shape
carat
color
clarity

Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bistro?

AprilBaby

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 17, 2008
Messages
13,347
I have some items to sell. What are LT's fees? dB? How is payment collected? Have you been scammed?
 
Re: Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bis

LT is Free, DB is $.99/listing. You pay via credit card.

I've been lucky. I've sold to mostly PSers as far as I know and I've had no issues.
 
Re: Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bis

+1 what Mayk said. I've used both LT & DB and haven't had any issues - all great transactions. Good luck with your sales!!
 
Re: Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bis

I've only used LT a few times, but have bought and sold and had no problems with either.
For most items PayPal and USPS insured shipping help protect both sides.
 
Re: Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bis

I've sold 2 or 3 items on DB and they've all gone to PS regulars which gave me an added peace of mind. No issues whatsoever.
 
Re: Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bis

Agree with the others - no problems. After a while, you get the Spidey sense if something is off with a potential buyer. The vast majority of posts start with a PS familiarity, so its fairly straightforward. Probably the hardest decision you will have to make is whether you will send it abroad (you're in the States, right?), and deal with insurance, duties/declarations and such. Some of us do it, some of us do not.
 
Re: Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bis

I've sold and bought multiple items through both with no issues both to PS'ers and not. While LT is free, DB appears to have more users; whenever I've cross-listed, I've always had more inquiries through DB.
 
Re: Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bis

I prefer to sell to PSers, so I prefer to only list on LT. Nice that it is free, too!
 
Re: Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bis

diamondseeker2006|1398882212|3663695 said:
I prefer to sell to PSers, so I prefer to only list on LT. Nice that it is free, too!

I was under the impression that PSers are more inclined towards DB and LT is more public. Good to learn something new. Thanks for the info, DS. :))
 
Re: Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bis

I prefer Lt because its free, most people who frequent it are on PS, and I just like the interface. I've sold something for a few thousand, a few hundred, and under 100, all went fine but ugh was I uncomfortable! I shipped a ring to Australia recently and the shipping wait was the worst.
 
Re: Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bis

Niel|1398883877|3663722 said:
I prefer Lt because its free, most people who frequent it are on PS, and I just like the interface. I've sold something for a few thousand, a few hundred, and under 100, all went fine but ugh was I uncomfortable! I shipped a ring to Australia recently and the shipping wait was the worst.

Me, too, Niel! I also sent something to Australia and it made me very nervous! But it got there safely! I would not risk it with a higher priced item, though.

TheCat...LT is newer and I think was started by someone on PS. So PS was the first place to know about it as far as I know.
 
Re: Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bis

Thanks for all the replies!!!
 
Re: Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bis

diamondseeker2006|1398886883|3663749 said:
Niel|1398883877|3663722 said:
I prefer Lt because its free, most people who frequent it are on PS, and I just like the interface. I've sold something for a few thousand, a few hundred, and under 100, all went fine but ugh was I uncomfortable! I shipped a ring to Australia recently and the shipping wait was the worst.

Me, too, Niel! I also sent something to Australia and it made me very nervous! But it got there safely! I would not risk it with a higher priced item, though.

TheCat...LT is newer and I think was started by someone on PS. So PS was the first place to know about it as far as I know.

Yes, someone here got tired of how glitchy DB was. Messages not bring received, the site being down. At that point their husband actually set up LT, which was lovely.

I've listed on both, but all sales have come via LT. I've sold items from $200-10,000 with no issues. I've purchased off both boards, again with no issues. I love having them available, instead of having to scour ebay. Plus there are those things you don't know you NEED until you see them. :lol:
 
Re: Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bis

I've bought and sold via both, mostly with no issue. I have also found that DB seems to get more traffic, but I usually start with LT, and, depending on how that goes, I either list on DB or not. The only drag with LT is once your listing gets buried, it gets kind of lost, and there's no keyword search function.

My spidey sense must have been off, though, recently - I had a really bad experience with a sale via LT. The woman was really sweet at first, but turned really nasty, and ended up being a liar, making false allegations in a Paypal claim, and won. You win some, you lose some.
 
Re: Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bis

justginger|1398898836|3663907 said:
diamondseeker2006|1398886883|3663749 said:
Niel|1398883877|3663722 said:
I prefer Lt because its free, most people who frequent it are on PS, and I just like the interface. I've sold something for a few thousand, a few hundred, and under 100, all went fine but ugh was I uncomfortable! I shipped a ring to Australia recently and the shipping wait was the worst.

