If you’ve come across a Rolex watch or you have one that is fairly old, you might be thinking about selling it instead of keeping it. Luxury watches such as Rolex tend to keep their value year after year, so the chances are good that you’ll get a fair price for it. Nevertheless, there are some things you should take into consideration before you reach out to potential buyers, and these things can help you get the most money from the sale. Some of these things are listed below.
Five Things to Consider When Selling a Rolex
Before you start the selling process to get rid of your Rolex, here are five things you might want to keep in mind first.
1. Make Sure You Know What the Serial Number Is
Before you sell a Rolex, you’ll want to know as many details as possible about the watch itself. This includes the serial number, which can be found either on the lugs of the bracelet (for Rolex watches made prior to 2005), or the rehaut, which is the area around the edges between the face and the crystal (for Rolex watches made since 2005). If you have the original paperwork, the serial number will be in there, but if you don’t have this paperwork, you can usually locate it somewhere on the watch itself.
2. Take Some Photographs of the Watch
Chances are good that you’ll want to sell your watch on websites such as eBay and others, and most of these platforms will require clear, high-quality pictures of the product. After all, no potential buyer is going to be interested in your watch without knowing what it looks like. When taking photographs, take lots of them and take them from all different angles. Take close-up photographs as well, and if you have the paperwork, take close-up pictures of that, too. The more pictures you have of the watch, the happier your potential customers will be and the more likely they’ll be to buy the watch in the end.
Once the photographs are taken, take a close look at them and make sure they are clear and full-color. If your cell phone doesn’t produce good photographs, try using a good digital camera so that the pictures come out looking like a professional did them. Photographs of your Rolex watch are important when you’re trying to sell it.
3. Make Sure You Have All of the Original Paperwork
When people are looking to buy a Rolex watch, they’ll want to know it’s an authentic watch, and the best way to prove that is to have all of the original paperwork. The more paperwork you have, the more likely you’ll get a higher price for it. If you have the original box it came in, that’s even better. Any paperwork you can find will be helpful, including manuals, warranties, certificate of authenticity, and if possible, a receipt for the purchase. If you don’t have these things, don’t worry.
You can still sell your watch without these things, but you’ll simply end up with a higher selling price if you have the box and paperwork that came with it. Rolex watches are expensive, but there are still fakes out there, and when you have the original box and the paperwork on hand, selling the watch is simply much easier because they prove the watch is authentic.
4. Do Some Research on the Value of the Watch
Before you sell a Rolex watch, you have to know what an appropriate asking price is, and the only way you can do that is to do some research beforehand. Different models of Rolex watches have different monetary values, and if you still have a receipt for the watch, you’ll have a good starting point. If you do not, however, you can simply research similar watches online to get an idea of a price to charge for the watch. When doing so, make sure you are comparing apples to apples; in other words, make sure the model and type, and even the color and age, are roughly the same so that you can get a more accurate idea of what to charge a buyer.
5. Decide Where to Sell the Watch
When you’re selling a Rolex watch, just know that you have numerous venues to do so. These include the following:
- Pawn shops. Pawn shops don’t always give you the best price for a watch, but you are all but guaranteed to sell it once you get there. If you’re in need of quick cash, a pawn shop will come through for you.
- Online stores. Stores such as Craigslist and Facebook’s Marketplace can be great places to look for buyers for your watch. People looking for Rolex watches don’t always visit these sites, but it is still a possibility.
- Online auction sites such as eBay and others. eBay is a reputable company known for high-quality products, so you shouldn’t have any problems finding a buyer for your Rolex watch.
- Watch dealers. Many watch dealers are happy to snatch up your Rolex watch because they’ll know they can easily resell it. A good watch dealer will also know how much you’ll be able to make off of your watch.
You can sell your Rolex watch in other ways as well, and in fact, it’s smart to use several venues to increase the odds that you sell it quickly in the end.
Can You Pawn a Rolex Watch Without the Paperwork?
In most cases, pawn shop dealers will buy your Rolex watch without the paperwork that came with it, but as mentioned previously, you may not get as much money for it if you don’t have any original papers. Once again, the more paperwork you own, the more money you’ll get for the watch once you finally sell it. Paperwork always helps you get more money and a higher selling price, but most pawn shops will not require this paperwork to buy the watch from you. If you’ve had your Rolex watch for a long time or you just came across the watch on your own, you may not have any paperwork to go along with it, but that certainly doesn’t mean you won’t be able to pawn the watch and get some money for it.
