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Is this true or do they want more money out of me? [UK BASED]

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Date: 2/20/2008 6:33:55 PM
Author: Cleo
Your site completely neglects to mention the GIA certed cut grade (as per your small-print disclaimer). In fact, a so called ''Ideal'' stone on your site was only certed as ''Very Good'' cut by GIA.... which is at best confusing, and at worst....???????
Click to expand...

Paul maybe able to clarify this but - i''m going to hazard a guess at this...
but on their listings they maybe giving the cut grade according to the QD basic grading chart.

Ideal: Table 53-58% Depth: 58-62.3%
Premium: Table 52-60% Depth: 58.3-62.99%
Excellent: Table 51.5-63% Depth <58.3% <62.99%
Very Good: Table 51-64%
Good Table50.5-67%
Fair: 50-70%
Poor: 49-72%

Now, last time this came up - Paul did show that his site matches the prices of the general lists of loose stones at the likes of Whiteflash - ie the wholeseller lists available to all - Blue Nile, James Allen, Whiteflash... you name em.
And yes - he may be cheaper compared to a Good Old Gold hand picked H&A, or the Whiteflash ACA, or James Allen and Blue Nile Signature lines...

..but we are not comparing apples with apples. with the additional wealth of information about the cut they come with, and the expertise in selecting those stones for inhouse inventory. So maybe we can say - if your not bothered about the cut... you can save the hassle of customs by going with one of Pauls 3 diamond companies

And when talking about Princess - we certain aint compared them apples... a cut you just cant *just* look at the numbers of the table and depth to choose... plus there aint any AGS cert stones (meaning no cut grades for the princess other than the QD grading)
 
This has moved a little off the original trail.

Can someone give some guidance on how you can be sure that the Pricess Cut is good? I looked on WF and found a few that i quite liked, however, without being about to know what i am looking for in the ASET, IDEAL SCOPE and the SARIN also?

The colours etc that a produced in the ASET and IS are to represent how the light is reflected . . . however, for myself, i am at a loss when looking at two stoned, which one would be considered better?
 
If you want to link to the ones your looking at.

basically - when looking at the ideal scope images - your looking for the diamond to be a nice red - with a bit of black in there, with not too much white showing.

The Aset is showing basically the same thing, except it colour codes the light return abit more.

whereas the Ideal Scope colours the majority of the light from above Red, with a cone to the top back - representing the head shadow. the Aset splits the red zone into green and red, and blue for black and black for white...
so in an Aset image your looking for a good mix of green, red and blue, and minimal blacks :)
 
they all look great - good light return.
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Date: 2/20/2008 7:16:02 AM
Author: Maisie
If you bought this diamond with setting 1 you would pay £3130. This includes your pricescope discount, shipping, VAT and import duty.
Click to expand...
Maise,

Can you let me know how you calculated the price of this so i can do a costimate for something i am looking at?

Thank you in advance!

PapaSB
 
Certainly
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I took the price of the ACA diamond (from Whiteflash) and deducted 5% (which is what they gave me for being a ps member)

Then added the price of the setting on and $120 for shipping.

I then used a currency converter to change it into pounds and added on 17.5% for VAT and 2.5% for Import Tax
You don't have to add on the Import Tax if you are importing a loose diamond.

(I have worked it out the right way but obviously there may be slight variations to the costings)
 
yip - the only variations is the extra amount charged by the carrier company for paying the customs duty on your behalf.... but this is usually £10-30 depending on the carrier
 
Yep, Fedex charged me £30
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Date: 2/20/2008 6:04:17 PM
Author: Pandora II
I have looked at your site QD Rocks.


First, you do not provide the information I want - idealscope pics, GIA reports, photographs of the ACTUAL stone.


Secondly your prices were $2k more for a identical stone in terms of size, colour and clarity. I have no idea what the cut was other than your site telling me it was excellent. There were no scans of GIA reports so that I could see inclusion plots.


The people that give me the most information are more likely to get my business, especially when I can get it for less.


You say you have PROVED that you can supply the same product for less - can you link to the post please.
Click to expand...

Just curious as to the pricing mentioned above. Is that 2k before or after the import duties are applied? It could make a difference in the comparison. (Knowing you to be very thorough in your research I think I know the answer, but want to be sure.)

Wink
 
Top guy at HG but the prices seem to be different comparing the B&M of HG to WF, or JA.

