where to sell jewelry, other than ebay?

[beadchick]

So, I have my ex-fiance's WB (a very nice one, too, I might add) that I need to sell, and Tiffany cufflinks, etc. Are there any online sites, other than craigslist and ebay where you can sell your jewelry? And, get as good a price as possible?

 

[SparklyOEC]

Have you thought about selling your jewelery on consignment? If you decide to consider that, the ladies at Jewels by Erica Grace are wonderful to work with. Also, Pearlmans will sell on consignment as well as GOG. Good Luck!

 

[tyty333]

signed pieces
http://www.signedpieces.com/home.cfm

 

[beadchick]

If you sell on consignment, what percentage of original cost can you expect?

 

[starryeyed]

If you sell on consignment, what percentage of original cost can you expect?

That's a really tough question. It depends what it is and how fair a price you paid to start. I know that's not the answer you want to hear.

I contacted Circa, per Harriet's recommendation, and they seem fair - never went through with the transaction, but they seem great. You may want to check out IDoNowIDont.com also. At least read some of the stories!

 

[SparklyOEC]

If you sell on consignment, what percentage of original cost can you expect?

That's a tough question because it varies from place to place, and with what you're selling. I did sell a ring with JBEG on consignment and at that time it was about 15% that they charged, but they sold it for a good price. You may just have to call around and get different quotes.

 

[denverappraiser]

The highest price is a tricky question. Most buyers (meaning your customers) prefer to buy from established dealers for a variety of good reasons. Usually the only real advantage that you have as a private seller is that you can be more flexible on price. The top money comes from direct retail sale, and the easiest direct retail approach is craigslist/ebay. How well you do at that will depend on your own skills at advertising and in documenting what you have and a certain amount of just plain luck. It takes skill. Buying diamonds is easy, selling diamonds is hard. You can get someone else to do the work but they are going to want to be paid for their time and tallents and this leads t both consignment deals and to selling directly to dealers at a discount. How much this tradeoff is worth to you isn't really a gemological question. Do you have the talent to do it yourself? Do you have the time and/or temprament? Is what you have something that will sell quickly and in what sort of store? Do you even really know what you have? Is it documented in a way that will make it attractive to your buyers? None of these are particuarly easy questions and none will have the same answers every time but they're terribly important in designing a marketing strategy.

Consignment jewelers charge different rates depending on what services you want from them and what they're prepared to offer. Some go as high as 40%-50% of the final selling price and a few are as low as 15%. Even that's a difficult decision. A consigner who offers to work very cheaply does you know good if they don't actually end in a sale in a reasonable amount of time and a consigner who promises a lot in terms of sales value is only useful if they can actually get it. In effect, an consignment deal is going into partnership with the jeweler, at least on this particular deal, and it's wise to choose your parteners carefully. Research what they're selling and how they're selling it. Get referrals. Check their histories with the BBB and similar organizations. Talk to them, visit their stores etc. Be careful about added fees like repairs on the ring, insurance while it's in their care, advertising, lab grading fees if they're needed and the like. There ARE some costs to most deals and a dealer is NOT going to absorb these if the commission isn't enough to both cover them and leave some money left over at the end.

 

[chictomato]

**Edited by moderator. No discussion of other forums to protect privacy and reduce inter forum fighting**

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

you could also try idonowidont.com

 

[texaskj]

http://www.exboyfriendjewelry.com
is another place. The stories are always interesting.

 

[motownmama]

contact Peter Suchy in Stamford, ct. They have a website etc. He always seems fair and very realistic.

 

[Love Street]

I know this thread is a little old but I'm going through the process now with a Tiffany ring and wanted to share my experience

Pearlmans - would take my ring - I essentially stated the minimum I'd want to net for it, he gave me an assessment of whether that was realistic and that he would price it over the minimum - so it didn't seem like a set percentage - although I should have asked up front.

Circa, Lang Antiques & Beladora (in Beverly Hills) - gave very low buy out offers compared to local jewelers in LA's diamond district - about 23% of my original purchase price and nearly half of what the local jewelers offered. However, their communication was fast and very gracious (especially Lang and Beladora) so if I needed to liquidate quickly I would consider them since their service and businesses seem good and solid and they were great communicators.

Sarah Jewels in LA diamond district - best offer so far - about 42% of retail price and they pay cash (a little scary actually...!) They buy mostly signed pieces and the guy is good with communication.

GOG - inquired briefly with them - they charge an initial fee (I think they said $250) to photograph, etc and put it on their website, but this fee is deducted from their commission - so really you just pay a part of the commission up front. When I asked what percentage commission was they said that it depends on what it lists for....? But I didn't inquire further since I was planning to just deal with it on my own.

idonowidont.com - they take 12% in fees and you lose 3% in Paypal fees, so 15% total off your asking price. Free to list, and peace of mind (since it acts sort of like an escrow service - making it harder for buyers to scam sellers - the gemologist will at least ascertain if your ring is diamond so the buyer cant switch it out on you as I fear in an ebay transaction). However, in over a month of listing at about half of retail, I've only gotten one potential buyer's question on the item, and there's no way to see how many views or "watchers" you have so I have no idea what kind of exposure my listing is getting.

Signed Pieces - the biggest disappointment. I had contacted them in mid-august, sent photos and detailed info of the ring. Never heard back. Followed up two weeks later with only one picture in case previous email got bumped for attachments. Again - silence. Finally, two weeks after that, I called and spoke to Pawel to follow up. He said he had forwarded my emails to the buyer who had been out of town, and that I should hear from him within two days. Again - silence for another 2-3 weeks. Finally I wrote to tell them I was disappointed and didn't plan to do any business with them as a result and immediately heard back with an apology but also an excuse about how the buyer was inundated during the holidays - though it has been over a month since my initial contact with absolutely no follow up on their part. Oh well - too little too late. I'm done with them and I'm surprised and disheartened at the utter lack of communication from a vendor that many had spoken highly of on Pricescope over the years. I would be hard pressed to go to them for a purchase - they just seem completely disorganized and disinterested. I know they have changed their business focus over the past year or so - perhaps that was it.

Anyway - that's my experience with attempts at reselling - good luck!

 

[mrssalvo]

Love Street, thanks for taking the time to document your experiences. It was very helpful!