Would you buy from......

[coach_x+]

Would you buy from a single person who sells jewelry out of their house. (independant seller?).

They have been doing this for 30 years and were recommended to me by someone else.

Where you could possibly get a great deal? The guy didn''t sound stupid or slimey.

On the phone he sounded okay, but how do you really know? Is this a common thing? Since I''ve been shopping I''ve been refered to 3 different independant sellers. One is my \"Future Brother-in-law\" yeah, I killed the deal considering I won''t buy big ticket items from family members, or have him say "Look what I did for them" ya know what I''m saying?


I''ve talked on the phone with Mark from EngagementRingsDirect and he seemed knowledgable.


Talk to me Diamond Nerds (HIGHEST FORM OF COMPLIMENT POSSIBLE!) enlighten me with your wisdom.

 

[oldminer]

I have dealer friends who have done very well selling out of their home for many years. Initially, they bought knick knacks at flea markets, swap meets for those of you out West. Eventually, they found themselves buying antiques and jewelry. Its a lot easire to keep it around and to transport it, too. They offer their customers great service without any hype and have low overhead. The "honesty" factor is what you can question with any seller no matter where they sell from. You can''t make a liar into a good guy and you can''t make a crook out of a truly honest person no matter what their circumstances. People choose how they will treat others just like they choose how much margin they need or want to make on a deal.

I''d say check them out, see what they offer and compare it to others who also want your business. Competition is the fairest way to solve the problem you face.

 

[marcy]

I would certainly give them a chance. You know what you like and if you see something they have that you like and you think it''s a fair price, go for it.

 

[neatfreak]

Having bought from Mark before, I can say hands down that he is one of the most honest trustworthy guys you will ever meet. period. He is a straight shooter and will tell you like it is.

Now, I don't have a problem buying from anyone as long as I can have the sale contingent upon an independent appraisal. So if this guy who sells out of his home is a straight shooter and is honest, he won't have a problem with that either, and I would certainly consider it.

If *I* were buying another piece of jewelry right away though, I would go to Mark again in a heartbeat. He went out of his way for us and we weren't even big spenders. That is the sign of a good salesperson to me, one that treats every customer with respect!

 

[coach_x+]

Great posts.

My approach is the person I am buying from has to have a "heart of a teacher" (a reference to Dave Ramsey) There is a reason for that because if they are willing to educate me instead of selling to me then I won''t get scammed into something not good for me.

Mark did educate me on Palladium vs. White Gold, which was very interesting.


we will see

 

[Linda74]

We just purchased from Mark at ERD and as others have said, he is a class act. He is very trustworthy and will work very hard to get you what you want within your budget.

 

[AggieTexan]

I have been buying from an independent jeweler for 21 years...since I got engaged and got my original e-ring from her. I feel like I have always gotten a very fair deal on good quality gems & settings.

We were referred to our jeweler by friends who we trusted. I would have been hesitant to try her if we hadn''t known several couples who had great experiences with their ring purchases.

The nicest thing is we''ve built a trusting relationship. When I was working on my 20th Anniversary upgrade in August, I was able to bring home a stone or two and several settings so my DH and I could take our time making a decision. I ended up with something totally different than I originally thought I wanted because of this. Since I was thinking of a 1.5 ct center stone and I ended up with an almost 2.5 ct center, I guess that''s a great ending for everything but our bank account!!!

 

[Diamond*Dana]

My three stone ring was purchased this way, granted the guy is a friend of ours, but we have only ''really'' known him for about a year. I told him what I wanted, he got the stones from his diamond guy, ordered the setting and put it together...all in the comforts of his basement! The ring was appraised by a third party/jeweler and everything worked out perfectly!

He still works part time at a B&M, but the place is very high end and he stressed that I should not come into the store to see him because it would be a lot more $$$.

 

[diamonddesignco]

Trust and rapport are key. I worked out of my home for ten years when I first got started, went into the business when I learned about diamonds for my own engagement ring and the rest is history!

I say meet the person and see how you feel.

 

[Richard Sherwood]

The thought that strikes me is that usually the home guys seem to be "general practitioners", if you will, and can be good agents for the bulk of mainstream jewelry.

But if you're looking for an unusual, rare or important gem (such as an ideal cut diamond, or a fine quality ruby), I find that you usually do better with a "specialist" who deals daily in the gem you're looking for, is very knowledgeable in that specific gem, and carries an inventory which offers you several choices.

These guys are not usually the "home guys", from my experience. Perhaps sometimes, but not usually.