Locked
Discussion interactions are currently paused.
Now mandatory fine jewelry over $500. Need authentication. Me! My jewelry. No. I don’t think so!
Received eBay email just now. Mandatory…
Not sending my fine jewelry over $500. Out for authentication.
Been selling here since May 1998.
No problems ever back 25 years with my sold fine jewelry items.
People read my 25 years past feedback…
Thats what it was for in the history of eBay.
Too many flaky things occurring with this eBay authentication.
ok Ebay you just shot your self in the foot.
I’ll no longer sell fine jewelry here over $500.
Too bad for all those people not buying my gorgeous wholesale diamond engagement and wedding band rings, cocktail rings, etc., etc., etc.
40 comments
kh-vince
·1 year agoHi everyone,
Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.
Thank you for understanding.
estatebuyers-us
·1 year agoLet me give you some FACTS
I have asked at least 5 times with the authenticity people a question that was always answered the same. Here is the question.
If I send in a 14k solid gold ring and it comes back "not authentic." And I call them and say, "Well let me ask you this, If authenticity calls it a washing machine, is it a 14k ring or is it a washing machine? They always say it is a washing machine. Just a note: sometimes I say airplane or other objects. In other words, authenticity is never wrong. I keep SR Numbers to back up all my conversations.
I have two Ebay sites. Also been on since 1998.
4mahpe4
·2 years agoAgree. I bought 2k item stones/gold tested by seller. I know what is legit and can check myself or with jeweler if needed. It was sent to authenticator. Arrived with large stone unset getting scratched by the sharp metal in the rest of the piece and it took longer to receive. Now I have to get it repaired. Very unhappy. Who is doing these authentications? Also I bought a diamond solitaire Bvlgari necklace on the real real that supposedly was authenticated and while the diamond pendant was real , the chain was fake. This seems unnecessary as if customer is ignorant.
vikas-700
·3 years ago@jewelbiz I understand where you are coming from but ebay has gotten this measure for the safety of the consumers as there are a lot of counterfeit products online that value way less than what they are sold for. A lot of consumers have been cheated by businesses and this measure can prove to be very helpful when it comes to them.
idealgems1
·3 years agoBased on my conversation in the authentication department, any of my buy it now listings priced at $499.99 would not qualify.
My main concern with GIA is about authenticating something like authentic Tiffany or really, really good knockoff. I've never known this to be their area of expertise. I would have no concerns about them identifying or grading any gemstone. For anyone with these kinds of concerns, poke around www.gia.edu a little bit. Especially look at news, research, and their publication Gems & Gemology (which I subscribed to for many years). Their scientific discussions will quickly test the limits of understanding for most of us!
deosil111
·3 years agoI don’t blame you. I’d be very afraid of any eBay authentication process. It marks the end of fine jewelry sales on eBay by any honest seller
vintagecraze50
·3 years agoI have noted that jewelry sellers that are actual jewelry stores seem to be exempt from this process.
an-57470
·3 years agoI can tell you for a fact their authentication process is not trustworthy. I sold a pair of Tiffany earrings I had personally bought from a Tiffany store. I have the original receipt. I am the sole owner. Their authentication process rejected them as “unable to confirm authentic†and they are shipping them back to me. Seriously, am I now to assume that Tiffany sells counterfeit versions of their jewelry in their stores? As I write this I am basically waiting for the same thing to happen with a second pair of earrings. If they were trained Authenticators they would know to look at the posts with 10x magnification to see the T&Co Au 750 mark. There aren’t any other marks on the earrings. I can see how someone who didn’t know any better might miss that. But they are supposed to be “expertsâ€. I doubt if they actually even looked at the earrings in detail.
Beyond frustrating for me and my buyer. I don’t know what to do to clear this up. Filing an appeal only triggered a robo rejection standing by their original assessment.
idealgems1
·3 years agoAs an FYI to people who aren't familiar with GIA, a little background information might be helpful. GIA is the world's foremost educational institution within the jewelry industry. They have educated thousands of gemologists like me. My experience with them as an educator has been fantastic and I can wholeheartedly recommend their programs for anyone serious about becoming a true professional in the field.
They also are the world's standard with their gemological labs. A GIA certificate is almost a requirement in the sale of any important diamond. They are considered the final word when it comes to a diamond's grade.
I can say that the things people should NOT worry about have to do with GIA somehow not being prepared on how to handle or ship expensive gems and jewelry. I have personally sent them diamonds valued at over $50,000 wholesale...and these were NOT at all unusual for them. They routinely grade gems valued at six or seven figures and beyond.
idealgems1
·3 years agoOh, also no authentications on amethysts evidently...
frommichel
·3 years agoHello. Pretty much all I sell here are rare natural loose gemstones. I think there are 2 main reasons for the gem types that eBay's authenticators won't test. First, some gems have fakes that are so good that it is almost impossible to identify them with a simple test or two. For example, some gems that look like turquoise and are actually dyed howlite. Differentiation is difficult b/c turquoise and howlite are the same gem except for the metal ions in turquoise - you would have to cut the gem open. Second, identifying some super rare gems (i.e. color change petalite, sphalerite, sphene, hackmanite, scapolite and so many more) requires experiential familiarity with them for identification and, while GIA labs will test for these gems, it is not their specialty.
