Do People Still Waste Their Time Buying Pearls Of All Things On eBay ???

[Pearlsintime]

Just an question, I cant bring myself to even go on eBay anymore...way too must nonsense and BS...

 

[Mikeyy]

Yes and no and maybe.

 

[pattye]

Yep, but carefully chosen.

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

 

[waimeamomi]

Iʻm addicted to Druzy Designs. I love to look, and I like to bid, and sometimes I even get to buy. I also just took a chance on an eBay strand, and did not score the big one. I did a lot of research before I bought, and thought it might be worth a shot based on that research. I also read the return info carefully, and paid with Paypal and my credit card, so I believe I will get my money back. I hope.

 

[KAC]

I buy brand name things like boat parts but some people do find some good jewelry finds - then again many people get ripped off too.

I also read the return info carefully, and paid with Paypal and my credit card, so I believe I will get my money back. I hope.

Solid advice

 

[pearlkrazy]

I sure do, but generally only from sellers I've heard good word of mouth about. I recently bought a beautiful rosewood & keshi CFWP bangle from Kojima Pearl on eBay.

When buying from a seller for the first time it's a gamble, so I never spend more than I'm willing to risk losing. So far I've mostly been very pleased with only a couple of ok buys & none that were completely disappointing.

 

[Heidi]

I sure do, but generally only from sellers I've heard good word of mouth about. I recently bought a beautiful rosewood & keshi CFWP bangle from Kojima Pearl on eBay.

When buying from a seller for the first time it's a gamble, so I never spend more than I'm willing to risk losing. So far I've mostly been very pleased with only a couple of ok buys & none that were completely disappointing.

Ah ha! YOU got that bracelet! I thought it was really nice and interesting.

Good advice to all to carefully research the seller and only use paypal/credit card for paying, not a wire service. I actually found Pearl-Guide when researching my first purchase from Druzy Designs.

 

[pattye]

There is another one of those adorable keishi and rosewood bangles listed on Kojimapearl website, or at least was. Sure wish I could get those kinds of bangles over my knuckles. Heidi, that is how I found P-G also, but by then it was no longer my first purchase from Carolyn!

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

 

[Pearlsintime]

Thanks for the input... I hope all stays safe for everyone

 

[laurenb]

I love Druzy Designs too. Before I found this site, I bought a gorgeous strand from pearlstatus for a very reasonable price. Not certain how thick the nacre is (it might be a little thicker than an akoya could produce ) but her feedback at pearlstatus and pirlgirl4000 is perfect.

A strand very much like this is keeping my neck warm for an upcoming freshadama purchase.

The feedback got me past the red flags the auction text raises. Whatever the age or salt concentration of their origins, I'm delighted with them.

I've been on eBay since 1998. It has always been a perilous treasure hunty place, where price is determined by desire as opposed to market value. At least most people have photos of some sort now-- it used to look much like craigslist, no pics on many listings, huge "general" category, misspellings everywhere.

 

[Sueki]

I buy on ebay regularly.
There are thousands of good, honest sellers there, some of whom are on here, too.
Of course there are bad sellers too; but I do believe that the good outnumber the bad.

 

[Drucilla]

Newbie Question/Ebay

Newbie Question/Ebay

I've been reading under another newbie's strand, and trying to learn also. I love the city strand, especially the double that Sueki has. Gorgeous together. However that's out of my price range right now.

Is a stellara reputation on Ebay enough to trust??

I'm also considering the 18" Freshadama vs. the 18" Presidential Pearls from P of J. I know it's 2 different co's, and probably apples to oranges, but do they buy from the same place? Are the pearls about the same quality? Thanks!

 

[pearlkrazy]

Ah ha! YOU got that bracelet! I thought it was really nice and interesting.

I am the lucky owner I was drawn to the combo of wood & pearls, but I was surprised by just how gorgeous the freshwater keshis are. The overtone & orient on them are just amazing. I would love to have a choker of them!

 

[Heidi]

I am the lucky owner I was drawn to the combo of wood & pearls, but I was surprised by just how gorgeous the freshwater keshis are. The overtone & orient on them are just amazing. I would love to have a choker of them!

Those freshwaters look beautiful. I did spy the other bracelet on her site (Thanks Pattye!!) but am paranoid about the size...if it were a slick material like jade I could lotion-up and get it on but 2.25" is just small enough I may be stuck with it on my arm, assuming it got that far.

