The pieces I sold if you followed were returned although they were nice for the price. The argument was although the pendant is solid 14K the chain turned to be 14K Gold Filled. I only sold Pendant and chain for $150. The return went smoothly and nothing bad on my record. I am hesitant to do jewelry again but have to try something different to my figurines.
Another little nugget for the gold hunters RE: markings
Not all gold jewelry is marked with a "K" stamp, you will also find gold marked .585 or .750
.585 = 14K .750 = 18K, don't remember seeing 10K marked this way but maybe
I think it's mostly European stuff that's marked this way, but a while back I had a trashed Tiffany triple hoop bracelet that was sold for scrap, just marked .585 & Tiffany so?
Be extra careful with Tiffany. -TONS of fakes out there, and some of them are really well-done. There are even ones that are actually made of solid sterling or gold, but the greater part of the "worth" is in the Tiffany brand mark, and that is what's fake on the piece. And telling the difference may require a paid expert.
Probably so. Specific monograms like people's names, dates, etc. definitely reduces value. The exception is when it's a really old piece and the engraving says something less personalized but personal and old-fashioned sweet, like "For My Darling" or something. -People love stuff like that. ðŸ˜
The thing about jewelry is it is easy for buyers to leave nasty feedback. I read one buyers nasty feedback about quality on an item that cost less than 30 bucks both pendant and chain.
The thing about jewelry is it is easy for buyers to leave nasty feedback. I read one buyers nasty feedback about quality on an item that cost less than 30 bucks both pendant and chain.
It's no easier for jewelry than any other item category. In fact, I've sold a wide variety of categories and honestly jewelry buyers seem to be the least likely to leave negs (or file returns for that matter!). I don't even have a theory about why. You would think it would be the kind of category that would draw more scrutiny and perfection expectations, but as long as the listing has nice sharp photos, close-ups of any flaws and also written description of flaws, you're pretty safe. -Same as if there's a chip or other flaw on a ceramic figurine; just make sure it's clear to the buyer before they buy.
Now that nasty one you read ..... without seeing it or the listing, I can only guess the reasons why, but none of them are about jewelry being a risky category. -Maybe the seller's listing didn't reveal flaws, maybe they made it sound higher quality than it really was. Maybe the buyer is the nasty type who routinely tries to get partial refunds from sellers, by using feedback extortion (that's what my 1 neg was about). But again, those buyers can exist in any category.
Put it this way, I have no reason to encourage you to go into jewelry; if anything I have reason to discourage it -after all, you would be another competitor to me! But I don't care, I would sing from the mountaintops for anyone to explore the category simply because I have found it so lucrative and joyful. It's so much fun to source, research, photograph, it's Fisher Price easy to pack and ship, takes up little storage space, and yes the buyer base really is the most darling I have encountered, among item categories.
That said, the one big risk is to sell without knowing what you have and what it's worth. Research is paramount. If you think a piece is worth more than collectors are really willing to pay, the listing will sit forever, and if you undervalue a piece, it will be bought immediately by someone taking advantage of your naivete.
-Do you remember that fur clip I posted in your first thread, the pot metal and rhinestone one with the big blue crystal, that sold for $2685? -I knew it was a highly desirable collector specimen, but I thought that amount was surely "too high" and I would just hope to gather some watchers, then gradually lower the price until someone finally bought it, maybe months later. But .... it sold 50 minutes after I listed it. So even that crazy price was too low. Still, biggest sale I ever made so I was happy!
Thanks for your comment as I take it positive. Just to mention that clip you got sold I thought it was the ugliest thing I ever saw. No hard feelings. But jewelry is like art. Glad you saw beauty and profit in it. I will continue my porcelains but add jewelry items. I was looking at a Tiffany bracelet at a great price but the problem is it is engraved with a date. Jewelry is interesting.
Thanks for your comment as I take it positive. Just to mention that clip you got sold I thought it was the ugliest thing I ever saw. No hard feelings.
Ha none taken. I'm really not even a jewelry person, almost never wear it, and the kinds I think are pretty aren't necessarily the ones worth money. I think yellow gold looks tacky and so does a whole list of styles and materials that are "hot" with collectors.
