Support
Whether you're mid-purchase, mid-sale, or just deciding — we read everything and we answer.
Contact
We respond within one business day. For an active dispute or return, include your order reference — it's on your dashboard and in every order email.
FAQ
Getting started
What is Tempo?
Tempo is a marketplace for buying and selling pre-owned luxury watches, built around Tempo Secure and verified participants. Buyers pay the listing price plus insured shipping and any applicable taxes — there are no buyer's premiums or transaction fees on the watch — and every purchase is protected by Tempo Secure until you receive and inspect it. Learn more on About.
How do I create an account?
You can sign up with an email address or a Google account from any page. Browsing is open to everyone; to complete a purchase you'll verify your identity once, and to sell you'll need an invitation. If you're interested in selling with us, apply via our Sell page.
Do I need an account to browse?
No — you can browse the full catalog, read the Library, and explore the collection tools without an account. You'll need to sign in and verify your identity to buy, and an invitation to sell.
How do I contact support?
Email admin@tempo-watches.com and we respond within one business day. For an active dispute or return, include your order reference — it's on your dashboard and in every order email. For simple questions, you can also ask our Advisor.
Buying
How do I buy a watch?
Find a watch you want, choose to buy it at the listed price (or make an offer), verify your identity if you haven't already, and complete payment. Your funds are held securely — not released to the seller — until the watch is delivered and you've had time to inspect it. The protection mechanics are in the Buyer Protection Policy.
Why do I need to verify my identity to buy?
Buyers verify a government-issued ID through Stripe Identity before completing a purchase. Verified buyers and verified sellers are how Tempo keeps fraud out of a marketplace where a single package can be worth a car. It takes about two minutes and you only do it once — see the Privacy Policy for how the data is handled.
Can I buy more than one watch at a time?
Each watch is purchased as its own transaction with its own Tempo Secure protection, identity check, and inspection window. There's no combined cart — you complete each purchase individually.
What condition are the watches in?
Condition varies by listing and is described by the seller, who is held to Tempo's standards for accurate representation. The 72-hour inspection window exists precisely so you can confirm the watch matches its listing before funds release — if it doesn't, you're protected. See Seller Standards and the Buyer Protection Policy.
Offers and pricing
If I make an offer, is it binding?
Making an offer is a serious signal of intent — only offer what you're genuinely prepared to pay. An offer on its own doesn't charge you, and you're not locked in until you complete payment. If a seller accepts your offer, the listing is reserved for you and you have 24 hours to complete your purchase at the agreed price; if you don't pay within that window, the offer expires and the watch returns to the market. Once you do pay, your funds are held securely exactly like any other purchase until you receive and inspect the watch. The full terms are in the Terms of Service.
How are offers different from buying at the listed price?
Buying at the listed price starts checkout immediately. Making an offer proposes a lower price, which the seller can accept, decline, or counter with a different price — nothing is charged while you negotiate. If a price is accepted, the buyer completes payment within 24 hours and the transaction proceeds through Tempo Secure like any other. You can have one active offer or negotiation per listing at a time.
Can a seller decline or counter my offer?
Yes. A seller can accept your offer, decline it, or counter with a different price. If they counter, you can accept their price, decline, counter back, or withdraw — and they can do the same with your counter. The back-and-forth is yours to see in your offer history. Nothing is charged until a price is accepted and you complete payment.
Can I counter the seller's counter-offer?
Yes — offers can go back and forth. When a seller counters, you can accept their price, decline, counter back with your own, or withdraw. Each counter gives the other side 24 hours to respond; if a counter isn't answered in time, it expires and the listing stays available. A price only becomes binding once it's accepted and you complete payment.
Can I withdraw an offer I've made?
Yes, before it's accepted. You can withdraw a pending offer — or a seller's counter that's waiting on your response — from your dashboard at any time. Once you withdraw, you're free to make a new offer right away. You can't withdraw after an offer has been accepted, since at that point the listing is reserved for you and your 24-hour payment window has started.
What happens after a seller accepts my offer?
The listing is reserved for you and removed from sale, and you have 24 hours to complete payment at the agreed price. You'll get a notification and email with a link to check out. If you don't pay within 24 hours, the offer expires and the watch goes back on the market. Other shoppers can't buy it out from under you during your window.
Why can't I make another offer right away?
To keep the marketplace orderly, there's a short cooldown between offers on the same listing while an offer is still active or pending. If a seller declines your offer, you can make a new one immediately. You can have one active offer per listing at a time.
Payment, fees, and taxes
What does it cost to buy on Tempo?
Tempo charges no transaction fees or buyer's premium on the watch itself. You pay the agreed price plus insured shipping, and any applicable sales tax calculated at checkout based on your delivery address. Sellers pay no commission either — the model is explained on About.
What payment methods can I use?
