Seiko 7A38 - by the numbers

Seiko7A38 at October 5, 2019 at 11:03 AM

Believe me, I do get tired of constantly bitching about all the profiteering re-selling that goes on on eBay. Earlier this afternoon, a stainless 7A38-7140, fitted with a rather familiar-looking non-original replacement bracelet, was listed by an Italian eBay seller, with a 'pie-in-the-sky' Buy-it-Now price of 490 Euros, or the option to make a much lower offer. Funny, I always thought John Player (Special) colours were Black and Gold.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/293263579222

I hadn't bothered to mention before, but since last October, would-be profiteering Italian eBay seller salvatorezz21resta had made a few revisions to his listing for that well-worn stainless 7A38-7140, fitted with a non-original bracelet (which he'd paid 180 Euros for, less than a fortnight earlier).

These included adding a random Seiko presentation box and a blank unstamped guarantee certificate, in a pathetically deceiptful attempt to pass it off as 'a full set'. He later uploaded these 3 additional photos, showing them.

However, he did nothing about reducing his ridiculous 'pie-in-the-sky' Buy-it-Now price. Checking my eBay watching page, I see he ended the listing two days ago, because of an error.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/293263579222

Hah ! This one is really 'doing the rounds'.

This all too familiar well-worn stainless 7A38-7140, fitted with a non-original replacement bracelet, which first appeared just over a year ago (at the bottom of page 2 of this thread) and subsequently sold for a best offer of 180 Euros, was listed this morning by yet another would-be profiteering Italian eBay re-seller 20maryl20 with a similarly ludicrous 'pie-in-the-sky' Buy-it-Now price of 450 Euros with the option to make an offer. Personally I wouldn't offer 180 Euros - even with the non-original Seiko box and blank guarantee added by salvatorezz21resta !!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184455484603

SEIKO 7A38 7140 GIUGIARO MOLTO RARO QUARTZ CHRONOGRAPH 

CON GARANZIA E CONFEZIONE ORIGINALE 

Oggetto proveniente da fondo di magazzino di orologeria, orologio venduto come FUNZIONANTE, le condizioni generali sono quelle che potete costatare nella foto, davvero molto bello 

° ° ° SPEDIZIONI IN TUTTO IL MONDO ° ° ° 

° ° ° PAYPAL ACCETTATO ° ° ° 

AVVERTENZE: 

ARTICOLO DI MIA PROPRIETA' E DETENUTO AI FINI COLLEZIONISTICI E/O DI RESTAURO 

GARANTISCO QUANTO DESCRITTO E FOTOGRAFATO, NULLA PIU' DI CIO' 

NON SONO UN COMMERCIANTE NE UN CONCESSIONARIO DI CIO' CHE VENDO, DI CONSEGUENZA NON HO UN PUNTO VENDITA E NON FACCIO VENDITA AL BANCO 

NON HO RAPPORTI CON NESSUN MARCHIO CHE PROPONGO IN VENDITA, NE FORNITORI DA QUI MI FORNISCO, DI CONSEGUENZA CIO' CHE VENDO E' FRUTTO DI ACQUISTI TRA PRIVATI E APPASSIONATI DEL SETTORE 

OGGETTI CHE VENDO SONO USATI E VENDUTI CON FORMULA VISTO E PIACIUTO 

SPEDISCO SOLO AD INDIRIZZI REGISTRATI SU EBAY 

NON SI EFFETTUANO SPEDIZIONI COMBINATE MA VERRA' EFFETTUATO UNO SCONTO PARI AL 5% SUL TOTALE DAL SECONDO OGGETTO ACQUISTATO, IL 7% SUL TERZO E IL 10% SE ACQUISTATE PIU' DI 4 PEZZI

This afternoon, the latest would-be profiteering Italian eBay seller followed suit ....

and ended their short-lived listing for that well-worn stainless 7A38-7140, fitted with a non-original bracelet, as allegedly no longer available. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184455484603

Let's hope that's the last we've seen of it - though somehow I have my doubts. 

