So you want to buy a pre-owned watch and you even know which one. But where do you begin? The second-hand marketplace can be a complex and confounding realm to navigate if you’re not an expert — and beyond looking for quality, you want to be sure you’re paying a fair price.

That’s where StockX can be the confidence-inspiring middleman. Not only is its selection of pre-owned luxury watches thorough and diverse, but StockX also provides helpful customer service during every aspect of the bidding and purchasing process. The StockX journey from the time you place a bid to the time you receive your watch is what sets it apart as the platform for second-hand luxury watches.

The process goes a little something like this: Once you’ve made a (free) StockX account and find the watch you’re looking for, place a “Bid” for the amount you feel comfortable paying (use the pricing history on the product page if you need help). From there the seller can either accept your “Bid” or counter it with a lower “Ask”. Once the price is agreed, the sale will be accepted and the seller has 48 hours to ship the watch to StockX. This is where StockX’s expertise and meticulous authentication process comes in to ensure the watch you’ve purchased is precisely what it’s supposed to be.

Your funds won’t be released to the seller until StockX watchmakers have verified and authenticated the watch, giving you further peace of mind. StockX even keeps you in the loop of every step through its app or your online account during the entirety of the transaction: when it receives the watch, when it puts the watch through its rigorous authentication process and when the watch is on its way to you.

While that’s merely a snapshot of the buying process, we tapped StockX to answer the most burning questions prospective watch buyers have about the StockX experience. The answers to these will help put to rest any ambivalence you might have so you can finally get that pre-owned watch you’ve had your eye on.

Inspection and Authentication

Who authenticates the watch? StockX’s own watch experts and a master watchmaker thoroughly examine every single watch sold on StockX. Each watch undergoes more than 20 points of inspection, including an investigation of the movement and rigorous testing to ensure timing and complications are working within the manufacturer’s specifications. Certifying a watch is 100 percent authentic before a buyer ever receives it is at the crux of StockX’s entire process. Once the timepiece is authenticated, StockX can then grade it to establish a condition rating.

Determining Condition

What is excellent pre-owned condition? Just because the watch you’ve bought is pre-owned doesn’t mean you should expect anything less than excellence. StockX defines excellent condition across a broad spectrum of details.

A watch in excellent condition is free of notable scratches or dings on the bracelet, case, bezel or crystal — though some light signs of normal wear or superficial blemishes can be acceptable. Of course, the watch needs to function properly and consist of only authentic manufacturer parts. You can expect there won’t be any stains on the strap, it’ll have the original buckle, all or most of the links will be there if it has a bracelet and the bracelet will be free of excessive wear or stretch — at minimum, it will fit a 7.5-inch wrist. And the dial will also be free of stains or any signs of aging. If the watch ticks all of these boxes, then StockX will award it an excellent condition grade.

Purchasing

How do I buy? After creating a StockX account and identifying the timepiece you’d like to purchase, you can determine whether you’d like to buy the watch with or without the original manufacturer box and papers. You’ll then review the existing “Asks” (or bids) a watch has to inform your own offer. After making a bid, you’ll wait for the seller to accept. But keep an eye on the activity — you can still bump up your bid if someone comes after your lot. Uninterested in the prospect of a bidding war? Don’t sweat, there is another option: You can also purchase the watch instantly by paying the lowest ask. And despite the universal reputation of customer service, StockX’s support team is timely and always available, just in case this guide left you with questions.