Recent crimes surrounding Craigslist transactions, where sellers were scammed or physically harmed, have raised questions as to the safety of selling engagement rings to strangers. Emily Graham's story is the latest to make national headlines. Graham, who flew to St. Louis to meet a buyer for her $19,000 engagement ring, was driven to a warehouse where she was robbed and assaulted.
When selling engagement rings online, it is important to follow safety precautions. Below are several suggestions to ensure your safety.
Don't go at it alone
One mistake that sellers frequently make is to agree to meet a stranger on their own. Be sure to meet with a potential buyer at a time when a friend or relative can join you. By having company, you reduce the chances of becoming a crime victim.
Meet somewhere public
While you may have the urge to have privacy for the sale of your engagement ring, meeting in public guarantees a much higher level of safety. Suggestions for public meeting places include busy cafes, the post office, or at a police station. A local jeweler is the safest place to meet to sell your engagement ring. In this case, the buyer can also have the ring verified by the jeweler, providing a safer experience for all parties.
Never share private information
Resist the urge to tell the buyer where you live or where you work. Although it may seem like friendly conversation, these details could help a criminal target you and your family. As for the buyer you are meeting, we recommend trying to ascertain and confirm as many details as possible regarding their employment and their address. If you are able to determine their employer, give the employer a call to confirm that the individual does work there. If they feel comfortable providing their address, use www.whitepages.com to see whether it matches. Confirming these details will increase the chances that you are meeting a buyer with good intentions.
Trust experienced sellers
If you're buying your ring on eBay, do not trust sellers with low feedback scores. While new buyers need to start building their feedback somehow, you don't want to be the person to work through the kinks with them. We recommend setting your eBay preferences so that only buyers with 3 or more positive feedbacks are able to bid on your auctions. Even if a buyer has positive feedback, ensure that you gather enough information about them to prove they are legitimate. For sites outside eBay, we suggest working with businesses that are Better Business Bureau accredited. This accreditation ensures that the business has a proven track record of honesty and integrity. These businesses will proudly display the BBB logo on their websites. In addition, you can contact the BBB to confirm that the business is a member in good standing.
Cash is king
Many scams on Craigslist and eBay involve fake checks, money orders, and money transfers. For Craigslist transactions, no matter how much you are selling an item for, insist that the buyer pays you in cash. If a buyer balks at bringing thousands of dollars in cash, suggest that you meet at their bank. If they resist this idea, you know there's something going on. On eBay, watch out for fake Paypal payments. Every month thousands of eBay sellers are duped into shipping merchandise to buyers who have faked Paypal Payment Confirmations. We recommend calling Paypal to verify that the funds are in your account prior to shipping any items. In addition, we suggest only shipping to US addresses as many fraudulent activities come from international sources.
The most important rule of selling your engagement ring online is to use good judgment. If something about a transaction doesn't feel right or you aren't sure if a buyer is legitimate, remember that your safety is more important than selling a ring.
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ABOUT HAVE YOU SEEN THE RING
Established in 2010, St. Louis-based Have You Seen the Ring is the safest marketplace for selling pre-owned engagement rings and loose diamonds. We connect independent buyers with independent sellers of pre-owned jewelry in a safe, trusted environment.
Have You Seen the Ring focuses on sellers—no matter the reason for parting with jewelry, our team assists in every step of the process, including marketing support for each piece listed on the site. With the authenticity guarantee and nationwide exposure, sellers receive 40-60% more for their jewelry than if they sold through a pawn shop, Craigslist or eBay.
For more information, please visit www.haveyouseenthering.com.
