Shipping guide
How to ship a watch.
Every watch sold on Grey Market ships on the insured, tracked label we send you. Packed this way, it arrives the way it left, and the insurance holds if it does not.
Five steps
From your hands to the carrier’s.
- 01
Secure the watch
First, record the shipment from your desk: a photo of the watch with its serial visible, or, if you can’t see the serial without opening the watch, a photo of the dial and close-ups of the caseback and clasp. Your label prints once it is saved. Then put the watch in its original box if you have one and wrap the box completely in bubble wrap so nothing inside can move. Include everything that was in the listing: papers, spare links, tags and accessories.
NoteNo box? Fasten the clasp, wrap the watch in a soft cloth, then in bubble wrap, and treat that bundle as the box in the steps that follow.
- 02
Prepare the inner box
Line the bottom and sides of a sturdy new shipping box with bubble wrap. Set the wrapped watch inside and fill every gap with air pillows or crumpled paper. Close it and give it a gentle shake: if anything shifts, add more fill. Then tape it shut.
NoteThe watch box does not count as a shipping box, and padded mailers are not accepted as either box.
- 03
Double box it
Put the sealed inner box inside a second, larger new box with at least two inches of cushioning on every side. Double boxing is required for every shipment: it is what keeps the insurance valid if something goes wrong in transit.
NoteBoth boxes must be new. A box that has already shipped has lost most of its crush strength and may carry an old barcode.
- 04
Seal and label
Tape every seam of the outer box with strong packing tape, in an H across the top and the bottom. Print the label from your desk and fix it flat to the largest face of the box. Write the tracking number on the inner box too, or tape a copy of the label to it, in case the outer box is damaged.
NoteNothing on the outside should say what is inside: no brand names, no “fragile watch”, no value. The label is the only thing on the box.
- 05
Hand it to the carrier
Take the package to a staffed counter for the carrier printed on your label and hand it to an employee. Ask for a receipt showing the tracking number and keep it until delivery is confirmed. Your desk updates on its own once the label is scanned.
NoteShip within two business days of payment. Never use a drop box, a locker or a scheduled pickup: an unattended handoff is not insured.
Four things that void the insurance
Never, whatever the reason.
Never reuse a box
A box that has already shipped has lost its strength and may carry an old barcode that misroutes the package. Two new boxes, every time.
Never use a drop box
Unattended drop boxes, lockers and scheduled pickups are not covered. Hand the package to a carrier employee and keep the receipt.
Never show what is inside
No brand names, no “watch”, no value written or declared on the outside of the box. The shipping label is the only thing on it.
Never ship off the label
Ship only on the label we provide, to the address printed on it. A watch sent anywhere else, or on another label, is not insured and the sale cannot settle.
After you ship
What happens next.
You can follow every leg from your desk. The label cost comes out of your payout at settlement, along with any seller fee shown on your sale.
- Day 0The sale is paidGrey Market holds the payment. Record the shipment on your desk and the label prints.
- 2 daysYou shipHand the package to the carrier within two business days. Tracking starts at the first scan.
- Up to 5 daysVerificationWhen the sale includes it, our independent verifier authenticates the watch and forwards it to the buyer, overnight and insured. Otherwise it goes straight to the buyer.
- DeliveryThe buyer’s windowThe buyer has 24 hours from the carrier’s delivery scan to accept the watch or report a problem.
- ThenPayoutOnce that window closes, your proceeds, less the label and any seller fee, are released to your payout account automatically.