The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hi group, I made a purchase on the bay, and have not received it yet and now having some misgivings. the seller doesnt have established history, but good communication and promises that warranty is in effect till 2/12. I figured with ebay and credit card protection, I might be ok:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... K:MEWAX:IT

there are several pics that can be zoomed on the site. What do the experts here think? I don't want to bias anyone, but the "halo" around the applied wings the clasp bugs me...
thank you all!

looks real to me. no sunken date wheel, letter B above the anchor right shape, bracelet has the right kind of flathead screws, not rounded or pins.

thanks. I asked the seller, and he claims in the listing brand new and 100% new, when I don't think you can say that unless stickers and tags are present, and sizing has never been done. I kind of give him a pass on this as not everyone knows the proper rating, if it looks perfect with boxes, papers, and all proper provenance, all will be well.

Can anyone tell me if there have been fakes discovered with faked papers with falsified serials? Would folks here be comfortable authenticating by external cues, or should I have it opened? thanks for the great help here!

Looks good to me. The date window on the replica is marginally wider.

I would always insist on seeing macro pics of the s/n on the case back, warranty book and COSC.

There are fake COSC papers around (not 100% accurate) but not warranty books.

_________________

For more information on identifying Breitling replicas, please visit my web site
http://f4buz.com/watches/breitling/fakes/fakes.html

Thanks Sharkmouth; good to know about the warranty book. I'll be sure to check everything closely and post back if there are concerning things for the experts to vet.

The watch in the pictures is real, not having the shortened ticks. But having said that I think it's pretty risky considering the feedback. Once the money is to his account and gone, Paypal can't grab it, so you're on the hook.

Here's my concern.... the first time he listed it sold for $6,870 which is a very strong hint it was shill bidding, and the bidding history shows both bidders with very low feedback and they are now both non registered! ....which basically proves there is a fraud going on here! (Can you trust a cheat?)

I would seriously advise you to consider filing a Paypal claim immediately to freeze the funds before he can make the withdraw. It's nothing more than a hold until you have the watch. If by chance he sends you a fake, and you've already filed as not having received it, that might be another mess to sort out, but at least the money is not long gone. I probably have 5000 feedback on Ebay and that one scares me, but I sure hope it works out!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Brand-New-Authentic ... 35aa335734

I hate to put all this in your brain, but had to at least worn you about that previous sale.

Here's a good first step... Request your seller's contact info. and see if it checks out. There is a phone number, so try it to make sure it's good. I'd base your decision on whether to file a PP claim depending on how that goes.

To request your seller's contact information:

1.

Click the Advanced Search link at the top of most pages.
2.

Click the Find contact information link in the Members section on the left side of the page.
3.

Enter the seller's user ID and item number.
4.

Click the Search button.

http://pages.ebay.com/help/buy/contact.html#getting

Timebandit,
thanks for the great advice! I am pretty worried at this point, he gave me a tracking number supposedly for usps that is not registering, and it was supposedly sent out on friday. I had no idea about the last listing of this watch - did you have it in your watch list? I would like to file a pp claim, but they state i need to wait 7 days before filing a claim. the seller did ask me to leave positive feedback when I get the watch so he can "collect the funds from paypal" Do folks here think I should go ahead and file (maybe the system won't let me?) or dispute with my credit card? I will try to call the guy later. it's 6 am here.
thank you everyone!

another question guys, do i file a claim with ebay, or paypal. in the terms and conditions of buyer protection on ebay, they state a condition is that no claim with credit card or paypal has already been made... anyone have better results one way or another?

There is some positive in that!

It could be because of the holiday why the tracking didn't register, so keep trying it.

I've had my Paypal and Ebay accounts for a long time, but am familiar with funds being held for new users or sellers with low feedback, and in this case that is very good! If I were you I'd look up the criteria for funds being held, and even consider calling Paypal to see if they can/will confirm the funds from your transaction are on hold. If Paypal says you have to wait 7 days for a claim then I think your hands are tied as far as a PP, but again, if they are holding the money I think the hold is like 21 days so you should be ok. So try to find out the status of the payment, and contacting him probably still wouldn't hurt, and maybe you've even done so by now. Again the watch in the pictures are real, but when there's something else you find that's shady, like the other listing he had, you have to question if the pics aren't stolen.

I can only tell you that between the two it's only a PP claim that will do anything... Ebay claim = joke.

I forgot to answer a question above... if that old auction had been on my watch list. The answer is no. I just happened to be browsing the replica forum which I rarely do these days, and seen your post. (I have a Blackbird) I decided to reply to tell you the watch looked good because it doesn't have the shortened ticks at the 3, and 9, position, but before I said anything I wanted to do a quick check to make sure there was no other issues with the seller. (A that point I did not realize you had purchased the watch) I have been on Ebay for quite a few years and have a lot of experience both as a buyer and seller so have a pretty good feel of what auctions pose a risk. About 4 years ago I was about 20 minutes late warning someone about sending 5k to China for a coin. That particular listing was very obvious, how obvious?... the seller was buying fake coins under the same name and all you had to do was search his history or click his feedback to see it!

thanks for your insights! I definitely wouldn't have bid on his watch if I had more time to vet the seller and ask the crew here and on the other fora what they thought. But between PP and cc, I was pretty secure that I wouldn't get hosed. Still a huge hassle though - I'll be sure to come back and let everyone know how it turns out. thanks again.

Good luck!

Both my Breitlings were from Ebay sellers, but very established ones. Again that possible Paypal hold is making me feel better about you coming out ok. When the watch arrives just make sure it's the same serial numbers as the papers and in the auction.

Here is a picture of a replica. Notice the short ticks on each side of the 3,6, & 9 position.

Timebandit,
Now I am confused... are short ticks at 3, 6, 9 good or bad? Both the ebay pics and the replica pic you posted have the shortened tics. Thanks!

No, the Ebay watch has all full length ticks. This should help. I placed a yellow dot under the short ticks on the fake. The tick on the top of the 9 side looks long, but I'm not sure if it is, or it's just the angle of the picture. The others are obvious though.