Sponsored post presented on aBlogtoWatch by advertiser
Larry Birnbaum speaks with enthusiasm about his business, ShopWorn, that sells previously unsold wristwatches, writing instruments, cuff links, and other accessories at consumer-friendly prices online. Birnbaum has decades of experience in production, importation, and direct-to-consumer sales. He has been deeply involved in the sale of watches since the year 2000. ShopWorn.com has grown year-on-year since its debut in 2015, another hit after several bouts of success vending fine timepieces to consumers over the Internet. Birnbaum readily admits that there is no shortage of places to purchase a timepiece online, but he feels it is important to remind aBlogtoWatch and the larger watch enthusiast community what makes ShopWorn an especially appealing place to browse and shop for your next piece.
“We’re not just here for profit,” Birnbaum says. “We’re here with purpose. Our business model is about offering brands and authorized dealers a controlled channel to deliver unsold inventory from their past seasons to customers who want to be certain what they buy online is guaranteed 100% authentic, even at prices at or below what other secondary market sites offer. ”
The ShopWorn Difference
ShopWorn’s business model is simple. Years of luxury watch industry experience has provided ShopWorn’s leaders with vast contacts across the watch manufacturing and retail landscape. ShopWorn purchases select watches (along with jewelry and accessories such as designer sunglasses) that have not yet sold to consumers. ShopWorn purchases these watches either directly from brands (who often take back unsold retailer inventory) or directly from authorized dealers. The watches do not represent the latest new products but are typically only a few years old — hardly a problem for “timeless luxury.” More important is that ShopWorn is incredibly transparent about where it gets the watches and that they are not perfectly new. Instead, they are “shop worn.”
What is “shop worn?” It is ShopWorn’s elegant way of describing that even though their timepieces have never been worn on a consumer’s wrist, they have been moved around in stores, may be display pieces, or that otherwise have minor cosmetic signs of handling. In other words, these watches are not entirely new because they have been lightly handled, but they are also not pre-owned, either, since they have never been owned by an end-consumer. ShopWorn’s catalog of watches on its website features photographs of the actual watches people can purchase — never stock photography. More so, according to the company’s CEO, ShopWorn “will go the extra mile” to show consumers exactly what they are purchasing (including taking extra pictures or offering detailed verbal descriptions of a wristwatch’s condition) and will also offer generous return and exchange policies. It is all about making the consumer happy.
Validated By The Luxury Brands It Carries
One of the benefits of being so transparent is that ShopWorn is actually celebrated by many of the brands it carries (which is not the case with many online watch retailers). This is an important point because, in the online watch retail space, there are gray-market watch dealers who operate against the wishes of the brands they carry. Not here. ShopWorn not only actually owns each timepiece it sells, but it also buys directly from brands or authorized retailers. Accordingly, this ensures that all of the products sold by ShopWorn are 100% authentic.
ShopWorn further has its own in-house watchmakers and have official “parts” relationships with the manufacturers. This allows ShopWorn to receive authentic components for the watches it services in the event that new parts are required to service or repair a watch. ShopWorn is further able to offer a generous two-year warranty on the watches it sells. In practice, if a watch breaks or requires service in the first two years of ownership, the service is covered. That also doesn’t stop many of ShopWorn’s longtime customers from using the service center for other watch repair and service needs even after the expiration of the attractive warranty.
Attentive Service From A Full-Time, Dedicated Staff
A common complaint many consumers have when purchasing watches online is the lack of having a human being to speak to — both before and after the sale. Larry Birnbaum trains his team to respond to all inquiries (be they phone, e-mail, or on-website chat) with immediacy. “White glove treatment” is the best way Birnbaum describes ShopWorn’s commitment to good customer service. “We will go the extra mile for our clients. Whether they want even more detailed photos of a watch or to have someone model it on a wrist prior to purchase, we listen and believe that strong communication builds lasting relationships.”
ShopWorn is also known to have some of the industry’s best return and exchange policies. ShopWorn wants consumers happy, not just their money. “Someone who is happy with what is on their wrist is going to come back again,” explains Mr. Birnbaum. “If someone simply doesn’t like a watch, or doesn’t feel it is what they expected, we will work with them to find a solution that makes them happy. ShopWorn isn’t here today and gone tomorrow. There are lots of places you can get a watch online, but only a few places where customers will be treated with respect at every step of their journey. ShopWorn has grown specifically because we treat our partners and clients fairly.
Shopping For Exceptional Variety & Values
One of the positive side effects of the ShopWorn business model of getting unsold store inventory is that consumers who visit the ShopWorn website are routinely greeted with entirely different products. ShopWorn only acquires new inventory either one at a time or in small batches of just a few watches. ShopWorn typically only has one of any given product, meaning that discounts and selection are often on a “first-come, first-serve basis.”
The benefit to consumers is that each time you visit ShopWorn.com, you’ll be presented with new watches to look at. ShopWorn isn’t trying to compete in the new watch retail space, so you won’t see trendy watches priced at over retail prices or watches sought more by financial speculators than actual collectors. ShopWorn is for the experienced timepiece enthusiast who from time to time wants a fantastic name-brand watch at prices unavailable elsewhere. Inventory quantities are always low, but that adds to the enjoyment of returning to the ShopWorn.com website regularly to see what fresh items have come in for both men and women.
Sponsored Posts are a form of advertising that allows sponsors to share useful news, messages, and offers to aBlogtoWatch readers in a way traditional display advertising is often not best suited to. All Sponsored Posts are subject to editorial guidelines with the intent that they offer readers useful news, promotions, or stories. The viewpoints and opinions expressed in Sponsored Posts are those of the advertiser and not necessarily those of aBlogtoWatch or its writers.