I kind of appreciated the fur clip, but not enough that I would want to own it. And I would never wear fur so I'd have no use for a fur clip anyway. 😆
@chapeau-noir Oh, I'm so sorry that happened to you! Hope you're feeling better. I didn't know what had happened, I just found it at her house, knew it was her wedding ring & yeah, part of it was sticking way up at an odd angle. I knew what it was, so I put it in the pile to take even though it didn't have a gold marking. Sis told me what had happened & it all clicked into place in my brain. I'm amazed she got it back home. Her purse was stolen somewhere along the line on her 'final' visit to the hospital. We neve rgot it back 😞 making some things more difficult in dealing with her passing.
I had no idea they could restore the ring, makes sense though, just melt it a little & solder with gold, I imagine. I once had my engagement ring stolen, the opposite of yours, a highly stylized custom made piece. I felt the same way, I wanted MY ring back. I really got lucky, the jeweler was still in business 30 years later, in the state we lived in when we got married. He still had the wax & he re-made it. Of course the gold cost more than the entire ring had 30 years ago. MUCH more! But it was insured & scheduled, so they remade it all at no cost to me. Problem is the stone is not the same. He had to replace the stone several times cuz he first sent it back with the right shape amethyst, but wrong cut, then the 2nd one was too light, each time having to mail it back & forth, 3rd time was the charm. No one else can tell the difference, but I can. Still I got lucky that he could make the setting exactly the same.
The mention of a ring having to be sawn off, thought I'd relate this as it just happened. I had to get my wedding ring cut off my finger the other day after I sprained the finger. It's 'white gold' - after they sawed through the ring they had to pull it open with two needle nosed pliers (no easy task) and finally they could get it off. They put it in a little pouch and said I could bring it back and they'd restore it for me. That's just my cheap little $100 ring (it's the one I wanted, nice and plain). So in about six weeks I'll bring my ring back for restoration - I didn't want another ring, even of the exact same type, I wanted that particular ring back.
So if anyone has that happen and they really want the ring back, do not despair, just see a good jeweller.
@gurlcat - True or not: if it’s magnetic, then it’s not gold?
I'm not gurlcat, but this is generally true. However, it's true for 'pure gold' & almost never is jewelry, especially in the US, made of "pure" gold. If your gold originated in the Middle East, Turkey, some parts of Europe & Africa, it may be pure (24K) gold, but you'll almost never even see 18K in the US.
US uses mainly 10K & 14K, which means the rest of the gold is an alloy of metals & *may* have some magnetism. It shouldn't be very magnetic though b/c their are only trace amounts of the other metals.
Basically the answer is it depends, but mostly true.
@gurlcat - True or not: if it’s magnetic, then it’s not gold?
True. BUT some pieces have gold-plated closure hardware instead of solid gold, because gold is soft and may not hold up to lots of 'action.' But the rest of the piece should definitely not be magnetic.
That's really only the coarsest test though. Most metals that get plated with gold aren't iron alloys; most are copper and zinc, and they pass the magnet test with flying colors.
A lot of people here commenting must have no jewelry and are focused on metal values. It is a shame ho w we have fallen that people look at their wedding rings and other jewelry for meltdown value.
A lot of people here commenting must have no jewelry and are focused on metal values. It is a shame ho w we have fallen that people look at their wedding rings and other jewelry for meltdown value.
I have jewellery (that I will never part with) but still understand looking at meltdown value. I actually did sell a wedding ring for melt value - from my first marriage ('sentimental value' did not enter the equation on that one). Although I am certain, similar to 'The Gift of the Magi' some people sell jewellery for melt due to a compelling reason.
I took my wedding ring to a pawn shop -this was way back before my eBay days, anyway it wasn't a knockout ring. Traded it for a nice jigsaw. Still have it!
A lot of people here commenting must have no jewelry and are focused on metal values. It is a shame ho w we have fallen that people look at their wedding rings and other jewelry for meltdown value.
@jdbelt1960 Congrats on the sales! But as Gurl said, of course they sold, you way underpriced them & they will be sold immediately after for much more to a gold dealer.
