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eBay''s reliability?

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kayla.tastikk

kayla.tastikk

Shiny_Rock
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Dec 31, 2009
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My question is how reliable eBay is for acquiring colored gemstones.

Thanks.

Kayla
 
E-bay is VERY reliable....you''ll always get something for your money. Will it always match the description of the item ? Not in my experience. If you know how to LOOK at pictures, know the type of things you''re buying and have dealt with a vendor previously, then your chances are better, BUT..... As always if it''s too good to be true, then avoid it. Things like clean, 3 carat, blood red rubies for $500, or even $1500 is just too good to be true and so should be avoided.
 
Well, one aquamarine that''s about to end right now is 21.7 carats... which just seems humongous, especially with a minimum bid of 7.99.
 
The reason I''m asking is that I''d like to recreate my mother''s 4 cttw Aquamarine cocktail ring for me, because I have sisters that out way me in seniority. In other words, I''m in love with her ring, but won''t ever get it, so I''d like to have one made.
 
Aquamarine doesn''t sell for that price. Period. Draw your own conclusion.....
 
Sorry, I''m new to this and thought maybe they priced low on purpose for some unknown reason.
 
I would have posted this question as "which ebay SELLER is most reliable?" As a whole, ebay is shark infested waters for the newbie gem collector. You''ll get eaten up in a heartbeat. However, there are some reliable sellers and some to avoid that will help make that purchase a more successful one.
 
Kayla,

You should look at the actual feedback from the vendor. If all the gem prices are low for gems that should be more, they are probably some definition of fake.

I just bid , very quickly, on a small blue sapphire, 6mm. My bid was 6.50 to start. I just wanted to be on the board(my ebay). I decided I wanted something else more and knew I''d be out bid. The listing had said it was heat treated. Well, I won. Too late I looked at the feedback, and saw people were paying $3.00 for a heat treated sapphire. They were all happy.
I did refuse to pay, telling him that I knew it wasn''t a "real sapphire" and that he was deceptive in his listing. I haven''t heard from him since. The picture of the sapphire was beautiful.. I just did it too quickly.

Look at the feedback first, before bidding.
 
To be good on ebay as well, you really need to educate yourself on all the possible treatments, simulants and synthetics that exist, and know how to tell if a picture is photoshopped. Typically, if it's too good to be true on ebay, then it probably is.
 
Ditto!
Date: 2/4/2010 3:25:18 PM
Author: Michael_E
E-bay is VERY reliable....you''ll always get something for your money. Will it always match the description of the item ? Not in my experience. If you know how to LOOK at pictures, know the type of things you''re buying and have dealt with a vendor previously, then your chances are better, BUT..... As always if it''s too good to be true, then avoid it. Things like clean, 3 carat, blood red rubies for $500, or even $1500 is just too good to be true and so should be avoided.
Click to expand...
 
Toolhaus.org is also a very important tool for ebayers.
 
E-bay doesn''t sell anything, except ad space for sellers (and a few tools). The sellers are the ones with the merchandise. In other words, you need to look at which seller you are dealing with, as previous posters have said. There are first class sellers, with world class gems and prices to match (Lembeck gems sell on ebay). There are trustworthy sellers, with honest descriptions and prices. There are sellers who cheat, who manipulate photos, who sell fakes.

So, how to tell them apart?

1- Don''t trust ebay feedback. I have seen sellers with 100% feedback and a lot of sales with obviously photoshopped and enhanced pictures. Reading through the feedback, I was sorry for many of the buyers who were obviously cheated and had no idea.

2- Check toolhaus.org, which lists feedback that ebay doesn''t consider (withdrawn or older ones). Once again, read through the feedback and see what the complaints are.

3- Check the return policy. It should be no questions asked, with a decent return window

4- What else does the seller sell? Are they consistently selling higher priced stones or just 0.99 auctions with 2 bids?

5- Beware thai sellers. Now, there are very honest thai sellers (2 of my favourites are thai sellers, which were recommended independently by different people in the trade) but Thailand is also one of the treatment centers of the gem world.

6- If the stone is certified, check which lab. There are trustworthy labs and labs thay will fill in the blanks with whatever the seller asks them to.

7- If a deal is too good, it probably isn''t any good. Check what gems sell for in wholesale and retail market. Understand what drives the prices.
 
I'd also add, check the shipping price. I once managed to buy a citrine from Thai company. The citrine cost $ 5.00 but the cost of shipment was $ 17.00. I tried to contact the seller but got a standard computer-generated form for an answer.
Some vendors post photographs of a "similar" stone especially if it comes to "Star" sapphires (which are most often bogus).
 
Date: 2/4/2010 3:32:40 PM
Author: kayla.tastikk
Sorry, I''m new to this and thought maybe they priced low on purpose for some unknown reason.
Click to expand...
Yes, 2 unknown reasons are possible:

1. They are suicidal billionaires who try to distribute their wealth wíthout anybody noticing

2. It is not a valuable aquamarine

Guess.
 
Some scathing attacks on eBay have to be put in the context of the poster and some do stand out a mile as having an issue with it as they see some sellers near source, in direct competition with them. I don't think there are than many objective opinions on the eBay arena, that said there has been some excellent guidance above.

Although, granted it is a place that a complete novice will pay their dues unless very very careful or lucky. There are a number of e-sellers with glossy sites equally as disingenuous yet they more often than not get a free pass.
 