Not sure how I feel about the new policy. Sort-of a good news/bad news situation. Enacting a rule or policy that negatively affects the honest, in an effort to deal with thieves and cheats, treats all of us as perpetual thieves and cheats no matter how long we have been honest with spotless records (no one likes the teacher who punishes the whole class b/c of one student's misbehavior). I think an answer is for eBay to be more absolute in restricting sellers with lower feedback ratings. If you look through the loose gemstone categories, most of them have seller after seller with low 90's feedbacks (or worse) where they are repeatedly called out as frauds. They have hundreds or thousands of listings of all price ranges, showing no restrictions. If sellers like this across all categories and all countries were more carefully monitored (could be done electronically) then I think that we would see a huge improvement with no substantial cost to eBay and no added onerousness to honest sellers. What to y'all think?
ckimodog
·3 years ago@frommichel
Lovely gems and shop. Like I stated a few days ago, lets see if Ebay will make an effort to employ the proper people for the authentication process. Given what we've all seen here in the past with other authentication categories it's a coin toss. The only thing is can say that would be a positive as it would call out all the fakes out there that allege their stones are natural, especially in the fine jewelry category.
idealgems1
·3 years agoI got the notification that mine would start also. I am hoping that this will help in sales of more expensive items and I am not particularly worried about it since I am a Graduate Gemologist that did all of my training through GIA. The anecdotes about things like sales rejected because of things like ring size after they changed it AT THE BUYER'S REQUEST does give me a little pause, though.
As of now sales of items over $500 is very slow. The other weird thing is that not every gem is covered. Diamonds, rubies, emeralds, blue sapphires, spinels, tourmalines; all going to be authenticated. Blue zircons, padparadscha sapphires, demantoid garnets, opals, mandarin garnets; nope. One garnet ring covered and one spinel ring not covered for some reason. Kind of hit or miss on some of the non-mainstream gems.
Out of 55 listings over $500 buy it now price, 44 covered and 11 not covered. You'd think an opal and diamond ring with an asking price of nearly $1,500 would be something they'd want to authenticate...go figure.
jewelbiz
OP3 years agoPlus I was so happy when I discovered that my 3 diamond mountings/settings go into a category of not needing authentication. It is kinda quirky.
Plus apparently local pick up jewels do not need authentication & items in lots don’t need authentication either!
ckimodog
·3 years ago@jewelbiz
My jewelry doesn't qualify as the most of my items are under about $80 and I use semi precious gemstones. I took gemology courses in college, so I have a little knowledge as to what certain gemstones are supposed to display, etc. Fun class too!
jewelbiz
OP3 years agoYou have wonderful very wearable jewelry! Fun stuff too!
niftyfindsinphoenix
·3 years agoIt's going to be interesting to say the least for jewelry. For authenticity it will be GIA which is not a huge deal if a representative is an expert on his/her field. However, I'm concern of shipping for an expensive jewelry.
jewelbiz
OP3 years agoGee! Over my 25 years here, I sold an awful lot of very big ticket diamond and precious fine jewelry over the many years which will be a loss to me financially not doing it on eBay anymore. I ended 100+ sales this morning with watchers & views etc. but with no sales & some of the items were definitely over the $500. Jewelry Price point. I intended to relist all again tomorrow or the next day but I definitely don’t intend to now ship any of my fine costly items to authentication places after reading the awful things that happened with others sellers of sneakers & handbags; things getting switched or lost, damaged or stolen.
I’m now an under $500. eBay jewelry Seller and will let other be fine jewelry authentication Guinea pigs.
Gotta change my 25 years EBay biz where the big ticket lovely jewelry sold here.
I guess my potential buyers did read the decades of positive feedback which is how it used to be, how we did our jewelry business & why they trusted me back then up to recently with no outside authentication.
vintagecraze50
·3 years agoYou and many other were doing very well because you were an honest and then trusted seller. But many who do this are not so because of them your business will be not what it used to be. I am so sorry for that loss. Perhaps one day you may feel confident in EBay’s new authentication process. I wish you the best.
valueaddedresource
·3 years agoIt looks like eBay has just expanded the existing authentication program for jewelry to more brands and categories, so yes this will now be mandatory for items that meet the new eligibility criteria.
Old version:
Authenticity Guarantee is available for select branded and unbranded jewelry, in new or preowned condition, listed under Fine Jewelry, Engagement & Wedding Jewelry, Vintage & Antique Jewelry, and Men’s Jewelry categories, and sold for USD $500 or more. Auction items are also included in the service if the eligible item sells above $500.
Brands eligible for Authenticity Guarantee are Tiffany & Co., Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, David Yurman, and Roberto Coin. Unbranded jewelry is defined as jewelry with no attributable designer, brand, or logo.
