Operate10 min read
How to sell watches on Instagram (a dealer's playbook)
Account setup, photo standards, what to post, a DM-to-close workflow, scam prevention and a weekly cadence for selling watches on Instagram.
ReadTrade Up
Scale your watch business, wherever you’re starting.
Straight-talking playbooks for watch dealers — sourcing, authentication, pricing, the real numbers, building a buyer book, and growing a team. No fluff, no theory you can’t use Monday morning.
Start10 min read
Grey market watch dealers, explained
What grey market really means, why it exists, how warranties and paper dates work, and how buyers and dealers should navigate it.
ReadOperate10 min read
Watch dealer profit margins: what's realistic in 2026
Realistic gross and net margins by segment, the costs that sit between them, and why turn rate matters as much as the spread.
ReadOperate11 min read
How to consign a watch: fees, splits, and contracts
What consignment really costs at dealers, auction houses, and online platforms, what the agreement must say, and how the payout math works.
ReadOperate10 min read
How to ship a luxury watch safely (and insured)
Which carrier and coverage to use, how to pack and document a watch shipment, and what to do if a high-value package is lost or damaged.
ReadOperate11 min read
Sales tax for watch dealers: resale certificates, nexus, and online sales
When watch dealers collect sales tax, how resale certificates protect dealer-to-dealer sales, and what economic nexus, marketplaces, shipping, and trade-ins change.
ReadOperate9 min read
Form 8300 for watch dealers: the $10,000 cash rule explained
Who has to file Form 8300, what counts as cash on a watch sale, how related payments add up, and the deadlines and penalties, with worked watch-deal examples.
ReadStart10 min read
Do you need a license to sell watches? (US guide)
There is no federal watch-dealer license, but buying used watches from the public can trigger state and city secondhand-dealer rules, hold periods, and ID logs.
ReadOperate9 min read
The best software for watch dealers in 2026
An honest roundup of the tools built for the watch trade — WristBook, Dial-Grid, WatchTrack, Elefta and more — and exactly who each one is best for.
ReadStart8 min read
How to start a luxury watch dealing business in 2026
Capital, sourcing, authentication, and the paperwork — a realistic playbook for going from your first flip to a real book of business.
ReadStart9 min read
How to authenticate a luxury watch — and not get burned
The checks that catch fakes, the paper trail that protects you, and what to do the day a piece comes back disputed.
ReadOperate7 min read
How to price a pre-owned luxury watch
Comps, condition, full sets, and market timing — how to land on a number that sells without leaving money on the table.
ReadOperate6 min read
Gross vs. net: why most watch dealers overestimate their profit
That $5,000 spread on the Daytona isn't $5,000 in your pocket. Here's everything that lives between gross and what actually hits your bank.
ReadOperate7 min read
Spreadsheets vs. software: when your watch inventory outgrows Excel
Spreadsheets are free and flexible — until they aren't. The breaking points that tell you it's time, and what to look for when you switch.
ReadScale7 min read
Building a buyer book: matching the right watch to the right client
The dealers who scale aren't the ones with the most inventory — they're the ones who know exactly who wants what before it lands.
ReadOperate8 min read
Trade-ins and consignment, done right — and how they hit your books
Take a watch in part-payment or hold a piece for a consignor without quietly wrecking your margins. The accounting most dealers get wrong.
ReadScale8 min read
Scaling from solo dealer to a team without losing the books
Your first hire multiplies sales — and the ways things slip. The systems to put in place before headcount, not after.
ReadThe tool behind the playbook.
Everything we write about — true net profit, buyer matching, provenance, share pages — is built into WristBook. Click through it, no signup.