It would seem to my inexperienced mind that there are a lot of brick and mortar jewelry stores left. More so than many other kinds of businesses. So why order from an online seller? It seems that it can be a particularly shady business, because you are dealing with high priced, small items that are easy to fake.
What got me thinking about it was a thread written by someone who ordered from etsy and five months later hadn't even gotten a reply. I don't know the cost involved, but I think it was substantial. It is probably so easy to open an etsy store, have friends leave you good feedback, maybe make a couple of screen names on here talking about how great your pieces are, get some orders and disappear.
Not just etsy, but a website, a seller from Thailand, whatever, they know people love jewelry, and how hard it is to pass up a good deal. I don't think I could do it from any but the absolute biggest, most trusted names that have been around the longest. James Allen comes to mind as a name I hear a lot. They are probably ok, I could probably order there. I can also see the fun of looking through page after page on limitless gems and jewelry and that does sound like a lot of fun, but isn't it more fun to go into a store in person and look through, and be able to touch and see with your eyes? There can't be a substitute for that.
What got me thinking about it was a thread written by someone who ordered from etsy and five months later hadn't even gotten a reply. I don't know the cost involved, but I think it was substantial. It is probably so easy to open an etsy store, have friends leave you good feedback, maybe make a couple of screen names on here talking about how great your pieces are, get some orders and disappear.
Not just etsy, but a website, a seller from Thailand, whatever, they know people love jewelry, and how hard it is to pass up a good deal. I don't think I could do it from any but the absolute biggest, most trusted names that have been around the longest. James Allen comes to mind as a name I hear a lot. They are probably ok, I could probably order there. I can also see the fun of looking through page after page on limitless gems and jewelry and that does sound like a lot of fun, but isn't it more fun to go into a store in person and look through, and be able to touch and see with your eyes? There can't be a substitute for that.