HEADS-UP "NEW" gemstone listing guidelines

[flipping_treasures]

Just received this in my email.  Thought I would pass it on.

Dear flipping_treasures,

Starting May 25, 2022, we’re making changes to our Jewelry policy. Our updated listing guidelines will create a more consistent and reliable experience for Jewelry buyers, help them find the items they’re looking for quickly and easily, improve conversion, and reduce issues resulting from unclear or inaccurate item descriptions.
 
New Jewelry listing guidelines effective May 25, 2022

• Fine Jewelry. To list your item in the Fine Jewelry category, the Base Metal must be made from fine materials and the Main Stone must be a fine, natural stone. Secondary stones can include either fine or fashion materials.
  • Simulated gemstones are considered fashion jewelry.  We will move items with simulated main stones from fine jewelry into fashion jewelry in October
• Diamonds. If you list a stone that is not an actual diamond, the term “diamond” cannot be included in the listing. You should instead describe your item using the actual material, such as moissanite, cubic zirconia, glass, etc.
• Treated gemstones. If you list a natural stone that has been treated (e.g., dyed to enhance the color), you must state that the gemstone is “treated” in your listing title. You may not describe the stone as “enhanced.”
• Lab-created gemstones. If you list a lab-created stone, you must clearly state that the stone is “lab-created” in your listing title, and not “man-made,” “lab-grown,” or other similar terms. “Lab-created” must immediately precede the stone name in your title (e.g., “lab-created diamond”).

Note: Starting May 25, 2022, active listings that do not comply with the new guidelines may be ended. Those Items will appear into your unsold folder and will need to be relisted to align with updated policy guidelines.

You can help buyers find the items they’re looking for and make sure they receive orders that match your item description by listing them clearly and correctly. Learn more about Fine and Fashion Jewelry best selling practices.

As always, thank you for selling on eBay.

The eBay Selling Team

[donsdetour]

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@flipping_treasures wrote:

Just received this in my email.  Thought I would pass it on.

Dear flipping_treasures,

Starting May 25, 2022, we’re making changes to our Jewelry policy. Our updated listing guidelines will create a more consistent and reliable experience for Jewelry buyers, help them find the items they’re looking for quickly and easily, improve conversion, and reduce issues resulting from unclear or inaccurate item descriptions.
 
New Jewelry listing guidelines effective May 25, 2022

• Fine Jewelry. To list your item in the Fine Jewelry category, the Base Metal must be made from fine materials and the Main Stone must be a fine, natural stone. Secondary stones can include either fine or fashion materials.
  • Simulated gemstones are considered fashion jewelry.  We will move items with simulated main stones from fine jewelry into fashion jewelry in October
• Diamonds. If you list a stone that is not an actual diamond, the term “diamond” cannot be included in the listing. You should instead describe your item using the actual material, such as moissanite, cubic zirconia, glass, etc.
• Treated gemstones. If you list a natural stone that has been treated (e.g., dyed to enhance the color), you must state that the gemstone is “treated” in your listing title. You may not describe the stone as “enhanced.”
• Lab-created gemstones. If you list a lab-created stone, you must clearly state that the stone is “lab-created” in your listing title, and not “man-made,” “lab-grown,” or other similar terms. “Lab-created” must immediately precede the stone name in your title (e.g., “lab-created diamond”).

Note: Starting May 25, 2022, active listings that do not comply with the new guidelines may be ended. Those Items will appear into your unsold folder and will need to be relisted to align with updated policy guidelines.

You can help buyers find the items they’re looking for and make sure they receive orders that match your item description by listing them clearly and correctly. Learn more about Fine and Fashion Jewelry best selling practices.

As always, thank you for selling on eBay.

The eBay Selling Team

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Train wreck waiting to go on.. Most users will have no idea what or if the stone is enhanced or not much less a man made one which most are...

For that mater the metal must be "the Base Metal must be made from fine materials"

What is that supposedly to mean> pure cooper is fine in its content,

14 kt is not a Fine content, it is a .585.. mix.

What fool is writing this junk??

[flipping_treasures]

The same ones that are setting up the item specifics in jewelry.

[donsdetour]

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@flipping_treasures wrote:

The same ones that are setting up the item specifics in jewelry.

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In other words clueless fools working at eBay.... NUTS...

[scifidaughter64]

They need to get people that actually know jewelry to write the specifics. If I am selling a piece that says rhinestones, obviously it is not a diamond. So why are they asking for gemstone specifications? Now they expect us to all be experts in gemstones. They need to get rid of the ones who are just trying to justify their jobs.

[1786davycrockett]

Well, this will certainly clear out the majority of listings in the "Jewelry" categories, since it is highly unlikely that most of the sellers currently listing in "Jewelry" are sufficiently qualified to accurately specify the esoteric demands that eBay seems to be demanding.

