Seiko 7A38 - by the numbers

There is another existing and almost suitably-titled topic currently languishing at the bottom of this forum section page, which I could have added these posts onto:

Over-priced; incorrectly identified SEIKO spares - Caveat Emptor

But I thought this latest 'Get Rich Quick' scheme, by certain unethical eBay sellers deserved its own separate thread. I suspect some readers may be wondering why I hadn't had a bitch about it before, as I don't usually hold back from venting ....

Truth is, I'd effectively been deliberately ignoring it. Over the last few months, I'd started noticing increased activity by a particularly annoying keyword spamming US eBay seller psrtyinmyhair. It became evident that he was selling off a collection comprising mostly 7A28's and 6139's, but rather than sell them all off as complete watches, he'd decided he could make more money by breaking them up and selling them as component parts. He seems to think he's the world's expert, but from the laughable cock-ups he's made in a few of his listings - like this classic piece of incompetence, which is still there in plain view for all to see, he clearly ain't ! 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264111776463

Even I, who've never even looked inside one, recognize that as a 6138 / 6139 part ! Makes you wonder what size hammer it might take to make it fit in any 7Axx ! 

Note the keyword spamming of 4 different 7Axx calibers in the title - common to the majority of his eBay listings. He also broke up a 7A28A movement (from a 7A28-7049) and virtually every component he listed had both 7A28 and 7A38 in the titles - which is incorrect in some cases, due to the slight difference in gear shaft lengths.

Indeed, here's one such erroneous listing (which has been re-listed since last year):

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264111928528

Off the top of my head (literally), the Seiko p/n's of the different centre seconds wheels are 888.725 (7A28A) and 888.731 (7A38A). 

That was the reason I blocked his ID - so I wouldn't keep seeing his over-priced irrelevant crap coming up in my saved search results every time he re-listed it - much of which he has continued to, like the one above, some of it ad nauseam.

Something I also noticed him listing were spare 7Axx bracelet adjustment links, which irked me intensely, because it was obvious he was removing them from the bracelets of watches he was selling (leaving them unnecessarily short). At one point, he was actually selling adjustment links from a p/n B1075S bracelet (removed from his 7A28-7049), asking $75 apiece, but without their connecting pins  - asking $25 for those in a separate parallel listing !! Talk about appaling greed !

Here's a summary of his his current remaining eBay listings for bracelets / links:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264259262428

A used 7A28-7049 stainless B1075S bracelet asking $279 !!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264253301772

A used 7A28-7049 gold-tone Z1036G bracelet now reduced to $40.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264251892802

The latest re-listing for a B1075S adjustment link (including pin) @ $75.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264184227214

Another listing for 7A28-7030/A B1073s adjustment links, also @ $75 apiece.

Oh, nearly forgot - and there's this one, too.  Note it currently has 32 watchers !

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264127685082

Now don't get me wrong - I'm certainly not saying he's wrong (or accusing him of keyword spamming) in this instance. I've never owned a 7A28-703A / -7039, nor had a Seiko p/n B1074S bracelet pass through my hands. The bracelet certainly looks very similar to the p/n B1170S fitted to the stainless 7A38-7000. The only immediately obvious difference is their end links (and hence the slightly different angles that they attach to their respective watch cases).

Thankfully, all my stainless 7A38-7000's have adequate (if not full length) bracelets. But if I did happen to need a spare bracelet adjustment link, I'd rather slit my wrists (pun intended) than pay his extortionate $75 asking price ! 

Anyway, I'd placed him on ignore and almost forgotten about his greed until ....

Yesterday, an almost identical titled listing by UK eBay seller lacedaemon16 popped up in my saved search results !! Clearly inspired by US eBay seller psrtyinmyhair. He's asking £49.95 per link, FFS !! 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/223463750337

VINTAGE AND RARE Original Seiko stainless steel extra link to the SEIKO 7A28-7039 B1074 BRACELET IN STAINLESS STEEL WITH BLACK INSERT

(and/or SEIKO 7A38-7000 for B1170 watch bracelets 20mm lug, and links length measures 15.98 (approx).

See photographs. It is from a 7A28-7039 SEIKO quartz chronograph the same as the one pictured. PLEASE REVIEW THE PHOTOS TO ASCERTAIN if it is correct for your watch.

These are interchangeable with the B1170 bracelet.

This listing is for 1 of the links out of the 8 No. that are pictured. The watch in the photograph with another complete original bracelet just for reference is not included in this listing.

All links are from the same watch, see photos, and in similar condition. The link has a centre piece painted black and comprising one centre link, locking blade, and, link housing, the black colour will have ever so slight fading on each one, as it is an original vintage piece.

We also have one B1170 end piece and tapered links (8No.) for sale together with 8No. tapered links without an end piece.

All original and very rare, please enquire if you would like additional items

Will be sent in recycled packaging

Happy Bidding

Happy Bidding ?? Who the hell does he think he's kidding ? I'd choke !!  It only takes a quick bit of mental arithmetic to figure out that for his total asking price of 8 x links @ £49.95 = approx. £400 you could actually buy yourself a very nice complete example of the same watch !! Or am I missing something ? 

