Because of the current rise in gold prices I’ve begun to purchase a lot from the public. Everything I’ve been buying thus far I’ve scrapped, but once in awhile I come across a beautiful and unique piece I’d love to put out in the case as an estate piece. Before, doing this I wanted to ask you all some questions:
Do customer’s mind purchasing items that have been worn or used by another? I know there’s a huge market for pre-owned watches—is it the same for jewelry?
Have you had a customer who sold you a piece—then they see it in the case and are upset or don’t understand the mark-up? How do you handle this?
Do you offer the same type of warranty on estate pieces as you do on new pieces?
August 25, 2008 In response to:Selling Estate Jewelry Jules Rabalais commented:
The estate jewelry business is a big business. I know many store owners who resell preowned jewelry and i know one owner who has a second store inside an antique mall, where only estate jewelry is sold. He sells purchased items as well as consignment pieces. The three most important things to remember is, restore the item to be in top condition and always be sure to tell the customer and write on the sales slip the word preowned. A warranty same as your new merchandise should suffice, since you had the item rebuilt to be used again.
