I feel like i should reach out to any ebayers that may want to buy gemstones online. I have bought a ton of stones from all over the place so i have gotten my fair share of rip-offs! There are several tips that i want to give any of you lovely ebayers that are taking the time to read this! If you do decide to spend your hard earned money, you want to make sure it is something that will make you gasp when you open the package right? Okay, well here are the tips that i have; from one ebayer to the next!

1. Feedback is obviously a window into how the person really does business, if you have time, take a look and read what others have to say about the products these people sell. If you see mediocre comments like, "thanks" or "okay", you might want to keep looking further into feedback.

2. DSR's are pretty good indicators as well: Item as described, Communication, Shipping time, and Shipping and handling charges are the four categories in which a seller can be judged by buyers. DSR's or detailed seller ratings are the ratings that buyers give when they leave feedback. It is anonymous but gives another numerical way to rate a seller. 5 stars is the max.

3. Shipping and handling with gemstones will almost kill you at times, READ THE FINE PRINT! If there is no fine print, then before you bid, ask the seller! You can buy numerous items from the seller and they can charge you a ton! The most I have paid is around $50! It's absolutely ridiculous! If sellers tell you it's to cover costs blah blah blah, it's a crock of you know what! Sellers should figure that into the price! It doesn't take $20 to send $2 worth of S&H!

4. Obviously the descriptions of the items is significant! When it comes to gemstones, WATCH CARAT WEIGHT AND MILIMETER SIZES! Pictures can definitely be misleading but take into consideration that most are magnified or generic!

5. It's cheesy but it's true, the buyer should be treated with utmost respect. If a seller seems to be talking down to you or nonchalant, boycott their products! I have! I am a loyal customer, but if you can't personalize feedback or make me feel like i am your best customer then eventually i will find someone who cares!

6. Pictures!!!!!! If you are getting a generic picture for each auction, be very VERY wary! If the seller is only selling one thing, take a look at other previous feedbacks and view the item descriptions! It's hard to tell if inclusions or chips are present but if you tie all of the above tips together, you should be able to determine if they will come completely as you expected or the opposite.

7. Carat weight per dollar is like square feet per dollar! Very important! Pictures always look humongous but stones may be tiny in real life, so pay attention!

I have no intentions but to help people find a good deal on gemstones. These are tips that most buyers already know but my goal is more to reiterate!

Thanks, Linda.