I know there are many great articles out there from some awesome people in the Enicar community about what to watch out for when buying an Enicar on eBay.
@Vandervenus has covered one of these informative posts which you can check out on enicar.org
But what if you want to sell one of your beloved Enicars on sites like eBay?
I have seen so many Enicar listings over the years on eBay that really could have done a lot better at how they were presented.
In my opinion it falls under 2 main categories
1: Protect yourself / minimise opportunity
2: Presentation
The first one is one that you should take very seriously and especially on sites like eBay.
When it comes to eBay the buyer comes first, second and third! Unfortunately the scammer also comes first, second and third!
If there is a problem or a buyer/scammer reports a problem then eBay will side with the buyer/scammer each and every time I guarantee you this.
There are ways that you can try to protect yourself on this which might sound self explanatory but it still amazes me that I see many adverts pop up which open up a seller to a whole world wind of potential problems from a shady dishonest buyer or scammer.
In the world of vintage watches (including Enicar) there are unfortunately people out there that will buy without the intention of keeping the watch.
An example of this is let's say you listed a watch with very few details. The buyer already has the same watch as you but needs a part from the movement. It has happened time and time again where they will make the purchase, claim it does not work and send it back. Minus the part they have either stolen or replaced with a broken one.
You cannot avoid all cases like this but you can certainly try to divert them away from your listings.
This is where detail comes into play.
When I list an Enicar for sale I will literally spend around 45 minutes writing out the description. I will provide a nice overview of the watch then break down the whole watch into pieces.
Case, description. Crystal, description, Dial, description and so forth.
I will also refer to the images in question of the described area.
It might sound pedantic but I cannot stress the importance of doing this.
My reasons for doing this is to provide every single little detail to the best of my ability about the Enicar and also providing very little room for a scammer to challenge me. In a lot of cases a scammer would move to another listing with a lessor amount of detail.
Not only are you trying to protect yourself with the above you are also providing a solid break down for the many honest buyers out there.
Another scam that happens a lot on eBay is the famous 'partial refund' scam.
This is when the buyer claims there is something wrong with the watch they have purchased, want to keep it but want you to provide a partial refund to have it so called repaired.
It can be very frustrating when you have sent something fully knowing there was not an issue.
My advice on this one is to agree to them, say yes, sure, no problem! This can come as a surprise to someone that is trying it on to which most of the time they will reply happy stating they will have the watch repaired etc.
At this point I inform them that I am more than happy to pay a contribution towards the repair providing they provide me with a copy of the receipt for the repair which shows what was repaired and of course a copy of the proof of payment.
eBay have backed me up on this before because it is a reasonable request to ask.
In all my partial refund requests I have never had anyone come back with a receipt or have I actually heard from them again!
Along with the detailed description the other just as important elements are photographs. I don't mean a quick snap of the front and back of the Enicar while it lays on your fridge top.
Be creative on this, you want the buyer to fall in love with your Enicar as you originally did!
For me I will usually include around 10 detailed photographs, on a nice background.
High resolution is paramount! You need the buyer to be able to see as much as they possibly can in order to minimise questions and of course disappointment.
You also want the photographs to complement your detailed description.
I will always take a couple of photos of the front showing the dial from different angles,
2 side photos including the crown. The case back, the strap etc
Most important... The movement. I see this many times where people forget to take a photograph of the movement. Would you buy a car without looking at the engine?
Final tips
Put a strap on it. An Enicar will always be presented better with a strap placed on it.
Include a movement photo. Can't open the caseback? Find someone who can!
Always makes sure your auction ends on a Sunday evening, you want to maximise your audience. Most people are at home on a Sunday evening, not a 11:30am on a Tuesday morning!
When the Enicar is sold take a video of it showing it fully functioning, video the chrono working etc, and include the name and address of the buyer in the video.
Don't use the words 'Pre Sherpa' for anything without Sherpa written on the dial. it just looks moronic!
@Horlology_Biology