Testimonials

Though Bruce and Christina bought everything from computer software to cosmetics to craft supplies and fly-fishing gear, their growing interest in watches ended up being the focus of their eBaying. While searching for his first watch on eBay, Bruce began to notice vintage men's watches from the 50s and 60s. In one of his first auctions, he was informed by a kind seller on how to bid competitively on watches, while avoiding overbidding. "Over a few months and many emails, he educated me on collectable Omegas and Jaeger LeCoultres," Bruce said. "His advice turned out to be extremely wise."

Bruce and Christina were so grateful, they sent their new friend some fresh Australian produce. This was just the beginning of interesting intercontinental relationships Bruce and Christina would foster through eBay.

One of Christina's favorite watches came from a seller in the US, who'd been given the watch by a former boyfriend. She didn't know the size of the band, so Bruce and Christina instructed her on how to measure it. "Amazingly, it was exactly the size of Christina's wrist and she won. The seller joked that it was a cathartic experience and thanked us for exorcising her past."

They've made similar connections with sellers across the globe, in the eight countries they've bought from and have even stayed in the home of a seller they bought from in California last year. "It was a wonderful four days of laughter food, more food and being treated like royalty," Bruce remembers. "A wonderful friendship was born between the four of us."

They've won over 30 watches on eBay auctions and now see a lot of humor in how drastically their opinion of eBay has changed since their first bid.

When he was shopping around for a vintage Swiss wristwatch a few years back, he made an interesting find on eBay. "I was looking for an old, solid gold Zenith Watch, but this caught my eye," he says of the much older model he ended up buying. "It was one of the first wristwatches made; they gave them to the officers in WWI so they would have their hands free." Wristwatches weren't yet the fashion back then, so the one he bought looked like a pocket watch with two leather bands. "What caught my eye was its unique onion shape," he says of the watch that he usually only wears for special occasions.

To him, the idea of collecting wasn't just a way to pass the time; it was an excuse to educate himself on something he'd always beeninterest in but never had the time for. "The whole idea of collecting is not just buying," he says. "You can always spend money; that's the easiest thing in the world." So in his pursuit to become a serious collector, he bought books, did research online and made himself as knowledgeable as he could. When he started buying, he wouldn't just look in local antique shops, he'd take trips across the country to live auctions. And though it was certainly exciting to go to such lengths to further his collection, he was curious when a friend suggested that he try eBay.

Now 68 years old, and still a little anxious around computers, the variety he saw up for auction convinced him to join earlier this year. Pretty soon, he had placed a bid on a watch he liked, a vintage Breguet from a seller in California. He was so impressed with the quality of the watch he bought and the ease of the transaction, he purchased another watch from the same seller just this month.

"If you deal with businessmen, you're going to do alright," he said. "And most people on eBay are real businessmen. Buying something sight unseen is definitely an experience, but it's worked for me."

With watches from every century, decade and country going up for auction almost every day, he no longer feels the pressure of flying around to find the right pieces. "It doesn't seem necessary anymore," he says. If he keeps an eye on the auctions long enough, he thinks he'll be able to find any watch he might think to buy on eBay.