Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

Love eBay?

Bayek said:
Wow, so sorry David, :( seems like nothing is worthwhile anymore.. I can't stand ebay.. I NEVER know if it's real unless I know the vendor. Your Insta is perfect and I look at it every day.. sorry again.
Click to expand...

I sell on Etsy too and I'm starting to slowly de-stock my store, they're absolutely ruthless with sellers. The foot-to-the-throat began when they pushed us all to do free shipping without increasing our prices while increasing the amount they withheld on each sale by over 60%.

I recently found a local auction house that does a lot of leg work and negotiation for the sellers and takes a far smaller percentage than Etsy, with services like this popping up it's making Etsy move towards obsolescence at an extremely fast rate.

I agree with @Rockdiamond here though, just contact the seller privately altogether if you can. I would guess the ideal situation for other sellers with an Etsy store is to have it as a marketing/advertising service and then have buyers contact you directly via email or social media to arrange payment. That's most ideal for me.
 
Yep Etsy takes a huge chunk. Forcing sellers to pay for ad-generated hits that (in my case) don’t benefit me. It’s not ideal.

For the small fry Seller, private yard-sale style people like me, with eBay dead and Etsy dying, where do we go? I’m not in the Trade, so should I still get a website? I can’t imagine what that would cost.

And for the big businesses, will they all get their own websites and pull out of eBay? What about Ruby Lane or EBTH (everything but the house), 1stDibs, etc?
 
PreRaphaelite said:
Yep Etsy takes a huge chunk. Forcing sellers to pay for ad-generated hits that (in my case) don’t benefit me. It’s not ideal.

For the small fry Seller, private yard-sale style people like me, with eBay dead and Etsy dying, where do we go? I’m not in the Trade, so should I still get a website? I can’t imagine what that would cost.

And for the big businesses, will they all get their own websites and pull out of eBay? What about Ruby Lane or EBTH (everything but the house), 1stDibs, etc?
Click to expand...

I don’t know the specifics but it looks like it is heading that way. For anyone who sells on a regular or semi regular basis it seems a good idea to obtain your own website. So you don’t lose a large percentage to fees that you could keep.
 
missy said:
I don’t know the specifics but it looks like it is heading that way. For anyone who sells on a regular or semi regular basis it seems a good idea to obtain your own website. So you don’t lose a large percentage to fees that you could keep.
Click to expand...

If I made a site, it would be interesting to see how buyers would feel about that. Would PSers feel safe in entering cc numbers, that is a concern. Big places like eBay and Etsy have some buyer protection built in. (Although not 100% successful in that department!)
 
PreRaphaelite said:
If I made a site, it would be interesting to see how buyers would feel about that. Would PSers feel safe in entering cc numbers, that is a concern. Big places like eBay and Etsy have some buyer protection built in. (Although not 100% successful in that department!)
Click to expand...

I don’t know the fees CCs take but as long as I can pay with a CC I feel safe. My credit card company protects the purchase.
 
missy said:
I don’t know the fees CCs take but as long as I can pay with a CC I feel safe. My credit card company protects the purchase.
Click to expand...

Excellent point about the cc companies providing buyer protection. I hadn’t thought of that!

So do sellers generally use Etsy and eBay as springboards for inviting buyers to visit their seller websites? It is amazing how little I know about eCommerce.

I think this must be what Instagram sellers do, but I admit the IG hassle of “DM me details” on items never have prices publicly stated and that are already sold by the time I see them is such a turn-off that I don’t bother inquiring anymore. Maybe that’s the purpose of IG: a way to get pictures out there and direct buyers to a website.

Gah. I have been so naive.
 
Opening ones own site is a great idea. But if eBay is spending $100k per month advertising exactly how can you find new buyers?

Between the two largest diamond sellers that number is probably $200k per month. Even if you could spend $10 k a month on SEO you might as well just flush it down the toilet.

I will say a heart felt Thank you! for reminding me how screwed up Etsy actually is. Made me feel better. Really.
 