A HG Princess cut, 0.83ct, G, VS2, Sym VG, Polish VG was £2.5k
A HG Princess cut, 0.9ct, H, VS1, Sym G, Polish VG was £2.7k

A Princess cut, 0.9ct, H, VS1, Sym G, Polish G is £2.2k in WF (when converted to UK and includes discount, the actual ring, the VAT, the duty and shipping)

This crude example shows that you make a saving of £0.5k which can be put to something bigger and better?!

If you look, it would appear that the US can be cheaper when comparing UK B&M against e-shopping US. The guy insisted that i would "not get it cheaper anywhere else".
 
Date: 2/21/2008 9:50:58 AM
Author: Wink

Date: 2/20/2008 6:04:17 PM
Author: Pandora II
I have looked at your site QD Rocks.


First, you do not provide the information I want - idealscope pics, GIA reports, photographs of the ACTUAL stone.


Secondly your prices were $2k more for a identical stone in terms of size, colour and clarity. I have no idea what the cut was other than your site telling me it was excellent. There were no scans of GIA reports so that I could see inclusion plots.


The people that give me the most information are more likely to get my business, especially when I can get it for less.


You say you have PROVED that you can supply the same product for less - can you link to the post please.
Click to expand...

Just curious as to the pricing mentioned above. Is that 2k before or after the import duties are applied? It could make a difference in the comparison. (Knowing you to be very thorough in your research I think I know the answer, but want to be sure.)

Wink
Click to expand...
The calculation was on a loose stone before VAT (no import duties on a loose stone) - however, including VAT, and postage costs, there is still a saving of over $1200, which is a decent sum in anyone''s book. I did not include any PS discounts in my calculation either.

And that was without knowing whether the stone was comparable - I based my calculation on a mid-range priced stone identical for colour, carat size and clarity. Since the stone I bought was extremely good in terms of cut, it is entirely possible that my saving would be higher than my estimation.

Granted if you particularly want to view the stones in person you may prefer to shop in the UK, but I am very happy to trust the advice I am given by the vendors here. The consumer confidence given by PS is invaluable - plus the chance to discuss the relative merits of different stones with the very well-informed members and expert views from the industry.

My time is also valuable, which means that I am far more likely to buy from the vendor who takes the trouble to include the maximum amount of information about the ACTUAL stone that I am thinking of buying. One of the factors which means I rarely bother looking at Blue Nile.

Hope that helps clarify.
 
It would appear that these two examples do mean you can buy more for your money.
 

Hi Lord Summerisle



Its good to see you remember our posts, as before we have proved the point that there is a UK seller that can compare
price on diamonds compared to the biggest worldwide sellers. Your comments on like for like are a little un fair as we sell
many high quality GIA stones matching any thing you can buy. The only main difference i can see is in the UK we are not
big suppliers of AGS and as AGS supply a cut grade for princess then you will not see this in the UK. I searched the site and
found this stone, Its not AGS and doesn’t have a cut grade but at £2895 fully inc is a very nice GIA alternative. I am not
trying to compare this against any of the options you have suggested but its not correct that all Hatton garden prices
are the same.
GIA certified
Shape and Cutting Style Princess
Measurements (mm) 5.53 x 5.43 x 3.92
Grading Results
Carat Weight 1.03
Colour G
Clarity VS2
Additional Grading Information
Table 70%
Depth 72.2%
Polish Excellent
Symmetry Very Good
Fluorescence None
BN might not be a favourite here but we offer similar shopping options to them. We are just trying to offer the UK market
something different. Also allowing clients to drop in for a chat and view. Not the norm with online dealers.
The advise you all give is very good advise, but there is a misconception that you save money. That was my only point from the start.

Keep up the good work.
 
Maise,

Can i ask you some questions about the purchase of ring / diamond? I spoke to someone last night and they weren''t able to give me details on the way the transaction would take place (probably because they didn''t want to commit to anything).

Can you give me some informal advice on how it works if you are based in the UK?

I will wait until you agree, before i post them here...
 
I will help if I can
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Thank you Maisie. It really is appreciated, and i think, if you answer these, it shoud help other UK people.

How did you pay the Duty and tax when you purchased?
Did you pay the fedex ''man'' or did you pay using the FedEx website?
Did you pay using your CC?
Did you have to pay it in $ or £?

When you purchased did you wire the money?
Did you send it using your bank?
Did you get an invoice in £ or $ from the company you used?
Did you get a good rate (who set it?)?

When you purchased what did you ask for from the company to confirm its the one you wanted?

Again thank you.
 