I don't see why it's a shame. My mom recently passed & she had literally thousands of pieces of QVC type jewelry. It's a family of 4 & the 2 'kids' didn't want any of it, totally not our style. Even though I'm an eBay seller, there was no way I had the time or energy to list thousands of pieces. So I checked every single piece 3-4 times for the markings & @gurlcat is right, they can be VERY hard to see, esp for old eyes. I had 2 helpers, my DH when he traveled there with me & their wonderful next door neighbor & I took 4 different batches to the gold sales place, easy, no fuss, honest, I was up on gold values, so I preferred to take it somewhere that it could all be done in 1 simple transaction. Even with both my helpers (all 3 of us with old eyes), it was a HUGE chore to check every piece & we tried all sorts of lights, I tried various phone cameras for magnifications (too much glare from the shine) & finally the neighbor brought over a sewing lamp that had a magnifier & light built in & was on a tall stand. It was the best tool we found! If you have a lot though, it's still a VERY tedious process. Every time I'd go back, I would recheck ones we already did & EVERY SINGLE TIME, I'd find ones that we missed on the first check - multiple ones.
Not all jewelry is art! In fact, most of it isn't! Most of the stuff you get at big box jewelry stores is junk, the stones are 'promotional quality', the 'designs' are just awful, my mom was addicted to QVC jewelry, worth a couple of hundred if you have a special in demand piece, worth $25-50 otherwise. Gold was at $3200-3500 an ounce. It was a no brainer. The jewelry was pretty worthless as actual jewelry. Her wedding ring was just a gold band & it had been cut off during one of the many surgeries, so no point in keeping that (btw, it wasn't marked at all but I knew it was gold & they tested & confirmed), her 'good jewelry' was still awful 70's cocktail rings with 'promotional quality' diamonds, all of it was worth much more to us as gold value. I didn't feel even a little bad in taking it in, nobody wants 'big box' ugly jewelry or at least we don't. I'm into custom made jewelry & my sis is into more antique stuff. Neither of us are ever gonna wear cheap QVC jewelry. In the thousands of pieces, I found a grand total of 1 that I kept for myself - most likely a Native American sterling piece with turquoise & a unique biwa pearl.
If you don't love it, it's okay to sell it! I've also done that with some of my own old gold & a hideous ring I inherited that had a ton of gold (that was a decade ago, wish I'd procrastinated), I'd rather just use the money to have my own custom piece made.
ETA: Just FYI, there were a few mismarked pieces, as well as umarked pieces that were gold. Some of the QVC stuff was mismarked, oddly, mostly the sterling pieces. Sterling wasn't worth dealing with though, I let the estate sale company sell all that, as well as the gold plated, etc.
I did not even put this piece on promotion due to I wanted to hold on to it a while. It is my second piece of jewelry sold within 5 minutes of listing. Go figure.
I did not even put this piece on promotion due to I wanted to hold on to it a while. It is my second piece of jewelry sold within 5 minutes of listing. Go figure.
@jdbelt1960@inhawaii Any solid gold priced near (or below) scrap value always sells that fast. -The hounds have push notifications set for it. I think the longest it took for me was 20 minutes, because I posted in the middle of the night.
Yall keep your eyes peeled. I'm not kidding, at this point every piddly grain of the stuff is instant REAL money. Not to get political but it all started with the first tariff announcements back earlier this year.
I did not even put this piece on promotion due to I wanted to hold on to it a while. It is my second piece of jewelry sold within 5 minutes of listing. Go figure.
@jdbelt1960@inhawaii Any solid gold priced near (or below) scrap value always sells that fast. -The hounds have push notifications set for it. I think the longest it took for me was 20 minutes, because I posted in the middle of the night.
But how is the broken search and ebay hiding listings not affecting this op? 😉
I did not even put this piece on promotion due to I wanted to hold on to it a while. It is my second piece of jewelry sold within 5 minutes of listing. Go figure.
@jdbelt1960@inhawaii Any solid gold priced near (or below) scrap value always sells that fast. -The hounds have push notifications set for it. I think the longest it took for me was 20 minutes, because I posted in the middle of the night.
