How can you have faith in internet sellers ?

[chez]

I have done the research, checked retailers and scoured the net ! At last I''ve found 2 stones ( 1.60 - 1.67cts, G, SI2, H&A ) which I think will make great earrings. The problem is that the internet vendor, who has an office in Melbourne and claims to sell both from their showroom and over the net, won''t get the stones in from the U.S. unless I pay the full price up front. I''ve offered to pay a non refundable amount to cover return shipping if I don''t proceed, so that I can view them at their local showroom before parting with the balance, but they say this is not possible.

Do other buyers feel comfortable parting with such large sums of money to businesses that could potentially go bust and run off with their money ? eg. Ansett, HIH etc....!! I know this business has a good reputation, but so have lots of others that we would never have expected to collapse.

 

[JulieN]

Some Aus posters here:

http://www.diamondexchange.com.au/
http://www.preciousmetals.com.au/

If you have trust issues with people you are working with, either see those above or buy from PS vendors seems to be the way to go.

Yes, people do part with huge amounts of money for something they haven't seen, quite successfully.

 

[swingirl]

The internet vendor I worked with helped me choose a stone based on my requirements and specs. I paid a small fee to have 3 stones brought to their office where they examined them and took photos. They sent the photos to me, we talked about the stones over the phone and I got their opinions and visual discription. I felt very comfortable making my choice from there. I then paid for the stone, had it shipped to me (some like it shipped directly to an apprasier) and I had a certain number of days to return it if I wasn''t satisfied.

Can you get some photos before you proceed?

It''s all based on trust and reputation so find out as much as you can about other people''s experience with that vendor. No one will send off diamonds to be looked at for days/weeks on loan.

 

[Regular Guy]

Chez,

I think the requirement is unusual...it''s not one I was asked to make.

If you want to pursue this nonetheless, you could ask him for references, and get a report from other satisfied customers. Then agian, as you say, if he goes under anyway, this wouldn''t protect you.

See the recommendations from Julie, get details in hand from other vendors who would help you, and after you have another real option in mind, from a vendor who will let you look at this other option without your having to make an outlay first...if you still are interested in this first choice, with a bird in hand, review this with internet vendor #1, and see if that''s still their position.

Then again, if after seeing other vendors don''t require the same from you, maybe you''d just rather not go back to him, needing to "game" with him.

I support your concerns.

 

[Upside Down Man]

I think your offer to cover the cost of him shipping and insuring it both ways was more than fair. That way if you walk away from the deal, he doesn''t lose a single dime on you, but he does have the opportunity to gain a customer for a pair of 1.60 carat studs (which is no small fare!). It''s an absolute no-lose situation for him.

This sort of thing happened to me once. The jeweler wanted full payment up front, and I wanted the opportunity to have the stone inspected by an independent appraiser before I paid for the diamond. I offered to pay him a deposit, like you did, but ultimately I was not willing to compromise on this issue - I just felt like it would be way too much of a hassle to get my money back if something wasn''t right with the stone. Once the jeweler could sense that he was losing me, he agreed to let me inspect the stone before I made full payment.

I think your offer to him was more than fair, and if he still won''t accept, then you shouldn''t be afraid to find a jeweler who will be more accomodating to you.

 

[chez]

Thanks for the advice ! The vendor is actually Melbourne Diamond Exchange - should this give me any more confidence ? And do you think it would be worth trying to contact the salesperson''s manager ?

 

[Regular Guy]

Date: 11/13/2006 6:54:57 PM
Author: chez
Thanks for the advice ! The vendor is actually Melbourne Diamond Exchange - should this give me any more confidence ? And do you think it would be worth trying to contact the salesperson''s manager ?

Chez, is MDE the same as Julie''s post. I see they share this protocol on their site...which suggests you don''t pay until you see it. But maybe I''m not clear. Or, maybe the "direct buy" costing more is not what you wanted...and rather, wanted the advantage of the lower cost of virtual purchase, while they still brought it in. Of course, if this is not the same vendor, nevermind.

 

[chez]

Yes, the MDE is the same as the Diamond Exchange. And they do offer two types of buying on their site, but when you have actually selected the stones as they suggest, the two options no longer appear to be available. I suspect they only sell direct from a limited quantity they have on hand.

