Bought a small ebay jewelry lot... what would you pay? what is it worth?

[insontis]

I've been purchasing some single jewelry items on ebay here and there and have amassed a little collection for resale. I started wondering if buying in bulk would be better price wise and perhaps find pieces that are overlooked and seen only as scrap or less..

Anyway, I jumped on this small lot today for what I think was a good deal. I'd like to know what you guys would have paid or what it may be worth before I possibly embarrass myself with what I paid. Assuming that the description of all items is accurate and they are all in great condition I should be able to profit, but I'm unsure about the individual values of the pieces.



Here's the details of the items listed:

- The fraternity pins are 10K and weigh about 5 grams total
- Wittnauer Geneve Ladies watch - reads on back "10k gold bezel, 10K RGP back" and weighs 7 grams total
- Two 14K butterfly earring backs
- Two 18K rings, one with a pearl, 5 grams total

Weights I'm sure are rounded which I'm not too worried about.. I'm more concerned with items being genuine, let alone making a decent profit off of them.

So what do you guys think? I have 0 knowledge about watches and only know about scrap prices of everything else. Thanks!

 

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[Beachkid23]

I had a Fraternity pin and sold it for $280, no bigger then one pin you have. I do it a lot with sterling silver. Not so much gold, but there can be some good resale in it. I'm not sure what the pin was I had though.

 

[insontis]

I had a Fraternity pin and sold it for $280, no bigger then one pin you have. I do it a lot with sterling silver. Not so much gold, but there can be some good resale in it. I'm not sure what the pin was I had though.

Whatttt? I'll have to research THOROUGHLY before I put a price tag on those guys.. To be honest with you I thought of all the pieces that they'd have the least resale value above scrap price. You're saying the frat pin you sold was in sterling?

 

[diggummup]

I would be concerned with those 18k rings myself. I know it's only a photo I'm looking at but to me they look very suspect. It looks like either tarnish (which they shouldn't really have) or the plating is wearing off. Or maybe they are just dirty, I don't know. If you bought them off of Ebay, I hope you didn't leave positive feedback yet. You need to take them to a jeweler or pawn shop and get them tested, it's free.

 

[Beachkid23]

It was a couple years ago. I even called the fraternity and asked the head guy if he wanted to purchase it. And he told me that I should donate it so that somebody in his fraternity can have it! I think it had a diamond in it though if I recall.

 

[Beachkid23]

It was a couple years ago. I even called the fraternity and asked the head guy if he wanted to purchase it. And he told me that I should donate it so that somebody in his fraternity can have it! I think it had a diamond in it though if I recall.

Oh, no the frat pin was gold. 10k I think.

 

[insontis]

I would be concerned with those 18k rings myself. I know it's only a photo I'm looking at but to me they look very suspect. It looks like either tarnish (which they shouldn't really have) or the plating is wearing off. Or maybe they are just dirty, I don't know. If you bought them off of Ebay, I hope you didn't leave positive feedback yet. You need to take them to a jeweler or pawn shop and get them tested, it's free.

I agree with your assessment. I very cautious when it comes to buying on eBay. If I have doubts about an item, I make sure that its details are clearly listed so I am covered by buyer protection. Hell, my last two eBay purchases were a fake heavy 14k cross and a 10k bracelet listed as 14k. And one not long before that was a 18k over sterling bracelet listed as solid 14k. I got decent enough partial refunds to keep the bracelets and a full refund on the cross.

 

[insontis]

I have not left feedback yet as I always wait to receive the item/resolve any potential issues entirely before doing so.

I do have an interesting question though. At what point do you leave negative/neutral feedback? The few issues that I have had were quickly corrected by the sellers so I haven't felt they deserved negative feedback. Would you only consider it if the seller was unresponsive/unwilling to correct mistakes? Or should neutral feedback be left regardless as to give buyers a headsup that their item may not be genuine?

 

[NHBandit]

I have not left feedback yet as I always wait to receive the item/resolve any potential issues entirely before doing so.

I do have an interesting question though. At what point do you leave negative/neutral feedback? The few issues that I have had were quickly corrected by the sellers so I haven't felt they deserved negative feedback. Would you only consider it if the seller was unresponsive/unwilling to correct mistakes? Or should neutral feedback be left regardless as to give buyers a headsup that their item may not be genuine?

