"For Sale"

[Gailey]

I have two suggestions. The first is a section on the forum where members may post items they wish to sell. There are at least two other forum sites that would seem to be in the same business as PS, both of which have a "For Sale" section. I''m thinking that use of this feature be restricted to members with a certain standing. This would avoid brand new posters who are just looking for a quick sale and have no interest in participating in the forum.

If this isn''t a good idea, I would certainly be interested in hearing why people think it''s not a smart move.

 

[*Danielle*]

I think that is a great idea. The only issue would be the personal information.

 

[strmrdr]

The problem with a for sale forum is that every site I have been involved with it was always 10X more work than the rest of the board combined just moderating the for sale forum.
Then you have the problem of attracting scammers and just plain squabbles over a sale.
Way to much trouble in my experience both from a user and moderating stand point.

 

[Gailey]

Karl,

I can see your point and it''s very valid. Invariably any changes are going to make extra work for our current administrators. The last thing I want to do is suddenly increase their workload ten fold.

However, I think the question should be looked at firstly from the point of view of, "Is this a good idea and a direction we want to go in?" If the answer is "yes", then the question becomes, "how do we achieve it?" The nice thing about a public forum is that you get a lot of ideas from very varied sources.

It may not be a good idea for reasons I know nothing about. What I do know is that the competition is doing it and potentially that runs the risk of taking people away from here.

 

[AGBF]

Date: 8/19/2009 12:08:24 AM
Author: Gailey

What I do know is that the competition is doing it and potentially that runs the risk of taking people away from here.

I am not in a position to know if it is true that "the competition" doing it is taking business away. I assume that Andrey and Ali are. I don't think that we are being asked what to do to make Pricescope profitable, however. I think we are being asked what to do to make Pricescope desirable.

If someone needs to buy or sell a piece of jewelry and Pricescope does not offer that service, then he will go elsewhere for the service. It does not mean that he will linger there if the discussions are boring and lacking in educational value, however. He will simply buy (or sell) his jewelry and then leave that other site.

Having said that, I do not oppose having an area where people can sell things. I just understand the argument that it takes a lot of effort and I am not sure that it is worth that.

I would like to see an area where longtime members can swap diamonds! Right now, for example, I would like to find an ideal cut stone of between 3 and 4 carats. I never thought to get a diamond to trade up. I have a lot of lovely diamonds I could swap with someone who was upgrading from a 3.25 to a 4.50, however! What if that person wanted earrings and I had two stones that were perfect for him? Or what if he wanted sidestones for that 4.50? (I can dream, can't I ?)

AGBF

 

[Camille]

As a long time lurker and newbie I would like to post my opinion if I may. I like the idea but Any board that permits sales can be liable ie privacy, not as described, not delivered, disputes, etc.
Some PS are selling their items at DB so that is taking place, as I''ve purchased a pair of earrings successfully from there, jmho.

 

[ecf8503]

Date: 8/19/2009 11:51:35 PM
Author:
Some PS are selling their items at DB so that is taking place, as I''ve purchased a pair of earrings successfully from there, jmho.

What''s DB?

 

[Amethyste]

diamond Bistro.

 

[Gailey]

Date: 8/19/2009 11:22:42 PM
Author: AGBF

Date: 8/19/2009 12:08:24 AM
Author: Gailey

What I do know is that the competition is doing it and potentially that runs the risk of taking people away from here.

I am not in a position to know if it is true that ''the competition'' doing it is taking business away. I assume that Andrey and Ali are. I don''t think that we are being asked what to do to make Pricescope profitable, however. I think we are being asked what to do to make Pricescope desirable.

If someone needs to buy or sell a piece of jewelry and Pricescope does not offer that service, then he will go elsewhere for the service. It does not mean that he will linger there if the discussions are boring and lacking in educational value, however. He will simply buy (or sell) his jewelry and then leave that other site.

Having said that, I do not oppose having an area where people can sell things. I just understand the argument that it takes a lot of effort and I am not sure that it is worth that.

I would like to see an area where longtime members can swap diamonds! Right now, for example, I would like to find an ideal cut stone of between 3 and 4 carats. I never thought to get a diamond to trade up. I have a lot of lovely diamonds I could swap with someone who was upgrading from a 3.25 to a 4.50, however! What if that person wanted earrings and I had two stones that were perfect for him? Or what if he wanted sidestones for that 4.50? (I can dream, can''t I ?)

