Facebook Marketplace listings can connect local buyers and sellers quickly. That convenience can also shorten the time available to check a watch. Arrange the meeting only after you have the serial and know what the seller is including.
Before you meet
Save the listing and ask for a clear photo of the serial on the actual watch. Compare it with any paperwork and run a theft-status check. Ask who will attend, where you can inspect the watch, and whether the seller will provide a receipt with the serial.
At the meeting
Check that the serial on the watch is the same one you searched. Take time to inspect the engraving and documents; if you need help, meet at a watchmaker or dealer willing to examine it. Don't hand over payment while the seller swaps the watch or changes the terms.
After a match or a refusal
A match means pause and ask the database service how to proceed. If the seller refuses to show the serial or inspection, you cannot verify the individual watch; leave the transaction rather than guessing.
A no-match result is limited to the records searched at that time. Keep your receipt, messages, and photos even when the sale looks routine.
Check Before the Hand-Off
Search the serial and compare it with the watch while you can still stop the sale.