Should you buy jewelry online?
Should you be getting her that engagement ring sight unseen?
Should you really risk buying something so important and expensive without seeing it in person first?!
Gah!!!
The straight answer is: Maybe.
But only under certain circumstances.
When it comes to buying jewelry online, there are a few things you should know.
In this article, we will discuss three reasons why you might want to buy jewelry online.
We will also give you some tips for making sure your purchase goes smoothly, and share some of the things you should watch out for when shopping for jewelry online.
Table of Contents
Is It Safe To Buy Jewelry Online?
One of the most important things that anyone can do to make buying jewelry online is to use a credit card.
Not a debit card.
A credit card purchase can be reversed if a charge is disputed for customer satisfaction issues.
A debit card will cause funds to be taken directly out of the bank account and cannot be refunded.
Right up there with using a credit card for purchases is making sure that the seller has at least a 7 day return policy (we do).
This will give the buyer time to take the item to a jewelry store to verify and authenticate that the hallmark is valid and the gemstones are real.
Next, you do not want to buy from an online company or business that does not allow direct contact with them. It is not good enough that this business has an email address.
As a matter of fact, there is no way to verify if they are even in the same country as you without the ability to call the business directly.
They must have a phone number that you can call and/or text to speak with the owner of the business in the event of an issue.
Call and ask the owner of the business for a picture of their business license number and then call the county in that state to make sure that it is valid and up to date.
Do People Buy Gold Jewelry Online?
People buy gold jewelry online increasingly more and more.
Sellers buy their inventory online too.
Sellers buy from diamond dealers online as well as colored gemstones dealers.
Sellers buy every imaginable kind of gold, silver and platinum mounting and materials online.
Most stores do not have the time to travel from state to state to meet up with sales reps, so they make contacts using the internet.
The same goes for the general public.
We have been buying everything online for years now, from groceries to cars and jewelry is no exception.
Just because something is expensive does not mean that it cannot or should not be sold or purchased online.
The only thing necessary is to make sure that there are safeguards in place for either the buyer as well as the seller.
Is It Better To Buy Jewelry In Store or Online?
While trying on a piece of jewelry in person is probably better all the way around, it is very limiting to what inventory the store has in stock.
If you buy online, you have the entire world to choose from. So there are a few drawbacks for both.
It is best to buy jewelry online from a seller who takes very detailed pictures of each possible angle of the item.
Also, a piece of jewelry can appear to be bigger than it really is, so this can be remedied by having the piece put on a model to give an idea of actual size.
The item description should be clear, and there needs to be communication with the seller.
Reasons You Should Buy Jewelry Online
You have a much wider variety of choices when you buy online. You can find just about anything you want with a few clicks of the mouse.
And if you can’t find what you’re looking for, chances are good that you can special order it.
You can also find better deals on jewelry online than you can in brick-and-mortar stores.
Because online retailers have less overhead, they can offer lower prices. In addition, many sites offer free shipping, which further reduces the cost of your purchase.
And don’t forget about those all-important sales and discounts!
Some of the reasons you might want to buy jewelry online are that you can:
- Get a better selection than what is available in stores
- Shop around for the best prices
- Compare similar items side by side
- Read customer reviews before making a purchase
- Avoid pushy salespeople
Let’s take a closer look at some of these reasons.
Jewelry Selection
Rather than exhaust ourselves traveling to other countries to find the best gemstones, all we had to do is to forge a business relationship with a dealer or seller who has or can get access to what we are looking for.
Each jewelry store must source the items for their unique inventory, and what better way to do this than to reach out and contact others online.
Online purchasing has opened up the world for buyers and guarantees the largest selection possible to them.
If one store does not have what you want, then you can move on to another by the click of a mouse.
Jewelry Styles
Our customers, just like you, have developed a sense of the kinds of styles they like and are looking for.
We simply cannot satisfy the variety of styles if we limit ourselves to finding items locally or by using only one or two companies.
We have a customer base that loves the Art Deco period filigree and others who like the Israeli designs.
Others in our base like the large heavy chunky gold designs that are simply not going to be found or sold in the Malls or local stores.
The only way to get those items for our customers is to network with sellers and dealers who live in other countries or other regions of our own country.
Developing contacts and trust is the cornerstone of our business.
Our customers will go online to the stores who have what they want once they are assured that the store is legitimate.
Value
As you can imagine, a business who sells online is no longer having to pay high monthly overhead costs.
In order to reach the largest amount of potential buyers, it used to be that you had to go to areas where the lease was sky high due to the foot traffic present.
This cost did not simply stop with the lease amount.
It is not unheard of to pay $5,000 a month just in overhead expenses for a 500 sq ft store.
The internet allows our buyers to shop from the comfort of their home and it allows the seller to lower costs to them for the exact same reason.
Not having to pay for high overhead means that our profit margins can be much lower.
This is good for our customers as well as it is for us.
