Bought and sold a watch using ebay authentication

[dabea-7654]

In Feb I bought an IWC watch which went through the ebay authentication process and passed. I then decided the watch wasn't for me and sold it in April, also on ebay and via ebay authentication which it passed.

10 days later the buyer messages me to say they aren't happy, they've taken the case back off and the serial number doesn't match and they also dispute some of the markings on the back.

I explained that i also bought it on ebay and used EA which means it has passed it twice so he must be wrong. he messaged me again arguing his point so I said it was now between him and ebay, and he subsequently raised a case. A week goes by and I now get an email from DPD courier notifying me of the ebay return delivery. When I checked the order I can see that is indeed being returned to me following authentication. I'm very confused now and slightly concerned - confused in that it had already passed 2 authentications and concerned. given i had already received the funds and withdrawn them.

Will I owe the buyer a refund even though I sold it in good faith following EA? If so do I then need to open a case against the seller back in Feb? it's all very messy!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[**peaseblossom**]

See "Can I return items purchased with Authenticity Guarantee?" on here:
https://pages.ebay.co.uk/authenticity-guarantee-watches/faqs/

It says:   In the unlikely event that the buyer receives an item that is not consistent with the listing, the item will be eligible for a return.  In order for a refund to be processed, all returns must be sent to the authentication partner for verification (to check that the item is still in the same condition and has all relevant accessories, or that the item is not consistent with the listing) and re authentication before the item is returned to the seller.

[jckl1957]

From other posts in the forum, including one in the last few days, it is clear that Ebay accept return cases if buyers claim the item is not as described.  (Authenticated items)

The recent one I saw was for trainers which were 'too narrow' for the buyer.

The item went back to the authenticator and was returned to the seller for a refund.

What has happened here does not mean the watch is not genuine.  In your listing, you state, 'To ensure this piece is in top-tier condition, I had it sent to the IWC Flagship Boutique on Bond Street, London in March 2025 for a full factory sapphire crystal replacement.'  This would not have been carried out if the watch was a fake.

You mention scratches - if there were scratches on the back of the case, not mentioned or photographed, that would certainly be the basis for a return.

The watch is on its way back to you.  Once it arrives,   you will have 48 hours to refund the buyer before they can ask Ebay to step in.

You are too late to open an Ebay case against the person who sold the watch to you.

[go_ahead_buy_me]

Who mentioned a serial number? I thought Authenticity Guarantee just compared the item against the listing details. So if no serial number was mentioned in the listing, where are the buyer saying it doesn't match to?

If you do have to refund the buyer and you don't have the money in your eBay account then they will take it from your payment source. If that fails, then they will request you pay via other means. If you don't pay then they will eventually send the debt collectors after you.

[ile136yz]

Hi,

You need to contact eBay customer services and explain that you have been notified that a watch you sold with 'EA' is being returned to you via EA.

Also state that you purchased the same watch which had EA (give date of your purchase and eBay's item number, and EA's reference number)

See what eBay's CS advises for this situation.  

[1956glyn]

An IWC watch is an expensive item.    The serial number shows whether its authentic or not.   Expensive watches are often checked by their serial number.    IF no proper checkable serial number then the item should not be listed on Ebay.

You should not  list an expensive watch without mentioning the serial number

[go_ahead_buy_me]

Okay.

If that's the case then when you (@dabea-7654) get the watch back you should check the serial number for yourself. (Take it to a trusted jewellers if you don't feel confident in removing the backing yourself.)

If it does match then I would report the buyer for abuse of the returns process.

If it does not match then I would ask eBay how either your buyer managed to return a different watch through the authenticators, or how the authenticators failed on their authentication of the watch originally. Because it can only be one of those two scenarios. Neither of which are good.

[dabea-7654]

Thanks for the replies - I've just finished on the phone to ebay and I'm actually pretty astounded!

for context the buyer raised the case and gave the following detail:

""Hello there, I have now looked into the detail at the back of the watch I suspect this watch to be a fake. The engraving on the back of the watch in the photo is a lot better than this. The weight of the watch is also too light."

*Interesting that in the case detail they never mentioned serial number, just in their direct message to me*

My assumption was that the watch goes back to ebay to investigate his claims and if valid, they come after me for a refund, and tbh I'd also expect to be banned if I was caught selling a fake watch. But no - all they do is check the watch is still the same as when he bought it e.g. he hasn't damaged it or kept the box etc and accept the return. 

I had to check this 3 times with her...so even if ebay agree the watch is as described and authentic, the return is still valid? Yes. the only time they don't accept is if it's outside of 30 days or the reason is simply the buyer no longer wants it. She even made it sound like it's fine because I get the watch back and can sell it again?!

Again I questioned this "so If I buy something on ebay and want to return it, I should make a false claim rather than be honest that I changed my mind?" and he said that even if they suspect the customer is giving "fake reasons" they still accept the return so long as the goods are in the same condition. She even gave the example that if the watch is black and the buyer says it's pink, when clearly it's black, they would still accept the return regardless if you're a private seller. 

In future she said I should leave the funds in my ebay account for 30 days as a return request could always be accepted in that time. 

I still can't quite believe that's their policy, but I was speaking to a Brit so it's not like anything got lost in translation. 

[go_ahead_buy_me]

eBay can’t verify that either buyer or seller is telling the truth.

They automatically assume both are honest (even though that can’t be true) until they have built evidence to the contrary.

So…

If you sell a lot of items and get a lot of returns for not as described, then eBay will use that as evidence that you are trying to defraud customers, and will almost certainly ban you from selling.

If a buyer returns lots of items from different sellers for not as described, then eBay will use that as evidence that they are trying to abuse the system, and will probably ban them - though I think it will probably take more evidence than a seller would need to be banned. That is why, as a seller, reporting a buyer who has clearly abused the return process is important, as it would have more weight than pure number of returns.

Edit:

But note this comment is about most sales on eBay. Personally, I do not understand why / how they can take this approach when the Authenticity Guarantee is used.

[millcottage]

The lesson is don’t sell high value items on eBay.