What do you guys think gold jewelry buyers on eBay do with the gold?
I'm a little bit suspicious of these people - they always seem to buy by the weight and not the design of the item in question. I have a number of 10k to 24k gold/silver items from estate sales and they seem to always go for the ugly high karat items?
It's as though nobody else buys golden items? It's also quite obnoxious when they go as far as to ask about the exact ounce weight of the item in question.
××™×–×” סוג של ברבריות זו?
14 comments
kensgiftshop
·1 year agoi don't sell gold, but as long as I get the price I want, I could care less what the buyers do with an item.
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 year agoMany pieces of beautiful jewelry never bring more than meltdown value unless they are offered for sale in a suitable upscale selling venue.
That does not mean they are melted down. The option of breaking even by selling for meltdown justifies the risks of changes in fashion.
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
·1 year ago@tobaccocardyahoo
"Many pieces of beautiful jewelry never bring more than meltdown value unless they are offered for sale in a suitable upscale selling venue."
Precisely.
And the same is true for many artworks, antiques, etc....the venue, the presentation, the reputation of the seller, all play a part.
Years ago I read a fascinating book about a piece of antique furniture and its journey from initial purchase by a picker through its sale at, if I recall correctly, one of the upscale auction houses. Of course, the "value" it had on its first step was far below the ultimate selling price. Wish I could remember the book's name....
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 year agoI know my place on the food chain. It is slightly higher than plankton.
trip98
·1 year agoYears ago I read a fascinating book about a piece of antique furniture and its journey from initial purchase by a picker through its sale at, if I recall correctly, one of the upscale auction houses. Of course, the "value" it had on its first step was far below the ultimate selling price. Wish I could remember the book's name....
It is common conception that the final highest sold price, to the final buyer of an antique, goes through a least three "pre-sellers" or market levels. Could be the original item sells at estate sale, garage sale or from a place where things are donated to a picker, picker sells through a stepped-up venue like a flea market, FB etc, to another dealer that sells it from another market level-up, maybe auction house, high-end venue. The great thing about EBay is it can be used for any market level.
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
·1 year ago@trip98 Yes, I've talked about that pecking order for years, so the book wasn't a revelation to me....but it was fascinating all the same.
biggymoe
·1 year agoIf I had gold to sell, someone bought it, and paid my asking price, I couldn't care less about what they do with it. Why would I? I don't understand the concern.
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
·1 year ago@biggymoe I can't answer for the OP, but my guess is it offends her sense of aesthetics to see a lovely piece of jewelry melted down for the gold. The triumph of Commerce over Art can be a difficult pill for some to swallow.
biggymoe
·1 year agoYeah OK. To each his own.
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
·1 year ago@biggymoe Yep. Many sellers won't care even a little. Others will. To each his own is correct. Me, I'm with you: I'm happy to get my money, and I'll lose no sleep over the ultimate fate of the piece.
richard1rst
·1 year agoAnd then there are the occasional stories of someone who buys a painting at a garage sale only to discover it is a valuable work by a Master. Hope they didn't buy it just for the frame with the intent of throwing the picture away. OUCH.
simba6
·1 year agoIt's also quite obnoxious when they go as far as to ask about the exact ounce weight of the item in question.
Sounds like they are buying it for bullion. Gold is an investment after all.
redmodelt
·1 year agoWhat kind of barbarism is this?‎
The kind that says they can do whatever they want with it after it is bought and paid for! 🙂
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
·1 year ago@iamcara "Suspicious"? Why?
I would assume they are buying simply for the value of the gold. Many people consider gold a good investment. I have a friend who buys old gold rimmed plates, glasses, etc and he removes the gold and saves it. He has no interest in the items themselves, just in the gold he can extract. Some people buy sterling silver flatware to use or because they collect it, others buy it for its melt value. Same thing.
If you want to ensure that you are selling gold jewelry to a jewelry collector rather than someone who is going to melt it (and thus destroy the jewelry piece itself, you probably should make sure your price is considerably higher than the melt value. If it is less, you are probably selling to a melter. If it the same, you may also be selling to a melter. And if it is more, well, it depends on whether the investor figures its worth the extra because he is convinced the price of gold will increase.
As long as the buyers are paying and not trying to defraud you in anyway, I see no reason to be suspicious.