But how is the broken search and ebay hiding listings not affecting this op? 😉
Well we are in a sad place as a country if we are buying art as for its metal value.
I don't disagree. But I don't think most gold jewelry gets melted even if it's sold as "scrap." Some really shredded broken pieces, sure. But anything that still has its shape and/or function, like these earring backs^ for instance ... are worth more as they are than as a puddle of shiny.
I'm not going to *strongly suggest you cancel those orders, but my heart is really breaking for you right now, because between those 2 necklaces you really could have made at least a thousand dollars, maybe $1500, maybe $2000 .... depending on their weights of course, and if you took a bit clearer photos.
But if you're happy with what you got, congratulations indeed!
And by the way, check eBay buyer ID to see if buyer(s) is listed as in the USA and not another country where it might go 'freight forward'...one buyer or two buyers?
Buyers look for new items every day made of gold...
Ooof, I see why. With how high gold has risen recently, I guarantee those necklaces were worth a lot more just in scrap value alone. If you have any more solid gold to sell, use this site 'goldcalc'. And you really should get a pocket digital scale with accuracy to at least 0.1 gram. -They're incredibly cheap; I got mine here for 5 bucks. That was several years ago, but the original battery is still good!
Pretend this is your pretty Nefertiti 14K necklace. 15.36 grams
Now if you plug that into the goldcalc site ..........................................
Here is the MELT value of your necklace. I would add at least $100 for beauty and style.
How would you advise me to best cash in on gold I've inherited?
1. Be certain it's real solid gold (no letters after the 'K' like 'EGP' or "RGP' etc.). Gold-filled (GF) actually has enough gold content to mess with and there's a calculator site for that too. Solid gold marks are often TINY and hidden in the goofiest places, so a loupe and bright light are needed to find them, with lots of turning and squinting. But if you have the mark, you're good. Fake gold marks are out there, but they're surprisingly rare and it's so easy to tell the piece isn't real just by the color, shine, weight, etc.
2. Like I said you need a precise weight, at least to a tenth of a gram. And you should include a photo of the piece on the scale so buyers can see you're not just guessing or whatever.
3. Use goldcalc, make sure you select the right purity level. -Now, from what I can tell, goldcalc just uses the spot price the morning of each day, doesn't rise and fall by the minute like real spot. That's usually not a big deal ..... except when it is, like after crazy 'BREAKING NEWS' ha. But note, the spot price is editable, so if you want you can check a live tracker like SDBullion. Here's the current real spot (left) and goldcalc's spot for today (right).
4. Shoot some pretty pictures. Price according to how fast you want to sell! That's it!
I see the Authenticity Guarantee doesn't cover items shipped by EIS. Have you ever had an issue with that?
Also, would you advise ever getting at least an informal jewelry store appraisal before listing, just to have a baseline sense of what you're working with?
I can't remember what the price trigger is for AG with jewelry but I haven't sold a gold piece big enough for it, LOL. I don't think any of my buyers were outside the U.S. either. Sorry I can't help with that.
As for appraisal, depends on what you mean by "informal." If you mean "free" that aint happening unless you know the people or do a lot of buying there. If you have a piece with nothing similar to find online for a comp, then yeah you might want to call a couple places and ask how much an appraisal would be. The only professional appraisal I've had was for an antique white gold bracelet with stones (too many variables for my little head) but it was a 'package' deal with a minor repair and a fresh flash of rhodium. -$150, not bad!!
jdbelt1960
OP1 year agoThe pieces I sold if you followed were returned although they were nice for the price. The argument was although the pendant is solid 14K the chain turned to be 14K Gold Filled. I only sold Pendant and chain for $150. The return went smoothly and nothing bad on my record. I am hesitant to do jewelry again but have to try something different to my figurines.
harborauction
·1 year agoAnother little nugget for the gold hunters RE: markings
Not all gold jewelry is marked with a "K" stamp, you will also find gold marked .585 or .750
.585 = 14K .750 = 18K, don't remember seeing 10K marked this way but maybe
I think it's mostly European stuff that's marked this way, but a while back I had a trashed Tiffany triple hoop bracelet that was sold for scrap, just marked .585 & Tiffany so?
