How I got my Tiffany ring for less than I would have paid online/at the mall!

[CharmyPoo]

Unlike you, I am undecisive and very slow - my ering has been an extremely long and slow process.

 

[hazelstone]

*edited* (My bad!)

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 2/8/2010 10:15:36 PM
Author: hazelstone
You know, I posted this in hope someone else might find inspiration or use some of my ideas. My eBay ID is associated with the auction and my personal info is associated with that. I''m kind of a privacy hound and feel a bit weird--I didn''t think people would go digging so far as to look up the auctions. I would feel more comfortable if you took that down--I''m not sure why you would repost it after I asked someone else. It seems a bit rude. I appreciated reading the info on here and you can take what I say seriously or not, but I would rather you respect my privacy.

eBay hides your identity from others. We can only see the first and last letter of your eBay user name.

The only people who can see your ID are you and the person you''re buying from.

 

[that_someone_special]

WOW

Ok. I think I followed you... not sure... but good job and working so hard! Please post pictures when you get it

 

[hazelstone]

My bad! I guess I knew that now that I think of it...

It really was a crazy few days. I'm super excited to get my hands on the thing.

Did anyone else think of the trade in deal? The original purchase price on the ring I got was $7700, does this mean I get about this much off if I trade it in eventually for one double the price? That is what I read the deal was... It seems to me that someone could buy one this way and get a discount doing that.

And why doesn't anyone want yellow gold anymore? To me it seems classic. But almost everything is platinum!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 2/8/2010 10:23:58 PM
Author: hazelstone
My bad! I guess I knew that now that I think of it...

It really was a crazy few days. I''m super excited to get my hands on the thing.

Did anyone else think of the trade in deal? The original purchase price on the ring I got was $7700, does this mean I get about this much off if I trade it in eventually for one double the price? That is what I read the deal was... It seems to me that someone could buy one this way and get a discount doing that.

You would still need to pay double for the upgrade. It might only apply for the original owner. Tiffs will tell you, let us know what they say!

 

[hazelstone]

I will ask about this. It seems as if they would have a hard time making it just the first owner--since usually the guy pays for it and maybe the girl wants to upgrade it herself later...

I''m guessing they would do it. I think when we are both ballers again maybe he''d want to do that--it doesn''t matter that much to me, my ideal ring would be about a carat. But it would mean we''d buy a $15k ring which would end up really costing something like $10k. Not bad. I will report back.

And another thing, Tiffany customer service was very iffy on the phone. I had two people who tried to pull a few things over on me and one that was downright rude about the thought of me wanting a "USED ring." When I asked why it cost more to get the setting changed to a cheaper metal (if I bought a new ring, which were pretty much only Platinum)--they said they take a loss on the other setting because it is "melted down" for "waste." My response, a bit disingenuous--"oh, so I could just keep the platinum setting then because I''d hate it to go to waste...? "Umm, no, we keep it."

 

[motownmama]

I like the way you think - congrats!!

(btw - they sell the melted down "waste," that''s why you can''t keep it yourself).

 

[Sizzle]

This whole process sounds overwhelming and annoying.. Better you than me. I love to hear stories of the creativity of others.

 

[SpareMyWallet]

It is really not that hard to pull this off. All you need is a working brain. Not sure why some of you are downplaying her accomplishment with words like "I would never do all that work, but good for you!" Honestly, that is a little patronizing.

I assumed everyone on this board, including the OP, were well-informed, smart shoppers. That is why we signed up for PS right? So we could make educated purchases..

 

[rierie26]

Congratulations! What a good deal!

 

[pancake]

Fabulously resourceful - looking forward to seeing it!

