Shopping online is no special event now with the advent of multiple online stores across the internet. Millions of people purchase items off the internet each day, even high ticket items such as diamonds. Online diamond dealers go through great lengths to help you make informed decisions about your purchase and most will return your money if you are not satisfied with the final product. Below are some helpful hints to remember while shopping for diamonds online.
- Take advantage of online education centers. Most diamond websites have their own diamond education section to help the consumer pick a diamond. You can usually find information that will be helpful in your search.
- Use price comparison features. Many websites now have databases of there diamonds that can be displayed based on the parameters entered into their search engine. Use these print outs to compare with other diamond retailers to get the best price.
- Make sure the website has a certificate for the diamond you want!! It is imperative that you know exactly what you are buying. The only way to know is to look to a reputable certifier, such as GIA or AGS. Usually the certificate is listed right beside the diamond for public viewing.
- Optimize your purchasing parameters. If you are strapped for cash, it is usually a good idea to play with the parameters on a diamond dealers search engine. For example, perhaps you can get the clarity you want by sacrificing a little color, or maybe get a better cut by choosing a smaller carat size.
- One other piece of advice would be to look around retail stores (offline) to see what certain diamonds look like in real life. Once you find a diamond you like in the store, you can usually go online and find the same diamond for much cheaper. Look for a certificate that closely matches the diamond in the store and purchase it.
Advantages & Disadvantages of Online Shopping
Advantage one, two, and three: PRICE, PRICE, and did I mention PRICE!! You can find great deals online. Personally I will never buy another piece of jewelry for my wife from a store again. I can get her a much better stone for the money online than from anywhere else. I could rant for pages on the subject. Know that prices online are better.
The second advantage for shopping online is the selection. With many of the dealers online you can input exactly what you want and find several diamonds matching that description. This cannot be done in a regular retail store. It is just not feasible to keep such a selection in stock. This advantage also gives way to easy price comparison.
The disadvantage to online shopping is not getting that warm fuzzy feeling of walking in a store and walking out immediately with the product. With a walk-in store you can point to a building and say, “This is the place where _______.” Fill in the blank. It is the same problem with any online shopping. Will the people deliver what I want? Will I get ripped off? The way to eliminate this fear is to find reputable dealers, and there are many out there.