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by briancpotter 4376 days ago
I notice you don't offer support for watches. Are there any plans to expand to that? I operate a similar website (http://www.haberdashboard.com) where I just implemented a watch search, and it is ASTONISHING how difficult paring out the fakes is.

I'm impressed by how much engagement you've built over such a small number of items. Is there a reason you don't seem to have implemented typical search filters like size, price etc? It seems difficult to find anything if I'm just browsing, so I assume I'm missing something as to how people are using the site.
1 comments
dubcanada 4376 days ago
The problem with watches is typically the only way to tell if it is real or not is to take it apart.
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briancpotter 4376 days ago
Even this isn't especially helpful with watches. For example, take this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/WW2-BULOVA-MILITARY-WATCH-A-11-with-...

This seems to be a good example of a vintage A-11 military watch (it's listed as such). It looks correct. It's got pictures of the movement, which seems to be correct. The seller has almost perfect feedback. So no problem right?

It is 100% fake (or at least, a frankenwatch made from old and new parts). And this is for a watch worth, perhaps, $200.

The real problem with watches is that fakes are so difficult to recognize that buyer feedback means much less, since a buyer is unlikely to recognize the fake. And often a seller is unaware he's selling a fake, so deception can't be detected in the description or the title. For the watch above, I think the seller knows what he has, and has very carefully described it to imply that it is an original, while not technically lying (he only claims the CASE is original).

It's a very, very difficult problem to solve.

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CaptainZapp 4376 days ago
True story:

A friend of mine bought a cheap "Rolex" in Thailand.

It was only after he brought it home, he recognized that the calendar has 40 days, instead of 31.

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Istof 4376 days ago
Could the watch manufacturer print a UUID on each of its parts that you consider irreplaceable if it had to be fixed? The watch could then be verified using the serial number and some online database?
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atwebb 4376 days ago
Are there not slight differences in weights from the real to the fakes? The eBay service mentions like-new items so I'm kind of assuming specs would be available.
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bebefuzz 4376 days ago
It is common for fakes and real items to weigh the same: https://www.lollipuff.com/blog/133/pet-peeve-authentication-...
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