How to sell a watch as easily as possible

July 12, 2022 5:51 PM

I have a Baume & Mercier watch that I'd like to sell as painlessly as possible. It's probably worth about $1-2K. I'd like to simply walk into a store and get cash for it (I'm in New York City), or utilize a similar service online. I do not wish to put up my own listing, ad, auction, Craiglist's post, or the like. I know this will mean less money in my pocket, but the tradeoff is worth it to me. Thanks for your advice!
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell to Shopping (4 answers total)

If you have ownership papers (original receipt) this should be relatively easy at any decent watch store, like Tourneau / Bucherer

https://www.tourneau.com/sell-watch/faq
posted by kschang at 7:05 PM on July 12, 2022

I'd recommend you look at Crown & Caliber: https://www.crownandcaliber.com/pages/sell-my-watch-iq

They'll give you a quote that's pretty accurate, and it can help you zero in on the exact model for a "fair enough" price.
posted by disillusioned at 10:30 PM on July 12, 2022

Auction rooms work well for this, you may have to wait a few weeks or months for a watch auction to come up but the sale prices are often close to Ebay without all the hassle.
posted by Lanark at 2:25 AM on July 13, 2022

Visit a few dealers along 47th Street (b/w 5th and 6th) and accept the highest offer you get. It'll take maybe an hour or so.
posted by JimN2TAW at 5:54 AM on July 13, 2022 [1 favorite]