jdbelt1960
OP1 year agoJust reading up on a Tiffany bracelet and they are marked .585 or .925.
gurlcat
·1 year agoBe extra careful with Tiffany. -TONS of fakes out there, and some of them are really well-done. There are even ones that are actually made of solid sterling or gold, but the greater part of the "worth" is in the Tiffany brand mark, and that is what's fake on the piece. And telling the difference may require a paid expert.
jdbelt1960
OP1 year agoI am thinking it is selling for so cheap because of the engraving and date on it. It could only be sold to someone who is significant withe date.
gurlcat
·1 year agoProbably so. Specific monograms like people's names, dates, etc. definitely reduces value. The exception is when it's a really old piece and the engraving says something less personalized but personal and old-fashioned sweet, like "For My Darling" or something. -People love stuff like that. ðŸ˜
jdbelt1960
OP1 year agoThe thing about jewelry is it is easy for buyers to leave nasty feedback. I read one buyers nasty feedback about quality on an item that cost less than 30 bucks both pendant and chain.
gurlcat
·1 year agoIt's no easier for jewelry than any other item category. In fact, I've sold a wide variety of categories and honestly jewelry buyers seem to be the least likely to leave negs (or file returns for that matter!). I don't even have a theory about why. You would think it would be the kind of category that would draw more scrutiny and perfection expectations, but as long as the listing has nice sharp photos, close-ups of any flaws and also written description of flaws, you're pretty safe. -Same as if there's a chip or other flaw on a ceramic figurine; just make sure it's clear to the buyer before they buy.
Now that nasty one you read ..... without seeing it or the listing, I can only guess the reasons why, but none of them are about jewelry being a risky category. -Maybe the seller's listing didn't reveal flaws, maybe they made it sound higher quality than it really was. Maybe the buyer is the nasty type who routinely tries to get partial refunds from sellers, by using feedback extortion (that's what my 1 neg was about). But again, those buyers can exist in any category.
Put it this way, I have no reason to encourage you to go into jewelry; if anything I have reason to discourage it -after all, you would be another competitor to me! But I don't care, I would sing from the mountaintops for anyone to explore the category simply because I have found it so lucrative and joyful. It's so much fun to source, research, photograph, it's Fisher Price easy to pack and ship, takes up little storage space, and yes the buyer base really is the most darling I have encountered, among item categories.
That said, the one big risk is to sell without knowing what you have and what it's worth. Research is paramount. If you think a piece is worth more than collectors are really willing to pay, the listing will sit forever, and if you undervalue a piece, it will be bought immediately by someone taking advantage of your naivete.
-Do you remember that fur clip I posted in your first thread, the pot metal and rhinestone one with the big blue crystal, that sold for $2685? -I knew it was a highly desirable collector specimen, but I thought that amount was surely "too high" and I would just hope to gather some watchers, then gradually lower the price until someone finally bought it, maybe months later. But .... it sold 50 minutes after I listed it. So even that crazy price was too low. Still, biggest sale I ever made so I was happy!
jdbelt1960
OP1 year agoThanks for your comment as I take it positive. Just to mention that clip you got sold I thought it was the ugliest thing I ever saw. No hard feelings. But jewelry is like art. Glad you saw beauty and profit in it. I will continue my porcelains but add jewelry items. I was looking at a Tiffany bracelet at a great price but the problem is it is engraved with a date. Jewelry is interesting.
gurlcat
·1 year agoHa none taken. I'm really not even a jewelry person, almost never wear it, and the kinds I think are pretty aren't necessarily the ones worth money. I think yellow gold looks tacky and so does a whole list of styles and materials that are "hot" with collectors.
I kind of appreciated the fur clip, but not enough that I would want to own it. And I would never wear fur so I'd have no use for a fur clip anyway. 😆
simply-the-best-for-you
·1 year ago@chapeau-noir Oh, I'm so sorry that happened to you! Hope you're feeling better. I didn't know what had happened, I just found it at her house, knew it was her wedding ring & yeah, part of it was sticking way up at an odd angle. I knew what it was, so I put it in the pile to take even though it didn't have a gold marking. Sis told me what had happened & it all clicked into place in my brain. I'm amazed she got it back home. Her purse was stolen somewhere along the line on her 'final' visit to the hospital. We neve rgot it back 😞 making some things more difficult in dealing with her passing.