Maybe I shouldn't post this (it might mess up my lucky streak) but I have had one issue on EBay and it was something I bought internationally. Otherwise everything has been as described and smooth. As a result of the international issue, I don't by things outside the U.S. anymore, too much hassle.
 
YadaYadaYada said:
Maybe I shouldn't post this (it might mess up my lucky streak) but I have had one issue on EBay and it was something I bought internationally. Otherwise everything has been as described and smooth. As a result of the international issue, I don't by things outside the U.S. anymore, too much hassle.
Click to expand...

Same for me. Purchases from India have been lovely as well but I think this is a function of being a careful buyer and not because eBay is so great. About a year ago I saw a new seller hawking "moissanite" studs using glam shots from Whiteflash. Lord only knows what the actual product looked like!
 
I frequently buy jewelry from eBay, and only once had to return a ring.
And that one was probably my fault, because the photos weren't great, and I took a chance.

Other than that one time, they have all been positive experiences.
 
My best purchases have been on ebay, but also my riskiest. I have never bitten my nails like I did for a pair or earrings I watched for ages. They were so unique and utterly perfect (for me) and what I wanted. For me, it was a large amount of money and we ended up getting them after many back and forth with extra images and assurances that they would accept a return even though the listing said they wouldn't. When I got them I knew they were fabulous, but had the knot in my tummy until the appraisal came back.
 
Just curious, is Poshmark any better?
 
I do buy off of etsy, but I realize it could be a gamble. My daughter ordered her wedding ring from a Chicago company that sells on ebay and etsy. Same products, same prices. (You might guess the company.) I told her to use the ebay listing instead of the etsy one just in case. It has more protection. She's very happy with that purchase. I prefer to order off of ebay unless I can find somethng listed in Canada on etsy. I do both.
 
Just curious @lyra
Did the company have its own website?
If so, would you have felt more comfortable using eBay or Etsy? If it cost 10% more than on the company website, would you still want to use eBay or Etsy? I really appreciate your opinion.
 
@Rockdiamond That's hard to say. I wouldn't want to pay 10% more. The other advantage of ebay and etsy is that I see items only in CAD, which is something I value, by the way. If a website doesn't offer a currency conversion, I usually skip it.
 
Thanks @lyra !!
Although I’m sure there’s plenty of places to convert the currency online, I honestly never considered the value of a currency converter!!
If you read the thread from the beginning ..... it’s possible the seller you’re working with might offer lower prices by avoiding eBay or Etsy. It wouldn’t hurt to ask:)
 
Has anyone heard about this?
 
Older thread but I'm a newer poster; I cannot believe that DBL was kicked off Etsy (David I have bought directly from you twice now) - that is insanity! I have bought from all those sites in the past - eBay, Etsy, Rubylane, (not always jewelry) but I always find out if the person has a more direct line first because I know that is saves both the buyer and the seller; also there used to not be a sales tax on any of these sites and now there is on ALL of them which is frustrating bc when you buy out of state you aren't charged tax. And yes I sell some pre-loved pieces on eBay and the fees get higher; also it's very buyer centric so if a buyer has an issue they always side with them no matter what.
 
I've never bought or sold on eBay.
I don't even have an account on eBay, FB, IG, TWT, SC etc. etc.
I do buy on Amazon though.

I love Craigslist.

It's free.
No advertising to look at, ever.
It's private, no tracking/spying by huge rick corporation that sells your personal info to big data.
You set your own transaction terms, no shipping or PayPal hassles, I and a friend meet in person with cash in a safe place.
I feel I have more control, rather than being controlled.
I see it as the perfect system - of course do I live within driving distance of around 10 million people.

Sure, it's possible for a transaction to go bad, but if you're smart about how you use it that's not very likely.
When selling I just ignore the spam emails.
When buying or selling I just ignore the people who rub me the wrong way on email.
 
Last edited:
kenny said:
I've never bought or sold on eBay.
I don't even have an account.

I love craigslist.

It's free.
No advertising to look at, ever.
It's private, no tracking/spying by big brother who sells your personal info to big data.
You set your own transaction terms, no shipping hassles, I and a friend meet in person with cash in a safe place.
I feel I have more control, rather than being controlled.
I see it as the perfect system - of course do I live within driving distance of around 10 million people.

