Soda vs Bezel: A Consumer App in the Middle vs Dealer to Dealer
Bezel is a consumer watch app where every sale routes through Bezel for authentication. Here's how a direct, trade-only network of verified dealers compares.
By Dejan Zoric
5 min read
The short answer
Bezel is a consumer marketplace app where sellers list for free, pay a seller fee when a watch sells, and ship every sold watch to Bezel for authentication before it reaches the buyer. Soda is a trade-only network where verified dealers buy, sell, trade and auction directly with each other, paying one flat subscription with no commissions.
Key takeaways
- Bezel sells to consumers through its app; every sold watch goes to Bezel first for authentication.
- Bezel's seller fee is tiered by your cumulative sales; its policy gives 12% as the first-level example.
- Bezel Pro has no monthly fees and charges volume-based fees per sale.
- Soda is for dealer-to-dealer trade: verified businesses, direct deals and no commissions.
Facts about other companies come from their own public websites, checked October 6, 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
On this page
Bezel puts itself in the middle of every sale: the buyer pays, the seller ships the watch to Bezel, Bezel's team authenticates it and only then sends it on. That's a clear, deliberate model for selling to consumers. Soda works the other way round. Verified dealers deal with each other directly, and we stay out of the watch and out of the money.
I sold watches for years before building Soda, and I'm still in many paid dealer groups. Dealers keep asking me how the consumer apps compare, so here's a straight, sourced answer.
For every type of tool side by side, see our watch dealer platform comparison.
What Bezel is
Bezel is a marketplace app for buying and selling luxury watches. As of October 2026, its sell page says listing a watch is free and Bezel takes a seller fee from the final sale price, advertising "seller fees as low as 5.5%".[2] Sellers can choose a no-reserve auction, an auction with a reserve, or a fixed asking price that takes offers.[2]
The fee depends on your status level, which is based on the total value of watches you've sold through Bezel. Its seller policy gives the example of a first sale at $20,000 carrying a 12% fee, and the next sale 10% once you've passed $15,000 in sales.[1]
Authentication sits at the centre of the model. Bezel's policy requires sellers to send each sold watch to Bezel for verification by its specialists before it goes to the buyer, using the prepaid label within 2 business days, double boxed, with each sale shipped separately.[1] After the watch passes authentication, Bezel says the payout is released to the seller's Bezel Wallet, typically within 1 to 2 business days.[2]
For high-volume dealers there's Bezel Pro: no monthly fees, volume-based fees that fall as sales grow, a concierge team handling buyer inquiries seven days a week, a web Seller Portal, the iOS app and bulk listing.[3]
Why I built Soda differently
A consumer app has to stand between strangers, because its buyers are members of the public. That's why the platform takes the watch, checks it, releases the payout after the check and takes a fee.
The trade is different. Dealers sell to dealers every day, at thin margins, and they need speed, a fair way to claim a watch and certainty about who's on the other side. I built Soda so the trust comes from verification and track record, not from routing every watch through a middle step. A platform, not a group chat, and not a middle step on every deal.
Bezel vs Soda at a glance
As of October 2026, from each company's own pages.
| Bezel | Soda | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Selling watches to consumers through an app | Dealer-to-dealer trade |
| Who you sell to | Bezel's buyers | Verified dealers with real full name, company and rank |
| Listing | Free | Included in your subscription |
| Fee per sale | Tiered by cumulative sales; 12% at the first level in its policy example | No commissions. No initiation fee. |
| Monthly fee | None on Bezel Pro | One flat subscription, two plans with the same features |
| Where a sold watch goes | To Bezel for authentication, then to the buyer | Directly to the buying dealer, on shipping terms both sides confirm |
| How the seller gets paid | Payout to the Bezel Wallet after authentication | Directly between dealers, to verified payment details |
| Auctions | No-reserve and reserve auctions | Live auctions with verified, real-name bidders, max bids and a 60-second soft close |
| Offers | Offers on fixed-price listings | Binding offers (24h, 48h or 7 days), trade offers and Mark as Sold |
| Inventory | Seller Portal and bulk listing on Bezel Pro | Inventory manager with private cost, margin and CSV/Excel export |
Fees: a percentage per sale vs one flat price
On Bezel, the fee comes off each sale and steps down as your cumulative sales grow.[1] On a $20,000 watch at the 12% level in Bezel's example, that's $2,400 on a single sale. Run your own numbers on a normal month and a strong month.