People make mistakes and feedback is very important to sellers. If an honest mistake has been made AND the seller made it right I leave positive feedback. You can always put something in the comments like "there was a problem but it was corrected" or something of that nature.

 

[AndyE89]

The only problem I have with this idea is that if someone is selling this lot as SCRAP, would they not know to check out the pieces first? I mean thats my opinion, but I have yet to meet someone who sells scrap precious metals that does not know to look for designer or higher end pieces. Ebay has its share of good picks every once in a while, but if someone sold this as a lot, I am almost assuring you that it is picked through and the pieces do not hold a very high market price over spot.

I could be completely wrong though.

You have to find different ways of acquiring things to resell other than ebay. Ebay is the primary market place for resellers like most of us on here. Therefore you have a slim chance of profiting.

 

[insontis]

The only problem I have with this idea is that if someone is selling this lot as SCRAP, would they not know to check out the pieces first? I mean thats my opinion, but I have yet to meet someone who sells scrap precious metals that does not know to look for designer or higher end pieces. Ebay has its share of good picks every once in a while, but if someone sold this as a lot, I am almost assuring you that it is picked through and the pieces do not hold a very high market price over spot.

I could be completely wrong though.

You have to find different ways of acquiring things to resell other than ebay. Ebay is the primary market place for resellers like most of us on here. Therefore you have a slim chance of profiting.

I agree that higher end items in scrap lots are normally picked through. For this lot in particular, I'm not expecting a big score, but rather a decent profit. But this does bring up my original questions: what is the most I should have paid for such a lot (wanting to make a profit for my time) and/or what is a safe number I should expect to get out of it?

 

[AndyE89]

A safe number would be AT spot, or MAYBE 1 -2 dollars over spot. If you buy the lot too far over spot, you will not recoup any of the money you spent. I guess if you are buying lots hoping for a designer score, then you could spend a little bit more, maybe 5 over spot. You still have to weigh risk vs reward. Do you want to buy a piece that you cannot physically touch and see and hope that it is of high quality? If the piece is not high end you will be stuck with expensive scrap, which you will have a hard time selling to make your money back.

Im not saying that there is not something good in the lot, I am just saying it is a real tough gamble to buy a scrap lot on ebay in hopes of flipping it.

 

[insontis]

A safe number would be AT spot, or MAYBE 1 -2 dollars over spot. If you buy the lot too far over spot, you will not recoup any of the money you spent. I guess if you are buying lots hoping for a designer score, then you could spend a little bit more, maybe 5 over spot. You still have to weigh risk vs reward. Do you want to buy a piece that you cannot physically touch and see and hope that it is of high quality? If the piece is not high end you will be stuck with expensive scrap, which you will have a hard time selling to make your money back.

Im not saying that there is not something good in the lot, I am just saying it is a real tough gamble to buy a scrap lot on ebay in hopes of flipping it.

I see what you are saying. I don't generally want to buy an item above spot for resale unless it something like a ring that could potentially resell for double or more.

I do like the idea of buying scrap for hopes of finding a designer piece for high resale over spot, but honestly I don't mind cleaning up wearable pieces and sell to grind out a small profit. The main reason I don't target lots only for possible designer pieces is my knowledge is too limited to make intelligent risks. I do, however, target lots that I can get as close to spot (or under if I'm super lucky) that contains mostly wearable jewelry.

I'm still pretty wet behind the ears in treasure hunting, let alone seeking out profitable pieces, but my main safety net is I hardly spend over spot, if at all, when purchasing items.

 

[insontis]

I paid about $116 for the lot. Judging from the feedback I've received this far it would seem I paid a fair price.. So long as it all checks out as genuine. I'm not sure exactly of the gold weight, as weights were described with stones etc included. And I still am not sure of the watch's value, though I imagine its probably $20-30. I'll have to have a closer inspection to get a better estimate I guess.

 

[AndyE89]

No doubt you paid a good price. I am all for someone who wants to sell jewelery as wearable instead of scrap. Far too many Great pieces fall prey to spot prices, just as well as far too many amazing coins do as well.

When I first started in 2005 I did almost the exact same thing you are doing, but unfortunately I just was not profiting enough. Yea, making 5-10 dollars adds up, but in the long run its a pain. I do still sell 1-5 dollar items, but I only pay .10 for most of them.

I wish you the best of luck in it, and it only takes ONE big score to kick start the entire operation.

 

[clovis97]

I have not left feedback yet as I always wait to receive the item/resolve any potential issues entirely before doing so.

