I am not entirely certain of this, but I believe that "Trusted Seller" simply means that Chrono24 does not have any knowledge about pending / unsolved disputes or complaints about the seller. This is hardly a ringing endorsement of any seller, and it confirms my suspicion that having Trusted Seller status does not tell a prospective buyer anything about a particular watch.

It would be impossible for Chrono24 to patrol all the watches that are listed there, or to conduct any real "due diligence" on the sellers, Trusted or otherwise.

We have seen Mappamundos offered by a variety of dealers, from Osvaldo Patrizzi to several fly-by-night eBay sellers.

I really don't blame Chrono24 for this . . . they are simply a technology platform, and the suggestion that they provide any comfort about their sellers or the watches that are listed seems impossible.

Jeff

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

: Stewart-

: I couldn't agree more about developing a trained eye and the
: difficulty in culling imposters from the heard. Really I was
: looking to provide a gentle nudge in the direction of the
: progenitors and site admins for the big commercial sites. OTD is
: arguably the leading, brand-specific (or nearly so) vintage
: enthusiasts site, and it would seem to me that if I had a web
: site handling hundreds of Heuers, I would spend fifteen
: minutes/week to educate myself on the nuances of the market.
: Granted there are two hundred or so vintage brands circulating
: out there, but I am unaware of a Marvin or Favre Leube vintage
: presence, for example.

: I completely agree that there is a difference between oversight and
: unethical behavior in terms of passing off specious watches, but
: there is an inflection point where intent changes, and that is
: where we come in and can make a difference.