There are some great Ebay sellers but bear this in mind. You get what you pay for.
 
Date: 2/5/2010 7:43:51 AM
Author: LovingDiamonds
There are some great Ebay sellers but bear this in mind. You get what you pay for.
Click to expand...
And sometimes you can get far less than what you pay for.
 
Date: 2/5/2010 3:27:33 AM
Author: Chrometsav
Some scathing attacks on eBay have to be put in the context of the poster and some do stand out a mile as having an issue with it as they see some sellers near source, in direct competition with them.
Click to expand...
Chrometasv,

sorry for being sarcastic, but aquarmarine for 1$/carat invites scorn. That does not even cover a fraction of the cutting cost!

No professional would see such an offer as competition. It is a however a shame for all who try to make an honest living in the trade.

This is why the gemtrade has such a bad reputation. Did you know that Amazon has a no-loose-gems rule because of Ebay?
 
Sometimes I think that craigslist.com is safer than ebay. I bought a pair of bohemian garnet earrings from a seemingly decent seller. Well, first, they were tiny. Second, they were described as "Victorian period" - well, he probably meant "Victoria''s secret" era. When I asked him about the period, he said "well, it is not Victorian, it is Victorian-style". Third, it was supposed to be "gold" and there was no mark to be found. He said that he "tested" them but there was no sign of being "tested" either. (Not a single scratch). Then he hastily offered me to send them back to him "since I did not like them". I lost on the shipping cost but at least did not feel completely taken advantage of. He spoke very politely and I think he is not the worst of ebay. But still...
 
Date: 2/5/2010 7:43:51 AM
Author: LovingDiamonds
There are some great Ebay sellers but bear this in mind. You get what you pay for.
Click to expand...
If you GET what you pay for, how come there are so many postings about "buying fake alexandrites on ebay"? These people paid much more than the fair price for pieces of synthetic corundum.
 
Erm... you get what you pay for on Ebay. But I''ve had some good luck, some not so good. I try not to spend more than a couple hundred on gems or jewelry honestly.
 
Wow, thanks everyone for all the feedback! I''m really, really new to jewelry purchase of any kind, and don''t want to kick myself later for being stupid.

So, many of you said that there are reliable e-Bay sellers that you use, can you recommend any for me to scope out?
 
Date: 2/6/2010 9:10:55 AM
Author: Edward Bristol

Date: 2/5/2010 3:27:33 AM
Author: Chrometsav
Some scathing attacks on eBay have to be put in the context of the poster and some do stand out a mile as having an issue with it as they see some sellers near source, in direct competition with them.
Click to expand...
Chrometasv,

sorry for being sarcastic, but aquarmarine for 1$/carat invites scorn. That does not even cover a fraction of the cutting cost!

No professional would see such an offer as competition. It is a however a shame for all who try to make an honest living in the trade.

This is why the gemtrade has such a bad reputation. Did you know that Amazon has a no-loose-gems rule because of Ebay?
Click to expand...
What rule? Amazon.com currently has more than 7,000 loose gemstones offered for sale, both from amazon themselves and from many 3rd party sellers.

I would disagree that the gem trade has a bad reputation. I would say that some sellers have a bad reputation, usually well-earned.
 
Date: 2/6/2010 4:55:24 PM
Author: crasru
Sometimes I think that craigslist.com is safer than ebay. I bought a pair of bohemian garnet earrings from a seemingly decent seller. Well, first, they were tiny. Second, they were described as ''Victorian period'' - well, he probably meant ''Victoria''s secret'' era. When I asked him about the period, he said ''well, it is not Victorian, it is Victorian-style''. Third, it was supposed to be ''gold'' and there was no mark to be found. He said that he ''tested'' them but there was no sign of being ''tested'' either. (Not a single scratch). Then he hastily offered me to send them back to him ''since I did not like them''. I lost on the shipping cost but at least did not feel completely taken advantage of. He spoke very politely and I think he is not the worst of ebay. But still...
Click to expand...

No, he is not the worst of eBay, not by a long shot.

The worst of eBay works in the following way:

Someone, usually in Thailand (but could be anywhere) registers an eBay ID and offers gemstones for sale. He offers the usual assortment of eBay fare -- fracture-filled ruby, cheap citrine and amethyst, chinese peridot, blue topaz, etc. He gets whatever he can get for these items and over a period of months he establishes a respectable eBay presence with a decent feedback rating and a regular set of customers. This is the "investment" phase. He''s losing money, but he keeps the losses to a minimum by selling worthless items and earning a bit on the shipping.

After some months he starts offering more and better quality gems for sale and gets higher prices for them. But unknown to his customers, he has entered a new phase of his business. Now he is in the "cash out" phase. Over a period of weeks he accepts payment from his customers, but he doesn''t ship any gems. He offers what excuses he can to his buyers (delayed shipments, customs clearance, whatever), and then suddenly one day he is gone. Disappeared.

His customers slowly realize they have been scammed. But at least they are protected by PayPal. Think again. The scammer has cleared out his PayPal account and PayPal cannot recover any funds from him. Buyers are shocked to discover that PayPal is not a charitable organization that protects consumers come what may. If PayPal can''t recover funds from the seller, they don''t issue refunds to buyers. PayPal is a business.

Some months later the seller registers a new eBay ID under a different name and starts again.
 
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