Selling Jewelry on Craigslist

[joflier]

Has anyone sold any diamond jewelry on Craigslist? I have a few pieces that I would like to sell. I typically sell on ebay, but I'm interested in giving Craigslist a try. I've sold various items on there, but am a little nervous about diamonds, just because of the value. I'm just curious what others' experiences have been, and how best to go about it safely. I know - meeting in a public place. But a piece of jewelry is so small, I'm just afraid of someone holding it in their hand and then making a mad dash out the door...

Another question: What venue brings a better price - ebay or craigslist?

 

[mrs jam]

I have sold a few pieces of jewelry using Craigslist. I sold a Tiffany & Co. white gold heart tag with diamonds, a long Movado yellow gold and white topaz necklace, a blue topaz bracelet, and a pair of diamond and ruby Movado earrings. I chose to use Craigslist instead of eBay mainly because I'm lazy. I hate having to ship items, and I have grown to despise Paypal. I live in a major city, so Craigslist gets a lot of traffic here.

For me, the pros of Craigslist are that there are no eBay or PayPal fees; no shipping required; I get paid in cash; I don't have to deal with any buyer issues or returns. Once you sell using Craigslist, it's a done deal! I probably could have made a bit more if I had sold on eBay, but I would have also had to pay eBay and PayPal fees. Plus my shipping costs always end being higher than the amount I charged the buyer. The only negative that I can think of is that sometimes you have to be a little more patient. Sometimes it can take longer for an item to sell. Being in a large city helps, though.

When I met a buyer, I always arranged to meet at a Starbucks in a location that was convenient for both of us. When I sold the Tiffany & Co. charm, I met the buyer at Tiffany. I felt safer meeting in a store rather than in a parking lot. I've never had a bad experience using Craigslist. I can't say the same for eBay.

 

[mrs jam]

I just remembered one negative about selling on Craigslist: Spam emails. I got several emails from people asking me, "Is this item still available." After I replied to those emails, I never heard back from the senders but would instead receive massive amounts of spam emails with subjects such as "Hot Asian Singles," "Sugar Daddy Wants to Meet You!", "Buy Your Viagra for Less," etc. They would all get directed to my bulk folder, but it was still annoying. I began to recognize the tone and horrible spelling of the would-be spammers, so I learned which emails not to bother replying to. Most of those emails came from gmail addresses, FYI. When you set up a Craigslist account, you could always create a Yahoo email address that will solely be used for your Craigslist account.

 

[Snicklefritz]

I sold my 2.7ct diamond ring on CL.

I was only willing to meet people at a local jeweler/appraiser or the potential buyer's bank and I specified that in my ad. I preferred the latter because there are video cameras and security guards around, and if the buyer decides to go ahead with the purchase, the teller can hand you cash or a cashier's check directly - so no funny business

No matter how motivated you are to sell, don't pursue any buyer that seems suspicious. Dead give aways are if they're not willing to meet in a location you're comfortable with, if they email you from different accounts with different names, and if they don't specifically identify the item you are selling in the body of the email they intially send you.

Ditto mrs. jam on the spammers! And good luck on you're sale(s)!