10 Best Places To Sell Watches (Online & In-Person)

If you’re trying to sell a watch, there are many options to consider. Knowing the best places to sell watches is helpful when you want to get top dollar or just need cash fast.

According to Grand View Research, the pre-owned luxury watch market was valued at over $23 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow by 9.2% in 2024. This means it is still a good time to sell your watch, even in today’s economy.

Table of Contents

Where to Sell Watches

Watches can be sold in a variety of ways. You can sell regular and luxury watches online, in brick-and-mortar stores, or at other places near your home. The suggestions mentioned here include a wide array of selling options listed in alphabetical order. Just get a jewelry appraisal first so you don’t sell your watch for less than it’s worth.

1. 5miles

5miles is a local buy-and-sell app that connects you with interested watch buyers in a specific area. You can list your watch on 5miles in a specific city or town to attract watch buyers near you. Then, you can meet those watch buyers in person to get your cash for your watch.

Another nice thing about 5miles is that the app promotes safety, and users must verify their identity via Facebook or phone. Users are even asked to rate other users. This means you can check a user’s rating to see how other users interact with that user as a watch buyer or seller.

As a bonus, there are no fees for selling jewelry on 5miles. Plus, the site has an above-average Trustpilot score, making it one of the top selling apps.

2. Alloy Market

One of the best places to sell a watch, especially if it’s gold, is Alloy. Simply request a free appraisal kit and follow the step-by-step instructions. The kit includes free, insured shipping.

The appraisal offered is a free cash offer. Therefore, they offer an upfront offer with no hidden fees. They even provide a video of the appraisal so you understand how they reached the appraisal amount.

If you’re seeking a safe and efficient way to sell your gold watch, look no further than Alloy, the premier online marketplace for precious metals.

3. Local Consignment Shops

Local consignment shops are another great place to sell watches. Using a local location lets you closely monitor your watch to see when it sells. Additionally, it often means getting your money faster once the watch sells. That said, selling at a local consignment shop has a couple of downsides.

The first is that your potential audience might be smaller. Of course, this depends on where you live. You’ll likely have a larger audience if you live in a bigger city or town. However, your audience could be limited if you live in a rural area.

That said, even consignment shops in smaller towns could provide a large potential buying audience if they have a solid online presence.

The second potential downside to selling at local consignment shops is that the fees can be high, so you won’t get the fair market value for your watch. Check with consignment shops near you for the exact fees for selling jewelry.

4. Pawn Shops

Pawn shops are valid options for selling your watch as well. Each shop works differently, so compare the details between pawn shops before choosing one.

Most pawn shops will buy your watch for an on-the-spot price. You walk away with your cash, and they’ll resell the watch at a higher price to turn a profit.

As a result, these shops are not the route to choose if you want top dollar for your watch. But if you need fast cash, pawn shops can be the way to go.

Some pawn shops do allow people to sell items on consignment. This method could earn you more cash.

Check with pawn shops near you to find the best option to maximize your profits.

5. TheRealReal

TheRealReal is an online luxury consignment shop specializing in selling clothing and accessories from high-value designers. If your watch is listed on TheRealReal’s list of accepted designers, you could sell your luxury watch on the site.

Some of the luxury watch designers TheRealReal accepts include:

Bvlgari
Bulova
Gucci
Hamilton
Ralph Lauren

And dozens of other designer watchmakers. See the TheRealReal website for more details. When you sell with TheRealReal, you ship your watch to them for free. The company’s experts will authenticate your watch, determine a sale price, and take photos.

Then, they’ll list the watch for sale on their site. After your watch sells, you’ll get paid. Your paid commission if you sell your watch on TheRealReal will be between 70% and 20%, depending on the value your watch sells for.

TheRealReal is one of the best apps like Mercari and scores highly on Trustpilot. It’s worth considering if you have luxury watches to sell.

6. Tourneau

Tourneau is a reputable fine watch and jewelry store. The platform is the world’s largest buyer of pre-owned luxury watches and is one of the best places to sell watches online.

Selling watches to this watch buyer is easy. You start by filling out the company’s online form. Then, you’ll get an estimate from the company for your watch. If you are happy with the estimate, you’ll ship the watch to Tourneau free of charge.

When Tourneau receives the watch, they’ll examine it and give you a final offer. If you are satisfied with the offer, just let them know, and they’ll send you a check. If you don’t like the estimate, they’ll return your watch to you free of charge.

As a bonus, if you accept store credit instead of a check, you’ll get an additional 20% in value for your watch from this watch buyer. Tourneau also has a higher Trustpilot score than many pre-owned watch buyers.

