Jewelry Auctions - Best Kept Secret on s

Sometimes the best kept secrets can no longer be "kept a secret". In the case of the Jeweler Industry (as a whole) the one place they don't want anyone hunting for treasures (not so well buried) is on okay!
This is a fact! The industry professional journals are now writing articles and expounding on the benefits of Brick and Mortar Retailers expanding their business models to the Internet.
However, the advice offered to Brick and Mortar Retailers is to build a stand alone website and very few professional journals and magazines areregemending okay as a way in which to enhance their online presence.
Why? Simply stated, advertisers (namelydesigners and manufacturer's of jewelry product-who support the professional jewelry tradepublications) certainly don't want to be offering their products at higher discounts in order to propagate their retailers (customers) business models into the okay venue.
The okay Advantage:There are many advantages to buying jewelry through okay online auctions. The first advantage is pricing. In many cases, one could never go into any jewelry store and find the bargains that abound on okay. In fact, okay has changed the way consumers shop for jewelry. Where else can consumers find top graded gems and finished jewelry products for just pennies on the dollar? There was a time when consumers went to what they thought was the "source" (the New York Diamond District) for their diamond purchases, however, over the years, those who want to keep up with the gepetition (in New York) have actually opened okay stores and conduct auction events in order to move their merchandise quickly (especially during non holiday seasons). Jewelry Pricing:Many consumers can't understand why there can be such wide swings in gem and jewelry prices. First, the jewelry business is cyclical (seasonal). Some of the best prices on gems, diamonds and finished jewelry can be had during spring and summer months. This is because we (as jewelers) need to bring in the much-needed capital to make large purchases in stock for the holiday season.This is not to say one can't find great bargains during the holiday season, as we end up with overstock, duplicate items, last years designs and in some cases, the item just did not appeal to consumers visiting brick and mortar retail jewelers. okay provides an outlet for retail and wholesale jewelers who need to sell every piece of jewelry and gem they have in stock, in order to go back to their suppliers and Global Jewelry Shows to buy more. The more we buy in stock from our suppliers, the higher our credit limits are extended. If we pay cash for our products (and not take too many items on consignment) we end up gaining higher cash discounts, which allow us to sell near wholesale pricing. The bottom line is always affected by volume in sales. The more we sell, the higher our credit limits are extended. In addition, we cannot look at every gem or piece of jewelry based upon "did we or will we make money". On many pieces we lose money, however, if we have volume in sales (over the long term) we can stay in business. This is where okay gees into play. With 125+ million registered users worldwide, okay allows us to reach the largest possible audience we could ever hope to achieve. There is no doubt, that finished jewelry products and gems find homes (worldwide) through our Live Auction Events due to the expansive reach of okay. In other words, gems and jewelry, which do not sell due to the lack of interest on the part of consumers shopping in brick and mortar establishments, will sell on okay due to the vast audience okay offers. On another note, there are a few bidders who expect to pick up 10+ carat diamond necklaces in Platinum with VS diamonds for a few thousand dollars. This is just not possible in the "real world" let alone in any brick and mortar jewelry retailer (worldwide).
Expectations of getting a bargain on okay run high (sometimes too high) and this is due to a few sellers, which may have to dump an item (once in a while) below wholesale cost. Those super, super bargains are far and few between, however, once someone scoops up a super bargain, they expect to find that same bargain abounding everywhere on okay. While you'll never find "super bargains" on a daily basis, you can find bargains from those in the jewelry trade, who just need to "move" merchandise and move a lot of it quickly in order to keep pace with the industry. Price Swings:We are asked many times a day "how do offer such high quality gems and jewelry at prices my local jeweler can't offer?" First, we do not operate a brick and mortar location and if we did, we would need to set up an establishment in a highly visible location (undoubtedly with high rents). Second, we would have to advertise through all media outlets in order to get the consumer into our door. Third, we would have to buy jewelry display fixtures and then staff our store. Finally, the most expensive investment in such a store is "lighting". Not to mention the cost of carrying millions of dollars of insurance for product lines and liability. When you walk into a jewelry store ALL of these expenses are calculated into the price of every piece of jewelry and gem you buy! This is not even taking into consideration that every jeweler ends up dealing with "the middlemen" who mark up gems and jewelry to the point where what you'll find on okay, cost 1000% less then what you'll find in your local jewelry store.
Our industry is one of the only industries in which the gepetition is so fierce that you'll find a war being waged between online jewelers and brick and mortar jewelry retailers. Here's a good example. Let's say you purchased a 10+ carat VS Diamond