missed out on a couple of hundred bucks, but that's nothing compared to how I'd feel if he'd written and expressed disappointment with my honesty. Without my integrity, I have nothing.

I've seen ads and pictures from high volume sellers here, and I'm sure that they are stand-up guys, but I concur that some of these leave a lot to be desired. And I think that DavidSW is a great guy; I've dealt with him on numerous occasions; he takes great pictures and describes the item accurately. But I also know that he has many of his used watches polished before he sells them. And you may complain that he doesn't disclose this, but he never claims that they are not polished. You need to infer that, I guess.

So yes, it's buyer beware. And it's challenging when really all you've got to go on is pictures. My rule is simple, if you have any doubt, any question at all, then just pass on it and wait for another watch.