Have you bid on/bought E-Bay diamonds?

[ButterBean]

Ok, I am considering doing this but have limited experience. Bought some perfumes a few years back & had a good experience but nothing expensive. The "make an offer" feature wasn''t there last time I bought. Quite confident that it would be somewhat individual, but just looking for a rule of thumb.

So the question is: How much lower might a reasonable offer be in comparison to the asking price, and still stand half a chance of being accepted?

1. Up to 10% less
2. 10 - 25% less
3. 25 - 50% less
4. 50-75% less

Thanks very much!

 

[oldmancoyote]

Too much variability in seller''s situation to be able to answer with any degree of reliability.

Points to look for are:

1. Is the seller a business or an individual? (a business will discount less, but will accept reasonable offers since they know the value of things)
2. How well does the item fit with the rest of what they sell (see above)
3. How important to them it is that the item raises cash
4. How interesting the item is to others

I have taken things at 10% less and at 50% less than BIN price...

 

[Po10472]

Is Ebay your only option for diamonds?

Striving to save a few bucks via Ebay could potentially cost you everything if you don''t know who you are dealing with.

Ok, in answer to your question, you could always email the seller first with your proposed offer before actually putting a bid in, this may give you an idea of what they are looking for. Its really a guessing game I''m afraid, each to their own.

Good luck!

 

[purrfectpear]

I have offered 25-30% less on diamonds and had it accepted (these were not random individuals selling personal items, but someone who regularly sells fine jewelry on ebay). If there''s something I''m interested in, I usually factor what I think is the best possible online price, then reduce it by 20% or so.

 

[Upgradable]

There is also a feature to see Best Offers they've accepted in the past. Go to their feedback. On recently completed purchases you should still be able to click on the listing, then you can see if full price was paid or if they accepted a Best Offer. Often times you can get a good idea about what they will accept.

Check out the offer accepted here!

 

[iluvcarats]

The seller can set an amount that they are willing to accept, so if your offer does not meet that amount, Ebay automatically rejects the offer for the seller.

 

[vablackwell]

Since the owner has the ability to counter-offer, you should bit slightly less than what you''re comfortable with, then they will come back with a counter-offer. Bidding slightly less than what you want to pay will give you some wiggle-room to go higher if you need to.

You also might check the seller''s history to see what they''ve sold similar items for in the past. This will give you an indication of what they typically sell items for.

 

[LaurenThePartier]

Date: 1/2/2009 11:46:23 AM
Author: vablackwell
Since the owner has the ability to counter-offer, you should bit slightly less than what you''re comfortable with, then they will come back with a counter-offer. Bidding slightly less than what you want to pay will give you some wiggle-room to go higher if you need to.

You also might check the seller''s history to see what they''ve sold similar items for in the past. This will give you an indication of what they typically sell items for.

Ditto. Just like buying a home, and don''t worry about offending them. They''ll counteroffer away until they get you to a price they like.

 

[Rhea]

It varies too much to put a percentage on it. For some reasonably priced sellers, 5-10% is all you''re going to get. For others, who usually price their good higher to begin with, 50% is more realistic. Look at their feedback and go through their history to figure it out.

I occasionally sell on ebay and people like to low-ball. For a collector''s sculpture I had someone offer me about 33% of my asking price. I''m not sure if he was just testing to see if I knew what I was selling or what, but I was annoyed. Don''t go so low that you''re one of those people!

 

[NeverEndingUpgrade]

For what it''s worth, I have heard that 15% off asking price is a good guideline. Go up or down from there depending on the item and how badly you want it!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

As others have said, this will vary from seller to seller! You have to know the real value of the item before bidding. The asking price is almost irrelevant. let''s say a Tiffany ring is offered at $10,000 and I know the retail is $12,000. The max I would pay for an item that is readily available might be 50% of the retail price, assuming the item is in excellent condition. On the other hand, there might be an item that is more scarce and more in demand, and they might only take 10% off the asking price. Or an item might already be listed half off the retail price. You absolutely have to know current prices on diamonds to be able to bid, and I would be very, very careful about who I buy from if the item is expensive. Never buy a modern cut diamond without a certificate. Sellers who are jewelers with good feedback and return policies are often safest.