On Soda, there's no commission on anything: listings, Mark as Sold, offers, trade offers and auction sales are all included. Solo is $80 USD a month and Team is $150 USD a month, the same features on both, with Team adding employee seats. Every plan is on the pricing page.
Direct deals between verified dealers
On Bezel, trust is handled by Bezel holding the watch and the payout until authentication.[1] On Soda, trust starts before anyone can trade. Our team manually reviews every business: ID, a selfie holding the ID and business documents. Profiles show the verification date, completed deals, completion rate, ratings, vouches and strikes. Our team doesn't trade on Soda.
Once a deal is agreed, both sides see secure, verified payment details inside the deal and nowhere else, and any change has to be confirmed by the owner with counterparties notified. Shipping terms are confirmed by both sides, with tracking and packing photos or video kept on the deal. We never touch your money. And if you want a neutral third party on a specific deal, a middleman service is available on request.
For the buyer-side checks every dealer should still run, see how to buy a watch from a dealer safely.
Auctions where every bidder is a verified dealer
Bezel runs no-reserve and reserve auctions for its buyers.[2] Soda live auctions are for the trade: every bidder is a verified business bidding under a real name, bids are binding, max bids and tiered increments are built in, and any bid in the final minute extends the clock by 60 seconds. No deposits.
Run the business, not just the listings
Bezel Pro gives high-volume sellers a Seller Portal and bulk listing.[3] Soda is built to run the whole dealer business from one tab: an inventory manager with private cost and margin, bulk actions and CSV or Excel export; invoices in 5 seconds in your own style; Looking For alerts in the app and by email; team accounts with ranks and per-employee ID checks; and, on the Team plan, publishing to your own Shopify store, eBay US and a Chrono24 feed with a separate end user price.
Who Soda is for
Soda is for registered watch businesses that trade with other dealers. It isn't a consumer app and it isn't open to collectors. If selling to the public through an app is your main channel, that's a different job. If your volume moves dealer to dealer and you want to keep the margin, the speed and the relationship, Soda was built for you. More on retail channels in how to sell watches online.
The bottom line
Bezel is a consumer marketplace that stands in the middle of every sale: it authenticates the watch, releases the payout and takes a fee that depends on your sales level. Soda is a trade-only network where verified dealers deal directly, on binding terms, with verified payment details and no commissions.
Cut out the middle step
Built by watch dealers who've lived every one of these headaches: one marketplace of verified dealers, live auctions, trade offers, inventory and invoices, for one flat subscription. Compare every row on How we compare, see all features, then apply for access or book a demo.
Questions dealers ask
Is Bezel worth it for watch dealers?
It depends on whether you want to reach consumers through an app and are comfortable with a per-sale fee and sending each sold watch to Bezel first. As of October 2026, Bezel says listing is free and fees are charged when a watch sells, with lower fees as your sales volume grows.
How much does Bezel charge sellers?
Bezel's seller policy ties the fee to a status level based on the total value you've sold. Its own example: a first sale of $20,000 carries a 12% fee, and the next sale 10% after passing $15,000 in sales. Its sell page advertises fees as low as 5.5%. Bezel Pro has no monthly fee.
What is the best Bezel alternative for selling to other dealers?
For dealer-to-dealer trade, look for a trade-only platform where every member is a verified business and deals are binding. Soda was built for that, with Mark as Sold, binding offers, trade offers and live auctions between verified dealers, and no commissions.