The Melbourne-based buyer shows sellers an indicative cash offer on screen before the watch leaves their hands, checks it in front of them and pays by instant bank transfer once they accept
Melbourne, Australia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 9, 2026) - WatchTrades, a Melbourne-based buyer and seller of pre-owned luxury watches, has launched online offers that show Australians a cash offer for their watch on screen in about a minute, without waiting for anyone to reply. The seller then hands the watch over at an authentication centre, where it is checked in front of them, or to an insured courier, and is paid by Osko instant bank transfer once they accept the final price.
Sellers see an indicative cash offer on screen in about a minute, and only hand the watch over once they are happy with the price.
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The approach reverses the usual order of a watch sale. Most watch buyers ask sellers to send photos and wait for a reply, sometimes for a day or more. Selling privately can take weeks of listings, fees, messages and viewings, and it can mean opening the door to strangers and checking payments that may turn out to be fake.
WatchTrades works out each offer from current market data for the same watch. The seller picks the maker and model, roughly when it was made, its condition and whether the box and papers are still around, and the indicative offer appears in Australian dollars. The offer is held for seven days, and only what the inspection finds can change it. The company buys each watch itself, with no broker in between, and charges sellers no fees.
"Selling a watch should start with a price, and that price shouldn't depend on someone getting back to you," said Nick Doughty, founder of WatchTrades. "We haven't found another buyer in Australia whose price appears on screen, worked out from market data, before anyone has to reply. Once people can see the number straight away, they decide in their own time, and nobody rushes them."
From the offer to the counter
WatchTrades has more than 350 authentication centres across seven regions of the world, all open by appointment, including centres in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. A seller brings photo ID, and a specialist checks the movement, serial number and condition at the counter while the seller watches. In Melbourne, the centre is the company's own private office in the CBD. A visit there takes about 25 minutes, and a seller who accepts the final price is paid before leaving.
Sellers can hand a watch over at one of more than 350 WatchTrades authentication centres, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.
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Sellers who would rather not travel can ship instead. WatchTrades books and pays for a courier to collect the watch from the seller's door, insured for the total amount, and films the check so the seller can see it.
In Australia, payment goes by Osko to the seller's PayID or BSB and account on the day of the inspection, once the seller accepts, and it lands within seconds. A seller can say no at any point before accepting, and a watch already with the company goes back by insured courier at no cost. WatchTrades says it will never ask a seller to send it money, for any reason.
"People often assume a watch without its box and papers, or one that has stopped, isn't worth the trouble," said Nick Doughty. "It still gets an offer. We'd ask them not to have it serviced first. We check it as it is."
The company buys watches from nine makers, each priced on screen: Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Richard Mille, Vacheron Constantin, A. Lange & Söhne, F.P. Journe, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Cartier.
ABOUT WATCHTRADES
WatchTrades is a Melbourne-based buyer and seller of pre-owned luxury watches and a registered second-hand dealer in Victoria. It shows sellers an indicative cash offer on screen in about a minute, priced from current market data, for watches from nine makers. Sellers hand a watch over at one of more than 350 authentication centres in seven regions or send it by insured courier, and in Australia they are paid by Osko bank transfer once they accept. The company also sells pre-owned luxury watches, each checked by hand in Melbourne. More at watchtrades.com.
Media contact
WatchTrades
hello@watchtrades.com
0455 222 444 (from overseas +61 455 222 444)
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/323015
