eBay UK launches luxury watch authenticity guarantee service

eBay is expanding its platform support to provide authenticity guarantee service for watches valued at more than £2,000 sold in the UK .

eBay's authenticity guarantee service is provided by independent experts to provide detailed inspection and verification, providing more trust protection for consumers who purchase watches on the platform .

Now , all high-value watches sold on eBay UK , including the most popular Rolex, Omega, TAG Heuer, Breitling , Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet, will be verified through the authenticity guarantee process .

These watches will be manufactured by the authoritative Stoll   & Co. , which was founded in 1982 and has state-of-the-art facilities and technical equipment in the UK, as well as a professional team to conduct multi-point physical authentication checks on watches .

These inspections include the crown, bezel, dial, case, clasp /strap, hands , end links and reference numbers , etc. At the same time, they will also review the inner and outer boxes that come with it , as well as accessories such as the pillow that displays the watch .

Buying and reselling vintage and second-hand watches has become a key part of the luxury watch market , with searches for watches on eBay in the UK increasing by 31% over the past two years and a watch sold every 28 seconds last year .

eBay's announcement follows a trial of an Authenticity Guarantee for British sneakers , whereby all new and second-hand shoes sold on the marketplace for more than £ 100 are reviewed and verified by an independent team of authenticators.

How does the authenticity guarantee of a watch work ?

When buying a watch, the seller will send the watch directly to the appraisal center, where the appraiser will conduct a comprehensive , multi-angle inspection. At the same time, there are many key factors to ensure the authenticity of the watch purchased on eBay.

Proof of Authentication : Upon receipt of the watches , the appraiser confirms that they match the title , description and pictures of the product . Each watch has a unique barcode and is incorporated into the tracking system , and will also be affixed with a label embedded with an NFC chip to guarantee its authenticity.

Third-Party Authentication : eBay works with a team of independent appraisers from Stoll & Co, an industry leader in watches, who will conduct a multi-point physical authentication inspection.

Enhanced protection for sellers through verified returns : For sellers who support returns , eBay's Authenticity Guarantee Program will also verify returned products to ensure that the items originally sold are returned to the seller. Returns are sent directly to the certification center, where a third-party certification agency verifies the item and its condition before returning it to the seller.

As the certification center expands in the UK, more categories will become part of the program in the future , and the eBay platform will continue to drive growth in high-value categories and become a trusted resale marketplace for luxury and high-quality goods.

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