Local v. Internet

[kris82779]

I''m a novice. A few months ago my girlfriend was kind enough to point out in a magazine the type of engagement ring she wanted. I took a mental picture of it, and I believe it is this, or at least close enough that she''ll be very happy I remembered:

http://www.tacori.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=SRCH&Product_Code=2502RDP75&Category_Code=ENGAGEMENT&Store_Code=TACORI&Search=TSO&offset=0&filter_cat=4&PowerSearch_Begin_Only=&sort=&range_low=&range_high=%20&srch_colle=1

Now, we live in DC, but we''ll be moving somewhere else in a year, not sure where. I''d like to have a relationship with a local jeweler who can take care of the ring in the future, but as I won''t be here, that''s not possible. Assuming (and it''s just that because I haven''t researched yet) I can find a better price by calling a few retailers in other parts of the country, is it worth it to buy it somewhere else? I''m thinking about sales tax too. On a 10,000 ring, that''s 600 dollars. I haven''t even thought about picking out a center stone yet. It would be nice to be able to see what I''d be buying, but how much is it worth paying to do that? I realize my questions are open-ended and probably dealt with before, but I''m unsure of myself. Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[niceice]

As an authorized Tacori dealer, I can tell you that the price will be the same regardless of whether you purchase the ring online or from a retailer because Tacori "strongly recommends" the selling price of their merchandise to maintain consistency from region to region. Discounting is strictly prohibited and dealers caught discounting the line are subject to removal from the Tacori network. You can save the sales tax by buying online if you purchase the ring from a dealer located in another state, however some states require residents to declare such purchases on their state tax returns... Read whatever you want into that statement, I won''t confirm or deny my personal beliefs as to the actual practice of the concept.

It is recommended to at least visit a Tacori retailer in your area before ordering the ring online since the rings are made to the center stone and thus would be considered to be a non-refundable special order by most retailers, including ourselves.

I can only speak for ourselves and our belief with regards to providing good service, we don''t care where the ring was purchased from, we look at the opportunity to provide our customers with routine service, cleaning, maintenance, etc. as a chance to earn their future business and believe that a lot of other retailers conduct their business in the same manner. I expect that any authorized Tacori retailer which refused to provide a Tacori customer with the (reasonable) service they deserve would receive a phone call from Tacori inquiring as to what the issue is if the matter were brought to the attention of Tacori.

As a matter of example, this week we provided sizing service for a Tacori ring which was not purchased from us. The customer sent us an email indicating that he had purchased a Tacori ring via a third party and needed the ring to be sized, Tacori offers free sizing service (shipping paid by the customer). We didn''t give the matter a second thought, we''re an authorized Tacori dealer and somebody came to us for service. I think you''ll find that most Tacori dealers will be just as gracious, in fact I believe the premise holds true for most representatives of any designer line of jewelry, it is in our best interest as a collective group to maintain and promote the strength of any product line which we sell by providing those customers who have purchased that product with the best customer service possible. In doing so, we build the strength of that product name and our own. If you elect to complete your purchase online, we would be happy to earn your business and/or you can also purchase the ring from Jonathan over at GOG who is another well known contributor to PS and who is also recognized for providing his customers with excellent customer service. I don''t know who else here on PS might be a viable option to consider...

 

[niceice]

By the way, the style you referenced is 2502RDP7.5 which is designed to accommodate a round brilliant cut center stone with a diameter in the range of 7.2 - 8.0 mm; however the ring is also available in different style numbers to accommodate round brilliant cut diamonds within the range of 5.2 - 6.0 mm; 5.7 - 6.1 mm; and 6.2 - 7.0 mm. I mention this in case you''re not looking for a two carat center stone

The total weight of the accent diamonds and obviously the cost, vary slightly depending on which option is designed for the size of center stone that is going in the ring... The ring is also available with a plain shank, in other words without the diamonds set into the ring shank.

 

[Muss]

Welcome to pricescope my man!

The local vs online war is one that will be waging for a long time to come because people are naturally skeptical of buying such a high price item from an "virtual" location.

I am done so much research over the pros and cons of each method that I could go on for pages, but there are three big pros to online purchasing:

1.)

Price. In all reality the only way a local place and compete with an Internet company is if they do such a huge amount of business that they don''t need to mark their good up very high. BUT, for a company to do that much business they must be very popular and with popularly comes an increase in price. They don''t charge less because they can afford to, they charge more because they can.
2.)

Piece of mind. I was hesitant to buy a setting online because I wanted to see it and hold it first, but that is what return policies are for. Every online vendor you see recommended by PSers will go back and forth with you as many times as needed to get your setting right, whether than means an exchange for a new setting or just a tweak to the current setting. If you get the setting and hate it, you are only out the amount it costs to ship it back--usually around 50 bucks. SO, you can buy and send back 10 settings before you are even out 500 bucks, and this is still well less than the price difference between an online vendor and a local one. AND if you are worried about buying from a web site, nearly all of the vendors we recommend have stores, but they do such a large amount of business they can still afford to keep their prices low - and do so happily. They all have long histories and get skill.
3.)

Service. I realize I am about to make a blanket statement that may be unfair so let me preference it with a disclaimer. *what I am about to say applies to what I have personally seen in my travels, the situation in your area may be different* The service you will receive from a guy in Idaho will be a thousand times the service you will receive from most local guys.

I am just talking about why you should get a setting online, the reasons grow when you start talking diamond

Plus, you are moving anyway so who bother with local car salesmen trying to push 5 dollar goods with a 25 dollar price tag?

If you want some help finding stuff online (settings and/or stones) just ask and we will help you in anyway we can. Good luck!

 

[NeverEndingUpgrade]

I bought my Tacori wedding set from a jeweler that is 42 miles away one way and I got a good price because it reflected lower platinum prices. Then I got a call from a saleslady at Bailey Banks and Biddle that I had been looking at Tacori with and she asked me if I was still looking for a wedding set. When I told her about my purchase from a far-away store, she said that they would still be happy to service the rings for me even though I didn''t buy them from them because they are authorized Tacori dealers. I was happy about that because I don''t want to drive 84 miles for every little thing.

You mention the sales tax deal. That is why I bought my diamond from an online dealer outside Texas. I would have had to pay $562 sales tax on my diamond. That money is instead going toward my setting. I did have to pay sales tax on the setting, but like I said, I got a good price and the whole setting was there in the case, ready for my 1 ct. diamond. If your fiance has tried on the setting and you know she likes it, there is no reason why you shouldn''t buy from an online dealer, such as GoodOldGold.com or NiceIce.com who can sell you the diamond and then order the setting and have it set for you. Just make sure she likes it especially if it is custom!

 

[sparxs111]

There are a lot of custom dealers out there as well that will make an exact replica of the ring for you as well. Then you can get the size of stone you want. Leon, Whiteflash, goodoldgold, and many others do this, and they have great customer service plans, upgrade policies, and representatives that will talk you through the process, and give you honest opinions on the stone you are buying BEFORE purchasing it. It is MUCH cheaper to buy online 99.9% of the time. You can also get a lot of extra info as well on the stones.

Good luck!!!

 

[dmus]

I wouln''t hesitate buying the ring, diamond and having it set by any of the online vendors here. Buy it out of state saving sales tax and based on what the Tacori dealers said here you can get future service wherever you move by a brick and mortar. You could even buy the diamond and ring from diofferent online vendors and have the tacori dealer set it. However, be careful that the diamond is insured by either the one doing the setting or you so that if it is accidentily damaged you can be made whole. I believe if you buy the diamond , ring and have it set by the same online vendor they gaurantee diamond, but verify that. Go online! Godd luck.