Not just Italy, nor Germany, nor UK and the USA - it's a worldwide problem - and getting worse all the time. It seems not a week goes by, without another profiteering re-seller clambering onto the 7Axx bandwagon. With the number of regular culprits, I really don't have time to flag every newcomer. But this one has a certain element of irony to it.
One of the oldest US eBay re-sellers still active is flobaca (a.k.a. Florentin Ghinet, the 'Scumbag from Skokie'). He has his own dedicated thread. In years gone by, he specialized in the stainless 7A38-7020 / -7029, buying up any cheaper examples, frequently by low-balling inexperienced sellers. Competition for the lucrative 'Royal Oak' resale market has driven him downmarket and nowadays he seems to be concentrating his efforts on the two-tone 7A38-702A / H.
But even there, he's not having things all his own way. Earlier this month, I spotted another 7A38-702H, on eBay in the States, which sold for an undisclosed best offer a fortnight ago today:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255914881497
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Half expecting that to have fallen victim to flobaca, I checked the eBay Purchase History to find that he'd been gazumped by an unknown bidder. flobaca had made a lower offer (using zenodass44) which had been declined.
- 7A38-702H-Stainless+Gold-eBay-January2023-Ended-PurchaseHistory.png (37.4 KiB) Viewed 495 times
Overnight, another 7A38-702H came up in my eBay saved search notifications, listed by a US seller whom I haven't encountered previously stad-kels. Evidently they're another merchant who likes to play the 'discount game'. Originally listed with a Buy-it-Now price of $289, they've already knocked 10% off.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Men%E2%80%99 ... 5944314154
- 7A38-702H-Stainless+Gold-eBay-January2023-(Re-seller)-stad-kels-Listing.jpg (203.25 KiB) Viewed 488 times