Usedkit › Selling used watches

Selling used watches

With watches, what comes with it and what has been done to it can matter as much as how it looks.

What buyers ask first

• Reference number and year.
• Box and papers: both, one, or neither.
• Movement, and when it was last serviced, by whom.
• Whether it keeps time: gaining or losing how many seconds a day.
• Case size, and whether the case or bracelet has been polished.

How to grade a used watch

• Like new: unworn or barely worn, stickers or protective film may remain.
• Excellent: light marks on the case or clasp; crystal and dial clean.
• Good: visible scratches on the case or bracelet; dial and hands fine; runs well.
• Fair: deep scratches, a marked crystal, or due a service; say which.
• For parts: doesn't run, or the movement needs repair.

What to photograph

• Dial square on, without reflections.
• Case sides, caseback and clasp, and the bracelet's stretch.
• The box, papers and any service receipts.

Pricing it

Price from recent sales of the same reference in the same condition, with the same set: box and papers can move the price noticeably, and so can a recent service.

Selling them in a web shop

Each used item is its own product, sold once. Two things make that work: a condition every buyer reads the same way, shown on the product and in the product list, and a way to keep the buyer who arrives after it sold.

Usedkit adds both to WooCommerce and Shopify: a condition card with the details buyers ask about, and a "notify me" on sold items that matches by model, so the next one reaches everyone who waited.

Should I polish a watch before selling?

No. Polishing removes metal and softens the case's edges, which collectors notice. Clean it, and leave polishing to the next owner's choice.

Do I need the papers?

No, but say whether they're there. A watch without papers sells; a watch whose listing doesn't say raises the question first.

Write the condition text for a used watch · A waitlist for sold items

Sell watches without losing the next buyer

Usedkit is free during early access. On WooCommerce, the plugin from WordPress.org; on Shopify, the Shopify app (in review for the App Store; available soon).