AGBF

Anything that makes PS more desirable, i.e. brings in more people, is ultimately good for the vendors that pay to advertise here. I''m making the assumption that banner ads are a commercial transaction.

I''m not sure if we are buying and selling from each other, or swapping for that matter is necessarily a good thing for those same vendors. I don''t know if Pearlman''s advertises here or not, I''m just going to use them as an example because quite often their name comes up if a poster wants to sell an item. If PS had a "for sale" section that has the potential to take business away from Pearlmans. Simmilarly, I suspect the diamond upgrade business would likely be reduced if we started swapping.

Deb, I do think you make a good point about selling one''s goods elsewhere does not necessarily mean that posters will permanently de-camp elsewhere. You are correct, what keeps people here is the quality of the information being shared as well as the camararderie that builds up.

So I guess what I am saying, is that although a for sale section (or swap) might be good for us, it may not necessarily be synergistic with people with a commercial interest here. I guess I should have thought this through a bit more before I made the original post.

 

[AGBF]

Date: 8/20/2009 10:31:20 AM
Author: Gailey

I guess I should have thought this through a bit more before I made the original post.

Whoa! You are being waaay too hard on yourself! It is discourse that helps people to think things through. We are thinking things through together and it is better to have more minds at work than one! If it hadn't been for your posting I would never have even thought about the matter! I think that there is nothing in the world more powerful than civil discourse. People who exchange ideas are people who make the world grow!

Hugs,
Deb

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Good points ya''ll! I think it has the potential to draw a whole new audience--those who buy on the secondary market. And those people who buy that route, once here, may then be interested to spend with posted vendors--with resets, need for additional side stones and gems, etc.

I thnk a diamond swap is intersting--most of which I think would have to be mediated through an appraiser; again good for present PS business people.

If the idea is that PS wants to "grow", then adding this feature and hiring new staff to accomodate this growth, is part of the strategy.

PS is like a brand name--and I think that it has the potential to lend credibility to sellers, especially if they are selling branded items they bought here.

cheers--Sharon

 

[decodelighted]

A way to address this w/o PS being involved directly or monitoring sales ... is to have a forum where PS members can link to their listings on other sites maybe? Ebay? Other auctions or through Pearlmans or whatever? Would be less hunting when someone mentions they''re selling something SOMEWHERE & we''d "know" their reputation from here. Yanno?

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 8/20/2009 7:57:46 PM
Author: decodelighted
A way to address this w/o PS being involved directly or monitoring sales ... is to have a forum where PS members can link to their listings on other sites maybe? Ebay? Other auctions or through Pearlmans or whatever? Would be less hunting when someone mentions they''re selling something SOMEWHERE & we''d ''know'' their reputation from here. Yanno?

HI:

Interesting point Deco. If, however, one idea is to avoid paying commissions, then why link to Pearlman''s or Ebay since you are already "paying" them to advertize for you?

Of course I live in my own dreamworld, hoping rather than believing this would come to fruition; b/c in selling items I bought here for less than what I originally paid including all the paperwork, would be in direct competition to the vendors paying for ad''s. KWIM?

cheers--Sharon

 

[Miscka]

Date: 8/20/2009 7:57:46 PM
Author: decodelighted
A way to address this w/o PS being involved directly or monitoring sales ... is to have a forum where PS members can link to their listings on other sites maybe? Ebay? Other auctions or through Pearlmans or whatever? Would be less hunting when someone mentions they''re selling something SOMEWHERE & we''d ''know'' their reputation from here. Yanno?

This is a good idea, but there should be some restrictions. Like you have to have a certain # of posts, and you can only link 5 items(per some time frame) or something. Otherwise we will get spammed and people will join just to promote their eBay business or w/e.

Maybe there could be a way to click on a poster and there could be a section of their profile with these links? So as to consolidate them, and make them easier to find for PSers and mods (if needed).

 

[Lynn B]

I''ve thought about this as well... and I have often thought how AWESOME it would be if there was a mechanism here on PS to buy and sell our jewelry. MAN, I would L*O*V*E that!