Me, too, Niel! I also sent something to Australia and it made me very nervous! But it got there safely! I would not risk it with a higher priced item, though.

TheCat...LT is newer and I think was started by someone on PS. So PS was the first place to know about it as far as I know.

Yes, someone here got tired of how glitchy DB was. Messages not bring received, the site being down. At that point their husband actually set up LT, which was lovely.

I've listed on both, but all sales have come via LT. I've sold items from $200-10,000 with no issues. I've purchased off both boards, again with no issues. I love having them available, instead of having to scour ebay. Plus there are those things you don't know you NEED until you see them. :lol:


DS, Justginger, thanks for the info on LT. :)) I will list my items there then if I ever want to sell. It will give me peace of mind knowing who the buyers are.
 
Re: Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bis

I've sold on LT, but not on DB. I don't like the idea of giving DB my credit card info. If they took paypal for the listing fee I'd be OK with that. I've bought on both boards with no problems. I do walk away from a lot of offerings because of no return policies posted by the seller.
 
Re: Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bis

I started out with DB when it was free and since I found it to be reputable, I've continued with DB even after they started charging 99 cents per listing. I tolerate the occasional communication blips, just as I tolerate PS's occasional website crashes. I do prefer DB's privacy options relating to contact info.

While I've bought off of LoupeTroop several times, since my personal email address is utilized by the LT contact function, I've only bought from PSers I "know." In general, I just do not care for the size/presentation of the pics on LT so if more detail isn't available from PS threads, etc., I generally won't consider buying the listed item.

The lack of a return policy doesn't phase me - I think it is the norm barring high-ticket items - but I have come across more than one person who want a return policy when they buy but not when they sell!
 
Re: Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bis

I have bought and sold on DB/LT to many PS'er and non PS'ers, but now I won't. I had a CS that someone bought and then had buyers remorse and demanded a refund even though my listing said specifically no refunds. Paypal ruled in her favor. Then another person bought an estate setting off me, mangled the head of it (I'm guessing by trying to fit in a stone that was to big by a crappy jewelry) and then to boot chipped one of the side diamonds. She then wanted a return as well. I actually took it without disputing it because at some point it is not worth fighting. Now I'm pretty much done with selling to anyone unless I know you and we talk regularly (via facebook or another forum). From my understanidng several ppl have had similar situations but there is really nothing you can do. If the person paid via paypal , typically paypal will always rule in their favor.

Now with all that said I had many great selling experiences on DB/ LT. As a previous poster already stated use your spidey sense! And for high dollar items I just perfer to cosign.
 
Re: Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bis

I know it happens a lot, but it's just messed up to file a pp claim over buyer's remorse. I've filed claims before, but it's always because I either didn't get the item, or it wasn't as described. Even then, I try to work it out with the seller first. I've bought diamonds that have AGS or GIA grades without a return policy, because One half carat G-VS2 AGS0 looks pretty much like the next. Colored stones are a whole nother ball of wax..........
 
Re: Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bis

I haven't been stung by anyone requesting or demanding a refund, but I don't think you could have a successful casual sale forum if you didn't have some basic safeguards for the buyer.
As a seller I say 'sale is final' but clearly the buyer has recourse via Paypal. I once tried to discourage a buyer from a purchase on eBay because I thought she would surely return the piece in time based on communication and expectations. I think most people are trying to be fair and upfront.
 
Re: Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bis

Harpertoo|1398971582|3664542 said:
I haven't been stung by anyone requesting or demanding a refund, but I don't think you could have a successful casual sale forum if you didn't have some basic safeguards for the buyer.
As a seller I say 'sale is final' but clearly the buyer has recourse via Paypal. I once tried to discourage a buyer from a purchase on eBay because I thought she would surely return the piece in time based on communication and expectations. I think most people are trying to be fair and upfront.

I agree with you, both sides need to be protected. I recently listed something and said no returns, but that's not set in stone. (pun intended ;) ) I had someone contact me about it, and asked about that, and I agreed to accept a return after checking out their PS name and ebay feedback. If she buys the stone, she gets 3 days to inspect it. If the person gave me a bad vibe I'd have stuck to my listing.
 