I had no idea they could restore the ring, makes sense though, just melt it a little & solder with gold, I imagine. I once had my engagement ring stolen, the opposite of yours, a highly stylized custom made piece. I felt the same way, I wanted MY ring back. I really got lucky, the jeweler was still in business 30 years later, in the state we lived in when we got married. He still had the wax & he re-made it. Of course the gold cost more than the entire ring had 30 years ago. MUCH more! But it was insured & scheduled, so they remade it all at no cost to me. Problem is the stone is not the same. He had to replace the stone several times cuz he first sent it back with the right shape amethyst, but wrong cut, then the 2nd one was too light, each time having to mail it back & forth, 3rd time was the charm. No one else can tell the difference, but I can. Still I got lucky that he could make the setting exactly the same.
chapeau-noir
·1 year agoThe mention of a ring having to be sawn off, thought I'd relate this as it just happened. I had to get my wedding ring cut off my finger the other day after I sprained the finger. It's 'white gold' - after they sawed through the ring they had to pull it open with two needle nosed pliers (no easy task) and finally they could get it off. They put it in a little pouch and said I could bring it back and they'd restore it for me. That's just my cheap little $100 ring (it's the one I wanted, nice and plain). So in about six weeks I'll bring my ring back for restoration - I didn't want another ring, even of the exact same type, I wanted that particular ring back.
So if anyone has that happen and they really want the ring back, do not despair, just see a good jeweller.
 
nyr134
·1 year ago@gurlcat - True or not: if it’s magnetic, then it’s not gold?
simply-the-best-for-you
·1 year agoI'm not gurlcat, but this is generally true. However, it's true for 'pure gold' & almost never is jewelry, especially in the US, made of "pure" gold. If your gold originated in the Middle East, Turkey, some parts of Europe & Africa, it may be pure (24K) gold, but you'll almost never even see 18K in the US.
US uses mainly 10K & 14K, which means the rest of the gold is an alloy of metals & *may* have some magnetism. It shouldn't be very magnetic though b/c their are only trace amounts of the other metals.
Basically the answer is it depends, but mostly true.
toomuchstuffagain35
·1 year agoYou get 18K gold in Australia quite a bit as well, usually rings.
gurlcat
·1 year agoTrue. BUT some pieces have gold-plated closure hardware instead of solid gold, because gold is soft and may not hold up to lots of 'action.' But the rest of the piece should definitely not be magnetic.
That's really only the coarsest test though. Most metals that get plated with gold aren't iron alloys; most are copper and zinc, and they pass the magnet test with flying colors.
adamcartwright
·1 year ago@jdbelt1960
I took @gurlcat response as a caution to all of us to know the value of our jewelry before posting it here, to make sure we get the best price.
jdbelt1960
OP1 year agoA lot of people here commenting must have no jewelry and are focused on metal values. It is a shame ho w we have fallen that people look at their wedding rings and other jewelry for meltdown value.
chapeau-noir
·1 year agoI have jewellery (that I will never part with) but still understand looking at meltdown value. I actually did sell a wedding ring for melt value - from my first marriage ('sentimental value' did not enter the equation on that one). Although I am certain, similar to 'The Gift of the Magi' some people sell jewellery for melt due to a compelling reason.
gurlcat
·1 year agoI took my wedding ring to a pawn shop -this was way back before my eBay days, anyway it wasn't a knockout ring. Traded it for a nice jigsaw. Still have it!
simply-the-best-for-you
·1 year ago@jdbelt1960 Congrats on the sales! But as Gurl said, of course they sold, you way underpriced them & they will be sold immediately after for much more to a gold dealer.
