posted on December 22, 2002 06:49:30 PM new
there is a ebay seller selling some expensive pawn and non pawn jewelry,one of them is a lot of emerald and opal appraised at 100k from a jeweler who lost the pawn.
the pictures are not great,and seller said he is too busy to come to the phone or answer any question,just one piece out of the lot will enable you to recoup the whole lot investment.
his buy it now price is like 7000 dollars,would you bid on the lot??
posted on December 22, 2002 07:11:25 PM new
The first thing you have to figure out are they real emeralds or are they lab created. If they are real what is the quality and cut and weight. Is the appraisal a real one that any insurance company will accept at face value? If he will not answer these questions DO NOT BID. There are alot of real stones out there that are junk and the lab created ones are not worth anything and just because it's appraised doesn't mean anything unless your insurance company will accept it.
posted on December 22, 2002 07:16:58 PM new
Your question tells me that my best advice to you is to stopwhining....and stop bidding, on any jewelry items of substantial values. Learn first that appraisals mean nothing. I can appraise a piece of jewelry for anything. What's important is true fair market value. A seller that does not come to the phone on aa Sunday is not an indication of anything. A potential bidder that expects a seller to answer the phone on a Sunday does mean something. For these dollars, don't bid based on appraisals. Learn yourself about what true value is, or find someone that you can trust to advise you. And you've been around long enough to know that fuzzy pics mean fuzzy biz.
posted on December 22, 2002 07:31:02 PM new
Anytime you, an experienced eBayer, have to come here to question something like this it should wave BIG red flags. Your instincts are right. There is something wrong here.
posted on December 23, 2002 05:39:22 AM new
If I was bidding on an item worth as much as this seller claims I would think he would bend over backwards to accommodate any questions a potential buyer may have.
Frankly if it were me and he couldn’t be bothered to come to the phone I’d forget about it and move on. Something isn’t right or the guy doesn’t care one way or the other if he sells or not and certainly shows he doesn’t care about customers. Anyone with that attitude is off my list for sure even if it wass a low dollar item never mind what the bid is at now…
posted on December 23, 2002 06:25:38 AM new
opening bid $1, BIN is $6500. NO RESERVE.
He's a PowerSeller with GREAT feedback (99.5% positive) ~ not a neg or neutral in the last 6 mos.
Why not pop him an e-mail & see if he responds?
Did you actually try to call / e-mail him or you are justwhining about what he says in the description?
HUGE OPAL & EMERALD LOT lost in pawnshop !, JUST THE WAY WE TOOK IT IN FOR LOAN. A JEWELER BORROWED ON THIS LOT AND HAS LOST IT IN DEFAULT. RETAIL VALUE APX. $100,000.00 THIS IS A GREAT LOT TO MOUNT AND SELL ITEM BY ITEM OR JUST FOR DISPLAY. INCLUDES BLACK AND WHITE OPALS AND EMERALDS. YOU CAN SELL ONE GEMSTONE IN HERE AND IT WILL COVER THE COST OF THE WHOLE LOT! GREAT FOR TRADING TOO! AGAIN, A LOCAL JEWELER HAS DE FAULTED ON THIS GEM LOT AND IT WILL BE SOLD TO THE HIHEST BIDDER. "CASHIERS CHECK OR BANKWIRE ONLY" NO PAYPAL!!! WE WILL NOT ANSWER SPECIFICS ON THESE GEMS, IT WOULD TAKE TOO MUCH TIME. REMEMBER: RETAIL $100,000.00 YOUR BID????
I AM A GRADUATE GEMOLOGIST SCHOOLED AT THE G.I.A. AS WELL AS A CURRENT MEMBER OF THE A.N.A. & N.A.J.A. SO BE ASSURED YOU ARE GETTING AN ACCURATE EVALUATION.
I'd bid a buck or two
(edit to add bid info)
[ edited by zoomin on Dec 23, 2002 06:31 AM ]
posted on December 23, 2002 07:14:40 AM new
This is a trick question right? For that kind of money I be taking a fast trip to look this over before I pay out a dime.
The seller should be more than happy to talk to you or anyone for whats at stake.
posted on December 23, 2002 07:47:23 AM new
There is a reserve on the auction. I know nothing about jewelry, but I didn't think the pictures were that bad. With the items in a case it's probably difficult to get a really good close up picture without a lot of glare.
posted on December 23, 2002 09:27:08 AM new
boy,some of you should work for the CIA.
yes,this is the seller and this item has just been relisted.
i emailed him and asked him-if they are brazilian or african or columbian emeralds(if columbian,what mines?),how many are there,how can he assure his bidder there wont be any switch-a-roo(i dont use that word,i just say how do we know what we are getting),if they are lab grown ,what about inclusions??
his email reply is that he is too busy.
then i placed a bid and retract it,saying i cannot contact the seller/
boy oh boy,i get an email from him and said why did i retract bid saying i cant contact the seller as his phone is listed on the item page.
he said he is pissed that people placed one dollar bid.
well,thats what he has -starting bid of one dollar.
anyway,we still do not know the most important questions-how many pieces are there,origin and condition.
one thing about emerald,columbian is the best,espeically if they come from the mines mined by the incas at one time,african is second and according to one geminologist,it is better to own no emerald than to own brazilian emerald.
anyway,thanks for your help.
i know other jewelry sellers who would be more than happy to come to the phone and go thru each piece in the lot .
