Updated 7/10/2008

As a seller of genuine antique and vintage clocks it has always annoyed me when I see obvious fakes being peddled to unsuspecting ebayers as real antiques or vintage items. Many of these clocks are brand new and just made to look old while others might be made of old material but were never old clocks until recently.

If you use the following guidelines you will minimize your chances of being a victim.

1. Always looks for a Guarantee or Return policy - most scammers insist that all sales are final, no returns. They know that once you receive the item you'll want to return it. Honest vendors like myself want repeat customers so everything is returnable for any reason.

2. Be wary of anything being sold from China. Most have a low starting price but very expensive shipping. If you see an item you like but it is from China quickly do an ebay search on the main title description and if 15 to 20 of these rare one-of- a- kind items pop up then you know it is a new item and not an antique

3. Be wary of sellers that offer lots of antique clocks but never have model names or manufacturers names. Almost all genuine antique clocks are marked in one manner or another - either on the case, the dial or the movement. There are two vendors on eBay in particular (I will not mention their names) who continually sell the same clocks over and over. They look old but never have a makers identification. These clocks are replica antiques made in Asia. They use old wood and chinese or indian replica movements to look authentic. Patina is added to the movements with a strong oxidant. They usually have clean unmarked dials. Many of the clocks are very similar but always slightly different. German Style Wall Clocks, column mantle clocks and octagon regulators are most commonly imitated.

4. Avoid private auctions - this allows the vendor to have shill bidders. This is a sure sign that something funny is going on. Ebay now conceals the bidders identities so there is no legitimate reason for a private auction any longer. 

5. Avoid sellers with PRIVATE feedback. This is usually used to conceal incriminating feedback from scammed buyers and other previous victims.

6. Beware many of the "We sell your stuff on eBay" stores. They will usually only repeat what the item owner told them to put in the listing. They claim ignorance on the true details of the item and its validity. While there are many real antiques on these sites I have seem many fakes passed off as antiques and the selling site takes no responsibility for the accuracy of the listing.  So you get stuck with it.

7. Beware of any clock encased in a glass sphere. This is a common Asian reproduction of a very rare Swiss clock that has various incantations on ebay these days. The curved glass distorts the image of the clock and clockworks. All are fakes and you will see them over and over again on ebay.

8. Beware of some very poor imitation Trademarks - some examples:

 - I have seen fake carriage clocks with MADE IN FRANCE predominantly on the dial - Real antique french carriage clocks were not marked on the dial at all

 - I have seen fake OMEGA watch/clocks with an overly large TRADEMARK on the dial - the real Omega trademark was understated.

 - I have seen SWITZERLAN MAKE or MADE IN SWIZZERLAND dials - NO JOKE

 - SEIKOSHA (aka Seiko) antique clocks are commonly reproduced to scam the Japanese market and often make their way to the USA. Both the dial and the movement must be marked with the TRADEMARK S in a diamond.

9. Beware of Fake American marks - the six pointed star on the New Haven Trademark should point UP. I have seen fake trademarks with the star tilted sideways.

10 Any American or European clock made in the 1960s or earler will not have any asian writing on them AT ALL. If you get an clock and it has asian marks anywhere you got scammed.

11. Some other common fake clocks are the COLONIAL GUY WITH THE CLOCK IN THE  BELLY,  INCLINED PLANE (Gravity) CLOCK, Painted Porcelain Carriage clocks (you cant see the clockworks inside the clock), Painted porcelain pocketwatches, the rotating fish tank clock and its variations with a cat, and others.

12. Avoid also the "mystery" hanging clock, it has a clock pendulum combination that swings back and forth while being held by a statue - sometimes a woman and sometimes an elephant - these are copies of old clocks. Unless they are marked JUNGHANS or ANSONIA on the dial and movement and are made of Spelter (white metal - mostly zinc) they are fake.

13. Look at the clock hands and the small dial clocks. I have found that most of the fake clocks are using the same - three leaf clover style hands - probably all from the same fake antique clock movement vendor in Asia. The real antique clocks almost exclusively used very thin Spade style hands or unique ornamental hands

14. You should pay by Paypal if you can because they have automatic insurance to protect against fraud -  loss coverage is presently up to $2000. Some vendors dont take paypal because of this. However, some small legitimate vendors also dont take paypal to avoid the seller fees.  So use your judgement

15. READ THE LISTING CAREFULLY - be suspicious, look for the country of origin and ask questions. Scammers hate questions. It never hurts to ask the seller (for example)  "Is This A Genuine "ANSONIA " Clock made in " New York " in the "1920's"  or is this a "REPRODUCTION OF ONE".  If you dont get a straight answer - run away.

16. Recently I have seen clocks that appear to originate in the USA but in the listing you can see that it says that the items ship from "Thailand" or "China" (or elsewhere). These are all fakes.

17. I have also recently seen the Chinese vendors list FREE SHIPPING but when you scroll down you see that $10 for insurance and $25 for Handling are required and non-refundable. Plus they encourage you to use EMS shipping which is a very expensive "non-free" option. These items are also all fake. 

Hope this helps, If you find this guide useful please, click on the icon below. The more positive votes it gets the more it gets circulated and more people will see it and learn.

 I have recently received threats and abusive emails from a few sellers who obviously are offended by my GUIDE. If you look you will see that I received four negatives. These are from these scammers. - fight these scammers by voting positive.

Dave, the Clock Guy from DAVES CLOCKS AND STUFF (dgalaxie)