This is an ebay guide to selling unmounted gemstones which if followed can minimize problems with buyers. The purchase of gemstones is a very personal matter and what is a priceless gem to one individual may be imperfect and unsatisfactory to another. I have found the sale of gemstones on ebay to be the most difficult type of sale as this particular type of purchase by buyers can be a very emotional and personal one.

I have sold imperfect gemstones which were honestly listed on ebay as imperfect for which the buyer raved about the magnificent quality of the stone! I have sold perfect flawless rare gemstones on ebay for which the buyer complained it wasn’t what they had in mind or they expected it to be something different or it wasn’t the exact color they were looking for!

There are several ways in which to sell gemstones to minimize buyer dissatisfaction:

(1) It is best to obtain written jeweler appraisals by qualified jewelers to accompany the gemstone so that this eliminates the buyer’s complaint to you personally as representing the gemstone to be other than it is. If a jeweler clearly defines the stone’s clarity, size, color and quality, this should be included in the listing to inform the potential buyers properly.

(2) It is important in selling gemstones to obtain excellent real photographs of the actual gemstone and not use generic photograph types because the buyer cannot see in these what the stone really looks like. A fine quality digital camera will do a very good job in this type of photography. Photographing gemstones is a very delicate and difficult task because of the way in which stones reflect or absorb light. A flash rarely works due to reflection. But good photos eliminate a lot of post-sale trouble.

(3) In selling gemstones, it is very important that all terms of sale, payment, delivery and return are clearly stated. If this is not done, due to people’s emotional feelings about gemstones, you may have more trouble than you could imagine. If no return is permitted under any conditions, that should be very explicit so there can be no misunderstanding. If someone is purchasing an expensive gemstone for their spouse and they do not like it, they are going to want to get a refund unless you make it clear this is not possible. The time you spend on clearly communicating your wishes in this regard will worth it for the time you will not have to spend on troubleshooting after the sale.

(4) It is recommended that gemstones be sent by some quality shipment method whereby the buyer must sign for it. The claim of not having “received” the expensive gemstone will be eliminated by this process.

This would be the guideline I would suggest for someone selling gemstones, especially expensive gemstones, which will make the sale a more positive experience than it might be if these steps were skipped. Good luck in selling your gemstones!