[ edited by stopwhining on Dec 23, 2002 09:29 AM ]
posted on December 23, 2002 10:04:51 AM new
diamond may be a girl's best friend.
but ruby and emerald is what orgy and ecstasy is all about!!!
my dream is to wallow amid all the glitters of ruby and emerald and saphire,how about you??
tanzanite,jadeite jade,alexandria can join the party too.
posted on December 23, 2002 05:39:05 PM new
just one piece out of the lot will enable you to recoup the whole lot investment.
.
.
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I've checked the auction. This is obviously a seller who knows what he has and what it's worth. What makes you think that the seller will sell something for less than what it's fair market value is? I'm sure the seller has better outlets to sell at then you do as well. No bargains to be had here. You're lucky that the seller, who has loads of expensive listings, so this is no big deal for him, decided to watch a football game instead of sweet talking you. Out of pawn from a jeweler....come on....it's a lot of put together "stuff". The whole auction is smoke and mirrors, and in the end items undoubtedly with a FMV of around 2-4k. Sounds like you are just the kind of customer he's looking for. I'm surprised, with all the experience you have, you should know better.
[ edited by pointy on Dec 23, 2002 05:48 PM ]
posted on December 23, 2002 06:01:00 PM new
hey,you dont have to be so cynical.
i will take emerald and ruby anytime over diamond.
i think the pictures are bad,wonder why he does not buy a better camera,jewelry needs to be photo a special way-lots of light and an expensive camera.
anyway,i heard from him again,he is very busy and there is a long line all the way out of door at his shop,he will do something after xmas.
haev faith,all you bozos.
posted on December 23, 2002 07:44:52 PM new
I am not cynical. I am knowledgable. This is my field of expertise. I was trying to pass on some info in a friendly way and save you some money, but I guess I ran into a bozo....or maybe you're a troll...are you the seller in this auction just trying to drum up some business?
posted on December 23, 2002 08:09:58 PM new
i am not a troll,but i just cant believe this seller keeps coming up with excuses,he is too busy and there is a long line out the door??
anyway,thanks for the advice.
yes,when it comes to emerald and ruby ,i am a real bozo.
posted on December 23, 2002 09:23:20 PM new
You can't believe that a man who owns or works in a retail store(you can see this in his auction description) has long lines and is busy 2 days before Christmas??
>
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If you're insistent, don't rush.....I've seen this same kind of listing by this seller in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. You originally came here for advice and I'm advising you that you have plenty of time to investigate and decide if you're smarter than the seller. To me it's good marketing....it obviously works with some. P.T. Barnum was right.
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..I give up, but let's close this thread with a Happy and Healthy Holidays to all.
posted on December 24, 2002 03:10:25 AM new
You know if I had all those gems that have been appraised at $100,000 and have a BIN for 6500 and ebay taking their cut. Plus tooooo busy to answer some simple questions something is wrong with this picture!!
posted on December 24, 2002 07:14:06 AM new
he also does not take paypal,it must be wire tranfer,ach or money order or cashier check while his other auctions accept paypal.
you are right,how can you have a long line going out the door on 23rd of decemeber??
posted on December 24, 2002 09:18:41 AM new
I am not saying this is the case with this seller, and if a seller has a very expensive, unique item on auction, I do feel they should be available to a potential buyer via phone – BUT at the sellers convenience, not on demand by the potential buyer. Send a request via e-mail and give the seller your phone number – leave when they respond up to the seller.
BUT to expect a seller to answer the phone on a day they might consider “the Sabbath,” is a major intrusion. Most, whether Christian or Jew, do not keep “Sabbath,” (what ever day they consider that, Saturday or Sunday) according to Biblical standards, BUT some do, and to expect someone to violate the “Sabbath” to talk on the phone is to insult their devotion to God.
eBay provides a place on the ad page to e-mail the seller, and personally as a buyer or a seller, I much prefer an e-mail. THEN I know exactly what the buyer is asking, and when I respond, the buyer has written proof of what I have stated.
Occasionally, I’ll have a buyer write, ask a question, and ask if I will call them, and they leave a number. I have no problem with this, it leaves the choice of WHEN I call up to me, and if the item warrants it, I do call.
During this season, I received an e-mail from a woman who wanted a fairly high priced item, BUT wanted to speak to me personally. She continued by telling me exactly what time SHE would be available, and said she EXPECTED my call at this time. Immediately, I decided anyone who wanted to dictate, probably would be a problem in the future, and I didn’t need their business. IF they truly wanted the item, and wanted to speak to someone they could call our shop during business hours. Her demands were made on a Friday, Monday morning she called our ship with her credit card and order –
****
Regarding the specific seller you are referring to, personally, I would NEVER buy high end or that purported to be high end jewelry via the internet, particularly from a seller such as you describe. If I felt extremely comfortable, I might consider such ONLY if they accepted credit cards – definitely no other way. In using a CC you are covered from fraud – under the seller’s terms you are describing, you are at MAJOR risk.
Bottom line – you don’t get something for nothing....
Does any of his story sound plausable to you.