there are many ways to view this unfortunate turn of events the OP experienced by the hands of a thief. is it a lesson to only use a credit card or paypal no matter who one is dealing with? oh wouldn't that be music to the ears of credit card providers and paypal. we have over many years sold countless watches to fellow collectors online yet don't use paypal. build up a reputation and be available via phone, and if people know who you are then it's all good.
if the seller or buyer is a known entity and has history in the watch world then paying via bank wire, western union or even sending a box of cash wouldn't matter...they would stick to their word and see the transaction thru. let's not allow a few creeps to screw up this hobby by everyone suspecting everyone else. make a phone call or text to verify the actual phone of the known and trusted entity connects to whoever is listing the watch in the ad. check to make sure that same phone number is used in previous ads. check provided references or post publicly looking for some. no one of any stature can give references? bye bye.
so...back to this event. the OP may or may not have made a few mistakes in this transaction as he is a busy man. we all have. however there's a huge difference between the likes of the OP and the thief. whether or not the OP ever recovers his money, he will be fine. he could afford to drop big money on a luxury item thus is in great shape should he not receive it. our thief?...well that chunk of cash has or will be squandered and most likely will have nothing to show for it and continue to be worthless scum.
to the op: let the law enforcement agencies do their job and aside from that simply go on with life as usual.