How did you pay the Duty and tax when you purchased? The first time, I called Fedex when I knew the parcel had arrived in the UK and paid it over the phone. They wouldn't release the parcel till the charges were paid. The 2nd and 3rd times, the parcel arrived and I was invoiced by post later to pay the charges. You get a month to pay.

Did you pay the fedex 'man' or did you pay using the FedEx website? You don't pay the delivery man. See above.
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Did you pay using your CC? I paid with my debit card.

Did you have to pay it in $ or £? In £

When you purchased did you wire the money? Yes.

Did you send it using your bank? I sent it through my bank (Abbey National) My bank charged £25 to send the transfer, all banks have a charge.

Did you get an invoice in £ or $ from the company you used? The invoice was in $ but my bank worked on the exchange rate on the day that I sent the transfer to change the amount into dollars.

Did you get a good rate (who set it?)? The bank set the rate. I always use this website and it was the same amount that the bank charged me.

When you purchased what did you ask for from the company to confirm its the one you wanted? I had an email invoice from Whiteflash which laid out the transaction, the diamond information and the Grading Certificate number
 
"The advise you all give is very good advise, but there is a misconception that you save money. That was my only point from the start."

I''m sorry, but I really don''t see how your insistence that "you can''t save money buying online from the US" can possibly be validated??
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There are hundreds of happy customers on PS from all over who invariably have come to these vendors for 2 things - saving money, and getting quality (in no particular order). How can this be a misconception, may I ask?
You say that you can prove your comments, but wouldn''t the proof be in the purchases, so to say?
I can not comment on the UK in particular, as I am in Australia - but from what I can garner, you''re market is very simliar to ours: High end B&M stores selling over priced or inferior cut or both, with very narrow choice. Or, limited online vendors, who have more choice and better inventory, but when all is said and done, still can''t compete with the US on the bottom line, price.
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From all accounts, PS buyers are very well educated consumers - I can''t help but feel if there was a sincerely viable option in the UK, they would undoubtedly have found it and purchased from there? If such an option existed for my needs, I would gladly save myself the long distance and tax/shipping dramas - but unfortunatley, at least for now, it is IMVHO that (for the timebeing at least), many are better off buying online from the US.
I don''t know why this anomaly exists, as I''m not an expert and certainly not an economist!
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As was mentioned, I respect that you are trying to present a healthy option for local UK buyers, my only gripe is your insistence that "you can''t save money buying from the US". I would be keen to know if you can show this to be true?
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BTW, please do not take my comments as argumentative etc - I just felt like adding my 2c
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Well here is another perspective.....

I would have actually paid a little bit more for the quality, customer service, peace of mind and beautiful diamond I bought from Whiteflash!

You can't get away from the fact that some online companies just don't inspire confidence, and some do!
 
I thought i''d add in my experiance to add to Maisie excellent responce
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How did you pay the Duty and tax when you purchased? Mine was shipped by USPS, transfered to Royal Mail Parcel force - i tracked the parcel online, then called Parcel Farce Force the day after it arrived in the UK,


Did you pay the fedex ''man'' or did you pay using the FedEx website? see above - the delivery men are not authorised to collect payment - they either leave a note through your door to call, or in my case they phoned me and left a message.



Did you pay using your CC? I paid with my debit card. (same with me)


Did you have to pay it in $ or £? In £ (ditto - its UK customs - they have converted the declared value on the package from $ to £, then worked out the charge.)


When you purchased did you wire the money? Yes.


Did you send it using your bank? I sent it through my bank (Barclays) My bank charged £30 to send the transfer, all banks have a charge. the Wirew form had a blank in the currency - so i filled it out in the amount in $ to be transfered, they worked out how much i was to pay in £ from that. (remember that there is often a discount from the vendor if paying via a bank wire - which more than covers the additional charge from your own bank)
a good friend bought from whiteflash, and paid with his credit card via Paypal to Whiteflash.


Did you get an invoice in £ or $ from the company you used? The invoice was in $ but my bank worked on the exchange rate on the day that I sent the transfer to change the amount into dollars. - ditto for me


Did you get a good rate (who set it?)? The bank set the rate. I always use this website and it was the same amount that the bank charged me.


When you purchased what did you ask for from the company to confirm its the one you wanted? I had an email invoice from Whiteflash which laid out the transaction, the diamond information and the Grading Certificate number, i also got a link to my diamond''s inventory page - incase i didnt have it bookmarked - which contained everything you see when looking through the inventory.

What i had organised is that Whiteflash sent the diamond to David Atlas - (pricescope member - OldMiner) at gemappraisers.com for an appraisal. they did this while i sorted the bank wire - as they where happy that Mr. Atlas would not release the stone to me until i had paid them, nor would i take the diamond if i wasnt happy with appraisal.

