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Isn't it concerning the amount of fakes everywhere on ebay these days..

RepPossessed

The UK dealer
Trusted Dealer
10/11/15
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Just as the title say's, it really is starting to get beyond a joke, but not for me or anyone here who is wise to this crap, but to the unsuspecting people buying all this crap. Its one thing when someone posts something like a crappy Tag rep that is clearly a fake and not pretending to be a gen.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121868826672

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121868826672

http://feedback.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayI...=25&iid=-1&de=off&which=positive&interval=365

From my experience working in a watch store years ago I know these guys only supply to certain businesses, mostly high street, and not to some dodgy dave to sell on Ebay

at first i thought this was legit, then when i looked at his feedback you see a crapload of fake Armani shite, he's not the only one they are everywhere, people making £50 - £100 a pop on these things.

Do the brands do anything to protect their name these days! you see even Festina's, Diesel, Tissot and Seiko's.. and those links im seeing even SevenFriday popping up
 

mskwatch

I'm Pretty Popular
12/3/15
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sevenfriday reps are too good now, and many buyers don't know how to spot them
 

porsche356

Known Member
23/11/07
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well, at least with the SF reps now the only 'tell' is if they have NFC chips inside them or not...
there's lots of SF on ebay, some gen some not...the tells are the blue glass etc.
 

molivio

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I didn't know it was a big problem, how do you know it is many versus a few
 

djbenson

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you even get coverage if it gets lost on Ebay :-D
 

LPhiE

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I think as the reps get better and better in quality, as we currently have now with many reps, con artists (and maybe even unsuspecting resellers) will try to take advantage of people more and more. It's always been something that con artists have tried to do to sell reps as genuine.

As a hobbist, I think it's part of our job to be vigilant and report any sales of reps misrepresented as gens.

Sorry if this post doesn't make much sense, but I'm pretty drunk rightnow.
 

andyr

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Ironically we're all both part of the problem and the solution. On the one hand the more we insist on improved accuracy of our reps the easier it is for scumbags to dupe honest folk out of their hard earned. On the other hand we can help by identifying supposed gens as reps but this will only ever be a drop in the ocean.

Its also inevitable that the more people who get duped the more furore there will be about importing reps and the bigger the crackdown from customs which will negatively impact our hobby. Make hay while the sun shines guys.
 

porsche356

Known Member
23/11/07
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Vintage Rolex is a minefield for sure.
I wanna say Hodinkee estimated there are more fake PN dials on watches right now in 2016 than there are real ones.

And with those Chinese brands like SF...half of those on eBay are gen or gen parts.

Our reps differ in small cases from the original in things like crystal height, or that the caseback isn't is deeply engraved or something.
This is because the OEM ''factories'' that make, say, the cases and dials, movements etc. for SF will sell to anyone.
The ''rep factories'' buy piles of these parts and assemble watches this way.
Lots of times the rep factories either can't get a hold of certain parts or they cost too much/they decide to have their own made.
That's why some of the SF reps have good, maybe even OEM casebacks...while another ''version'' might have a good crystal but bad caseback.
Supposedly some of the SF reps have sapphire crystals, others have really nice AR. Neither is present on the originals!
...normally this would be considered an upgrade or a mod! but both were probably done out of convenience.

In a way, V6 or Noob or SW etc are sort of ''constructors'' to use a Formula One term.

Its also why sometimes when a V2 comes out that new flaws are introduced...
the old part supplies get exhausted and new ones have to be made, sometimes with added flaws unintentionally added to the mix.
 

Rabbagasten

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There are some things worth pointing out:
- If you buy a counterfeit item on ebay, you will always win any dispute. If you want a free watch, then just go for it!
- The major brands have started to take a different approach towards the replicas by not authenticating their own merchandise for second hand buyers. I have personally been told by Cartier that they are not at "liberty" to disclose if serials are genuine or not. The only way to be sure that something is genuine is to buy it directly from the brand store. This way they try to undermine the second hand, as well as the replica market.