Allegedly indeed. It's back on eBay again, re-listed this lunchtime.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184462263622

It's the same as it was before, with a risible 'pie-in-the-sky' Buy-it-Now price of 450 Euros, with the option to make a much lower realistic offer (for anybody desperate or foolhardy enough). I habitually added to my eBay watching page, along with all the other over-priced crap I have absolutely no intention of buying; refreshed the screen to find I'd been sent an automated offer of 300 Euros.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184462263622

And so it goes on.  Yesterday evening, the would-be profiteering Italian re-seller ended that re-listing, because of an error.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184462263622

Five minutes later, they re-listed it as a 3-day auction with an opening bid price of 1 Euro. Bidding is currently stalled at 51 Euros. However, for anybody hoping to pick up a bargain priced 7A38-7140 (even one fitted with the wrong bracelet), I would advise caution. Italian eBay auctions are notorious for shill bidding. The current high bidder, with a feedback rating of only (3) has 100% bidding activity with this seller.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184483108757

The 3-day Italian eBay auction, for a well-worn stainless 7A38-7140, fitted with a non-original replacement bracelet, ended earlier this evening, selling for 201 Euros after 27 bids. Not an outllandish figure, but the auction was almost certainly shilled to achieve it - by more than one bidder ID.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184483108757

It's not as if any more proof were needed, is it ? No great surprise, it's back on eBay again, re-listed again earlier this evening as another 3-day auction with an opening bid price of 199 Euros or the option to make an offer - or, better still, run away.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184491106068

You didn't seriously think that was the last we'd seen of it, did you ? Wrong !! 

It's back on eBay again this afternoon, re-listed - this time as a 7-day auction with the opening bid price increased to 249 Euros. 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184516279264

If past experience is anything to go by, I'm probably wasting my time posting this. The latest 7-day Italian eBay auction for that well-worn stainless 7A38-7140, fitted with a non-original bracelet, ended earlier this afternoon supposedly selling for the opening bid price of 249 Euros.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184516279264

This stainless 7A38-7140, in no better than average used condition, was listed in the early hours of this morning by a US eBay seller, with a risible 'pie-in-the-sky' Buy-it-Now price of $950 - with the option to make a much lower, more realistic offer. It's being tantalisingly offered to buyers outside USA through eBay's dysfunctional GSP programme, which potentially adds another $322.66 to the already ridiculous asking price. The seller describes it as being 'Extremely Mint'. Closer examination of his photos reveals it to be anything but. There are plenty of light scuffs and scratches and the silver anodised coating is worn through on the sharper edges of the watch case. The dial also appears to have been amateurishly re-touched in at least one place - just above the 30 minute counting sub-dial. Anon.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124437615286

RARE Seiko Chrono 7A38 7140 From 1985 Extremly Mint Quartz Everything Authentic. Condition is "Pre-owned". Shipped with FedEx Ground or FedEx Home Delivery.

This US eBay seller naja-simon is a dealer, who is also active on Instagram as VoskiWatch. Presumably as a thinly-veiled teaser to give his forthcoming eBay listing a free plug, he posted about this same stainless 7A38-7140 twice yesterday.

Firstly 'as received', that he captioned: Going to rescue this vintage Seiko quartz.

In these 4 photos, the watch appears not to be running, rather grubby, with plenty of detritus floating around the dial - possibly flakes of lume from the minute hand.

His second more recent post is a video of the watch cleaned up and running:

That mark on the dial, just above the 30 minute counting sub-dial is briefly visible. There are still odd bits of detritus floating around and a ring of crud around the rim of the fixed bezel. Note the words: movement replacement. Now scroll back up to my previous post and look again at his eBay listing photo of the movement. Notice anything missing ?  Typical amateur watch-botcher's mistake !! 

Checking my eBay watching page, I just noticed that grossly over-priced stainless 7A38-7140 sold in the early hours of this morning. It didn't sell for the ludicrous $950 Buy-it-Now price, but for an undisclosed best offer. Thanks to eBay's now complete deliberate withholding of best offer selling prices, I have absolutely no idea what that may have been. I just hope for the sake of the poor sucker who bought it .... 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124437615286

PS - Regarding my sarcastic comment: Typical amateur watch-botcher's mistake !! 10/10 to anybody else who spotted that the rotary step switch was missing. 

It appears that common sense has prevailed - at least on the part of the buyer. That grossly-over-priced stainless 7A38-7140 is back on eBay again, re-listed in the early hours of this morning.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124477957892