Tempo accepts major credit and debit cards and select digital wallets at checkout. The available options appear on the payment step. You can also pay by wire transfer on any purchase, with no payment processing fee. Purchases of $25,000 or more are completed by wire transfer; card is available below that.
How is sales tax calculated?
Any applicable sales tax is calculated automatically at checkout based on your delivery address. Where Tempo is required to collect tax, you'll see it itemized before you pay; where collection isn't required, no tax is added.
When is my card charged?
For a direct purchase at the listed price, your payment is authorized and then held securely once the seller confirms the order, which they're required to do within 24 hours of the order being placed. For an accepted offer, you complete payment within your 24-hour window. In all cases, funds are held by Tempo Secure and aren't released to the seller until you've received and inspected the watch. See the Buyer Protection Policy. For a wire transfer, nothing is charged to a card — you receive banking instructions at checkout and the order proceeds once your funds arrive.
Will I be charged anything if my order is declined or cancelled?
If a seller doesn't accept your direct purchase, or your order is cancelled before it enters Tempo Secure, you are not charged — any authorization is released. You're only charged when an order is confirmed into Tempo Secure.
Can I pay by wire transfer?
Wire transfer is available on all purchases, and purchases of $25,000 or more are completed by wire transfer. Select wire at checkout and the watch is reserved for you while you receive banking instructions — no payment processing fee applies. Your funds must arrive within two (2) business days (weekends don't count). Once they do, the order proceeds through Tempo Secure exactly like any other purchase. The full terms are in the Terms of Service.
What happens if my wire doesn't arrive in time?
If your funds don't arrive within two (2) business days, the order is cancelled and the watch returns to the market. Any partial funds are returned to you, and the payment-failure fee you authorized at checkout — 3% of the watch price — is charged to your saved card and paid to the seller whose watch was reserved. See the Terms of Service.
Shipping and delivery
How and when do watches ship?
Sellers ship within 3 business days of an order being submitted (often sooner) with tracking. Orders of $2,500 or more (watch price plus shipping) ship with full-value carrier insurance and adult signature on delivery. You'll get tracking by email the moment it ships. The lost-in-transit process is covered in the Buyer Protection Policy.
How much does shipping cost?
Shipping cost is shown at checkout before you pay, added to the watch price. Orders of $2,500 or more (watch price plus shipping) ship fully insured.
What happens if my package is lost or damaged in transit?
Watches at or above the insurance threshold ship fully insured with signature on delivery. If a package is lost or arrives damaged, contact support with your order reference and the carrier-insurance process in the Buyer Protection Policy applies. Your funds remain protected by Tempo Secure while it's resolved.
When does the inspection clock start?
Your 72-hour inspection window starts from confirmed delivery, recognized from carrier tracking. The Buyer Protection Policy has the details.
Tempo Secure and inspection
How does Tempo Secure protect my purchase?
When you buy a watch on Tempo, your payment is held — not paid to the seller — until the watch arrives and you've had time to inspect it. You have 72 hours from confirmed delivery to approve the watch or open a dispute, and 24 hours to request a remorse return. If the windows close without an issue, the funds release to the seller. The full mechanics are in the Buyer Protection Policy.
What can I do during the 72-hour inspection window?
Inspect the watch against its listing — condition, reference, included items, function. If something's wrong, open a dispute. If you've simply changed your mind, you have 24 hours to request a remorse return (separate from a dispute). Details in the Buyer Protection Policy and Return Policy.
Can I release the funds early?
Yes. Once the watch is delivered and you've inspected it, you can approve the order from your dashboard to release payment to the seller before the 72-hour window closes. It's optional — if you do nothing, the funds release automatically when the window ends. See the Buyer Protection Policy.
What happens when the inspection window ends?
If you haven't opened a dispute or return request, the funds release to the seller and the sale is complete.
Returns
Can I return a watch if I change my mind?
Yes, within 24 hours of confirmed delivery, unless the listing was marked Final Sale. Remorse returns carry a restocking fee — 15% refunded to your original payment method, or 5% if you take the refund as Tempo Credit; above $100,000 the fee is 15% either way — and you pay insured return shipping. The watch must go back exactly as it arrived. Full terms are in the Return Policy.
What's the difference between a return and a dispute?
A return is for changing your mind (remorse) — it carries a restocking fee and a 24-hour window. A dispute is for a problem with the watch itself — inauthentic, not as described, missing items, or wrong item — and is handled under buyer protection at no restocking fee if upheld. Use a dispute, not a return, when something is actually wrong. See Return Policy and Buyer Protection Policy.
What does "Final Sale" mean?
A listing marked Final Sale is not eligible for a remorse return. You're still protected against a watch that's inauthentic, not as described, or otherwise not what was promised — Final Sale removes the change-of-mind return, not your buyer protection. See the Return Policy.
How do I start a return?
