Advice needed on safe selling of Milgauss 1019

[Scribbler]

Hi everyone,

I posted this Q before but it didn't appear (I think it's because I've just joined) so apologies to all if you have, in fact, already seen this.

I have a Milgauss 1019, in excellent condition with the box and all the papers etc, and I am researching the best way to sell it.

There seems to be a huge range in valuations from what I've seen, although I understand that this is a fairly rare/sought after watch.

So what's the best way of getting it valued and sold, would you say?

One of the big auction houses? A Rolex dealer? On this forum? Take a punt on eBay?

Also, what steps could a buyer reasonably be expected to take to satisfy himself that the article is genuine?

And is there a risk that I do the deal then, a month later, the buyer (having sneakily swapped the innards for fake stuff) demands a refund, leaving me with what is now a fake Rolex. Is escrow a normal practice with high value Rolex sales?

As an experienced Rolex-enthusiast, what would you do in my position?

Many thanks in advance,

S
PS. I'm in the UK

[Andy B]

Can we see a photo please?

Andy

[Scribbler]

Yep - soon as I work out how to attach photos...

[topcat30093]

Photos, would be a great help.
But maybe Jason or Jedly can help.

[Scribbler]

I'll try to take some pics today, but it's the advice on the best way to sell it I'm after at this point...


TIA,

S

[jedly1]

well jas is on his way to classic le mans ( lucky bugger) ...and i am in the lounge at bangkok airport about to hit anohter 10 hr flight!!!....


anyway , really your starting point is pictures ...valuations/ approach to selling will all vary depending on condition and originality which we need pics to establish.

in general though be warned , milgauss' 1019 have been quite soft in pricing for the last year or two and are not an easy sell unless priced keenly.

look forward to the pics.

[Scribbler]

Ah! Hence everyone's obsession with photos! That makes sense to me now. HUGE thanks for that - also for confirming what one collector told me yesterday that the prices have been soft for a couple of years.

That also explains the higher prices of previous years that I've seen.

I'll try and take pics today.

Thanks again for your help - truly appreciated!

[adt]

Sorry to change the topic but how does one determine if prices have been soft? Auction results? Talk to dealers? Another thread mentioned DRSD pricing being soft as well.

[Scribbler]

Originally Posted by adt

Sorry to change the topic but how does one determine if prices have been soft? Auction results? Talk to dealers? Another thread mentioned DRSD pricing being soft as well.

I hate to contribute to corrupting my own thread, but what is 'DRSD', please?
This is a whole new world for me and Rolex seems to be a huge subject - lots of learning to do.

[Kingair]

Good luck with the sales but isn't this something for the 'For Sale' section ?

HAGOne

[Scribbler]

Originally Posted by Kingair

Good luck with the sales but isn't this something for the 'For Sale' section ?

HAGOne

Hiya,
Eventually it might be, yes. But what I'm after at the moment is advice on the best way to sell and what the potential pitfalls, if any, are.

Sorry if this is in the wrong place but I thought that, as the sale will be at some date in the future (when I have enough knowledge to proceed in a sensible way), I would first ask for advice from people who are experienced.

Posting in the sales section seemed a bit premature. Have I messed up?

[caryyee]

Originally Posted by Scribbler

I hate to contribute to corrupting my own thread, but what is 'DRSD', please?
This is a whole new world for me and Rolex seems to be a huge subject - lots of learning to do.

DRSD = Double Red Sea Dweller. A holy grail of a watch. Have a look at http://www.watchtrader.com.au/blog/t...-dweller-1665/ for a great story about them ...

[Scribbler]

Originally Posted by caryyee

DRSD = Double Red Sea Dweller. A holy grail of a watch. Have a look at http://www.watchtrader.com.au/blog/t...-dweller-1665/ for a great story about them ...

Love it! Thanks for the info.

[jedly1]

Originally Posted by adt

Sorry to change the topic but how does one determine if prices have been soft? Auction results? Talk to dealers? Another thread mentioned DRSD pricing being soft as well.

Tricky one , firstly you need the passage of time and exposure to a lot of sales, but much more importantly you need the ability to recognise and compare like for like.

I've heard and seen many people claim certain prices are on the rise or soft , but when I look at the examples they show I see they are comparing apples with oranges.

