You've looked at jewellery online before, but you're still not sure about taking the plunge and actually buying anything. You've got your doubts about shopping online, and particularly when it comes to buying jewellery online, be it fine or costume jewellery. Ultimately, is e-commerce entirely trustworthy?
Is this you?
If so, this article aims to show you that you can now buy jewellery on the internet with complete peace of mind, and save both money and time!
Just follow the following basic rules:
1. Make sure you're buying from a reputable jewellery company. Look for accreditation schemes on the store's website like Safebuy or Shopsafe that guarantee standards and ensure best practice among web retailers.
2. Read information about secure shopping and returns policy. Internet selling is subject to distance selling laws, which protect consumers. Just because you are buying jewellery online does not mean you have no rights as a customer! Great customer service should also be available online!
3. Always check delivery costs and times, especially if you need your jewellery dispatched to you urgently. Most jewellery retailers selling online offer a variety of delivery options to customers, and they will publish any postage deadlines in advance of special dates like Christmas or Valentine's Day.
4. Buy from websites that have decent photographs that clearly show the image of the product you're thinking of buying. While this is not necessarily a substitute for seeing the piece in person, it should give you a pretty clear idea of what you are buying. Fuzzy or blurred photographs are no use at all.
5. Contrary to popular belief, rings can be and are regularly bought online. Good online jewellery stores will have ring sizers that making buying rings online easy and hassle-free.
6. Still sceptical about giving your credit card details to online retailers? Secure shopping is now the norm, with firewalls and extensive internet security procedures now standard among web retailers. In fact, in the UK alone, according to the IMRG Capgemini 2008 e-Retail Sales Index, half of all shopping will be done online by 2014. The same study found that already 17 pence in every pound spent in the first half of 2008 was spent online.
7. The credit crunch and global recession will not kill off online retailing but strengthen it, as increasingly frugal shoppers seek to make the most of their available income and seek bargains online. That's especially the case with costume jewellery, which is typically bouyant during tough economic times.
8. Know your jewellery terminology; this is particularly the case if you are buying fine jewellery. Do you know the difference between Karats and carats. Can you tell the difference between authentic and real pearls? Buying jewellery online can be daunting if you're not in command of the facts you need to make an informed decision.
9. The internet allows you to research online about the type of jewellery you want to buy. So you can read about diamond certification schemes and find out facts about jewellery, stones or minerals that many salespeople in traditional shops won't know or won't tell you.
10. You'll actually find a far wider range of jewellery online than in traditional walk-in shops. And if you're looking for a particular niche, for example organic necklaces, a certain type of costume jewellery or wacky designs of earrings, then you're better off looking online.
Buying jewellery online doesn't have to be daunting if you bear in mind these pointers. And best of all, when you're browsing and making your purchase there are no crowded car parks, annoying queues at tills and lousy weather. Amen to that!
Nicholas Watson is a commentator on fair trade issues and a regular contributor to international media on fair trade. He is also founder of the online ethical jewellery store http://www.jungleberry.co.uk/
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http://www.myjewelersplace.com/categories/Beaded-Jewellery/
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