Request it from your order on the dashboard within 24 hours of confirmed delivery. You'll ship the watch back insured, exactly as it arrived, and your refund (less the restocking fee) is processed once it's received and checked. Full terms in the Return Policy.
What is the restocking fee and why is there one?
Remorse returns carry a restocking fee: 15% if refunded to your original payment method, or 5% if you take it as Tempo Credit. For watches above $100,000, the fee is 15% regardless of refund method. It covers the real costs of a reversed transaction and is waived for legitimate disputes (where the watch was misrepresented). Below $100,000, choosing Tempo Credit is the cheaper option. See Return Policy and Credit Terms.
Disputes and buyer protection
How do I open a dispute?
If the watch you received is inauthentic, not as described, missing something promised, or the wrong item, open a dispute from your order on the dashboard within the 72-hour inspection window. Include photos showing the issue. Your money stays protected by Tempo Secure while we review. What's covered and what to expect are laid out in the Buyer Protection Policy.
What's covered by buyer protection?
Buyer protection covers watches that arrive inauthentic, not as described, missing promised items, or as the wrong item — and packages lost in transit on insured shipments. It's not a change-of-mind mechanism (that's a remorse return). Full scope in the Buyer Protection Policy.
What happens to my money during a dispute?
It stays protected by Tempo Secure. Funds are not released to the seller while a dispute is open and under review, so you're never in the position of chasing a refund from a seller who's already been paid. See the Buyer Protection Policy.
How long does a dispute take to resolve?
It varies on a case-by-case basis depending on the nature of the dispute and the evidence involved. We work to resolve every dispute as quickly and fairly as possible, and your funds stay protected by Tempo Secure throughout. See the Buyer Protection Policy.
What evidence should I include?
Clear photos of the issue, the watch and its markings, any included items or paperwork, and anything that shows how it differs from the listing. The more specific your evidence, the faster a fair resolution. See the Buyer Protection Policy.
Authentication and trust
Are the watches authentic?
Tempo doesn't take possession of or handle the watches ourselves. Instead, every seller on the platform is admitted by invitation only, after a thorough review, and has a long-standing reputation for excellence. On top of that, every purchase is backed by Tempo Secure and our buyer protection policies — your funds are held until you've received and inspected the watch, and you're protected if it arrives inauthentic or not as described. See Seller Standards and the Buyer Protection Policy.
How are sellers vetted?
Selling is by invitation only, after the seller is thoroughly reviewed by the Tempo team — including customer reviews, years in business, and a review of their current inventory. Every seller verifies their identity, links a payout account, and agrees to Tempo's seller terms before listing a single watch, and is held to published standards for how watches are represented. See Seller Standards.
Selling
How does selling on Tempo work?
Selling is by invitation, with no commission fees. Every seller verifies their identity, links a payout account, and agrees to Tempo's seller terms before listing a single watch. The standards we hold sellers to are on Seller Standards.
How do I become a seller?
Selling is currently invitation-only. If you're interested in becoming a seller, apply via our Sell page.
How and when do sellers get paid?
Once a buyer's inspection window closes without a dispute or return, the funds release from Tempo Secure to the seller's linked payout account. Sellers are paid the agreed price with no commission deducted by Tempo.
What does it cost to sell?
Sellers pay a monthly subscription to access the platform that varies based on the number of their listings. There are no per-transaction commissions or listing fees.
What can I sell on Tempo?
Pre-owned luxury watches that meet Tempo's listing standards for authenticity and accurate representation. See Seller Standards.
Tempo Credit
What is Tempo Credit?
Tempo Credit is store credit you can choose to receive — for example, taking a remorse return refund as credit incurs a lower restocking fee (5% vs 15%). It can be applied toward future purchases on Tempo. Full terms are in the Credit Terms.
How do I use Tempo Credit?
Available credit is applied at checkout toward the price of a watch.
Privacy and security
How is my identity data handled?
Identity verification is processed through Stripe Identity, and your data is handled as described in the Privacy Policy. Verification is a one-time step.
Is my payment information secure?
Payments are processed by Stripe; Tempo does not store your full card details. See the Privacy Policy.
What do you do with my data?
How Tempo collects, uses, and protects your information is described in the Privacy Policy.
Product and features
What is the Library?
The Library is Tempo's editorial collection — articles and reference material on watches, brands, and collecting. Browse it at Library.
What is Collect / the timeline?
Collect is a tool for tracking your watch collection over time. Explore it at Collect.
What is the Advisor?
The Advisor is Tempo's AI assistant — it can help you navigate the marketplace, understand how buying and selling work, and find information. It answers from Tempo's policies; for anything it's unsure about, it points you to the relevant policy page or support.
The fine print lives on the policy pages: Terms of Service, Buyer Protection, Authentication, Returns, Credit Terms, and Copyright & IP.