The best HIDDEN SECRETS Everyone Should Know When Buying Gems and Crystals On Ebay for 2008!

Hidden secret #1) POINT OF REFERENCE:

 Well it is not exactly a secret....but how you do it DEFINATELY is! Everyone has a favorite gem; some look for color, clarity, hue, or saturation. Others go for shape, cut, cabachon, or faceted. Some like freeforms or intaglios or cameos. Others like inclusions or purity. Many are looking for the right stone or object d' art for jewelry and /or design. It all depends on what you want or need. Many are looking to find gems from specific new locations around the Globe to add to a collection. Most everyone wants beautiful striking examples or rarity that will rival a specimen gem found in a Museum or Private Collection. Fact is you can build a world class private collection if you know how to do it online. When purchasing or bidding on a gem on Ebay you have the convenience of seeing a variety larger in scope & volume then most anywhere else on earth. Everyone and anyone is vying for your attention. Whose listing do you look at? By following my secrets I will teach you how to expedite the gem buying process, every time. Doesn't matter if it is a diamond, emerald, ruby, sapphire, opal, pearl, or garnet. As far as I'm concerned, even semi-precious gems are precious. Rare stones are just as important !  It does not take long to develop a stellar point of reference by watching auctions in order to determine just how different, rare, or sought-after a gem really is. So my advice is: do your research. Look before you leap. Do not bid/buy the first thing you see.Wait until you study the gestone market for a brief period of time. Have patience.

Hidden Secret #2):WHERE TO LOOK

 EBAY PULSE is a great way to see what the buyers are watching. It gives you a gauge of what is available in the gem marketplace that the herd is looking at. Look to see what catagory ebay pulse gemstones are listed in and go to that catagory to continue your search. If you see it once and miss out on the bidding, logic tells you a similar gemstone will appear again. However.... one of the best kept secrets when trying to find that gem you want is to simply peruse the NEWLY LISTED category. I stay away from the herd. Why follow everyone else from listing to listing? Get away from the herd.... that is where the real gemstone finds are! I look for the unsusal & sublime. That rare gem at a reasonable price. Most gems are cut from pockets where, however small the discovery, there is an amount of crystal material. Money should not be the first factor when looking for a gem. The gemstone catagories of grading are: Mine Run...

Hidden Secret #3): GRADING CREAM OF THE CROP

Commercial, AAA, and GEM. Always look to the finest of gems. It guarantees you quality and rarity at the same time. The very best investment for money spent. You get what you pay for. The top 10 percent is the cream of the crop. Why settle for less? Even if you have a budget, consider the entire gamut of auctions & Stores available to you in Ebay listings. Keep looking !

Hidden secret # 4.) WHO IS THE SELLER?

 Always pay attention to the photographs. If the gem looks funky, it usually is. Try to find auctions that show good photography as you scan for potential buys. However, not everyone who sells gemstones has access to new expensive digital cameras or has the perfect pics. Read descriptions carefully. Often, a perfect gem can be missed even though it is not offered by a big seller or someone who has a Store. Some of the best gems are often mined, collected, cut, & polished by individuals who are doing this for love, not just money. Email questions; ask and you shall receive. The best gem to aquire may come from the best seller response! 

Hidden secret #5.) FEEDBACK IS A FACTOR:

 Carefully examine the feedback score. It can give you clues as to the temperament of the Store or seller. Are there a lot of negatives? If so, why? Was it a problem when a buyer got into a discrepancy with a Seller that proved too stubborn, idealistic, or critical? Or was it the other way around? Remember we are all human, everyone makes mistakes. Look for policies or instructions in listings that makes it a level playing field for everyone. A Win-Win situation for All is the best Ebay experiance! I find the more compassionate and understanding the participants, the more fun and rewarding the gem finding. 

Hidden Secret #6.) AVAILABILITY:

 When do you look for certain types of gems? What time of year? In what Ebay catagory? There are so many listings. Many gems that come to market are based on the time of mining and factoring when & where it occurs. Many gems do not become available until after they are cut. It may take a year or more for them to reach the market after their discovery..... unless it is an isolated individual find. New gems are always being discovered. Prices rise when a gem find is exhausted and demand is greater than availability. These factors are determined by location or continent where found, shipping, and Gem shows. Large shows like Munich Germany, Tucson Arizona, or Denver Colorado, and Hong Kong is often the first time new gem discoveries see the light of day! Looking on ebay can be a challange. Jewelry and Watches are definately not the only place to look. Rocks, Fossils and Minerals category is another great place to look; with all of its sub-categories. Leave no category unsearched. All gemstones are cut from Crystals. Look there as well. It is one of the many catagory listing names in which to look for spectacular gems.

 Hidden Secret #7.) WHATS HOT?

There was a Hot Catagories Report list for Gems, Fossils & Minerals as well as the Loose Gemstones catagory in Jewelry & Watches. It was generated in a downloadable PDF format from ebay that was disabled in early February 2008. A shame it is no longer available! It was the easiest way to determine what had been driving the gemstone market. Why this list was removed is unknown? Perhaps people were not utilizing it. Here you would find who has been dumping what on the market. Supply does not always meet demand. The hottest items are those that there are the least of. Higher demand than availability. This is good & bad. Ebay Sellers would watch this list & follow suit making items available if they have that particular type gem in inventory. So sometime after an item reaches the hot list....good deals are sure to follow if you are a Buyer....have patience.....keep looking. If you are a Seller..... the whats hot list can be the Kiss of Death. Whatever you happen to be selling is about to have a lot of competition....if that Gem is available. The best way to determine What is Hot now, is to access the Terapeak window search that appears when you do a buying search. Type in the item you are looking for and it will give you an idea of the current pricing parameters. View the results with a grain of salt. When looking for particular gemstones, type in for the name of your favorite Gem. See what dollar amount the Terapeak search displays.

This guide started in October 2005. As the years go by I will be adding gem buying secrets to this list. Hopefully you have learned something new. My intention is to expand the guide to specific gems based on your needs. If you have any questions come visit my Ebay Store. I have more useful information and buying tidbits available at SEDONASTONE on the about ME page. There are a few of these guides written under different titles and catagories. If they seem redundant, they are.......I just wish to cover all bases. Any more Questions? ASK. Please check the box below if you find this guide helpful.