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Old 21 March 2019, 01:33 PM   #1
jtrader
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Am I being Overly Cautious?

I’m selling a few watches here on the forums and I’ve been getting a lot of offers from members who are brand new to TRF with no posts. I just got an offer that I’m considering accepting from a longtime member, however they have zero previous posts or activity. They want to pay via PayPal. When I asked for their user name, they sent me two separate account names. I was only able to find one of them on TRF. Am I being overly cautious by asking them to pay via bank wire? I’ve heard horror stories about sellers who got screwed over by buyers after selling through PayPal. I want to sell the watch but at the same time I hope I’m not over thinking this. Curious what others here think. Any input would be appreciated!

Thanks!
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Old 21 March 2019, 01:45 PM   #2
MinMay
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horror stories are true.... Selling is not easy...people will find ways to screw the sellers..and it happens... My advice is....make sure you protect yourself and treat every transaction as if they're going rogue on you. You heard about "buy the seller", it's the same for seller... "sell the buyer". Don't trust anyone. Good luck.

PS..someone got screw through bank wires too :)
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Old 21 March 2019, 02:05 PM   #3
visualplane
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I usually try to talk to the person on the phone, and if they have a work email they can email me with. If they are a real buyer, they shouldn't have a problem talking on the phone or sending an email for a large purchase.
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Old 21 March 2019, 02:30 PM   #4
wesdaniel
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If your gut is telling you that there are issues, there are probably issues.
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Old 21 March 2019, 08:02 PM   #5
Lifeisarolliecoaster
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MinMay View Post
horror stories are true.... Selling is not easy...people will find ways to screw the sellers..and it happens... My advice is....make sure you protect yourself and treat every transaction as if they're going rogue on you. You heard about "buy the seller", it's the same for seller... "sell the buyer". Don't trust anyone. Good luck.

PS..someone got screw through bank wires too :)
I’ve learned to do your due diligence on your buyer. I’d like to think if im selling a watch then I won’t price it as high as possible, as I want to leave something for the next guy. Even then I’ve had one person claim the watch had an issue and maybe a new battery & pressure test may sort it! I gave partial refund to learn he was trying to flip the watch even before he bought it.
If they have no activity or posts then I can’t rule them out being a lurker, but I do want to know whom I selling to. Your gut feeling is nearly always right
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Old 21 March 2019, 09:17 PM   #6
1William
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I have sold watches in the past on various platforms and have always had the feeling that the other shoe is about to fall. Never been burned but you do hear and read about nightmares. I have been selling my watches back to DavidSW if I am not going to trade. He is great about giving you fair market value. This also helps when you start buying as you can figure out any future gain/loss. Costs nothing to check with him and all it would take is one loss on a watch to a scammer and all would be equal except all the stress you would go through. Good luck.
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Old 21 March 2019, 11:49 PM   #7
JBZ
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I'm a long time member, but don't post a lot. I always come equipped with references, though. I'd ask your potential buyer if they have any references from past transactions that you can check (more than one).

As others have said, if you've got a funny feeling about someone, better to just walk away.
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Old 22 March 2019, 12:41 AM   #8
Knappo 1307
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You can never be to cautious...
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Old 22 March 2019, 01:11 AM   #9
VonSlingshot
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Knappo 1307 View Post
You can never be to cautious...

This.
And some of us just surf for years and years before registering
That said, if you have a suspicious feeling.... there’s likely a reason.

I think I have been visiting TRF since 2008 but only registered recently
It happens

Last edited by VonSlingshot; 22 March 2019 at 01:12 AM.. Reason: 2 years!!! Happy Anniversary TRF
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Old 22 March 2019, 05:57 AM   #10
JohnTz
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PayPal is a bad way to go. Bank wire only. I have been burned by PayPal before on some other things. Would never use them for a watch transaction. Especially when the buyer uses a credit card. That is how they get you.
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Old 22 March 2019, 08:05 AM   #11
crowncollection
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Bank wire only to an unknown buyer


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Old 22 March 2019, 11:18 AM   #12
zaydans
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I’ve sold a lot on eBay and used PayPal a lot and in my experience they usually favor the buyer especially for a high value item which is usually anything over 1k. I would only use it for anything costing a few hundred dollars. Proceed with caution and listen to your gut.
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Old 22 March 2019, 11:29 AM   #13
SG56
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If the member hasn't posted in a while, chances are their account got hacked.

Be very careful. If your gut is telling you it doesn't sound right, it probably is not.

I wanna say I am careful and I've read the horror stories, yet I almost bought a jubilee bracelet half a year ago. I was logged in to my PayPal account and something told me to dig deeper.

Found that the photos in the post were made by Chad (trusted here) who sold the bracelet a long time ago. So the photos were stolen.

Sure enough i backed off. Last minute.

Be careful!
Sell to active members with references.

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Old 22 March 2019, 02:14 PM   #14
jtrader
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Ok here is an update on where I’m at with this potential buyer.

He gave me his full name and occupation. I was able to match his name and email address to his Tapatalk user name by googling his phone number.

He had also given me a TRF userid as well. Both his Tapatalk and TRF accounts have been active for a number of years but no previous activity. When I asked him to send me a PM on TRF, he instead sent me a PM through Tapatalk using the other userid that he has. Maybe he decided to do it that way out of laziness but it’s another potential red flag for me.

I also asked him if he would be open to a bank wire transaction. He said no because he has a credit with PayPal. Basically he’s passing if it has to be bank wire.

Curious what others here think now that I have further details.
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Old 22 March 2019, 03:01 PM   #15
imperio
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jtrader View Post
Ok here is an update on where I’m at with this potential buyer.



He gave me his full name and occupation. I was able to match his name and email address to his Tapatalk user name by googling his phone number.