Sure, it's possible for a transaction to go bad, but if you're smart that's not very likely.
Click to expand...

I've done FB marketplace but not for jewelry, and when I posted some stuff on CL before, I got some really lowball offers and rude emails. Like I would list a ring for $150, and I would get an email that said nothing else but: "$45". But seeing this makes me want to try again, because I'm trying to sell some stuff now.
 
Lowball offers and scam attempts just come with the CL territory.
I just ignore them, and consider them a zillion times less offensive and annoying than paying a commission to, and enduring all the hassles of, eBay and all those social media marketplace thingies.

I can't count how many threads on PS are complaints about eBay, PayPal, FB, UPS, FedEx, etc.
Just say no.
 
kenny said:
Lowball offers and scam attempts just come with the CL territory.
I just ignore them, and consider them a zillion times less offensive and annoying than paying a commission to, and enduring all the hassles of, eBay and all those social media marketplace thingies.

I can't count how many threads on PS are complaints about eBay, PayPal, FB, UPS, FedEx, etc.
Just say no.
Click to expand...
So @kenny on CL how do you handle higher ticket items (or do you list those)? Doesn’t PayPal take a couple of days to process? I ask bc I’m selling some studs and thinking of using CL.
 
Mreader said:
I've done FB marketplace but not for jewelry, and when I posted some stuff on CL before, I got some really lowball offers and rude emails. Like I would list a ring for $150, and I would get an email that said nothing else but: "$45". But seeing this makes me want to try again, because I'm trying to sell some stuff now.
Click to expand...

I hate selling locally for this reason. I post a lot of things for free and I’ll get requests to deliver/ ship on my dime. Someone wanted me to ship them a 4x6 sheet of plywood. I get requests to deliver 20+ miles away...

I’ve started putting my expectations upfront (e.g. text me your pick up time, etc) and ignore everyone that disregards this It’s made it less aggravating but not by much.
 
Mreader said:
So @kenny on CL how do you handle higher ticket items (or do you list those)? Doesn’t PayPal take a couple of days to process? I ask bc I’m selling some studs and thinking of using CL.
Click to expand...

When selling, I state in my add it is cash only, in person, and wearing masks.

For a high value item, buying or selling, I bring a friend and will only meet in a high-traffic public location under a security camera.
 
winnietucker said:
I hate selling locally for this reason. I post a lot of things for free and I’ll get requests to deliver/ ship on my dime. Someone wanted me to ship them a 4x6 sheet of plywood. I get requests to deliver 20+ miles away...

I’ve started putting my expectations upfront (e.g. text me your pick up time, etc) and ignore everyone that disregards this It’s made it less aggravating but not by much.
Click to expand...

My ads state my many conditions, including no deliveries or shipping.
Any email request that departs from any condition does not even get answered.
Responding to such people can lead to a long and frustrating email trail. :knockout:

Honestly, I don't let annoying people bother me one bit.
It just comes with the CL territory.
For me, when compared to everu other online sales venue, CL's pros outweigh its cons in spades.

I accept that people vary, so some suck ... and this person only proceeds with transactions that go my way.
 
Last edited:
Dredging up this ol' thread....
News!
ON Sept 12, eBay will be raising its commission on jewelry up to 15%!
That's on sales up to $5k.....above $5k it's a flat 9%. So make sure to raise your prices to $5001.
Sad because it really used to be great place to trade....


www.ebay.com

Final value fee update in the Jewelry category | Seller Center

Authenticity Guarantee, our authentication service for luxury items on eBay, will soon cover high value Jewelry items in some Jewelry categories.
www.ebay.com www.ebay.com
 
In addition....starting in September, all jewelry items over $500 will be shipped to GIA to verify the item meets the description.....
So eBay sellers will no longer be able to ship directly to the buyer
The hits just keep on coming!!


Authenticity Guarantee for Jewelry | eBay.com

Sell fine jewelry with confidence.
pages.ebay.com
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top