Too good to be true? part ii

[Tom]

Have you looked at his other auctions Johnny? He sells used engine parts....
I bet he bought the "Patek" on e-bay, had it checked by a jeweler, and decided to throw it back.

-Tom

 

[William Massena]

Hi FIHties,

Also interesting to have a ref number of 5038 on a watch that they only made 500 of.

FYI, for all high end wristwatch, the total production number and the reference number have nothing in common.
the production number also known as the serial number (not to confused with the Limited edition number) is like a car VIN.
The reference number is the watch model number, a designation like SL500 for a Mercedes.

Finally, the Patek ref 5038 does exist, but it has nothing in common with the watch on Ebay, except that it also came with a black dial.

William

 

[johnnynorman3]

Have you looked at his other auctions Johnny?  He sells used engine parts....
I bet he bought the "Patek" on e-bay, had it checked by a jeweler, and decided to throw it back.

-Tom

Tom, I actually looked to see if he had purchased a Patek watch in the past year or so on Ebay. He hadn't. I mean, maybe he took a trip to NY or something, but is that likely for a guy from California who sells used engine parts? Honestly, the engine part thing made it more likely for me that this was a real deal -- maybe he found it in a car at the junkyard? In any event, like I said the buyer protection was the only reason I took the risk. I read the Paypal terms very closely and if it is a fake, even the "as is" language doesn't let Paypal off the hook.

 

[MikeF]

You obviously have no experience with PayPal if you think you're going to get your money back when (not if) he ships you a fake. If you use PayPal, you will be lucky to get your money back even in an instance where a seller ships you absolutely nothing. If the seller ships you anything - a box of bricks, for instance, instead of a DVD player - PayPal won't protect you. Trust me on this one.

 

[johnnynorman3]

I actually do have experience with Paypal, Mike. You are right that in general they could ship you ANYTHING. As long as something arrives to you, you have no recourse. But the language of the additional buyer protection policy is worded substatially differently than the ordinary policy to which I believe you are referring. If Paypal wants to try to welch on the language I read, well then I'll go from there. I can always just go through the seller to -- when it comes down to it, horribly negative feedback probably isn't worth it to the guy.

 

[MikeF]

The best call is probably just to threaten to phone his local police and advise them that he's committing fraud and peddling counterfeit merchandise. Or to take it up with your credit card issuer directly (although that latter choice will probably cause PayPal to freeze your account, possibly permanently).

 

[ernest]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws....ck=true I couldn't hyperlink the auction due to problems with my mouse. Â But please take a look at it via cut and paste. Â I figured for the price, if it's fake who cares -- and the guy offered Paypal protection. Â This guy isn't a watch seller -- he sells mainly used auto parts. Â I took a gamble that this guy just didn't know what he had. So, what does everybody think? Â Is this real, a sure fake, or a "maybe real"? Â Even if it's fake, it looks cool. Â I can't wait to receive it.

Stop dreaming...

 

[Brian SD]

Hi FIHties,
Quote:

Also interesting to have a ref number of 5038 on a watch that they only made 500 of.
FYI, for all high end wristwatch, the total production number and the reference number have nothing in common. the production number also known as the serial number (not to confused with the Limited edition number) is like a car VIN. The reference number is the watch model number, a designation like SL500 for a Mercedes. Finally, the Patek ref 5038 does exist, but it has nothing in common with the watch on Ebay, except that it also came with a black dial. William
This post is enough for me. Johnny, if the man is whom you perceive him to be, meaning a California used parts dealer who probably doesn't know the prestige or beauty of a Patek, then he probably doesn't know any better to be out there deceiving people with fakes. You played the game... You risked it by spending $75 on something that you did have even the slightest shadow of a doubt about, and unfortunately it appears you lost this round. I advise you cut your losses, live and learn, but not start trouble with this guy who may be just as genuinely ignorant as we all believe. I don't mean to be an agitator, but it's really your fault man.