Do your due diligence. As a buyer & as a seller.

Although I have been collecting on and off for 25 years, it wasn’t until more recently that I came to realise how important it is to work out who it is exactly, that you are dealing with. And I mean this from the perspective of both a buyer, and as a seller.

As a buyer you often hear the words ‘buy the dealer’. And although I most definitely agree, this is easier said than done. How do you find out what a watch dealer is really like, how competent they are, and how transparent and honest they are? That beautiful website, the many Trustpilot reviews, and the continuous flow of social media posts, could well be a false facade, hiding an ugly reality.

A quality timepiece can require a serious financial investment, and the more you plan to invest, the more you need to invest time into doing your due diligence. The aforementioned facades, potentially false, are simply not enough to go by. So if you are serious, you really need to do as many things as possible to get to know the dealer. Call them, text, email, meet them in person. The various forums can also be a good tool too. Chances are that someone, somewhere has already done some of the work for you. Although, this of course has to be taken with a pinch of salt. Ask around within collector circles and speak to other dealers. Leave no stone unturned and make absolutely sure that if you do make contact with someone about something specific, that you know your stuff. Soon enough, you will start to build a picture of who does what, whether you like them, and if they are trustworthy. If anything seems ‘off’, don’t rush, take a couple of steps back, and reevaluate.

From the other perspective, as a dealer, or indeed a private seller, you also can’t be too careful. There are a seemingly ever-increasing amount of people out there who see it as their job to try and scam you, or at a bare minimum, just waste your time. It is absolutely bonkers. I have learnt lots from the many bad/weird experiences I have had in the retail industry, but continue to be amazed by the nerve of some people, along with their complete lack of etiquette. Some are very easy to spot, whilst others have rehearsed how to look like they are actually interested. Once again, the effort spent trying to get to know them is well worth it.

All we can hope for is that sometime soon, things revert back to times when people actually had manners and integrity. Only time will tell.

Stay safe.