Is the Pricescope price as low as they go?

[gatorz]

I had a question for anyone with experience buying from the online vendors. I noticed that the Pricescope prices are usually a couple hundred dollars below their listed prices. Has anyone gotten any of these vendors to go below the Pricescope price or is that usually the floor?

 

[Mara]

you can definitely ask what the absolute best price would be...but i think each vendor has their own polices and/or ideas on pricing.

good luck!

 

[YoungPapa]

gatorz,

You can always ask a vendor to give you more of a discount. Just don''t be offended if they say "no".

I don''t think most customers truly understand how little money vendors make per transaction. If a PS vendor makes $500 on a $5000 diamond he''s jumping for joy. We''ve found ourselves making as little as 2-3% on certain deals when forced to pricematch a diamond or cover some unforeseen expenses. Those aren''t good deals - we''re worth more than that. While the customer appreciates the lowest price, those types of margins simply cannot be sustained and don''t allow your vendor to continue to reinvest in all the of the services and expectations that you need and deserve. Asking a vendor to knock off $100 on a $5000 diamond might be asking him to work for close to nothing, so do do him a favor and accept his already very low price Then you can BOTH feel great about the deal.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 3/8/2005 3:26:4 PM
Author:gatorz

I noticed that the Pricescope prices are usually a couple hundred dollars below their listed prices.

I am not sure what this means... If it''s Whiteflash, they list a lower quote that''s discounted for wire transfer (or other ?) payment. It is not the location of the quote (on their webiste veruss Pricescope) but the type of payment instrument (credit card or wire) that makes the difference. Not sure if other sellers do the same.

 

[gatorz]

Vaeria, it appears that most vendors offer a Pricescope discount in addition to the payment method discount.

Jim, I can appreciate your post, I understand that web based retail is usually going to be based on a slim profit margin. It was actually the Pricescope discount which led to my question, since I was unable to determine just home much the discount is while comparing different stones. It definitely doesn''t seem to be a flat percentage so I wondered if there was more room for wiggle.

This is going to be my first major diamond purchase and I don''t want to be the sucker who pays sticker while everyone else knows better. I''m also curious how much haggling goes on in upscale retail b&m jewelers. If anyone has any experiences to share it would be greatly appreciated.