Re: Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bis

Andelain|1398972410|3664548 said:
Harpertoo|1398971582|3664542 said:
I haven't been stung by anyone requesting or demanding a refund, but I don't think you could have a successful casual sale forum if you didn't have some basic safeguards for the buyer.
As a seller I say 'sale is final' but clearly the buyer has recourse via Paypal. I once tried to discourage a buyer from a purchase on eBay because I thought she would surely return the piece in time based on communication and expectations. I think most people are trying to be fair and upfront.

I agree with you, both sides need to be protected. I recently listed something and said no returns, but that's not set in stone. (pun intended ;) ) I had someone contact me about it, and asked about that, and I agreed to accept a return after checking out their PS name and ebay feedback. If she buys the stone, she gets 3 days to inspect it. If the person gave me a bad vibe I'd have stuck to my listing.

I think this is the only way to do it; extend more to those you know/trust or believe to be fair and upfront and steer clear of those that have bad juju. But its too bad that all we have to rely on is our ability to read vibes, our spidey sense, or feelings we might get from a perspective buyer. One of the things I really like about Preloved is it has the pinned thread that talks about scammers so at least sellers can be protected and check there (not that its complete for all scams/scammers) in the event that a prospective buyer comes across as fishy.
 
Re: Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bis

The problem is, you can't stick to your listing of "no returns" if they pay via Paypal. That is what happened with me. I should have checked out her ebay feedback before selling to her, I would have seen some red flags. Lesson learned.
 
Re: Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bis

I have bought things on LT and bistro, and sold on LT only (I usually cross listed, and my bistro listings didn't sell). I have also sold on Etsy and ebay. Of these, the only one that has any level of SELLER protection is ebay. I was really burned on etsy selling a ring mount -- the buyer bought it, complained about the prongs being bent and that he did not like the texture, was terribly insulting, and when I immediately offered a full refund return including shipping, he refused to send it back. Then he wrote a very negative feedback. I think he was trying to extort me to give him a discount. One positive about LT and Bistro is that this kind of extortion doesn't occur. After this I closed my Etsy store and I am sticking with Ebay or LT.
 
Re: Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bis

Are there guidelines on how to sell here, DB and LT? I have a couple eternity bands I would like to list and I have never done this before. I have the specs on the rings, etc, just not sure what is the best shipping and the process for listing. Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
Re: Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bis

Out of curiosity, do most of you avoid listings which aren't from the US?
 
Re: Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bis

Elyxia|1399023648|3664945 said:
Out of curiosity, do most of you avoid listings which aren't from the US?

Not if i "know" the person. There are some well known PS'ers in Australia, Europe who I have sold to before and would have no issue selling too again. You just have to both understand that shipping and insurance will be a lot more so I always request the buyer pays for that. Or I will split the cost with them. I wouldn't ship overseas to someone whom I have no previous communication with.
 
Re: Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bis

Elyxia|1399023648|3664945 said:
Out of curiosity, do most of you avoid listings which aren't from the US?

I don't like it but I've done it. I just sold a ring. On the listing I said "us buyers only." But the buyer was on PS, sounded like they had dealt with other people before, I dunno I got a good vibe so I said "pay a little more for shipping. " and sent it along. The whole time I was worried it would get lost or stolen. I kept imagining her receiving the package with a while in it and no ring. Plus the fact it went a week without updating made me super uncomfortable. Once she emailed me and told me she had gotten it I felt much better. I'm happy I sold it to her as I think worked out well for both of us.
 
Re: Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bis

SB621|1399029799|3664970 said:
Elyxia|1399023648|3664945 said:
Out of curiosity, do most of you avoid listings which aren't from the US?

Not if i "know" the person. There are some well known PS'ers in Australia, Europe who I have sold to before and would have no issue selling too again. You just have to both understand that shipping and insurance will be a lot more so I always request the buyer pays for that. Or I will split the cost with them. I wouldn't ship overseas to someone whom I have no previous communication with.

Yay! I know international shipping is a PITA, but missing out on awesome PS baubles really sucks. If I love something enough and there is no possibility of international postage, I buy it and have it sent to my parents. I feel bad for other international PSers who don't have that option.
 
Re: Could someone please explain loupe troop and diamond bis

Elyxia|1399023648|3664945 said:
Out of curiosity, do most of you avoid listings which aren't from the US?

I've shipped to PSers (that I know) in France, Brazil and Canada. I checked with the Post Office to get a good idea of the cost and let them know how much extra it is and which option they prefer, although sometimes there isn't any other option. In general, I shy away from international shipping unless I know the PSer well.
 
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Top