Good thing that I don't list jewelry.

Ah -- but what categories will eBay attempt to destroy NEXT?!?

[bat197]

Selling jewelry is becoming way too restrictive for the average seller. Why is Ebay always trying to fix things that aren't broken?

[southernmermaid8]

Silly question.  Is sterling silver considered fine ?   I think it is ,  but just today opted to list some in the antique/ vintage category vs fine. 

[est8find]

eBay is expecting your average person to be a jeweler or gemologist in order to sell jewelry on their site. If I go to the local retailer-for instance Target- and buy a pair of amethyst earrings, they do not mark the stones as enhanced or treated, nor do they state if they are lab created. Yet, eBay expects this information if I resell those same earrings on eBay.  A gemologist charges over $100 to evaluate a piece of jewelry which a $20 pair of earrings doesn’t warrant.  
Ebay already messed around with the categories. Now a designer piece is listed under fashion jewelry if it isn’t made of a precious metal.  

[evelyb30]

I always listed designer costume as fashion, and put gold-filled there too.  Thankfully 90% of what I sell is vintage and will continue to be.   I even listed one of my own restrings in Vintage since the beads are older.  They haven't messed with Vintage yet.  

On the upside, maybe it'll get rid of some of the Chinese ****  ?  I hope?  

I did switch the one or two pieces I have that were affected to Fashion already, and had to re-enter EVERY darned item specific for each one.  

[don-franciscos-sister]

From the eBay site, THEIR definition of “fine metals” and “fine gemstones” 

*******************************************************************************************

Fine metals

• Gold that is 10 karats or higher, including rose, green, chocolate or white gold
• Silver and sterling silver that is .925 or higher
• Platinum and other platinum-group metals that are .850 or above
• Gold, silver and platinum are considered fine if they are a solid metal or if they have been plated with gold, silver, platinum, palladium, or other platinum-group metals

Fine gemstones

Alexandrite, almandine-garnet, amber, amethyst, ametrine, ammolite, andalusite, aquamarine, beryl, black diamond, black opal, blue diamond, blue opal, blue sapphire, blue topaz, blue zircon, boulder opal, brown diamond, cats eye, champagne diamond, chrome diopside, chrysoberyl, chrysoprase, citrine, corundum, demantoid garnet, diamond, emerald, fire opal, garnet, golden topaz, green garnet, green quartz, green sapphire, green tourmaline, grossular garnet, heliodor, hessonite, hiddenite, honey amber, imperial topaz, indicolite, indicolite tourmaline, iolite, jade, jadeite, jet, kunzite, kyanite, labradorite, lapis lazuli, lemon quartz, London blue topaz, madeira citrine, malachite, mandarin garnet, mint tourmaline, moldavite, moonstone, morganite, opal, padparadscha, paraiba, Paraiba tourmaline, peridot, pink diamond, pink quartz, pink sapphire, pink topaz, pink tourmaline, prasiolite quartz, purple jade, purple spinel, pyrope garnet, quartz, red diamond, rhodolite garnet, rose quartz, rubelite, rubellite tourmaline, ruby, sapphire, smoky quartz, spessartite garnet, sphene, yellow topaz

[treasureislandpearls]

Well, I have not received that email, but it sounds **bleep**.  I am already having a tough time with the last category changes, I can see with their 'metrics' tool, my sales have declined seriously since the changes.  It is not fun to browse through all the crap anymore as a buyer.  unless you have specifics you like, I used to like pick a category, and browse through, like ' designer' jewelry.  now I have to know the designer I am looking for.

Also, does anyone know, with their 'item specifics' like country of manufacture, they have United States, USA and usa, so there are 3 options, how do I know which is best to use ?? there should only be 1 for this.

I still haven't been able to go through all my listings from the last change !!!!!

[treasureislandpearls]

I guess  F    U    B    A   R  gets bleeped

[flipping_treasures]

I sell mainly vintage costume.  My workaround for the cumbersome item specifics is to determine, after the "REQUIRED" item specifics, which are must haves, is to determine which others I want to include and use the "find option" to wade through all the non-relevant specifics.  It saves lots of scrolling.

I have a few sterling pieces, without stones, that I have listed in fine.  But how do you list a vermeil piece with rhinestones?  Is it fine because of metal, gold over sterling, or is it costume because of the rhinestones?  So many questions that go unanswered.

[2000joni]

Not happy with having a week's notice to update everything. Kind of inhibits me from moving forward to get fresh listings posted. And while I have taken GIA classes, I am certainly not qualified to perform a gemstone grading report on the pre-owned pieces I sell.  Paying a certified gemologist to complete one is also not feasible. Not when most items are listed perilously close to their spot price to begin with.

Couple these fresh hoops to jump through with the depressed selling prices for fine jewelry on eBay, and the scrap market option becomes a significantly more attractive alternative.