It was Mr. Atlas who posted the diamond to me via US Postal Service, rather than Whiteflash.
His appraisal confirmed the diamonds matched the grading cert, and that it was as discribed
 
Heh Parcel Farce!!!
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Here''s my experiences using DiamondsonWeb.com:

How did you pay the Duty and tax when you purchased? DiamondsonWeb.com calculated the amount that would be due, and tok the payment at the same time as payment for the diamond. They then pay Customs in advance, to avoid delays in receiving the order. If they underestimate the total due for any reason, they actually pay the difference themselves.

Did you pay the fedex ''man'' or did you pay using the FedEx website? See above.

Did you pay using your CC? We paid with my fiance''s credit card. Doing it this way gives an extra level of protection through the CC company in case anything should go wrong.

Did you have to pay it in $ or £? In US dollars.


When you purchased did you wire the money? No - with the credit card, see above.


Did you send it using your bank? See above.


Did you get an invoice in £ or $ from the company you used? The invoice was in dollars. The credit card company calculates the appropriate exchange rate on that day, so the amount in £ shows on the statement.


Did you get a good rate (who set it?)? The credit card company handles this.


When you purchased what did you ask for from the company to confirm its the one you wanted? I had an email invoice & confirmation from DoW.com, detailing everything: cost, AGS cert number, diamond statistics etc. I also requested the diamond be laser inscribed on the girdle with the AGS cert number, so it was sent off for this and then back to AGS so that the certificate could be amended to reflect the fact the girdle is inscribed. (Cost of inscription was $175.. and well worth it to my mind!).

x x x
 
Date: 2/22/2008 5:54:48 AM
Author: arjunajane
''The advise you all give is very good advise, but there is a misconception that you save money. That was my only point from the start.''

I''m sorry, but I really don''t see how your insistence that ''you can''t save money buying online from the US'' can possibly be validated??
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Click to expand...
I''d been trying to work out how to say exactly what you said, as well as you did! :)

I agree completely that the highlighted statement from QD regarding saving money flies in the face of all the evidence posted by UK PSers who have used the QD site to try to compare prices.

The fact remains that our experiences show using QD will save you money compared to the UK high street, but will not save you money compared to using USA-based online vendors.

*Apologies to PapaSB for thread hijack*

x x x
 
Date: 2/22/2008 6:55:37 AM
Author: Cleo
They then pay Customs in advance, to avoid delays in receiving the order. If they underestimate the total due for any reason, they actually pay the difference themselves.
Click to expand...
That's fairly impressive.
 
I''ve always paid US vendors via PayPal.

It saves loads of hassle arranging wire-transfers etc and is quick and easy.

If you''re not an ebay fanatic and already have a PayPal account, you have to be careful as it will suddenly decide to get your account verified which will mean you can''t send money for a few days.

This happened to a friend (I did warn him it would) and he had to pay by separate methods.
 
I agree that paypal is easier and quicker but I don''t think all vendors will accept it. They get charged to withdraw the money at their end. Unless you would lose your discount to cover their charges......
 
Date: 2/22/2008 5:45:05 AM
Author: Maisie
How did you pay the Duty and tax when you purchased? The first time, I called Fedex when I knew the parcel had arrived in the UK and paid it over the phone. They wouldn''t release the parcel till the charges were paid. The 2nd and 3rd times, the parcel arrived and I was invoiced by post later to pay the charges. You get a month to pay.

Did you pay using your CC? I paid with my debit card.
Click to expand...
I have no doubt that UK people would appreciate the extensive responses that have been posted. Its been fantastic and much appreciated.

Paying by CC for the stone in USD would (in my case) incur a 2.5% charge of the total value of the transaction. In addition, you have no idea what rate they would be willing to use!
That said, using a wire comes with 0 (zero) insurance, and you are in the hands of the company - you have no come back at all if it "goes pear shaped".

The note about the FedEx / custom charges is interesting. Any idea why there was a difference in the way is was invoiced?


Thanks again to everyone who has been posting. Excellent "How to..." guide being produced!
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The first time I bought from the US my customs charges were over £400. The second two were significantly less. Maybe they have a cut off for the amount they are willing to deliver and invoice later for....
 
Ok.

Thats good. It would appear that there is a threshold that is set by FedEx, and depending on whether your purchase VAT / Duty is above that threshold, it would depend on whether or not you would have to pay before it was delivered.

Much appreciated.

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