 

[SpareMyWallet]

Date: 2/9/2010 12:31:48 AM
Author: pancake
Fabulously resourceful - looking forward to seeing it!

resourceful indeed! girls gotta do what a girls gotta do, right? love the positivity in your post!


if i was a she i'd do the same thing being in her shoes.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 2/9/2010 12:18:02 AM
Author: SpareMyWallet
It is really not that hard to pull this off. All you need is a working brain. Not sure why some of you are downplaying her accomplishment with words like ''I would never do all that work, but good for you!'' Honestly, that is a little patronizing.

I assumed everyone on this board, including the OP, were well-informed, smart shoppers. That is why we signed up for PS right? So we could make educated purchases..

Not saying it is the case with the OP, but some people sign up to pull people''s legs and get attention. I think that some people suspect that is going on here and thus the posts to which you refer.

It may seem patronizing, but its their opinions. Oh well. It''s also a bit patronizing to lecture us

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 2/9/2010 12:18:02 AM
Author: SpareMyWallet
It is really not that hard to pull this off. All you need is a working brain. Not sure why some of you are downplaying her accomplishment with words like ''I would never do all that work, but good for you!'' Honestly, that is a little patronizing.

I assumed everyone on this board, including the OP, were well-informed, smart shoppers. That is why we signed up for PS right? So we could make educated purchases..

mine don''t work.

 

[chiquitapet]

Wow! Very cool!!! Well done! Can''t wait to see pictures!

 

[i love shiny things]

WOW!!! you go girl!

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 2/8/2010 10:23:58 PM
Author: hazelstone
My bad! I guess I knew that now that I think of it...


It really was a crazy few days. I''m super excited to get my hands on the thing.


Did anyone else think of the trade in deal? The original purchase price on the ring I got was $7700, does this mean I get about this much off if I trade it in eventually for one double the price? That is what I read the deal was... It seems to me that someone could buy one this way and get a discount doing that.


And why doesn''t anyone want yellow gold anymore? To me it seems classic. But almost everything is platinum![/QUOTE
Yellow gold is still very popular here in China. Especially among men.

Congrats on your engagement!

 

[Imdanny]

Date: 2/8/2010 10:20:33 PM
Author: swedish bean
WOW


Ok. I think I followed you... not sure... but good job and working so hard! Please post pictures when you get it

I know I didn''t.

Wow.

 

[Maisie]

My brain hurts

 

[luckynumber]

ok, i totally understood that and can you come and work as my financial advisor??

ingenious!

 

[Laila619]

Can''t wait to see pics!

 

[AprilBaby]

That story made my head spin...but congrats on your deal!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 2/9/2010 1:08:55 AM
Author: dreamer_dachsie

Date: 2/9/2010 12:18:02 AM
Author: SpareMyWallet
It is really not that hard to pull this off. All you need is a working brain. Not sure why some of you are downplaying her accomplishment with words like ''I would never do all that work, but good for you!'' Honestly, that is a little patronizing.

I assumed everyone on this board, including the OP, were well-informed, smart shoppers. That is why we signed up for PS right? So we could make educated purchases..

Not saying it is the case with the OP, but some people sign up to pull people''s legs and get attention. I think that some people suspect that is going on here and thus the posts to which you refer.

It may seem patronizing, but its their opinions. Oh well. It''s also a bit patronizing to lecture us

After being a member here for many years, I''ve seen a lot of red-flag posts from people who join on a certain day and then post such threads, all on that same day, and disappear. None of us want anyone to have a bad experience with their purchases and it''s great when transactions go amazingly smoothly. We want to hear about fortunate people. About those who may have had an issue and get it resolved. Or those who luck out with a fantastic piece at a great price. Those who worked with their SO to either get the ring of their dreams or to trade in for such the same.

We''re here to support purchases and when we invest our time responding to posts, we want them to be ones where our time is respected by the OP.

It''s wonderful when people post photos to complete their post and we know that we helped an ernest person.