I don't see why it's a shame. My mom recently passed & she had literally thousands of pieces of QVC type jewelry. It's a family of 4 & the 2 'kids' didn't want any of it, totally not our style. Even though I'm an eBay seller, there was no way I had the time or energy to list thousands of pieces. So I checked every single piece 3-4 times for the markings & @gurlcat is right, they can be VERY hard to see, esp for old eyes. I had 2 helpers, my DH when he traveled there with me & their wonderful next door neighbor & I took 4 different batches to the gold sales place, easy, no fuss, honest, I was up on gold values, so I preferred to take it somewhere that it could all be done in 1 simple transaction. Even with both my helpers (all 3 of us with old eyes), it was a HUGE chore to check every piece & we tried all sorts of lights, I tried various phone cameras for magnifications (too much glare from the shine) & finally the neighbor brought over a sewing lamp that had a magnifier & light built in & was on a tall stand. It was the best tool we found! If you have a lot though, it's still a VERY tedious process. Every time I'd go back, I would recheck ones we already did & EVERY SINGLE TIME, I'd find ones that we missed on the first check - multiple ones.
Not all jewelry is art! In fact, most of it isn't! Most of the stuff you get at big box jewelry stores is junk, the stones are 'promotional quality', the 'designs' are just awful, my mom was addicted to QVC jewelry, worth a couple of hundred if you have a special in demand piece, worth $25-50 otherwise. Gold was at $3200-3500 an ounce. It was a no brainer. The jewelry was pretty worthless as actual jewelry. Her wedding ring was just a gold band & it had been cut off during one of the many surgeries, so no point in keeping that (btw, it wasn't marked at all but I knew it was gold & they tested & confirmed), her 'good jewelry' was still awful 70's cocktail rings with 'promotional quality' diamonds, all of it was worth much more to us as gold value. I didn't feel even a little bad in taking it in, nobody wants 'big box' ugly jewelry or at least we don't. I'm into custom made jewelry & my sis is into more antique stuff. Neither of us are ever gonna wear cheap QVC jewelry. In the thousands of pieces, I found a grand total of 1 that I kept for myself - most likely a Native American sterling piece with turquoise & a unique biwa pearl.
If you don't love it, it's okay to sell it! I've also done that with some of my own old gold & a hideous ring I inherited that had a ton of gold (that was a decade ago, wish I'd procrastinated), I'd rather just use the money to have my own custom piece made.
ETA: Just FYI, there were a few mismarked pieces, as well as umarked pieces that were gold. Some of the QVC stuff was mismarked, oddly, mostly the sterling pieces. Sterling wasn't worth dealing with though, I let the estate sale company sell all that, as well as the gold plated, etc.
chapeau-noir
·1 year ago@gurlcat I appreciate the short tutorial on gold! I have some gold (?) to sell and it's good to have some professional guidance.
gurlcat
·1 year agoIt's sooooo easy. And then you think about how badly you'd get ripped off at a pawn shop. 😞
mommaknows
·1 year agoCongratulations! Go @jdbelt1960 Go!!!!
johnrj1226
·1 year agoSome day you are a diamond - some days not just a lump of coal (aka a diamond in the ruff)
hartungcards
·1 year agoIf you're lucky, you'll get your payout on the day that eBay is supposed to send it to you.
catjewels9876
·1 year agoWay to go!
inhawaii
·1 year agoHow were customers able to find and buy your jewelry?
I heard the search isn't working and ebay is blocking sales.
I can't figure it out? But i'm happy for you. 😉
jdbelt1960
OP1 year agoI did not even put this piece on promotion due to I wanted to hold on to it a while. It is my second piece of jewelry sold within 5 minutes of listing. Go figure.
gurlcat
·1 year ago@jdbelt1960 @inhawaii Any solid gold priced near (or below) scrap value always sells that fast. -The hounds have push notifications set for it. I think the longest it took for me was 20 minutes, because I posted in the middle of the night.