7. Watchfinder

Watchfinder has been in business for over 20 years and is a premier watch dealer with over 50 name brands. They sell thousands of watches on their website. Although it isn’t a brick-and-mortar watch and jewelry store, it buys pre-owned designer watches.

To sell your watch, start by filling out the sell form on Watchfinder’s website. Once the company reviews the form, they’ll ask you to ship the watch to them.

After they’ve received the watch, they’ll assess it and give you an estimated price. If you accept the offer, the watch buyer will transfer the money to your bank account within five business days.

If you don’t like their offer, they’ll ship the watch back to you. Watchfinder has a high Trustpilot score, so you can feel confident using the site to sell your watch.

8. Worthy

Worthy is an online marketplace for fine jewelry. You can buy and sell watches, diamond jewelry, and more on the site. When you want to sell your watch to Worthy, you start with an online phone consultation. You’ll speak to an expert who will give you an idea of what your watch will sell for.

If you’re happy with the estimate, you can send your watch to Worthy. From there, Worthy takes care of everything. They examine and grade the watch, clean the piece, photograph it, and assign a personal account executive to the piece.

Then, the piece is placed online in an auction manner. Once the auction ends and a reliable watch buyer is found, you receive 80% of the purchase price. Essentially, it functions like an online auction platform.

Note that, with Worthy and most other watch buyers, you’ll likely get more money for the watch if you have the original box and the papers that came with it.

Read our full review of Worthy.com.

9. WP Diamonds

WP Diamonds is a luxury online marketplace for designer watches, jewelry, handbags, and more.

If you want to sell your luxury watch with WP Diamonds, you start by filling out the online form on the company’s website. Then a dedicated client representative will contact you to provide an estimate for the watch.

If you are happy with the estimate, you can take advantage of the company’s free, fully insured shipping and send the watch to them. Alternatively, you can visit one of their stores in New York, London, Hong Kong, or Tokyo.

Once WP Diamonds has your watch, their experts will assess it in person and contact you with a final sale price. If you like the price, they’ll send you your money via wire or check when you accept their offer. Otherwise, if you’re unhappy with the offer, they’ll return your watch at no cost.

WP Diamonds has a high Trustpilot score, giving customers peace of mind that it’s reputable and easy to work with when selling a valuable watch.

10. Give It Away

Giving your watch away may not seem like selling it for cash, but there is a potential monetary benefit to doing so.

When you donate a watch to a 501c3 charitable organization, you can deduct the fair market value of the watch on your tax return.

If you can’t get the full price of your watch when you sell it, donating might be a smart option. As a perk, you make a positive impact in the process.

Not all charitable organizations accept donations of fine jewelry, but some do. For instance, the Salvation Army accepts donations of fine jewelry.

Another organization you could donate to is Support Our Troops. This charity uses your fine jewelry and other donations to support troops and their families.

Methodology

When evaluating different places to sell watches online and in person, we assessed key criteria to determine the best options. In-depth research was conducted to identify the most effective ways to sell watches.

For online options, we included places that met the following criteria:

Trustpilot rating of 3.0 or higher
Multiple ratings on Trustpilot
Reputation among industry leaders
Ease of use
Low fees
Potential for decent payouts

For brick-and-mortar options, we focused on the following factors:

Ease of accessibility
Likelihood of purchasing watches
Potential for decent payouts

We chose this methodology to ensure we’re doing our due diligence as we determine the best places for you to sell watches.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some answers to commonly asked questions about the best ways to sell watches.

Can you sell watches to jewelers?

Some jewelers will buy luxury watches from you. However, this can vary between businesses. Call or visit local jewelers near you and ask whether they buy watches or other jewelry before visiting.

Where is the best place to sell a watch?

The best place to sell a watch depends on your situation. Your needs may indicate that you should sell your watch as quickly as possible. In this scenario, a pawn shop might be your best option.

Conversely, if you can wait for the right buyer to come along, an online shop like Worthy might be the best place to sell your luxury watch to maximize your earnings.

Where can I sell an Apple Watch?

Apple watches can be sold in most places in this article. In addition, you might want to try sites that sell cell phones. Many websites that will help you sell your cell phone will also help you sell your Apple Watch.

Summary

Finding the best places to sell watches online or in person takes work. However, it will be worth the effort when you get the results you want. When it comes to selling luxury watches, choose the watch buyer who best fits your timeline, price point, and other factors that are important to you. Once you find the ideal solution for your specific needs, you can make money fast by selling your watch.

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