The value realized by secure online shopping also comes in the form of competition. When we list items on our website, we already know that our customers can find hundreds of other items in our same price range.
This fact, therefore, will deter us from thinking that we have the corner of a market just because our location is no longer limited to the town where we live, but is open to the world.
This results in our offering items with competitive pricing.
Reasons You Should Not Buy Jewelry Online
Let us preface these reasons first by saying that these are not why you should not buy online, but rather, why you should be careful when you do.
Why would you want to learn the hard and painful way about how to protect yourself after the fact?
Here are 3 of the most important things to watch out for before you make a purchase online:
Fraud
This comes in many forms, but suffice to say is that you can avoid fraud from sellers by contacting them before you make your purchase as we stated above.
Look to see if their pictures are depicting the actual item, size and weight listed, and not a replica picture from another website. One of the ways that you can do this is to ask them to send you another picture with a quarter next to the item.
Make sure that the seller has a return policy too so that if you have found something wrong, you can call your credit card company to intervene for you if the seller seems unwilling to work with you.
Location
If the online store is in another country, ask your credit card company before you make a purchase what they can do to help you if the item is not what it is advertised to be.
Chances are greater that their hands will be completely tied and you have then become at the mercy of the seller.
It is best not to buy from an online seller out of the country unless they are selling on eBay or some other platform that guarantees buyer satisfaction and purchase protection.
Many countries have NO jurisdiction over personal or business transactions that you conduct with other countries.
Make sure that the location that you are buying from is the same as the country you live in.
Description
Once you zero in on an item that you think you would like, look closer at the pictures.
- Can you get an accurate idea of the size, and do you know the exact gram weight?
- Are the pictures showing the item at many angles and close up so that there are no hidden areas of concern?
- If the color is described as being “pink” does it actually look pink or does it look salmon?
- Is the item displayed on a real human hand, neck, ears or wrist so that you can see proportion?
- Is there a hallmark stamped on the item, or if not, is there a guarantee of the purity of the metal amount?
- If an item is new, does it look used?
These are things that professional photos will show you so that you can know what it is that you will be getting. There should not be a “shock” when you open the box and see your item…but rather, there should be “awe”.
What To Watch Out For When Buying Jewelry Online
After you are certain and satisfied that the item you want is authentic and that you are settled in your mind that the business and/or seller is legitimate, there are a few other things that you need to make clear:
Beware of Fake Jewelry
There are many weasel words that jewelry stores use to sell you fake jewelry or low-quality items. Here are some examples of what to look for and what they actually mean:
- 10K, 14K, 18K HGE – Gold Electroplate. This means that it is a very thin layer of gold over another metal.
- Gold Filled – A gold alloy is mechanically bonded to a base metal.
- Gold Plated – A very thin layer of gold over another metal. It will wear off easily.
- Enhanced – This means that the stone has been artificially enhanced in some way to make it more desirable. It could be clarity enhanced (filled with lead glass), color enhanced (irradiated), or dye added.
- Genuine – The stone is what it says it is, but that doesn’t mean it is of good quality.
- Synthetic – A man-made stone that is an exact replica of a natural stone. It will have the same chemical, physical, and optical properties as the natural stone.
- Lab Created – A man-made stone that is an exact replica of a natural stone.
- Costume Jewelry – This is just what it sounds like. It is jewelry that you would wear with a costume because it isn’t real.
Read The Return Policy
The store return policy must be clear so that if you honor your end of the policy requirements, then you can be sure to have your money refunded.
If there is no refund or return policy stated, then it is best not to do business with them.
An online business simply must be as flexible regarding returns as any brick and mortar store would be, and perhaps even more so.
See If Your Jewelry Is Shipped Securely
Like us, the online business may want shipping to be on their own terms.
Look on the website and see if this is the case.
The seller may have good reason for using one particular shipper rather than others.
It is our experience that there is only one way to ship which is the most secure, and that is USPS Registered Mail.
The reason for this is because your $10,000 package will simply never be left on your doorstep, with a neighbor or with someone who has not been authorized to sign for it.
Using this mode of shipping is a few days slower, but items are under lock and key with a Chain of Custody and are signed for each step of the journey.
If the package is lost, someone at USPS is getting fired.
A seller may ask you to ship back this same way if you are returning an item to them, but this is because they are certain to get it back undamaged.
A seller will not refund an item that did not make it back to them, and there is no protection from your credit card if you cannot prove that you followed secure shipping.
Final Thoughts
When all is said and done, there are many reasons to buy jewelry online.
The Internet provides a wide array of choices that you may not find in your local jewelry stores. However, as with anything else of value that you purchase, you need to be an educated buyer.
We certainly hope that you will enjoy your online shopping experience and will be better able to shop with confidence.
If you have asked for verification from an online business if in doubt, if you are clear about the return policy rules, and if you make sure to only use a credit card for your transactions, then you should have a good experience.