Instagram gem shopping?

[CaseyLouLou]

I’m curious how others shop on Instagram for gems. I’m finding it to be impossible because you never know the price unless you DM and you don’t know if it’s already sold either. So it’s a hassle to DM and try to describe which one you’re referring to. I wish they would set up a storefront on Instagram or Etsy instead. I just haven’t found it to be too frustrating.
What do you all think?

 

[T L]

Instagram is frustrating beyond my limits.

I have DM’d several dealers, and if you’re even lucky enough to get a response,

1) The stone is sold
2) They don’t follow up with questions
3) Decide or forget to send an invoice.

Also, I’m trying to figure out what recourse you have if the stone never gets to you, but they have your $$. At least eBay and Etsy seem to have built in protection. PayPal can only do so much.

Although the selection is not as wide, I’ve never had a problem making a purchase from Etsy or eBay. Also, yes, I want to know the prices up front!!!

I also like the review system on eBay and Etsy. You’re flying blind in Instagram unless you know the vendor well.

 

[LilAlex]

Like eBay and Craigslist, it was fun while it lasted!

It is the "front window" for a lot of higher-end vendors and I still like it for that. I prefer a traditional website. One vendor told me that it was "too much trouble" to keep their website updated since there were so many takers for the "tease" over-saturated IG photos. Let's see -- I seem to follow Lang, Enhoerning, Jeff White, adamant, Berganza, Angie Crabtree, jewelsbybgrace, crazygemhunter, cvb, lepoquedor, muzo_official, several miles-out-of-my-league retailers (Graff, Oscar Heyman, Hemmerle) and resellers (MS Rau), and three or four randos that are in my city.

EDIT: I have only purchased from the first four -- plus a couple of the local randos.

 

[Cinders]

I love it! I think it is fairly easy & I love how very realistic the videos have been for the stones I purchased. It is a pain to ask for pricing but I have a system down & I don't feel bad about it anymore because it was their decision to require it.

However, if there is one drawback to it for me it is sometimes dealing with the few sellers who are incredibly unprofessional & super rude. It's very rare & usually just some weird dude. So, I just cut them from the list & move on to other better sellers.

The benefit to the consumer is that you really can find good prices for good stones. There are no selling fees so sellers have the opportunity to offer lower costs.

 

[musicloveranthony]

If they don't list their price, I'm not interested and I unfollow. That's my biggest complaint

 

[T L]

I’m curious how others shop on Instagram for gems. I’m finding it to be impossible because you never know the price unless you DM and you don’t know if it’s already sold either. So it’s a hassle to DM and try to describe which one you’re referring to. I wish they would set up a storefront on Instagram or Etsy instead. I just haven’t found it to be too frustrating.
What do you all think?

I think Meta, the parent to Facebook and Instagram, is working on making Instagram a more buyer friendly environment. I suspect the sellers won’t be happy about that.

 

[CBianco]

I could be totally wrong, but I think some instagrams sellers don't list their price publicly because they don't want their supplier to see what they're selling for.

 

[Joanne10]

I haven’t bought anything off Instagram yet, but I have made a few enquiries.

I found it helps a lot to either screenshot or provide a link to the product I’m interested in, so there is no confusion on either my part or the seller’s. Worked very well so far.

 

[dk168]

I too have not bought any CSs via IG yet as I have quite a few loose stones in hand waiting to be set!

The only items I had purchased via IG was a pair of mis-matched drop-shaped pearls from Takahashi and was very pleased with their help and communications - highly recommended.

DK

 

[Mrs_Strizzle]

I have bought several pieces from haydenfred_gems on IG. Annie is awesome and I have never been disappointed.

 

[StevenGrant]

I feel your frustration with gem shopping on Instagram. It can be a bit of a wild ride, not knowing the prices or if something's already gone. A storefront or an Etsy-like setup would definitely make life easier.
It's a hassle sliding into those DMs and trying to describe the exact gem you're eyeing. It'd be great if sellers made the process smoother.
By the way, did you know there are many options. For instance, you can buy Instagram PVA accounts? They might offer a bit more stability in terms of shopping and communicating with sellers.