If you don’t know much about jewelry valuations, it might seem challenging to know what to do with your old jewelry. You’ll need to take steps to avoid scams if you intend to sell your old products. The following are a handful of tips that will help you to minimize the likelihood of being scammed or tricked by someone:
Have Someone Appraise Your Jewelry
Before you try to figure out how to get rid of old jewelry, you need to know how much it’s worth. Thus, the first step in this process is to get it appraised by a reliable person. You can check with the American Society of Appraisers if you want a professional to give you spot-on value for your jewelry. Once you know what it’s worth, you have the power to request an amount for the items that suit you.
Decline Bad Offers
You will get many lowballs and generally bad offers, especially if you choose to sell the items online. The most effective way to avoid getting scammed is to decline lowball offers initially. You might be tempted to accept some of those offers, but you will most likely make much more money by staying strong and turning the first few lowball offers down. Truly interested buyers will raise their offerings if they sincerely want the product.
Check Better Business Bureau
Another thing you can do if you are going to offer your jewelry online is to check the authenticity of prospective online jewelry buyers. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is an excellent resource to use if you want to see if a prospective buyer is a legitimate organization. The Better Business Bureau provides letter ratings of businesses and also publishes information regarding their consumer complaints and the way they handle them.
You’ll know whether you’re dealing with a company with a strong reputation or not when you stop by the BBB website. You can feel reasonably secure if you find that the company has a high letter grade and only a few complaints, most of which they settled amicably. You should also read consumer reviews as a supplementary source of information.
Visit a Local Shop
Visiting a physical location to sell your jewelry is an effective way to cut down on the possibility of getting scammed. You have several types of shops to choose from, too. You can visit a standalone jewelry shop, a pawn shop, or a consignment shop.
The only thing you need to remember is how much your items are worth, per your appraisal. Different establishments might offer you different amounts. When that happens, you will need to compare the offers and choose the one that seems as if it’s the most productive and fruitful.
Now you’re well aware of how to spot a jewelry scammer and what you can do to protect yourself from such people. Use the tips mentioned above to stay ahead of the curve and prevent yourself from being cheated out of the cash you deserve.