Beware of Counterfeit Watches

Whenever you buy a watch online you have to be careful that you're not getting a counterfeit watch.

The Swiss Customs service estimates that between 30 and 40 million counterfeit watches are sold every year. This means that there's a very good chance that you might be getting a counterfeit watch when you buy online. The online market place is a perfect venue for counterfeit watches because many bargain hunters shop online.

Fortunately you can safely shop for watches online if you use a little come sense and are aware of counterfeit watches. A sensible person can usually avoid being taken in by counterfeit watches.

The first sign that a watch is counterfeit is an unbelievable bargain or really low price. For example a Rolex watch being sold for just $100. If you see a high end watch being sold at a really low price chances are it's a fake.

In particular watch out for counterfeits on sites like eBay. Fraudsters put up counterfeit items for auction and pretend that they're people selling the real thing because of economic distress.

A good indication of a fake is an auctioneer or online dealer who's willing to drop his price quickly in order to get you to buy. If the watch was really high end they wouldn't be willing to drop their price quickly.

Another way to avoid being ripped off is to deal with reputable dealers. Don't deal with a website that doesn't put up a physical address and phone number so you can contact them online. Be leery of websites that are based outside of your country.

A good way to tell if a website is reputable is to see how long its been online. Reputable merchants stay around, fly by night scams appear and disappear quickly. If the website is very new and you can't find anything about it besides the great prices they're offering it's probably a scam.

Watch collectors and those looking for older watches should beware of counterfeits too. Some counterfeiters specialize in making fakes of older watches. Others try to sell old counterfeits off as the real thing.

You should also be on the look out for fakes in the offline world as well. A classic con game is the individual who tries to sell you a Rolex on a street corner at a really low price. This individual may insinuate that the watch is hot or stolen. In reality the watch is a cheap fake and anybody who buys it gets taken.

Fake watches are also sold at flea markets and carnivals and by street vendors. Never buy a watch on the street, at the flea market or from a questionable business such as a push cart or a carnival vendor. Watches sold through such questionable venues are almost always fake.

One thing you should remember if you get taken in by a fake watch online or offline you will almost never get your money back. There are no refunds or returns for counterfeit watches.