NEGOTIABLE???

[showmethemoney]

Hi there Diamond people!

I am about to make the big decision!! I am looking a 3 stones and choosing one this week. One quick question for you. Are diamond prices negotiable? Or are only certain people negotiable? I have prices for the 3 which are similar, but I want the biggest stone, can I go back to the dealer and offer him my final not much less price? Is this a diamond no no? Just though Id ask so not to offend anyone!

Jerry MaGuire

 

[wonka27]

Depends who is selling the diamond.

If your looking online with pricescope vendors, there probably is very little room for negotiation.

If you are buying at home from a local jeweler, you may be able to negotiate a little more. Especially if you are informed about your purchase. For example, if you are buying a diamond from a local jeweler, it may not hurt to try and find and equal or better diamond online. If the price on the online diamond is cheaper, print it out and show it to them. Let them know you can get a better deal elsewhere. They would probably be willing to move some for you.

 

[showmethemoney]

Yeah.... Ididnt think I would be able to negotiate. Im not trying to rob anyone, I just have a budget and Im trying to get the most for my money. I can only spend so much, and I think its a stupid thing to do getting myself in a whole bunch of debt to tunr around and get married with more debt. Could be hard on a 1st year of marriage! Just though Id ask.... Are there any e-vendors anyone has had experience with who mayeb met you in the middle to match your budget? Thanks!

 

[denverappraiser]

Jerry,

Go ahead and offend them.

It doesn't hurt to ask. Almost everyone does. Some dealers are more agreeable than others about the whole haggling process. Some stores have a discount built into the price while others have a policy of giving every customer their best price, right from the start so that they are giving a fair deal to everyone. Personally I sort of like this but, in any case, a dealer with such a policy would love for the opportunity to explain it to you because they're usually quite proud of it. They won't mind, I promise.

It's not unreasonable for you to expect them to tell you what they are selling and what it really costs so that you can make an informed decision if you want to buy.

Neil Beaty, GG ISA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[wonka27]

Is it possible to downgrade in color, clarity, or size to help get in your budget? It is hard to say because we don't know specifics of what and who your dealing with.

 

[showmethemoney]

I dont want to really down grade, I would like a deal. This is my first doamond buying experience and I have found it to be very similar to purchasing a car. A lot of research, time looking, comparing, testing out, and price. All are similar. However, there is always a meeting in the middle for a car. maybe Im just a very cautious consumer. I would feel better about the deal if I even got $100 off! Not much but something.... How much are these e-vendors making off stones anyway?? Is there a standard mark up?

 

[wonka27]

Not as much as you'd think.

I'd compare these online dealers more to Saturn dealerships than to other car dealerships.

Try going out to your local jeweler and getting the same type of stones. You'll see how good the deal is from these vendors are then!

 

[showmethemoney]

So are you guys saying I should counter offer this or not? I dont want to offend and then not get the stone I want!!

 

[denverappraiser]

Aggressive dealers frequently work with single digit markups on loose diamonds. Obviously, this doesn't leave much room for discounting.

Yes, you should make a counter offer. They won't be offended. Just remember that YOU shouldn't be offended if they refuse.

Neil Beaty GG ISA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[wonka27]

No, you can by all means counteroffer. You may not hear what you want, but you can do it. It depends on the vendor. I know there are some that can budge a little and some that won't move at all.

Also, depending on what your looking at, it appears prices are on the move upwards. Your bargaining position may be less likely if the vendor knows they can raise the price in the very near future.

I think movement in price is tough around here because 1) they are doing it very cost effectively for you already and 2) someone will buy the diamonds eventually at the cost given.

I don't mean to have a negative tone. I just feel that these folks do a great job for us and are worth what we pay. I don't think you'll ruin a relationship with them by asking though. If they can't move on the price, they will probably tell you why!

 

[Rhino]

Hi SMTM,




As a vendor, I am not in the least offended when someone asks for a discount. Generally speaking, most all of us Internet vendors price our diamonds at certain percentages over our cost with no room whatsoever. A certain profit must be made if we are to continue in business. We are forced to work off of slim markups because of the nature of the (Internet) beast. If someone prices their diamonds *too high* we can price ourselves too far out of the league. This can become difficult for some bricks and mortar stores to compete with depending upon their overhead and amount of services they offer, especially if you're comparing prices against a website that has little to no overhead whose services are next to nothing, extremely limited stock and virtually no staff. There are stones too that may be laying around in people's inventories that they'd like to move and are definitely negotiable on. Bottom line is it never hurts to ask and if anyone takes offense ... well... this shows how little experience they have in the marketplace becuase if you don't ask there will be alot of others who will.

 

[WinkHPD]

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On 8/12/2004 12:18:18 PM denverappraiser wrote:

Aggressive dealers frequently work with single digit markups on loose diamonds. Obviously, this doesn't leave much room for discounting.

Yes, you should make a counter offer. They won't be offended. Just remember that YOU shouldn't be offended if they refuse.

Neil Beaty GG ISA
Independent Appraisals in Denver----------------

That was very well said and a refreshing approach to the negotiation "situation". The only way for us to have the best possible prices on our stones is to list them at our actual selling price. In a normal retail situation many people like to mark up to mark down. In our culture here in the States, this means that many people pay the higher price if they don't know or like to play the negotiation game. In many cultures, to not mark up would be to lose the sale since there would be no markup to give away and no one buys without a discount.

The internet has changed a lot of that, since you can make a few clicks and look at thousands of stones and only call those that look to be the best priced. Most of us list at what we need to have to pay the expenses of the sale and to pay the rent with maybe a little left for profit if nothing goes wrong, such as needing to send a ring back and forth a few times to correct sizing or other errors.

We will not be offended if you ask (politely) for a better deal, and if we can do it we will, but it is good for you to not be offended either if we are not in a position to grant your request.

I wish you luck in your search, but I offer this too. If you are close enough to a deal that only a small discount will make it work, then you are probably close enough to find the few extra dollars for what you really want. By all means ask, and if necessary, find the means to dig up what you need for what you want.

Wink