 

[pattye]

Hi Drucilla,

Welcome, you have come to a great place to learn about pearls! I don't know anything about stellara on ebay, although I do buy some on ebay. I would say the vendors you mentioned probably don't buy from the same place, but both have high quality standards, and I think you will get a wonderful value from any of the vendors who are members here. It is important however, if you have questions about colors, lengths, overtones, and such, do give them a call so they can customize your purchase. Even if it is a small purchase, they all give wonderful customer service because they love pearls and want you to love the pearls you purchase from them!! And they all have liberal return policies, just in case you are not pleased. Ebay has a few good pearl vendors, some of whom post here, but overall when it comes to pearls, it is very risky. Do let us know what you decide, post some photos, we all love that!

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

 

[Drucilla]

Thanks, Pattye, this place is great for learning, but it still takes a while, doesn't it.

(the "stellara" was a typo for stellar reputation--someone had said they checked the ebay seller's rep, and got good feedback, but I'm not so sure about the ebay sales. It looks like the "too good to be true" deal, and I know too little)

 

[Cathybear]

It can go either way. I bought a very pretty lilac keshi cfwp necklace from My Ebuy (Chinese seller) and I've found their goods to be as good as their photos, a necklace and loose keshi's from Pearllunar.. lovely lustre and surfaces but smaller than they sounded. I bought from another seller and what came was rubbish, nothing like the beautiful photo they had. I now buy loose pearls as I'm getting ones better than any I'd bought strung, and make my own. I don't even feel tempted any more

 

[J Marcus]

I buy on ebay regularly.
There are thousands of good, honest sellers there, some of whom are on here, too.
Of course there are bad sellers too; but I do believe that the good outnumber the bad.

Ooo-o-h-h-h Sueki--Tell you what: just do an eBay search with the key words "natural pearl" and see what comes up. Then let us see you make that same statement with a straight face!

I too have been using eBay for many years and I almost always do well with it. However, I have some very strict guidelines concerning these auctions. First--Believe nothing up front. Then: If I have even a 5% suspicion that something is wrong I don't bother with it; Do your homework!! I can't stress this enough! Check out the seller's feedback, educate yourself about the item you're buying, and ask all important questions--assume nothing; I never buy if it would hurt to have "blown" the money unless I have excellant knowledge and experience with the seller; read the text carefully for what it actually says, not what you'd like to read and learn to read "between the lines"; Look very, very carefully at the photo's (you don't buy without seeing good photos do you?) If they don't show what you need to see you can assume there's a reason for that; Never buy in haste!! I almost never bid on something that is going off auction in a day or less; If it's not such a great bargain that it will be a very good buy even if it's not what it's supposed to be then it's not worth the risk; Figure out what the item is worth to you versus the risk you're taking and stick with that number! Don't be afraid to lose the bidding. One can always find a deal for their cars here. Improve your outdoor skills with pro tools. If you can't do that, then you're better off not buying on eBay or resign yourself to occasional (or perhaps more often?) buyers remorse.

The doubts expressed by Pearlsintime are another good example of the reason that I think that eBay might even increase sales and profits if they did a better job of policing their site. I think these fears are far more widespread than most imagine and keep great numbers of potential customers from buying on eBay--especially with more pricey items. They just don't feel safe about it.

Marc
http://www.flyrodjewelry.com/home.html

 

[pearlescence]

eBay is just like any other auction - real or virtual. The buyer must beware. There are two categories of lots in any auction - must haves, for which you just put your hand up and leave it there, and the maybe, would be nices, for which you have a price and stick to it.
And I have bought property at auction - scariest thing I have ever done with my clothes on.....<wink>

 

[callire]

Everyone else has mentioned good points, but it's imperative that you understand the way Paypal and filing claims works. I buy almost everything on eBay (designer clothes, DVDs, sunglasses, school supplies, and yes, sometimes pearls). Since eBay changed its policies regarding feedback, auctions have never been safer for buyers and more dangerous for sellers. Paypal almost always sides with buyers (claims for misrepresented items, delivery issues, etc). In fact, about 90-95% of auctions that I see for pearls (since most are located internationally) would be an easy claim-win for buyers. Buy pearls, wait for the extremely slow shipping, file an "item not received" claim, and with no tracking (even with tracking- doesn't recognize some carriers and don't get me started on DC), seller has no proof, buyer's win, and full refund plus item. With no negative feedback option for buyers, buyers can easily defraud pearl sellers. eBay also started this nifty little thing of giving out coupons to "random" accounts (although I highly suspect they use them to try and entice buyers who have filed disputes to re-buy), they're even rewarding this sort of behavior.

Bottom line: know how paypal works, and you've got eBay and Paypal on your side for almost any purchase. Most sellers either don't know this stuff or simply don't take measures to protect themselves.

On another note, I've been very happy with druzydesigns.