Any advice when buying on chrono 24?

[Lloydas1]

Any advice of buying on Chrono 24? What should I beware of and look out for. Buy the seller and all that..?

[csaltphoto]

Originally Posted by Lloydas1

Any advice of buying on Chrono 24? What should I beware of and look out for. Buy the seller and all that..?

Kind of depends what you are after. Of course buy the seller first. But for example I recently have seen several watches that were claimed to be in "never worn" condition and I'm fairly sure the bracelets had been brushed and the cases buffed. Just touched up but def not factory finish. You just have to be knowledgeable and make sure there is a good return policy.

FWIW I had a good transaction there. The seller was VERY forthcoming though. I had several discussions over the phone, yada.

[BillA]

Sometimes a seller has the watch
Sometimes the seller does not have the watch and wants time to go out to other dealers to acquire the piece, if he cannot find it, no deal. I personally want to deal with someone who has watch in hand.

[Benzsiam]

If you want to buy something new, you want:

Full set with box and paper.

Ask for the date of the warranty card so you know the date of the first purchase.

Pay with credit card.

Check the reputation of the seller.

[THC]

Too many easier, trusted, solid, sellers here on TRF imo

[springer]

You might want to visit the Watchout section. I'm sure you'll find several threads there from others that have had issues with a Chrono 24 purchases.

[joli160]

Chrono is a platform.

Prices are inflated because sellers need to pay a 6.5 % fee.

Every professional seller they give the title ‘trusted’ which if you look at some of the merchandise they sell is funny.
There are of course many really good sellers advertising on Chrono and equally a lot of flawless transactions.

Do your homework on a seller outside the platform is key.

Note that if a serious dispute arises you may be lost. Chrono does not disclose any relevant info about sellers and are hiding behind privacy laws.

I’d stick with the boutique sellers on TRF.
These are the real trusted sellers and have countless true feedback to show for. Perhaps not the cheapest but deal in confidence without headache.
It’s worth it

[Master_Grogu]

I’ve only had bad experiences.

Sellers would reply single word replies, others promise more picture only to never reply after, and some would simply lie:

- presenting a full set when only the watch is on scope of delivery.
- presenting watch as unworn despite obvious signs of being worn, when pointed out I get ignored.
- presenting refinished watches with non matching lume.
- removing images when inconsistencies pointed out, as to lure other sellers.
- refusal to budge on inflated price, despite being shown evidence market prices the item below (20% spread in this case).

I just avoid chrono24 nowadays.

[Harry-57]

It's a good platform for pulling potential sellers together and beginning to research them. Once watches which look like good prospects have been identified, the bulk of the research goes into the sellers. For this I go outside C24. When I have a short list to approach, I find their websites and locate their premises. When I'm happy I'm dealing with (to the best of my knowledge) a reputable seller, I approach them directly by phone or email. C24 is just the start point for me.

I have bought two Rolex watches using this system. Both purchases were trouble free and got me genuine watches which were as described. For other brands, so far I have only needed to use the grey market for one purchase. An AD, usually my AD, if they stock the brand, will match the grey market discount.

[watchmainspring]

Make sure you trust the specific seller. Anyone can sell there.

[Number3]

The escrow service is a plus point.

[hamptons11942]

Paypal with credit card. Facetime with seller beforehand.

[samson66]

My advice is avoid them if at all possible. They charge the seller a fee AND now they charge the buyer a fee as well. On top of that they charge sales tax.

Go to the seller directly if possible and you may avoid both. But definitely check out the feedback and choose your seller wisely.

[911991]

I have has good experiences with 3 purchases and with free shipping and no sales tax the prices were reasonable, as others said spend extra time doing your homework. Also each purchase I contacted the seller via a phone call and confirmed specifics and each watch was exactly as described, I only considered US sellers. If a seller does not have the time to provide you great customer service move on to the next one. You can still negotiate the price or other things in the deal too. good luck!!

[turkeysub93]

Seeing as you are in the US...I would only purchase from US dealers and use credit card if possible.

In case anything happens...the bank's money will be on the line rather than your own money. Banks seem to care so much more when it's their ass on the line...

[911991]

I forgot to add that sellers I dealt with were willing to do the transaction outside of chrono24 or in person saving buyer and seller additional charges. But you no longer have the added protection of the platform.