Nervous First Time Diamond Online buyers from Australia

[CathB]

Hi everyone,

Just wondering if there are any Aussie buyers out there who can share their awesome online buying experience with me when it comes to purchasing by Wire Transfer to an overseas vendor. I think I have actually found the holy grail of all diamond vendors but I am still so nervous! Darn these "friends" with good intentions and their worst case scenario stories.

Has anyone had a bad experience with a Pricescope vendor, that wasn't resolved?

Please say no ...

 

[makhro82]

I'm not an Aussie buyer but there have been lots here and Ive seen recommendations for Aussie vendors here. A quick search should come up with some information for you.

 

[bibs]

Hi,
I am from sunny Queensland and have just recently purchase a diamond through Jewels by Erica Grace. I went through them because of their reputation on Pricescope, the great service I received and of course they carry beautiful stock. I didn't use wire transfer rather rang my dealer and gave her my credit card details over the phone. Very simple. This way is could be tracked etc...I will also use them for the setting for my ring. It's a shame our dollar is not great at the moment...fingers crossed it goes up. At the end of day I did a lot of research here in Australia and the prices for diamonds here and the quality/price is outrageous in comparison. So even with our dollar it will still work out less than half the price than what it would of cost me here. Can you share the vendor and get feedback in general of the vendor from others on Pricescope?

Goodluck!!

 

[samson01]

Hi there!

I'm from Australia and bought both my wife's engagement ring and diamond wedding band from USA, and had no problems with either. We also bought my custom made wedding band from USA too and all went very smoothly, even with the design process being completed via email. All transactions were completed through wire transfer (OzForex). Found them to be a very professional company and the funds were quickly transferred to the receiving party.

We did ensure that all rings were bought through reputable jewellers though with good reputations here on Pricescope. The shipping was all by FedEx and was insured until we signed for the package on our end.

Hope this helps!

Who are you thinking of buying from?

 

[CathB]

Hi bibs,

Our vendor only accepts Wire Transfers for international transactions and I do appreciate the discount that comes with that form of payment. I've also researched high and low and cannot find anything bad about this Vendor and I know that statistically, unsatisfied customers are more likely to post a comment than satisfied ones. He's very highly regarded in Pricescope and it's just my paranoia and the fact that I can't get "purchase insurance" that's giving me the niggly feeling.

I think I'm also more worried that in case anything does go wrong with my purchase, I will not be able to purchase another diamond in that cut & size for anywhere near that price.

 

[hmhmhm]

Hi CathB

I was in the same position as you - wiring thousands to someone I didn't know was very, very scary!

I got comfortable with it all by choosing a well regarded pricescope vendor. My ring is in the process of being made, so I can't tell you right now that it all went smoothly, but hopefully in a few weeks' time I will be able to!

I had the option to use PayPal, which I think gives the buyer a some protection (compared to wire transfers), but the exchange rate on PayPal is not very good and using my bank's exchange rate is also not great. So in the end I just wired the funds using ozforex. Maybe you could check with your vendor to see if they take PayPal?

 

[nomissjane]

Hi CathB,

I'm from Sydney and have experience buying diamonds from Brian Gavin and Whiteflash. I've also had a new Emylia halo reset made by the wonderful Victor Canera in LA.
All of these transactions were made via wire transfer and all have been very smooth, hassle free purchases. I was incredibly impressed all three times with the fantastic level of service.

Good luck with your purchase.

 

[justginger]

Hi Cath!

It's normal to be nervous when parting with your hard earned cash (and a significant chunk of it, too!). But rest assured there are lots of us on PS from down under who have had wonderful online experiences. We've had a couple of Perth PS meetups, with 8-12 people there. The vendors we have all worked with, happily, have included JBEG, Leon Mege, Victor Canera, Old World Diamonds, Whiteflash, Good Old Gold, and Brian Gavin Diamonds (please add in other vendors, Perthies - those are the ones I remember for sure). I think one of us has had a good experience with ID Jewelry, and one of us has had a very bad experience with ID Jewelry, so that's a toss up.

I've also always used Ozforex(.com) for all of my international money transfers - their exchange rates are excellent and they're a very legitimate company.

Please feel free to post photos of your upcoming purchase - we all love to see new projects!

 

[CathB]

Thank you all so much for your kind reassurances, your experiences are very calming

I'm going through Wink Jones of High Performance Diamonds so with everything that I've read & experienced, I have nothing to worry about. My brain tells me to calm down and enjoy the process to my dream ring, but because this ring symbolises so much more to me just the insurance valuation, I'm irrationally paranoid

 

[Vlpet]

Hi Cath,
I'm Brisbane based. I've just finished my first purchase from an overseas diamond vendor. It was all too easy. After way too much researching I went with Brian Gavin and wire transferred using Ozforex. Really simple and a very good conversion rate. The transfer only took a day or two to show in BDG account. Also I did call BGD before the transfer as a final check. Mind you, that was after a lot of emails.
I'd recommend being really clear in your emails to ensure you get exactly what you want so confirm everything you want and everything you don't want! It's better to state the obvious and get confirmation than getting something you're not happy with.
Also I've used QReport for my insurance as Perfect Circle/Jeweller Mutual won’t cover outside of the US.
Hope it all goes well. Best of luck.
Here's what I bought and will be passing on in a couple of months

 

[bibs]

Just saw your buttercup in your other thread...you know what you need to do

 

[misssoph]

Hi
I'm in Perth and I have bought, then upgraded with Wink Jones from HPD. I've been very happy with the service from them.

 

[CathB]

Thank you very much everyone. We have just sent the funds by TT via CBA (lousy rates) and will definitely be taking heed & using Ozforex for the other payments.

Really excited now! I'm sorry (& slightly embarassed) for my "slight" panic attack, nut bag that I am

 

[bibs]

Congrats CathB..

 

[arkieb1]

I am another Aussie and I buy (and occasionally also sell) most of my items overseas. No problems with any of the listed vendors Ebay is the main place where you can sometimes run into trouble.... Trusted vendors like wink are fine, I have never dealt with him specifically but people rave about him & his items!!!! Sorry about the banks they do slug us and the taxes and duties importing anything will also get you again.... don't be nervous about your purchase it will work out just fine!!!!

 

[WinkHPD]

Many thanks for the kind words from so many of you, both towards me and towards the other fine vendors here. It is always nice for our new clients to know that they are in good hands.

CathB, you do not need to be embarrassed for wanting a little security check. When I first started selling on the Internet I did not believe it would work, why would anyone ever send money to someone they did not know.

Frankly, I think that how well this has caught on says a LOT about how completely exposed you are as a vendor on the net. It only takes one or two complaints that are not handled properly for you to be fully exposed.

So welcome to the growing group of Internet buyers. Your job, should you choose to accept, it is to assist other new buyers when their turn comes to be nervous.

Wink