I mean, realistically, we *tend to be* a group of people who change our jewelry around -- alot!

And finding a reasonable place to sell at a decent price what we no longer want to keep would only help us to fund new projects! It sounds to me like a win/win situation!!!

But yeah, I realize there are maybe legalities and all that stuff probably involved, too, and I haven''t a CLUE about any of that. Can a website simply make it very clear that they are providing an outlet only, and cannot/will not accept any responsibility for the outcome of any sale? I dunno, I''m just thinking out loud.

So like I said, I''d LOVE to see that here. But if it couldn''t happen, hey, I understand. BUT, that being said, I LOVE Deco''s suggestion of at least being able to post, "Hey, guys, I''m selling my previous setting at Pearlman''s [or on eBay or what have you...] here''s the link!"

Then let those entities (eBay, Pearlmans, etc.) take care of the logistics of the money transfer, etc., as usual... but meanwhile, our best target audience has been reached and we can potentially ALL benefit.

Just my humble opinion!

 

[Italiahaircolor]

Date: 8/23/2009 7:32:35 PM
Author: Lynn B
I''ve thought about this as well... and I have often thought how AWESOME it would be if there was a mechanism here on PS to buy and sell our jewelry. MAN, I would L*O*V*E that!

I mean, realistically, we *tend to be* a group of people who change our jewelry around -- alot!

And finding a reasonable place to sell at a decent price what we no longer want to keep would only help us to fund new projects! It sounds to me like a win/win situation!!!

But yeah, I realize there are maybe legalities and all that stuff probably involved, too, and I haven''t a CLUE about any of that. Can a website simply make it very clear that they are providing an outlet only, and cannot/will not accept any responsibility for the outcome of any sale? I dunno, I''m just thinking out loud.

So like I said, I''d LOVE to see that here. But if it couldn''t happen, hey, I understand. BUT, that being said, I LOVE Deco''s suggestion of at least being able to post, ''Hey, guys, I''m selling my previous setting at Pearlman''s [or on eBay or what have you...] here''s the link!''

Then let those entities (eBay, Pearlmans, etc.) take care of the logistics of the money transfer, etc., as usual... but meanwhile, our best target audience has been reached and we can potentially ALL benefit.

Just my humble opinion!

Great idea, IMO. Just being able to say "hey, I''m moving on from this piece...any takers on my old set, it can be found at..."

I don''t think we need a full on "for sale" board that PS is responsible for patrolling...simply because that could get hairy. Many people on this site are insanely savvy when it comes to diamonds...other''s aren''t...if you mix the two it may not end well. Items may be listed incorrectly, wires crossed--I mean, all this is worst case senario...but who knows what could happen if we open Pandora''s Box. Then, if someone feels "scammed" we have now set the scene for an argument the likes of which PS has never seen before. It''s one thing to argue over reputation, things said or whatever...money and diamonds is a whole different ball game.

May we could have a "yard sale" section....people who are selling diamonds, or other jewelry, or "things" could post that they have "x, y, and z for sale on ebay" or they have listed a piece of "jewelry on such&such a site". Provide a link, put in your asking price...it''s just another means for our little community to help each other out, maybe refer a friend or pick up something for themselves.

All in all, I vote that this has good potential once it''s really worked out into a stream line idea.

 

[iheartscience]

Big ditto the Yard Sale/area to post links idea! I would love that option. And I think if there were restrictions on who could post (maybe members have to have been here for at least 6-12 months) and how many items you could post about it could totally work. I honestly wouldn't even mind a vendor link here and there if there's a screaming deal at Pearlman's in the Previously Owned section or something.

 

[radiantquest]

I think a "For Sale" section is a good idea. I think that when selling something ps-ers know that the person really appreciates what they are getting and I would think there would be less squabbling over price. I think that any ps member that is selling from their private collection would have the right to not sell to someone they didn''t feel comfortable with.

I also think that it should be for real ps members. Not people who joined yesterday should be able to purchase because we don''t know them and it could be unsafe. Maybe there could be a limit, like the ps member wishing to buy has to have been an active member with ps for a specified amount of time.

I then think that the transaction should be between the buyer and seller. That ps admins wouldn''t have as much extra work to do and the seller and buyer can work it out whatever way is best for them.