Are you looking to purchase some jewelry online?
Buying jewelry online is a great idea. After all, what’s better than doing some shopping from the comfort of your own bed?
However, even though buying jewelry online is super convenient, you need to be careful. Because you can’t try things on or see them up close, you need to take other steps to make sure what you’re buying is the real deal.
So, what do you need to do?
Check out this guide to learn the important steps to take when buying jewelry online.
1. Look at the Site’s Reputation
First things first, you need to look at the reputation of the website you’re buying from.
Not only should you read reviews for the product, but you should also read reviews for the site itself.
Also, make sure that the site has property security. Retail sites are supposed to have SSL certificates. These certificates help protect the data that you provide them. In addition to certification, the checkout process should be secure and the site should be open about how and when they’ll use your information.
If anything about the site feels off or you can’t find positive information about the brand anywhere online, then you should shop somewhere else.
2. Must-Haves
Once you’ve verified the site, there are a few must-haves that you should check for before you buy. These include:
- A return policy
- Images
- Condition and authentication
Return Policy
The website should clearly state what their return policy is for their jewelry. You should never buy from a website that doesn’t have a guaranteed return policy.
Simply put, if a seller doesn’t offer a return policy, then that’s a sign that they don’t believe in their product and that you should shop elsewhere.
Images
The more photos the online seller provides of their jewelry, the better.
Because you’re not able to handle the actual item, you need to be provided with photos that show the piece from every angle. Notable details such as artist signatures, maker’s marks, or special designs should all be highlighted.
Also, if the jewelry has any imperfections, there should be close-up photos of these as well.
Condition and Authentication
A written description should accompany the photos in order to further elaborate on the condition of the piece of jewelry.
The seller should provide you with the following information:
- Measurements
- Gemstones
- Independent grading reports: This will tell you whether the gemstone you are buying is a natural stone and if there have been any treatments done to alter the clarity or the color
- Provenance/history: Knowing information about the provenance/history can help boost the resale value
Also, if you’re buying a diamond, you want to buy one that’s been graded by the GIA (Gemological Institute of America). This is a world-renowned non-profit that issues laboratory reports on the quality and clarity of diamonds and other gemstones.
Basically, the more information the seller provides about the piece of jewelry, the better.
3. Price
Of course, price is a huge factor when buying a piece of jewelry online.
In general, you should be able to find better prices when buying jewelry online than when buying it in a store. This is because online stores don’t come with the same maintenance costs as brick and mortar jewelry stores do, and therefore, online prices should be lower.
When buying jewelry online, it’s very important to do some comparative shopping. However, make sure you’re looking at the same thing from site to site. When comparing two items, you’ll want to make sure they have the same type of gold or setting material, the same carat gems, and the overall same quality.
Also, don’t just go for the cheapest piece you find. Remember, a quality greatly affects the price of an item, and the more expensive option may actually be the best deal.
4. Too Good to Be True Probably Is
The old adage of “if it’s too good to be true, it probably is” holds especially true in the world of online jewelry.
If you know the average cost of a 14K silver ring with a 0.25-carat diamond and you find it online for half the price, there’s probably something wrong.
At best, the quality is incredibly low, and at worst, you’re dealing with an outright scammer. Unfortunately, there have been cases where jewelry sites have appeared and then disappeared overnight, leaving people with no recourse for an exchange or return.
So, be savvy when shopping online and don’t let yourself fall for a piece of jewelry that seems too good to be true.
5. Read the Fine Print
When buying from an online jewelry store, you need to read the fine print.
Even if a site has guarantees and comes with great return and exchange policies, there are often things in the fine print that you’re missing.
For example, if you have a piece of jewelry engraved, you may not be able to return it. Or, if you need an item resized, you may only find out by reading the fine print that it takes weeks or longer to do so through the online company.
By reading the fine print, you’ll be able to find out all the extra information you need to about buying a specific piece of jewelry.
Buying Jewelry Online: Are You Ready to Find the Perfect Piece?
As you can see, there’s a lot that you need to keep in mind when buying jewelry online.
However, don’t let all of this dissuade you from purchasing online. As we said earlier, you can often find better prices when buying online.
Plus, buying jewelry online is super convenient. And, when you shop online, it’s much easier to conduct price and quality comparisons.
If you liked this blog post, be sure to check out our blog for more online shopping tips and tricks.
