Buying jewellery online has exploded over the last 5 years, local jewellery stores and big chain stores are struggling to survive. There are still many people who are uncomfortable buying online, and that is understandable. I have been buying jewellery online for 8 years and have some advice.
In the past, people have been uneasy purchasing anything online for fear of someone stealing their credit card information. While nothing is 100% foolproof, the internet can be as secure as using your credit card at local stores. There are some precautions that should be taken of coarse, you should be certainthe site you are purchasing from is protected (most are) and you could join a site such as paypal which has protection and ease of use for your credit card transactions online.
Paypal is the best known, it is owned by Ebay and has an excellent reputation for security, but I’m sure if you looked around, you could find others.
When it comes to paying for your purchases, there are certain things to avoid, the biggest is sending cash or money orders.
There are many companies that will send or “wire” cash anywhere for a small fee, don’t do this, you have absolutely NO protection, just don’t do it. I have purchased literally thousands of pieces of jewellery online and yes, I have been burned a few times, but I’ve learned.
I use Paypal when possible or my credit card, because I have the same protection with my credit card company if there is fraud involved, and it happens. But, if you run into problems, you can get your money back through your credit card company.
Once you are comfortable with the payment part of your purchase, now comes the most difficult part, finding a honest online supplier. There are literally thousands of jewellery sites online as well as major department stores, Walmart, Costco, Sears…etc…etc…and of coarse auction sites like Ebay, Bidz and many others.
Because of lower overhead you can absolutely get premium deals when you buy new jewellery online, it’s much less expensive than your local jewellery store. You do give up some things, such as service, online stores do not compare to talking with your local jeweller, but, if you know what you are looking for, that won’t really be a problem.
The key is research, take the time to look around, locate what you want, locate a number of different sellers and do some comparing, the same as you would do at your local malls.
A very important thing you have to do is learn the “lingo” so you know precisely what is being described, an example is Gold, advertised as 14K or 14K/20.
The first one 14K is Solid 14K Gold, the second one 14K/20 is 14K Gold Plated – 20ml, there’s a very big difference – if you are not certain ASK, don’t be afraid to ask before you buy don’t wait until after the transaction is completed. While most honest jewellers or sellers online accept returns, there are always conditions, usually a time limit, 7 – 30 days and you must pay to send the item back. Depending on the location of the seller, that could get costly, as well, they rarely refund the original shipping cost…so you are out of pocket both shipping fees and you still don’t have your item.
If you buy an engagement ring for example, including shipping cost and return shipping cost sometimes it would be better just to sell it to cash for gold rather than return it to the seller. Ok, so that’s a little joke,however, while that may be an exaggeration, I’m sure you get my point…don’t lose your money buying and sending back items, do your homework.
There are other considerations, quality of the jewellery is very important, you can learn much from the descriptions given by the seller. Those descriptions, go back to understanding the jewellery language. Even simple things, like understanding gold weights, that will give you a very good idea of how heavy a ring will be when you buy it, you can’t always tell by onlinephotos if it’s a “thin” ring or a “heavier” band.
I find you can enjoy buying online if you take the necessary precautions and do a little research online. I’ve been buying jewellery online since about 2001 and I have many tips and recommendations. I’ll put a few more together in my next posting.
Get realistic knowledge in the sphere of seo tools – please study the webpage. The times have come when proper info is really only one click away, use this possibility.
Leave a reply to Buying Jewellery Online Doesn’t Need To Be Uncomfortable