It's also important to realise that exchange rates have the biggest role to play in obvious pricing trends , and the quickest impact as we collect in a global market.

You can usually see it in a given model but for the market as a whole Global demand and desirability of a product may remain strong, but if your local currency weakens by 25% you will have to pay more , ( often even locally once a market adjusts) ... Conversely as happened in the USA in 2008 if the currency strengthens by 25-35% you will buy for less both globally and locally.


Pricing trends .... DOnt bother , it'll make your head hurt ..... Just buy what you like

[harry in montreal]

no sale is devoid of risk. personally, i would insure it and then sell it at an auction house near where you live. fight hard to get a low commission (5%) since it will be a featured lot in any aution.

[Rockrolex]

Originally Posted by Scribbler

Hi everyone,

I posted this Q before but it didn't appear (I think it's because I've just joined) so apologies to all if you have, in fact, already seen this.

I have a Milgauss 1019, in excellent condition with the box and all the papers etc, and I am researching the best way to sell it.

There seems to be a huge range in valuations from what I've seen, although I understand that this is a fairly rare/sought after watch.

So what's the best way of getting it valued and sold, would you say?

One of the big auction houses? A Rolex dealer? On this forum? Take a punt on eBay?

Also, what steps could a buyer reasonably be expected to take to satisfy himself that the article is genuine?

And is there a risk that I do the deal then, a month later, the buyer (having sneakily swapped the innards for fake stuff) demands a refund, leaving me with what is now a fake Rolex. Is escrow a normal practice with high value Rolex sales?

As an experienced Rolex-enthusiast, what would you do in my position?

Many thanks in advance,

S
PS. I'm in the UK

You could compare your watch to comparables on e-Bay, on the Sale forum here (on TRF), on other watch fora, and on-line grey dealers. Then decide on a price for yours that is in line with comparable watches and advertise here (following all the Sale forum rules) or another watch forum. Then just hope for the best.

[Scribbler]

[QUOTE=Scribbler;3404754]Hi everyone,

Here's the (rather poor) photo. To recap:

I have a Milgauss 1019, in excellent condition with the box and all the papers etc, and I am researching the best way to sell it.

There seems to be a huge range in valuations from what I've seen, although I understand that this is a fairly rare/sought after watch.

So what's the best way of getting it valued and sold, would you say?

One of the big auction houses? A Rolex dealer? On this forum? Take a punt on eBay?

Also, what steps could a buyer reasonably be expected to take to satisfy himself that the article is genuine?

And is there a risk that I do the deal then, a month later, the buyer (having sneakily swapped the innards for fake stuff) demands a refund, leaving me with what is now a fake Rolex. Is escrow a normal practice with high value Rolex sales?

As an experienced Rolex-enthusiast, what would you do in my position?

Many thanks in advance,

S

[azguy]

You can list it here as a UK sale and see what kind of interest you get, then you could flea-bay it out if there is no to little interest.....

Good luck

[Scribbler]

Yeah - as indicated in my original post, I'm aware of these options. I was just trying to get opinions from experienced rolex lovers on which is the ~best~ and ~safest~ way to proceed.

Thanks everyone...

[brian8121]

Originally Posted by Scribbler

Yeah - as indicated in my original post, I'm aware of these options. I was just trying to get opinions from experienced rolex lovers on which is the ~best~ and ~safest~ way to proceed.

Thanks everyone...

If you want the absolute safest way, you could see if Andrew 'Jed' McCormack (jedly1) at http://www.thetimetraveler.co/watches/vintage/rolex. He's in the UK and Oz. Great guy, vintage expert, and a trusted vintage dealer. He buys outright and also offers a brokerage service to match up buyers/sellers.

If you go this route, you may not get the absolute highest price - they'll pay wholesale or charge whatever the brokerage fee is - but it's probably the safest route. Jed is an honest, stand-up guy and he really knows his stuff. Also you can sidestep the risk involved of going the eBay route and then selling to someone who may claim the watch is fake (or whatever) and initiate a chargeback. If you want the lowest risk as far as fraud goes, IMHO someone like Jed is the safest route.

For what it's worth, I would avoid eBay unless you have a lot of watch dealing experience. Just too many land mines and eBay's resolution center is heavily biased toward the buyer (see my comments above re: chargebacks).

Also, in this case, I would insist on a bank wire as a form of payment.

Good luck!