Yall keep your eyes peeled. I'm not kidding, at this point every piddly grain of the stuff is instant REAL money. Not to get political but it all started with the first tariff announcements back earlier this year.
inhawaii
·1 year agoBut how is the broken search and ebay hiding listings not affecting this op? 😉
gurlcat
·1 year ago🎆🎆
jdbelt1960
OP1 year agoWell we are in a sad place as a country if we are buying art as for its metal value.
hartungcards
·1 year agoArt has been recycled for its utilitarian value since the Roman Empire.
gurlcat
·1 year agoI don't disagree. But I don't think most gold jewelry gets melted even if it's sold as "scrap." Some really shredded broken pieces, sure. But anything that still has its shape and/or function, like these earring backs^ for instance ... are worth more as they are than as a puddle of shiny.
chapeau-noir
·1 year agoIt's an ancient trade to melt down old pieces and recycle them into new pieces, like thousands of years old.
cottagehillvanilla
·1 year agoCongratsðŸ‘, always good to hear a good positive post!!
gurlcat
·1 year agoI'm not going to *strongly suggest you cancel those orders, but my heart is really breaking for you right now, because between those 2 necklaces you really could have made at least a thousand dollars, maybe $1500, maybe $2000 .... depending on their weights of course, and if you took a bit clearer photos.
But if you're happy with what you got, congratulations indeed!
jdbelt1960
OP1 year agoWell I set my prices on what I pay for the item and yes I probably need to raise prices a bit.
12345jamesstamps
·1 year agoListen to this person who sells this stuff.
And by the way, check eBay buyer ID to see if buyer(s) is listed as in the USA and not another country where it might go 'freight forward'...one buyer or two buyers?
Buyers look for new items every day made of gold...
bonjourami
·1 year agoThats great, you've had some good sales, many congrats!!
gurlcat
·1 year agoOoof, I see why. With how high gold has risen recently, I guarantee those necklaces were worth a lot more just in scrap value alone. If you have any more solid gold to sell, use this site 'goldcalc'. And you really should get a pocket digital scale with accuracy to at least 0.1 gram. -They're incredibly cheap; I got mine here for 5 bucks. That was several years ago, but the original battery is still good!
Pretend this is your pretty Nefertiti 14K necklace. 15.36 grams
Now if you plug that into the goldcalc site ..........................................
Here is the MELT value of your necklace. I would add at least $100 for beauty and style.
adamcartwright
·1 year ago@gurlcat
I really appreciate that Goldcalc tip.
How would you advise me to best cash in on gold I've inherited?
gurlcat
·1 year ago1. Be certain it's real solid gold (no letters after the 'K' like 'EGP' or "RGP' etc.). Gold-filled (GF) actually has enough gold content to mess with and there's a calculator site for that too. Solid gold marks are often TINY and hidden in the goofiest places, so a loupe and bright light are needed to find them, with lots of turning and squinting. But if you have the mark, you're good. Fake gold marks are out there, but they're surprisingly rare and it's so easy to tell the piece isn't real just by the color, shine, weight, etc.
2. Like I said you need a precise weight, at least to a tenth of a gram. And you should include a photo of the piece on the scale so buyers can see you're not just guessing or whatever.
3. Use goldcalc, make sure you select the right purity level. -Now, from what I can tell, goldcalc just uses the spot price the morning of each day, doesn't rise and fall by the minute like real spot. That's usually not a big deal ..... except when it is, like after crazy 'BREAKING NEWS' ha. But note, the spot price is editable, so if you want you can check a live tracker like SDBullion.
Here's the current real spot (left) and goldcalc's spot for today (right).
4. Shoot some pretty pictures. Price according to how fast you want to sell! That's it!
adamcartwright
·1 year ago@gurlcat
So helpful -- thanks.
I see the Authenticity Guarantee doesn't cover items shipped by EIS. Have you ever had an issue with that?
Also, would you advise ever getting at least an informal jewelry store appraisal before listing, just to have a baseline sense of what you're working with?
gurlcat
·1 year agoI can't remember what the price trigger is for AG with jewelry but I haven't sold a gold piece big enough for it, LOL. I don't think any of my buyers were outside the U.S. either. Sorry I can't help with that.
As for appraisal, depends on what you mean by "informal." If you mean "free" that aint happening unless you know the people or do a lot of buying there. If you have a piece with nothing similar to find online for a comp, then yeah you might want to call a couple places and ask how much an appraisal would be. The only professional appraisal I've had was for an antique white gold bracelet with stones (too many variables for my little head) but it was a 'package' deal with a minor repair and a fresh flash of rhodium. -$150, not bad!!
inhawaii
·1 year agoCongrats!!!