Did you see the ABC 20/20 Special on Buying Diamonds ONLINE????

[superj32]

Hey- just a question to everyone out there. A friend called me last Friday and told me they were doing a segment on ABC''s 20/20 about buying diamonds online and how dangerous it is. I did not get to see the episode personally, but my friend told me that basically the whole show was that they were recommending that you DO NOT buy online. just wondered if anyone saw this or had any thoughts on how it relates to all the vendors here on pricescope? thanks.

 

[pricescope]

Maybe it is this show (Nov. 18, 2005): Are You Getting Tiffany''s or Tinsel on EBay?

 

[researcher]

With all of those shows, the moral is to buy stones with a GIA, AGS, etc. certificates, to get the stone appraised, to check the vendor's status with the BBB, to check out their return policy...you get the idea. It's not buying online itself that's a bad idea, it's the idea of buying blindly. IMO the fact that the PS vendors are part of an open forum is EXTREMELY positive. They are subjected to complaints regarding their quality of workmanship, the time it takes to respond to customers, their pricing....You name it, the PS vendors have experienced it. What's nice though is you can also see how the vendors handle the situation. I actually cannot think of a single case where PS vendors did not do everything in their power to make the customer happy--even in cases where I think the customer was at fault (when the customer asked for something, the PS vendor did it, and then the customer decided it wasn't really what he/she wanted). That's what is so great about Pricescope--you get to hear the opinions of previous customers, see numerous examples of the vendors' work, hear the vendors' opinions on stones (even if you're not working with that vendor), and learn more about diamonds than you ever thought possible!!! Leonid and Irina did a wonderful thing when they set up PS as a pro-consumer site

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

ho hum

 

[decodelighted]

I saw the segment on 20/20 and it had NOTHING to do with the awesome vendors that participate on Pricescope.

It centered on a woman who thought she was buying a genuine Tiffany necklace off of Ebay only to find that it wasn''t "genuine" and the buyer wouldn''t take it back. They talked about how Ebay vendors fake good feedback #s and how ... get this ... 75% of Tiffany sold on Ebay is fake. Tiffany came on and said there are no NEW sources of Tiffany jewelry online, legitamate Tiffany merch on Ebay would all be "used" stuff sold by people who bought it, suprise suprise, FROM TIFFANY stores.

There was a side part to the segment about some Ebay diamond vendors selling "industrial grade" stones and "frozen spit" .. but it was like "duh!"

Hope this calms any fears ...

 

[glamgirl]

I cannot beieve anyone who see''s all those "new" cheap Tiffany listing would be that duped! This goes for Louis vuitton, Rolex etc..... So many people are gullable. It should be common sense. I have bought GENUINE Tiffany on Ebay.... from private parties who have lots of feedback. You do have to be careful. Deceptive sellers even look for buy, and copy genuine store receipts, and will sell items claiming to have the orignal receipts. They even maufacture fake store bags from "Tiffany". They even have the nerve to claim authentic! These sellers usually (not all the time) have little feedback. Ebay really does need to do something about this, but it''s hard. Alot of the time these deceptive sellers, will steal, photos from tiffany, or photograph a fake from a distance with no detail shots so it makes it hard for Ebay to determine if the item is genuine.

 

[windowshopper]

Date: 11/21/2005 2:32:23 PM
Author: Garry H (Cut Nut)
ho hum

i think i love you

 

[DiamondExpert]

I didn't see the segment, but in my mind, eBay does not really enter into the equation when I think of buying on line...eBay seems to be a bastion for many con-artists, and ner-do-wells, which can really spoil it for the large % of legit individuals/companies who/which operate there.

It will/can never be a completely safe place to operate, but the bar to entry should be elevated.

There always seems to be some segment of the public which will jump at a proposition, no matter how bogus...call it greed or stupidity or natural selection - I don't know - Caveat emptor in all transactions!


PS: I don't think I love you Garry!

...in fact, I know it! Sorry.

 

[strmrdr]

ebay is a global flee market.
anyone who has been to a big one in person will say that it fits perfectly.
A smart shopper approaches a flee market knowing that 55% of the goods will be over priced junk, 40% scams and 4.9% worth considering and .1% a bargain.
The trick is being able to find the .1% without getting suckered in by the 40%.
When I used to go to them a lot Id snicker at some of the games the vendors played and there was always a sucker lapping it up.
The funny part was people would get mad at you if you pointed out to them they were about going to get taken.
Very rare was one that said thanks.
Thats the main reason I stopped going.

 

[glamgirl]

I can tell you from alot of personal experience, when you list a piece of jewelry on ebay you reach MILLIONS of people who are looking for that kind of item. If you go pawn, or consigment, get ready to pay up to 60% of whatever it sells for to the consignment shop, or pawn shop, and you will have poor traffic viewing your piece. Selling on your own is the best option, and reaching as many people who are interested
is key..... thats what makes Ebay sucessful. You call the shots, starting price, reserve. So, what I am saying is the risk on Ebay is more toward the buyer(obviously) than seller.

 

[glamgirl]

One other thing... actually there are millions of astute Ebayer''s aside from the idiots(obviously). I have had transactions with many passionate and informed collectors, one of which had published a vintage jewelry book. Many dealers and collectors buy and sell, and appreciate quality, and want to complete or add to their collection. Thats why Many professional Auction houses now also use Ebay live for their auctions. Your chances of having alot of knowledegable people who appreciate your item IS greater on Ebay...as long as you list it correctly to draw them in.

 

[glitterata]

I have bought some wonderful antique jewelry on ebay for bargain prices. You''re always taking a risk, but it can really pay off. As Storm says, the trick is to really know what you''re looking at and be able to recognize the treasures from the junk. It helps when the seller describes the item incorrectly or lists it in the wrong category.

Also, there''s an art to reading feedback. Sometimes people have 100% feedback and you can still tell they''re crooks if you read it carefully enough. Sometimes people don''t want to leave negative feedback for fear the seller will retaliate and spoil their rating, but they''ll say negative things in their positive feedback, like "Not brand new as claimed, but nice anyway." To me, mutually withdrawn negatives are a big stop sign. They often mean the seller uses negative feedback to retaliate against buyers with honest problems, and then uses it as a lever to get them to withdraw their negative feedback.

 

[Kim N]

Glitterata, I agree with you about reading the feedback. It''s definitely not enough to know they have 100% or 99.99% positive feedback. I usually skim through two or three pages of feedback before I purchase from a seller.