Repairing watches for profit

[f91man]

Is it possible to repair watches that have been bought on eBay for profit? I am prepared to learn as well as put a decent amount to invest in tools as well as my time if the profit margins are good. This could potentially be a good source of income for me.

 

Cheers!

[transporter]

Yes it is possible to buy and repair watches for a profit, but it is a learning curve and you will end up with loads of unknown movements and bits and bobs, it will be time consuming and probably won't come close to paying your bills but will buy you few pints each week if you make enough profit.

As for buying parts there are your usual material houses but sometimes I end up popping into my local smith and buying a part from him as it saves on postage, or I'll have to scour ebay etc for another watch of the calibre to get the required part to fix the first watch. It can be a mine field but also a good classroom for learning repairs, go ahead and have some fun, seikos are always plentiful but for a non runner (rusty) diver you will expect to pay approx £30 for a non runner then factor in a new aftermarket set of hands from the USA only about £8 but then put another £10 on for postage each extra part you buy you will need to put a mark up on to cover it's cost and postage and so it goes on, until you then factor in your hourly rate, for and full renovation if all parts are on your bench factor a whole day for the job going on into the evening so say a good 10 hours of solid work if all goes to plan. 

I'm not trying to put you off im just giving you the knowledge I have gained so far, you will eventually have a stock of spares and won't have such along turnaround time for each piece,  and try to stay focused on one brand of watch like seiko, or be like me along nd buy loads of random stuff and then be stuck with it haha, enjoy and have fun along end good luck mare

[f91man]

 

Yes it is possible to buy and repair watches for a profit, but it is a learning curve and you will end up with loads of unknown movements and bits and bobs, it will be time consuming and probably won't come close to paying your bills but will buy you few pints each week if you make enough profit.

As for buying parts there are your usual material houses but sometimes I end up popping into my local smith and buying a part from him as it saves on postage, or I'll have to scour ebay etc for another watch of the calibre to get the required part to fix the first watch. It can be a mine field but also a good classroom for learning repairs, go ahead and have some fun, seikos are always plentiful but for a non runner (rusty) diver you will expect to pay approx £30 for a non runner then factor in a new aftermarket set of hands from the USA only about £8 but then put another £10 on for postage each extra part you buy you will need to put a mark up on to cover it's cost and postage and so it goes on, until you then factor in your hourly rate, for and full renovation if all parts are on your bench factor a whole day for the job going on into the evening so say a good 10 hours of solid work if all goes to plan. 

I'm not trying to put you off im just giving you the knowledge I have gained so far, you will eventually have a stock of spares and won't have such along turnaround time for each piece,  and try to stay focused on one brand of watch like seiko, or be like me along nd buy loads of random stuff and then be stuck with it haha, enjoy and have fun along end good luck mare

Appreciate the solid advice mate.

Which watches do you recommend to start off with, and what types of problems do you think I should try to fix to begin with?

 

Alternatively i've been thinking of making custom seikos and such and selling them on eBay

 

cheers mate!

[rogart63]

 

Appreciate the solid advice mate.

Which watches do you recommend to start off with, and what types of problems do you think I should try to fix to begin with?

 

Alternatively i've been thinking of making custom seikos and such and selling them on eBay

 

cheers mate!

Please don't  . There are already full of custom Seikos on Ebay. I think it's really hard to buy from Ebay then repair and sell on for profit. Prices on good watches are already high. If you should make a profit you should buy the watches at flea market and such. Sell as is or sell the movement for spare parts. I have notice that it's usually easier to sell non serviced watches. And if you sell serviced watches you will have to have some kind of guarantee. Which will end up in lots of extra work if a watch doesn't work as it should. And maybe negative feedback. 

Edited May 31, 2017 by rogart63

[f91man]

 

Please don't  . There are already full of custom Seikos on Ebay. I think it's really hard to buy from Ebay then repair and sell on for profit. Prices on good watches are already high. If you should make a profit you should buy the watches at flea market and such. Sell as is or sell the movement for spare parts. I have notice that it's usually easier to sell non serviced watches. And if you sell serviced watches you will have to have some kind of guarantee. Which will end up in lots of extra work if a watch doesn't work as it should. And maybe negative feedback. 

Appreciate the advice, but unfortunately there aren't many proper thrift stores in London. Will have to look online or local ads on sites such as Gumtree (which hardly have anything interesting).

 

Cheers.

[vinn3]

watch repair,  trading and selling is a hobby.  its a long time learning.

[rogart63]

Best way to make money is probably to learn how to service watches and then help others that are willing to pay for the work. 

There must be lots of flea markets and such around London? Car boot sales and such? 

[f91man]

 

Best way to make money is probably to learn how to service watches and then help others that are willing to pay for the work. 

There must be lots of flea markets and such around London? Car boot sales and such? 

probably but they will be quite hard to find, need to do some research.

[jdm]

 

watch repair,  trading and selling is a hobby.  its a long time learning.

???

[Vich]

Hello f91man,

I am just a tinkerer and hobbyist but here is my three penneth.

The Bay has been kind to me for buying watches I was interested in but there have been a few horror stories in the forum from members who have had problems with a sale and even with a purchase there can be an unwelcome surprise.
Buy it now prices can work but if you bid you have to ensure you don't get caught up in a bidding frenzy. A "sniper" is a useful tool. The Bay can be useful to get guide prices on similar watches to see what potential profit is in the item.
I have had some luck in purchasing from auction houses and putting in low end bids have worked for me a few times. You have to build into the expense about £15.00 for postage and of course the buyers premium for the auction house as well this is good for higher end mechanicals. No matter which way you get your stock luck plays a big part and there may be dissapointments.
In short you have to be "savvy" and think it through before you commit or the chance of making a loss will be ever present.

Cheers,
Vic

[Latvas]

aint that the awful truth ????[emoji1303]
but still fun !!!


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[anilv]

Buying online is pretty safe. Always 'buy' the seller. Check out the feedback but be warned, there are people selling feedback.

Selling online is a gamble, I've been burned before but I only sold basic stuff so the hit is not too bad. COuld be bad if you're selling a Rolex! Now I prefer to sell locally via FB groups.

The hardest part about selling a used watch is that people expect them to work as good (or even better) than a new watch.  Not really possible on a 40year old mechanical watch without spending a boatload of cash.  A 36,000bph movement was an accurate movement in its day but getting one working to original specs would be challenging.

Water resistance on older watches is also hard to achieve. Case in point, Seiko Divers. While there are a lot of guys selling replacement rubber stuff. It is not possible to fix damaged case-backs/case without getting it laser-welded and milled Therefore water-resistance will never be 150m. Crown seals can be swapped out but the quality of replacements are uncertain.

Not saying its not possible, but if it was easy there would be a lot more guys doing it!

Anilv

 

 

[clockboy]

I recently worked on a Seiko diver and got it water resistant up to 6 bar. It was probably better than that but that is as far as my water tester goes. New seals & new pipe (if required) and a smidgen of grease inside the tube, silicone the case back thread and use a decent case back tool to tighten and they are just fine. 

[StuartBaker104]

Best way to make a large sum of money in this game is to start with a very large sum...

I would have to be buying at prices well below ebay to sell on at a profit, even if I had the time and inclination to do so. Maybe auctions are a better bet?  There are certanily sellers out there who appear to be selling watches in bulk and may be making a profit but many of them appear to be trading without adding value. I wouldn’t give up the day job to follow suit though.