 

[Hest88]

Date: 2/8/2010 10:35:15 PM
Author: hazelstone
When I asked why it cost more to get the setting changed to a cheaper metal (if I bought a new ring, which were pretty much only Platinum)--they said they take a loss on the other setting because it is 'melted down' for 'waste.' My response, a bit disingenuous--'oh, so I could just keep the platinum setting then because I'd hate it to go to waste...? 'Umm, no, we keep it.'

That was what really struck me about this. Tiff is charging $450 to re-set a diamond basically, or they're basically selling you a new semi-mount. The whole "melted down for waste" thing, I'd bet, is some B.S. explanation the salesperson came up with on the fly.

Congratulations for saving so much money, Hazel, and thanks for sharing your experience!

 

[february2003bride]

Wow! That''s awesome!! Please post pictures when you get it back!

I love the Tiffany 6 prong setting in yellow gold! Very beautiful.

I would question Tiffany keeping the platinum setting to melt down. I''ve seen Tiffany mountings on eBay where the diamond was removed. You could earn some big bucks selling it yourself on eBay!

 

[karpouzi]

This is such a cool story. And I prefer YG too! Thanks for sharing.

 

[winternight]

Great deal if it all works out - and I hope it does for you. I just have to post that there are lots of scams involving gift cards on the net, especially on the selling side. Its very hard to prove you sold a good one if someone wants to claim you didn''t, after they use it. On the buyer side there could be issues too. Also, there are lots of fake Tiffany e-rings on Ebay, so an appraisal is a good idea. Here since Tiffany is re-setting the ring I suppose that works in lieu of an appraisal. I just want to point these potential issues out to others.

 

[hazelstone]

Gift cards online can be really great, but you do have to be careful. Luckily I found a company online that offers 80% of the value of T cards, so I don''t have to worry about eBaying all of them. Just mail them in and they cut you a check. Ebay has restrictions on people who sell gift cards and they are really a pain (you can only post one at a time, max value $500). Plus they take a cut and Paypal takes a cut so in the end I wouldn''t be getting much more there anyway. As far as buying them goes, I''m generally okay with it as long as the seller has good feedback and I use a credit card via Paypal which offers protection if things go bad. I suggest if you do buy a GC, go to the retailer and buy a new GC with it right away so that you completely sever the tie from the one you bought on eBay and the one you are keeping (especially if you don''t plan to use it right away).

I''m pretty confident about the ring. Bought from the original owner (not a pro) and her info checked out through a Google search. It includes all docs (original certificate, revaluation, boxes, etc.), it is only two years old and it is laser inscribed. I''m taking it right in to T''s so if there is a problem it will be found out right away, and the seller knows this. Paypal/eBay buyer protection should cover in case of any problems. Not foolproof, but I''m not worried.

 

[4ever]

Date: 2/9/2010 2:51:34 PM
Author: Hest88

Date: 2/8/2010 10:35:15 PM
Author: hazelstone
When I asked why it cost more to get the setting changed to a cheaper metal (if I bought a new ring, which were pretty much only Platinum)--they said they take a loss on the other setting because it is ''melted down'' for ''waste.'' My response, a bit disingenuous--''oh, so I could just keep the platinum setting then because I''d hate it to go to waste...? ''Umm, no, we keep it.''

That was what really struck me about this. Tiff is charging $450 to re-set a diamond basically, or they''re basically selling you a new semi-mount. The whole ''melted down for waste'' thing, I''d bet, is some B.S. explanation the salesperson came up with on the fly.

Congratulations for saving so much money, Hazel, and thanks for sharing your experience!

Congratulations! I admire your resorcefullness.

Also, ditto above- ask again when you get there if you can keep the original setting. I don''t think they melt it to "waste", IMO that''s BS. It''s your ring, so why can''t you keep it? If they are going to keep the setting then shouldn''t they give you a discont to "buy" it off you? It''s platinum and that is worth big $$$ at the moment.

If you''re lucky enough to get to keep it, I totally agree with selling the mount on e-bay, then you will have extra $ to go towords wedding rings