 

[4themrs]

Chez,

Can you ball park what kind of money and the savings you would gain from going with this vendor?

I like the advice from the other people that I have posted that suggest references, etc. Do they have any US presence? There has to be some sort of arrangement where you can pay half now and then have it shippped and put the balance in holding?
Thats a bit to risky for me.

 

[chez]

4themrs,

The Diamond Exchange has an office in the US and Canada ( I think ). The total price is around AUD$25k, which compared to the upmarket retailers is a huge saving. Something equivalent at Precious Metals would go for around $40k plus ! I would love to buy from Garry Holloway, but not in the budget unfortunately.

 

[RockDoc]

The problem is that the internet vendor, who has an office in Melbourne and claims to sell both from their showroom and over the net, won''t get the stones in from the U.S. unless I pay the full price up front.

Maybe I''m wrong, and interpreting what you wrote, but it seems they want full payment for a stone brought in from the US.


I can understand that, as there maybe vat or customs payments due if a stone is brought in, which may not be refundable, if you don''t buy it.

There are plenty of diamonds in oz that are already there. Does the same policy exist if the stones are in AU, and this exists only for stones that are located out of the country?


Rockdoc

 

[chez]

Hi Rockdoc,

You interpret correctly - they want full payment for a stone brought in from the US.
The Australian GST system allows for refunds for goods exported, so I imagine a refund could be claimed for returned items. In any case, Diamond Exchange offer a full refund net of shipping charges, if we don''t want to keep the stones, so they must have some mechanism for claiming back their costs.

When you say there are plenty of diamonds in oz, any suggestions where to buy them ? Would be great if a service like yours existed here.
Don''t know what the Diamond Exchange policy is on stones already in oz - I never seemed to find any with them that were actually located here.

 

[Regular Guy]

Then again, perhaps they just have a high threshhold for you to demonstate seriousness. It would be nice to have the opportunity to view the diamond with a vendor who has some experience looking at diamonds, and who could ostensibly see something wrong with it you would miss, and -- valuing your business -- suggest it go back.

If the above proposed 50/50 method is tried and unsuccessful, and...if they may be the only game in town...see if your credit card will back you. Up to some number, they''re supposed to cover you for goods not ultimately delivered. Even in more supposedly safe conditions, I prefer to use a card.

 

[gemologic]

You need to deal with someone you can trust.

Although I do not blog on pricescope actively but have been doing appraisals on 47th Street for a long time, I am very impressed with the intelligent discussion that goes on here and I am sure that if any games were being played by the sellers who list here, it wouldn''t happen for long.....vivre le Net!!!!

However, I still maintain that you need to get the cert verified. From my experience, color & cut don''t seem to be a problem but clarity is still an issue.

 

[knuman]

Hello. Also an Aussie here. I have a friend that spotted an Old European Cut he fancied from one of the internet vendors on Pricescope (it was a virtual diamond), and then contacted Diamond Exchange to see if they could bring that diamond down to Australia for him. Apparently they were a bit slow with the replies but they did it and they were willing to match the price he could get from the US vendor so he was happy in the end. They are pretty reputable so I think it would be pretty safe.

I also did my initial searches on Diamond Exchange but I was a bit disappointed with the range of good quality (ie well cut) diamonds they had (I was looking for something around 1 carat, D or E colour, VVS clarity) - they did have those type of diamonds but the cut information etc was pretty random and you couldn''t see the certificate, plus the prices were a bit high once you add on 10% GST.

So I continued with my research here on Pricescope and ended up going with an internet vendor from the US. Even with the the import taxes and shipping etc I had to pay the price would have still been cheaper than the price for an equivalent diamind from Diamond Exchange. Even though I couldn''t see the diamond in person I got a whole lot of information, pictures and assurances from them so I was pretty confident I had made the right choice.

If you want to go for a vendor in Australia I would recommend putting the specs of the diamond you want in a Pricescope search and see if that diamond (or something similar) is available and how much it is (in AUD) - then I would see if they can match it in Australia.

 

[Paul-Antwerp]

The request of Melbourne Diamond Exchange may sound weird to American consumers, but it could well be normal in an Australian situation.