Buying Jewelry on eBay

Online auction websites can be a great source for affordable jewelry, as long as you keep in mind the following:

• Not all sellers are jewelers, so they may not know if the stone they're calling "amethyst" is genuine or synthetic.
• Some sellers may flat-out lie.

Usually, if a seller lies, he won't last long on the website. Most auction websites have buyer protection plans in place against such behavior. However, sellers who do not know are usually making a genuine effort to be accurate in their descriptions.

When you're looking at jewelry on online auction websites, you can get some impressive bargains. The main question to ask yourself, after keeping in mind the above information, is whether you like the piece for the price at which it is being offered. Decide how much you are willing to spend for it, and do not bid higher than that amount. It's easy to get carried away by the excitement and bid higher than you originally planned, so watch out for such temptation.

When buying precious gemstones online, especially diamonds, professional jewelry sellers will list a photo of the laboratory certificate that endorses the stone(s). These sellers instill confidence in the buyer. Another thing to look at is the seller's feedback. If he has less than 90 percent positive, or less than 10 total, you may want to reconsider buying from him.

Perhaps most importantly, the seller should permit returns. If you end up receiving something you're not happy with or that is not what was described, you should be able to receive a refund without a hassle. Paying through an online payment processing site such as PayPal or paying with a credit card will also afford some protection against an unsatisfactory purchase. If you pay with a money order, however, you may have an uphill battle on your hands.

Be careful when you input your search information. For instance, if you search for "14k gold diamond ring," but do not specify "fine jewelry," you will also receive search results from the "fashion jewelry" section. Some sellers from other countries may list such an item at an unbelievably low price. Be very careful with such "bargains," particularly if they are listed under "fashion jewelry." The item may not be the deal you were expecting.

Watch out for the way an item is described in the title, as well. You may see the words "14k real gold" and miss that it's actually electroplated or gold-filled instead of solid gold.

As with anything, if you're careful and do your research ahead of time, you should have few problems finding beautiful pieces to add to your collection at a price you can afford.