Ebay scares me, so I stay away from it. On one of the other watch forums they were discussing how a watch listed for auction was an obvious fake. I have the very same watch as was being auctioned, so I quickly examined the photos on the auction site. I couldn't see anything to obviously identify it as a fake, or even the issues that were being discussed. Granted, I haven't spent much time in recent years looking at watches so I am rusty, but I couldn't see the obvious issues that they were discussing.

I have bought and sold watches and other stuff on Ebay in the past but I decided that since I could no longer tell the difference between fake and real, it would be was best to avoid it. Sure, I might miss some great watches (or whatever), but I work too hard to throw money away on fakes. I prefer to deal with members in good standing on watch sites. They obviously know the value of what they are selling so there are rarely any great deals, just fair deals on authentic watches.

I recently bought an Autavia that was in excellent shape; this is my first foray into "vintage" watches. I found it at a local jeweler for what I thought was a very good price. Before I bought it, a watchmaker took it apart and pronounced it all good, so I didn't need to worry about a fake and the movement was clean and didn't need service. The Jeweler even gave it a one year warranty. For $900, I thought it was a good deal for a watch in great shape.

For my money, I don't mind paying a bit extra for some peace of mind. Your mileage may vary.

cheers,
Phil