I do have an interesting question though. At what point do you leave negative/neutral feedback? The few issues that I have had were quickly corrected by the sellers so I haven't felt they deserved negative feedback. Would you only consider it if the seller was unresponsive/unwilling to correct mistakes? Or should neutral feedback be left regardless as to give buyers a headsup that their item may not be genuine?

If the seller has resolved your issue, there is no reason to leave negative or neutral feedback.

In fact, if they fixed it willingly, and to your satisfaction, leaving a neg would be a slap in the face to the seller.

Most sellers work very hard to resolve issues and try to protect their seller ratings. I know that I do.

And, quite honestly, I am bothered that you would even think of leaving a neutral or a neg for a seller...even after they resolved the issue for you.

I've been on ebay since 1998, and still haven't left anything less than a positive, even though one or two sellers deserved a neg.

 

[Iron Patch]

I have not left feedback yet as I always wait to receive the item/resolve any potential issues entirely before doing so.

I do have an interesting question though. At what point do you leave negative/neutral feedback? The few issues that I have had were quickly corrected by the sellers so I haven't felt they deserved negative feedback. Would you only consider it if the seller was unresponsive/unwilling to correct mistakes? Or should neutral feedback be left regardless as to give buyers a headsup that their item may not be genuine?

The first thing you do is look at the situation with an open mind and decide if the seller really is to blame. If they are, then you try and work it out, and then yes decide your feedback based on that, and the level of the problem. As a seller it concerns me you would even have to ask the questions you did, and tends to say you just look at buying off ebay as if you're dealing with a big website and not another person at the other end.

 

[diggummup]

I agree with your assessment. I very cautious when it comes to buying on eBay. If I have doubts about an item, I make sure that its details are clearly listed so I am covered by buyer protection. Hell, my last two eBay purchases were a fake heavy 14k cross and a 10k bracelet listed as 14k. And one not long before that was a 18k over sterling bracelet listed as solid 14k. I got decent enough partial refunds to keep the bracelets and a full refund on the cross.

Okay, just checking because when I blow up the image to 200%, those rings looked pretty rough. I guess it's just the photo though. I hope you do well with the resell. The 2 rings alone are worth about $145 in melt.

As for feedback, unless the seller didn't fix the problem there is no need for a neg., although I don't know how someone could mistake a 18k vermeil bracelet for solid 14k, I guess it is possible.

 

[insontis]

I appreciate the feedback. I think my question was a little misunderstood as far as negative feedback goes. I stated that I did not feel they deserved negative feedback in the instances I've encountered. I've only ever left positive feedback. What I was asking was at which point should one leave negative feedback when dealing with counterfeit items? If a seller tries to make it right, I don't believe they deserve anything other than positive feedback, sure. But what if you felt a seller was trying to catch a sucker? If they list an item as genuine gold and its not, sure they refund the money and all is well. But what if they went and relisted the same item with the same false description? Sure they risk losing a few bucks for shipping, but if one person doesn't catch the fake the seller still comes out way ahead.

I guess what I'm asking is what is the most appropriate way to alert fellow buyers? When I buy from someone I know the first thing I look at is negative/neutral feedback. If a seller has thousands of positive feedback I'm not going to scroll through it all to look for a "item was counterfeit but seller made it right" comment. And I doubt any other buyers would take the time to do that either.

I know how important feedback is to sellers. I am now one as well. I'm not suggesting I or anyone else should go around leaving negative feedback for counterfeit items. I so far and plan to continue always giving the seller the benefit of the doubt in these instances. I am just curious as to what your thoughts are as far as alerting fellow eBay buyers and at what point do you feel a seller deserves negative feedback (non responsive during return process, denial of counterfeit, rude/uncooperative, etc).

 

[insontis]

Okay, just checking because when I blow up the image to 200%, those rings looked pretty rough. I guess it's just the photo though. I hope you do well with the resell. The 2 rings alone are worth about $145 in melt.

As for feedback, unless the seller didn't fix the problem there is no need for a neg., although I don't know how someone could mistake a 18k vermeil bracelet for solid 14k, I guess it is possible.

The bracelet I feel was listed in pure ignorance or intentionally incorrect. It came in its original box which even said exactly that it was 18K over sterling silver. Coincidentally that part of the box (on inside of attached box lid) was left out of the photographs. Positive feedback was left regardless since they were oh so willing to offer a partial refund.