: Some of my rules are as follows. I realize that
: these reflect my own preferences, and I
: expect that others may have entirely
: different and conflicting suggestions.

: only buy it if you will wear it; if it is too
: valuable or precious to wear, then I don't
: want to own it

: if you haven't worn it in a long time,
: consider selling it; selling frees up some
: cash, makes you believe that you are
: controlling the collecting obsession, and
: gives you some room in the drawer / box

: when buying, try to let the first one go by,
: and buy the second, third or fourth one that
: you might chase; there is a real learning
: curve here, and the first one will often
: turn out to be the wrong one

: don't buy anything expecting to sell it at a
: profit; particularly with everyone seeing
: everything on ebay, it is difficult to buy
: an item at a price that will allow you to
: sell for a profit

: conversely, remember that if you buy it and
: don't like it, you should be able to sell it
: at a relatively small loss; on ebay, there
: is usually a bidder just a few dollars
: behind the winner of the auction

: with a watch, you are buying the dial; just
: about everything else can be restored,
: repaired, etc.

: come up with a (mental) list of standard
: questions and don't forget to ask these
: questions (mentally or actually) before you
: buy; it is bad when you receive the chrono,
: find that it doesn't work properly, and then
: notice that the listing said nothing about
: the mechanical condition of the watch; read
: the descriptions carefully and ask lots of
: questions

: in collecting, "condition only matters on
: the second one"; you want the
: "first one" of a particluar model
: to own it and see it (and see whether you
: like it), even if the condition is not
: ideal; then you can be patient in looking
: for the next one, that will be in better
: condition, to improve the quality of the
: collection
: OK, those are a few of my "rules"; on
: a good day, I follow most of them . . .
: Here's to your success and enjoyment in
: collecting!!

: Jeff