The Curious Case of the Nigerian Watch Scammer.

A while back, I got interested in watches.

I do this, every so often. I get interested in something for six months or so, learn some stuff and then just kind of wander off. It’s why I can play passable guitar and do not-bad magic and pick locks to a limited degree and a lot of other odd things. I lack the commitment to be great at anything, but it’s constantly surprising what I’m okay at.

This led to me getting advertised a relatively fancy watch. Specifically, a Seiko Alpinist, which isn’t essential to the story except to say that it’s £650 ($895) anywhere you can buy one. I saw it advertised in a flash deal at £520.

I had just been paid and decided that this was a good opportunity to make some quick money. I could buy it at £520, sell it for (optimistically) £620 and someone would still get a good price. Or, worst case, I’d sell it for the £520 I paid, which is really cheap. I definitely wasn’t going to lose money, and potentially I could make a hundred. Which would be nice.

The flaw in my plan was that, as it turns out, there aren’t a huge number of people looking to buy a six hundred pound watch. Or even a five hundred pound one. I put it on eBay straight away (with no guilt as, in person, I didn’t even like it very much) and… nothing happened.

So a six hundred pound watch sits on my kitchen table, day after day, unsold. The fucking thing has become a millstone around my neck. Part of me is tempted to sell everything else I…