paysdoufs
·That's a good question. When the watch comes through eBay authentication, they put a band around the strap/bracelet to cover the back of the watch (check the photo). The idea is that if you open the band, then you won't be eligible for returns. The way I see it is that there are two ways that you can get returns for an authenticated watch:
1. directly from the seller if they allow returns - in which case I don't see why having or removing the eBay band would matter.
2. from eBay if you challenge the authenticity service - for which you need that band to be intact (much like the "warranty void if broken" stickers)
Through eBay chat, I found out that if you are not happy with the outcome of the authentication service, you can return the watch under the category of "item not as described". You can do this irrespective of whether the seller allows returns or not. Also, you don't need to provide any evidence to corroborate your claim that the item is not as described.
Sounds like it’s mostly a “peace of mind” service. Which is probably a smart strategy.
Re. the eBay tag, that’s obviously a bit of an odd placement - especially for watches with a see-through caseback. But I guess they cannot really put it anywhere else (clasp?) since a strap is so easily removed.