Thanks for the brief words of affirmation, Steve.

Makes a refreshing change from some of the 'slings and arrows' (and boomerangs) I've had to contend with recently, for daring to publicly voice my opinions. 

Other than referring to it as 'Buyee' (the English language interface), rather than Yahoo Japan, you're also correct about those grossly over-priced 'spare' 7A28 bracelet links being listed on Yahoo Japan.

http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/n336755026

But I don't think you quite understand what's going on here. I doubt very much whether it was actually the US eBay seller psrtyinmyhair who initiated it's appearance on the Japanese platform. For one, I don't think he's savvy enough. 

I'll try and keep my explanation fairly brief, because I don't want to take this thread off topic. It really is a subject that could be discussed in another separate thread if needs be. The Yahoo Japan seller saltotheworld_2008 is not, as you incorrectly assumed, an alias for psrtyinmyhair. Oh No. They're something else altogether.

They are a major league YJ 'Store' proxy re-seller, using the Sekaimon interface, with currently over 180,000 eBay items listed on Yahoo Japan !! Seikaimon is effectively eBay's covert attempt at gaining a foothold on the Japanese market (which is dominated by Yahoo Japan and Rakuten), via the back door. It's actually been around since 2007, but recently seems to be stepping up its activity by using 'Store' sellers, like salttotheworld_2008 to 'harvest' (read hijack) more and more listings off eBay.com. I first encountered this particular YJ re-seller last year, when a 7A48-7009, listed on eBay.com by US forum member Don, suddenty popped up in a search result on Yahoo Japan. I PM'd Don at the time. He wasn't amused. Soon afterwards, loads of 7A38's (all of which I recognized as being currently listed on eBay.com by US eBay sellers) started showing up in my searches on Yahoo Japan.

Like I say, I use the Japanese version of YJ (rather than Buyee) to search. More by luck than judgement, I've somehow managed to toggle a setting, so that all my YJ search results now exclude everything listed by salttotheworld_2008 - and so I don't normally see any of it, unless I specifically search for their listings. There's lots of discussions about Sekaimon (pros and con) on the eBay Community forums. You might want to google it sometime.

Seiko7A38 at March 30, 2019 at 7:12 AM

There is another existing and almost suitably-titled topic currently languishing at the bottom of this forum section page, which I could have added these posts onto:

Over-priced; incorrectly identified SEIKO spares - Caveat Emptor

But I thought this latest 'Get Rich Quick' scheme, by certain unethical eBay sellers deserved its own separate thread. I suspect some readers may be wondering why I hadn't had a bitch about it before, as I don't usually hold back from venting ....

Anyway, back to topic. There was actually another even older suitably titled existing thread I could have added these posts on to (rather than start another new topic):

eBay seller asset stripping - added / subtracted value profiteering

That thread covered another odious, but related practice - the deliberate removal of entire bracelets (rather than just adjustment links) from watches and listing / selling them separately to maximize profit. It's about to get a long overdue update.

Yeah I know that this thread is titled:

How much for a used bracelet adjustment link ???

But I'm not about to start another thread, just because some greedy eBay seller claims his links are 'unused'. These people need to be named and shamed. 

Listed at lunchtime today by a Dutch eBay seller jvrosm:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274145682108

Seiko 7A38-7020 genuine and unused Royal Oak bracelet link from 1984.

Price per individual link. Watch not included in this offer.

Not only is he asking 35 Euros per link, but postage for one link is 16.95 Euros ! What really annoys me is the fact that he states that he has 6 available, which if he succeeds in selling them all, will potentially render the watch unwearable, to all but those with girly sized wrists. Presumably the seller has such.

I suspect some readers may have already seen this, but I'm going to add it onto this thread anyway, albeit somewhat belatedly, simply to express my utter disgust. I don't run worldwide searches on 'Seiko 7A48' very often, but I just happened to do so this morning - and, for once, actually bothered to scroll all the way through the returned results this time. I spotted this listing by a greedy and incompetent Italian eBay seller, which had actually been there for all to see, since 19th May.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/362998435225

5x Maglie Bracciale SEIKO B1171 per 7a48 7020.

Smontate dal mio orologio e conservate come riserva.

Sono usate ma in ottime condizioni. 

Per qualsiasi domanda o chiarimento contattatemi senza problemi.

It's a listing for 5 used bracelet adjustment links from a Seiko p/n  B1171S bracelet of the stainless 7A38-7020 (and -7029). Except the incompetent Italian eBay seller has written 7a48 in both his litle and description, which possibly explains why the listing has received less than 60 views over the last 3 months. His extortionate 'pie-in-the-sky' Buy-it-Now price is 250 Euros for the 5 - that's 50 Euros per link ! 

Their prices may be on the increase, since the 'Royal Oak' hype became endemic, but I've bought complete watches in almost mint condition for less than 250 Euros ! 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/372306316192