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Ina Steiner is co-founder and Editor of EcommerceBytes and has been reporting on ecommerce since 1999. She's a widely cited authority on marketplace selling and is author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). Her blog was featured in the book, "Blogging Heroes" (Wiley 2008). She is a member of the Online News Association (Sep 2005 - present) and Investigative Reporters and Editors (Mar 2006 - present). Follow her on Twitter at @ecommercebytes and send news tips to ina@ecommercebytes.com. See disclosure at EcommerceBytes.com/disclosure/.
The Jewelry industry is well known to fraudulently misrepresenting jewelry to buyers. It is a sad fact. Then add ebay to the mix, and buyers can expect to get jewelry that is not what is represented by the seller most of the time. Even experienced jewelers get tricked.
My wife has been involved in jewelry for many years. Over the years I have learned some of the fraudulent tricks of the business. My wife has refused to sell jewelry on ebay because she only buys high-quality jewelry. Next to cheap jewelry, it looks like she is overcharging. And, this results in no sales on ebay.
I totally agree with ebay’s position that natural diamonds and synthetic diamonds need to be clearly represented. There is a huge difference in price between the two categories of diamonds. Using “Lab Grown” would probably be the most understandable term to buyers.
But, ebay should not stop there. They should also force sellers to state if the diamond is a GIA diamond or not. If it is a GIA diamond the certificate should be in the images. They should also be required to state the cut, color, and clarity. If the diamond has any etched in the rim, that should also be stated. Like the GIA information. Serial numbers etched in the rim can result in a recovery if it is stolen.
As for stones, real stones do not melt under heat. Pretty easy to figure that out.
Ebay should not stop at forcing sellers to properly represent diamonds. That should also extend to gold, silver, platinum, and other metals. The seller should also state important information on gold pieces. For example, the carat (10 ct, 14 ct, 18 ct, etc). They should also state the stamp on the piece. Italian gold is almost always properly represented. When Italian piece states that it is 18 ct, you can be sure that it is actually 18 ct. Many others like to cheat. They should also state the weight of the piece in troy ounces. If the item is SOLID gold then it should be stated. Many gold pieces are just gold plated over steel. A magnet can quickly tell you that.
Ebay should also give buyers a guide to how to buy jewelry. They should not put the entire burden on sellers.
Personally, I don’t think that buyers or sellers should be conducting high-price transactions on ebay. Ebay’s resolution process is highly flawed. Now that many of the resolutions are now being done in India, I would be very hesitant in selling or buying high-priced jewelry on ebay.