Everyone loves a bargain, and what better place to shop than eBay...? Unfortunately, this 'bargain' is nothing but a fake. A very good fake that would fool the average man in the street for sure, but a fake nonetheless, and eBay really couldn't care less. I and others like me at the Calibre 11 forum report several watches a week, but they are rarely taken down - it's not in their interest after all*, they make a profit from every fake watch sold. But ultimately they are facilitating the sale of counterfeit goods, and to be honest we have to face the fact that fake watches are now at the point where unless you really know what you are looking at it's probably time to give eBay a miss.
*They don't exactly make the 'Report Item' button easy to find either!
Not for everything, I would happily buy pre-owned TAGs from eBay that date from the 80s, 90s and 00s. But anything that's relatively modern is downright dangerous, and the problem is, right now these look relatively obvious; they're always brand new with film on the bracelets, often complete with hang tags and even sticky labels all designed to make them look absolutely genuine. But sooner or later these will be back on eBay pre-owned, and if anything that will make them appear even more trustworthy.
It's hard to know if people are buying these knowing they are fake (seduced by ridiculously low prices) or if they are being hoodwinked, but either way it is unacceptable. I've seen utterly dreadful fakes sell for hundred of pounds, and that's even more hard to fathom than someone falling for this. At least the sellers still have the good grace to put pictures of the fakes they are selling on the site so at least we have a chance to spot them, it would be just as easy for them to use photos of genuine watches and send out the imposters.
So my advice to you if you're looking for a bargain watch is use an authorised dealer and ask for discount, or at the very least go to a reputable grey market seller (I wouldn't use Amazon either, most of their watches come from third party sellers so their reputation is irrelevant), or failing that buy from someone like Watchfinder who check the authenticity and performance of their watches before they purchase them.
Or if you must buy from eBay, go for old school watches like the 6000 Series and the Kirium. Fakes of these are absolutely terrible and easy to spot, and don't forget if you are looking at buying a watch on eBay the Calibre 11 forum members are eager to help (although some have a slightly acidic tongue - don't take it personally) and the more eyes on a watch the better really.
Seriously, I would not buy a modern Aquaracer (in particular) from eBay now, it's not worth it. You'll probably still end up paying £750-1000 and getting a fake watch that is basically worthless.
GET HELP HERE: https://forums.calibre11.com/threads/is-my-tag-heuer-authentic-all-questions-here-please.33008/
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