 

[ButterBean]

Thank you to all who have taken time to reply.

My plan thus far:
I am in the process of checking into the discounts that have been accepted in the past for a few vendors. Then, I will try to ask intelligent questions so that I can be reasonably sure the item will be pleasing to my eye at ANY cost. Then figure out what I would offer.
BB

 

[ButterBean]

Date: 1/2/2009 10:54:11 AM
Author: oldmancoyote
Too much variability in seller''s situation to be able to answer with any degree of reliability.

Points to look for are:

1. Is the seller a business or an individual? (a business will discount less, but will accept reasonable offers since they know the value of things)
2. How well does the item fit with the rest of what they sell (see above)
3. How important to them it is that the item raises cash
4. How interesting the item is to others

I have taken things at 10% less and at 50% less than BIN price...

VERY good points!

 

[ButterBean]

Date: 1/2/2009 11:04:34 AM
Author: Po10472

Is Ebay your only option for diamonds?

Striving to save a few bucks via Ebay could potentially cost you everything if you don''t know who you are dealing with.

Ok, in answer to your question, you could always email the seller first with your proposed offer before actually putting a bid in, this may give you an idea of what they are looking for. Its really a guessing game I''m afraid, each to their own.

Good luck!

Thanks for your concern; it''s appreciated. No, it''s not my only option. I would agree that sometimes trying to save money ends up costing more in the long run. I did not think to email before making an offer, but just may do that. I am fairly certain I won''t bid on/buy anything where the seller will not accept a return. Just feel this safety net should be available should the stone not perform as described or expected. Honestly, I think the dollars saved could be much higher than just a "few" bucks; otherwise, why would ANYONE want to do it this way?

 

[ButterBean]

Yours seems like a reasonable strategy. Have you had many successes? You probably have posted them, but I can''t recall just now. I will look back to see.

 

[ButterBean]

Well, I do that on a daily basis, so maybe that''s the key ... thank you LTP. Your ring is beautiful, by the way.

Date: 1/2/2009 1:42:41 PM
Author: LaurenThePartier

Date: 1/2/2009 11:46:23 AM
Author: vablackwell
Since the owner has the ability to counter-offer, you should bit slightly less than what you''re comfortable with, then they will come back with a counter-offer. Bidding slightly less than what you want to pay will give you some wiggle-room to go higher if you need to.

You also might check the seller''s history to see what they''ve sold similar items for in the past. This will give you an indication of what they typically sell items for.

Ditto. Just like buying a home, and don''t worry about offending them. They''ll counteroffer away until they get you to a price they like.

 

[ButterBean]

Date: 1/2/2009 1:47:22 PM
Author: Addy
It varies too much to put a percentage on it. For some reasonably priced sellers, 5-10% is all you''re going to get. For others, who usually price their good higher to begin with, 50% is more realistic. Look at their feedback and go through their history to figure it out.

I occasionally sell on ebay and people like to low-ball. For a collector''s sculpture I had someone offer me about 33% of my asking price. I''m not sure if he was just testing to see if I knew what I was selling or what, but I was annoyed. Don''t go so low that you''re one of those people!

I will try not to. Thanks for the sellers point of view.

 

[ButterBean]

Date: 1/2/2009 2:38:40 PM
Author: diamondseeker2006
As others have said, this will vary from seller to seller! You have to know the real value of the item before bidding. The asking price is almost irrelevant. let''s say a Tiffany ring is offered at $10,000 and I know the retail is $12,000. The max I would pay for an item that is readily available might be 50% of the retail price, assuming the item is in excellent condition. On the other hand, there might be an item that is more scarce and more in demand, and they might only take 10% off the asking price. Or an item might already be listed half off the retail price. You absolutely have to know current prices on diamonds to be able to bid, and I would be very, very careful about who I buy from if the item is expensive. Never buy a modern cut diamond without a certificate. Sellers who are jewelers with good feedback and return policies are often safest.

Sage advice that I will take to heart. Thank you so much!

 

[Steel]

ButterBean, I tend to take an equitable approach. If you pay an equitable price for the product it should satisfy both parties.

If you pay too little you may risk poor treatment in aftersales because of low profit margins, too much and the vendor may not want to let you go so risking your returns policy.