Seiko 7A38 - by the numbers

Seiko7A38 at December 24, 2020 at 5:30 AM

Seems December 2020 is really turning into the 'Silly Season' on NOS N8's. Yesterday evening, Italian eBay seller strega_68 listed not one, but two supposedly new unworn Yema N8's.

The first is a N81W63 Breguet Classique clone, the version with the more attractive dark blue and silver 'Louis Quinze' dial. It's fitted with a Yema branded strap, and although I have seen other alternative straps fitted to this model for the Italian market, I'm not convinced this one is original. However, what is interesting about this particular example, is that its case-back still retains almost all the red waxy plastic protective covering - which we've seen traces of on previous examples.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124499037748

Extremely Rare Yema Paris Chronograph Watch Seiko movement caliber 7a38 vintage. new, never worn all original Yema Paris. Works well. Collector's item.

The second N8 is a Yema N80P896 Psuedo Plonguer, fitted with a non-original aftermarket two-tone bracelet. The seller has currently uploaded a single photo.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124499400018

 

Extremely Rare Yema Paris Chronograph Watch Seiko movement 7a38 vintage

new, never worn works

well bracelet not branded Yema

collector's item

Giovanni's speculatively over-priced eBay listings are always good for a laugh, whatever the time of year. But he's excelled himself, not once but twice, this time. Their Buy-it-Now prices are $2000 and $1900  respectively !!

I invite you to cancel, remove these comments, I sell on ebay with a purchase proposal, not with an auction. These judgments hurt my sale.

Go to look the other way.

Giovanni.

Whether you are listing these Yema N8's as an auction, or as a Buy-it-Now, the fact remains that the ridiculous prices you are asking for them are 10 times the normal average selling prices for these watches. Hence the reason I consider them worthy of comment - and ridicule. These watches are not extremely (or even slightly) rare and because of their unusual designs, neither are they popular with most collectors. Although I will admit to owning number of both models. If you take the trouble to read back through the 40 pages of this thread, you will find numerous examples of them selling for much lower prices - usually less than $200. To save you the trouble, here are the two most recent used examples which sold on eBay in December:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264960583658

Correction: that Yema N81W63 sold for a second time a week later for $225 Au.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264971646312

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/293903545434

My comments are not 'hurting your sales', because NOBODY in their right mind is ever going to buy them at these ridiculous prices !! I see that you have ended your two previous listings as allegedly no longer available and re-listed them with their prices reduced to 'only' $1500 and $1300 respectively. Do you realize that currently still leaves the Yema N81W63 @ $1500, THE MOST EXPENSIVE asking price on eBay for any '7A38' that anybody anywhere in the world is asking right now ??

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124528012033

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124528012034

The fact that you arbitrarily reduced their prices by $500 and $600 shows that you have absolutely no idea of their real value and that you are just plucking random numbers out of thin air. Why don't you try listing them as auctions, with sensible opening bid prices of say $150 each - and see what they make in the real world. 

Seiko7A38 at December 20, 2020 at 4:47 AM

I really shouldn't care less, but this downright lazy cheapskate kind of profiteering annoys the hell out of me In the early hours of this morning, an Australian eBay re-seller listed what is obviously the same Yema N81W63 sold by stevenkazza_9 a week ago for $225 Au., as a 7-day auction with an opening bid price of $230 Au., or the option to Buy-it-Now for $300 Au. He's obviously cloned Steve's re-listing, using eBay's 'Sell one like this' feature, right down to the (slightly edited) description in the same color font. To add insult to injury, he's re-using 8 of Steve's photos, including his wrist shot as the primary image and has the gall to write: Sorry about the quality of the photos, I am not a very good photographer. His own crappy photos, which only include one of the watch are the last 4 in the set.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324424527436

Here's another reality check on selling prices for Yema N81W63's. Or should I more correctly say 'unsold' prices. After three more re-listings by the would-be profiteering Australian eBay re-seller, it still remains unsold. In the latest one he'd reduced the opening bid price down to $180 Au. - the same as Steve's original asking price. Somebody did place a bid a week ago, but then changed their mind and retracted. That 7-day auction ended earlier this morning - unsold once again.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324447882997

I honestly hadn't intended to labour the point, but this pricing anomaly amused me. The Australian eBay re-seller re-listed his Yema N81W63 again yesterday evening, not as an auction this time, but as a Buy-it-Now for $180 Au. - which if he manages to sell it will mean that he'll make a loss.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/324455752140

I'm in the UK, so naturally my default eBay domain is eBay.co.uk - and that's how I've always historically posted my links and taken screen prints. Regular UK eBay users may have noticed that since 'Brexit', eBay UK has started to add 20% VAT to the displayed Buy-it-Now prices from sellers in certain EU countries. I've already mentioned this in another thread - I've seen it on German and Italian eBay listings, but they're been extemely inconsistent to date. So wadderya make of this ? 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324455752140

They've added 20% to the UK version of that listing - in Australian Dollars, taking the price to $216 Au. Since when was Australia ever a member of the EU ??

The Yema N81W63, re-listed by the Australian eBay re-seller (as a Buy-it-Now) sold earlier this morning for his loss-making price of $180 Au., equivalent to $138.64 US.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324455752140

This Yema N8 Flygraf, fitted with a replacement leather strap, but still retaining the original Yema wire loop buckle, was listed at the weekend by a French eBay seller, as a 10-day auction, with an over-optimistic opening bid price of 300 Euros. Note the badly discoloured hands lume, yet oddly the dial batons appear unaffected.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224325993501

Montre Yema flygraf fonctionne parfaitement, quelques marques au niveau de la couronne. Bracelet en cuir noir avec surpiqure verte.

I think I've pretty much already made my point about what constitutes normal pricing levels for Yema N81W63's, but if any further confirmation were needed ....

The 10-day US eBay auction for a well-worn example ended in the early hours of this morning, selling for a mere $33 after 9 bids*.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/363261613795

*In fact, if you check the bidding history, there were 10 bids placed. In a misguided effort to 'help it along', I'd placed a bid or two (sub-$25) on it myself and was briefly the high bidder. As I really didn't need another example, although I expected I'd be subsequently outbid, I retracted it, just in case.

Oh and the supposed sale, a week ago, by the would-be Australian eBay re-seller, appears to have fallen through. His (ex-Steve7a) Yema N81W63 is back on eBay, re-listed once again, with the Buy-it-Now price increased to $195 Au. Nuff said ? 

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/324464637199