He had also given me a TRF userid as well. Both his Tapatalk and TRF accounts have been active for a number of years but no previous activity. When I asked him to send me a PM on TRF, he instead sent me a PM through Tapatalk using the other userid that he has. Maybe he decided to do it that way out of laziness but it’s another potential red flag for me.



I also asked him if he would be open to a bank wire transaction. He said no because he has a credit with PayPal. Basically he’s passing if it has to be bank wire.



Curious what others here think now that I have further details.
For what it's worth, I passed on selling to an established member who wanted to use PayPal to pay me, even after having a video call. He wasn't comfortable with bank wire, I wasn't comfortable with PayPal, no hurt feelings and nobody got cheated. No big deal. If you have to ask, I would say you should walk away...
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Old 22 March 2019, 11:38 PM   #16
usling15
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Big Pass, whenever I get large credits on my PayPal account I just transfer to my bank account.
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Old 23 March 2019, 02:16 AM   #17
won01419
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Originally Posted by usling15 View Post
Big Pass, whenever I get large credits on my PayPal account I just transfer to my bank account.
I'd do same.
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Old 23 March 2019, 04:08 AM   #18
79280_116520
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jtrader View Post
Ok here is an update on where I’m at with this potential buyer.

He gave me his full name and occupation. I was able to match his name and email address to his Tapatalk user name by googling his phone number.
Tapatalk info can be faked if needed. It's only a link to forums and is never policed. That's why some there have been increased scams by fraudsters being done on forums associated with Tapatalk.
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Old 23 March 2019, 04:56 PM   #19
MinMay
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You're the seller....you set your term...not him. His lost..not yours..move on.
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Old 29 May 2019, 05:43 AM   #20
sunset117
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As a seller every time I’ve been scammed I’ve had a gut feeling something was off, yet continued despite it for the price that seemed too get or I was getting over the value

Walk away.
No PayPal as a seller, huge risk
Get their License ID before as well
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Old 29 May 2019, 01:31 PM   #21
EJ257
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As a seller, are bank wires safe?
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Old 29 May 2019, 01:50 PM   #22
kareemthedream33
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Originally Posted by JohnTz View Post
PayPal is a bad way to go. Bank wire only. I have been burned by PayPal before on some other things. Would never use them for a watch transaction. Especially when the buyer uses a credit card. That is how they get you.
X2. Did paypal for the first time at the buyer's request (only agreed because I trust the seller, and still do) but I was shocked at the difficulty paypal caused me.

Firstly they exchanged the usd to cad at 1.29 when it was at 1.35 that day. Where do you think that difference goes......they keep it (about $650 in this case) on top of the $700 they took in fees.

Then they froze my paypal account and the cash. They asked for ID, receipts, etc. That took about a week. Then once that cleared and tried to transfer MY money to my bank account they put it on hold and took another week.

All in all they took about 1300 bucks of mine, made me jump through countless hoops and phone calls, and took more than 2 weeks to allow me to access my own money.

Lesson learned here.

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Old 29 May 2019, 11:36 PM   #23
Gtecko
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I would have to agree with Sunset... you make the rule, they are not going to dictate how this is going to work...
Paypal is nice as you are protected however we have seen so many stories where the seller is at lost...
Tell them to transfer the money to their bank acct and do a wire - if not, then move on my friend, they are plenty of buyers out there.


Quote:
Originally Posted by sunset117 View Post
As a seller every time I’ve been scammed I’ve had a gut feeling something was off, yet continued despite it for the price that seemed too get or I was getting over the value

Walk away.
No PayPal as a seller, huge risk
Get their License ID before as well
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Old 30 May 2019, 12:29 AM   #24
Lgear080
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No wire no watch very very simple.
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Old 30 May 2019, 10:04 AM   #25
DaytonaSubmariner
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Pass, unless you want to risk losing the watch.

It's in this guys best interest, if he's a scammer, to keep this up and try to make it happen. That's the way they make out in the end and will keep on doing this.

Keep at it and be patient.

Also, check WTB threads. I found a buyer for my Daytona on a WTB thread from a reseller in the UK. The entire transaction went off without a hitch.
I literally dropped off the watch and had it certified as legit in NYC at a watch dealer he's been working with for years (had about 20 watches come through them). I did further background checks on the watch dealer in NYC and they are stand up guys.

Don't get desperate. That's when things go wrong.
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Old 30 May 2019, 01:02 PM   #26
jburson250
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jtrader View Post
I’m selling a few watches here on the forums and I’ve been getting a lot of offers from members who are brand new to TRF with no posts. Any input would be appreciated!
Jon, please be aware that watches listed for sale on TRF automatically appear on WatchRecon. For example:

https://www.watchrecon.com/?brand=rolex

Find any watch that says "xx minutes/hours ago on Rolex Forums" and click on it. You'll link directly to the listing here on TRF. Of course, anyone on earth can do this - no TRF membership required. Far as I know, there's nothing a TRF member can do to set up a sale listing exclusively for TRF, i.e. not also appearing on WatchRecon. Perhaps I'm wrong.

Last year I sold four of my lower-end pieces here - Doxa, Seiko, Laco and Ball. None of the buyers was initially a TRF member, but unless they joined, they couldn't view the photos I'd uploaded within my listings. For these non-Rolex pieces, the WatchRecon connection worked to my benefit.

I had four successful sales, all using PayPal. I encouraged and exchanged "buy the seller" emails with each buyer. Sort of a "buy the buyer" strategy, for my own protection. Perhaps I was extraordinarily lucky, too.

It's possible some of the potential buyers contacting you found your watches through WatchRecon. It's possible there are other sites similar to WatchRecon, as well.

Best of luck with your sales!
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Old 30 May 2019, 11:54 PM   #27
rolexinfl
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Pass on the buyer, too many red flags.
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