New version:
Authenticity Guarantee is available for select unbranded and branded jewelry, in new or preowned condition, and sold for $500 USD or more. Auction items are also included in the service if the eligible item sells above $500.
All jewelry categories have eligible items except for Loose Beads, Loose Diamonds & Gemstones, Jewelry Care, Design & Repair, Jewelry Mixed Lots, Watches, Parts & Accessories.
Eligible brands are Cartier, Chanel, Chopard, David Yurman, Hearts On Fire, John Hardy, Judith Ripka, Le Vian, Pomellato, Roberto Coin, Tacori, Tiffany & Co., and Van Cleef & Arpels.
joseh1445
·3 years agoI have 1 watch that I was going to list in the range of $600 - $800 here. I am going to have to list it on ebay, under $500 or will list on another place for $600 - $800. I have been reading about the sneakers authenticating issues... I don't need the drama.
maidenru_40
·3 years agoThere’s just no reason to add an extra step. It just adds room for more mistakes to be made. eBay has honestly been really sketchy …
ckimodog
·3 years ago@jewelbiz
I can see the reason for concern, especially reading about the other authenticating services that Ebay offers and the nightmare problems many people were experiencing. Just from what I've read here over the years would make me cautious about putting any item of great value in the hands of someone who may or may not know what they're doing. Also the possibilities of fraud and chargebacks? No thank you.
12345jamesstamps
·3 years agoNot sure how this works with jewelry on auctions under $500. Should be interesting to see how they can control auctions. What if I have a jewelry piece that is listed for .99 and that goes for $1000.+ as final bid.
dbfolks166mt
·3 years agoNot sure how this works with jewelry on auctions under $500. Should be interesting to see how they can control auctions. What if I have a jewelry piece that is listed for .99 and that goes for $1000.+ as final bid.
According to the policy if it is on auction and it "sells" for more than $500 it will go through the authenticity process.
"listed at $500 or more, or sold in an auction for $500 or more"
Also still applies to BIN items listed at over $500 but an offer was accepted that was under $500.
jewelbiz
OP3 years agoPlus I was wondering if an item is priced at $495. Under the $500. Threshold but eBay then adds the postal fee & tax & possible promotion fee too that will bring the final price way over $500.
Even an item priced at $450. Could see final price with all fees become more than $500.
What happens then? Does it too go to authentication?
dbfolks166mt
·3 years agoPlus I was wondering if an item is priced at $495. Under the $500. Threshold but eBay then adds the postal fee & tax & possible promotion fee too that will bring the final price way over $500.
Even an item priced at $450. Could see final price with all fees become more than $500.
What happens then? Does it too go to authentication?
That one I don't have an answer for and the policy is not real clear.
chapeau-noir
·3 years agoEverybody else selling jewellery is paying for this, too.
vintagecraze50
·3 years agoOh yes, I forgot about that the FVF went up for each seller selling this kind of stuff.
stevemartin60
·3 years agoSo sorry. Welcome to "the new and improved eBay.. " Upvote given...
A qnew rule making things more difficult for sellers, daily. (and some have the nerve to say eBay hasn't changed any rules or moved the targets....lol.)
vintagecraze50
·3 years agoIt not a difficult issue per say. It is a trust issue for some folks. For people who sell extremely high end stuff say over a grand, i think it is becoming almost necessary to not be out there and scammed by a buyer. But no solution is 100 percent fool (scam) proof. If you are a seller willing to take the calculated risk and can do that online it’s better than hoofin it alone.
krazzykats
·3 years agoI think it's a way to reduce fakes and counterfeiting online.
vintagecraze50
·3 years agoYes that is the other side of the coin seller and buyer confidence.
anjofak
·3 years agoBy saying 500 they mean 50..like the Nike they say 250 but actually it's anything over 60...annoying
vintagecraze50
·3 years agoI only had three items in that range and just lowered the prices. I might actually sell them now.
vintagecraze50
·3 years agoGoodness. I just went to check my listings that are 500 or above and they are being advertised as going to the authenticator. I have to call ebay and make sure what is going on and then lower the prices as soon as possible. Thanks for heads up.
vintagecraze50
·3 years agoActually it could be a very good thing to do with those high priced items but when I look at the one’s in my category they are priced to the high heavens and they are not selling too good. I guess I could give that a shot too but put mine well below theirs as long as I am not charged extra extra for this. But I do get your point of mailing out a very expensive item to someone else. It kinda scares me as well.
toomuchstuffagain35
·3 years agoAs it should, especially given the reports about issues with the 'authenticators' for other items.
vintagecraze50
·3 years agoI am not certain this is mandatory. We got one of these messages as well. It says that if you participate you cannot retract that if you choose to participate. Not 100 percent sure.
dbfolks166mt
·3 years agoI am not certain this is mandatory. We got one of these messages as well. It says that if you participate you cannot retract that if you choose to participate. Not 100 percent sure.
According to the policy it is not optional.
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/selling-tools/ebay-authenticity-guarantee?id=4644
"If your item is eligible for eBay Authenticity Guarantee, it will be automatically added to the program, free of charge. There is no opt in or opt out option."