Things You Should Pay Attention To When Shopping For Jewelry Online
Here are a few important guidelines that you should follow to make an online shopping experience safer:
• Contact details
• Memberships
• Testimonials
• Reviews
• Reliability
• Security (SSL)
• Shipping methods
• Return policies
Contact details
Look at the contact details for a permanent address and telephone numbers. If you need extra reassurance, you can check them more thoroughly.
Memberships
Organizations that a diamond jewelry vendor should be a part of:
• The Kimberley Process
“The Kimberley Process (KP) is a joint governments, industry and civil society initiative to stem the flow of conflict diamonds – rough diamonds used by rebel movements to finance wars against legitimate governments.” Kimberley process
• Diamond Exchange
“The Israel Diamond Exchange plays a central role in the diamond industry, operating within the framework of the Israeli Diamond Industry for the benefit of its members. The Diamond Exchange sets policy with regard to trade rules and etiquette and befitting conduct of its members; one of its central functions is operating the legal institution which constitutes an integral and essential part in the commercial life of the members, acting for their benefit.“ Diamond Exchange
Testimonials
Look up for the testimonial page and signs they are real. The best ones would be when will see personal details, such as full name, photo, email, telephone etc.
Reviews
Google it! Look for the site’s profile on sites such as: Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn to get an overall view on the company’s background and activity.
See if you can find customer reviews, especially non positive reviews which you can learn a lot from; in some cases you would want to stay away but sometimes there are problems that get solved, meaning that the vendor is making an effort to insure his client’s satisfaction (things happen – we are all human).
For me, it means first and for all that this vendor exists and that he delivers! Nonetheless, the majority of the comments should obviously be positive.
Reliability
Look for one of these icons to make sure the site is reliable, for example: TRUSTe, Verisign or BBBonline.
“As the leading internet privacy services provider, TRUSTe helps thousands of businesses promote online safety and trust, and guides consumers to sites that protect their online privacy. TRUSTe helps both consumers click with confidence and online companies promote their Web site privacy policies online. Thousands of Web sites rely on TRUSTe’s privacy, including top-fifty sites like Yahoo, Facebook, MSN, eBay, AOL, Disney, New York Times, Comcast and Apple.”
(From the TRUSTe website)
Here is an example for site verification by TRUSTe: ShireeOdiz.com site verification
Security
SSL security – To keep your personal details safe, the connection to the server should be encrypted. For example: Shireeodiz.com Site secure (Hosted on Godaddy.com)
Make certain the web address starts with “https” when you get to the checkout page; it means that the site is secure.
Look for the padlock icon in the address bar by the “https” or at the bottom of the browser.
Besides a secure connection which makes the purchase through a website store safe, there are other ways for a safe purchase, for example: Google checkout, Amazon or Paypal.
In case you decide to use the website’s store to purchase – use a credit card (not debit). It gives you a better leverage and has a lower liability.
Shipping methods
Check out the company’s shipping methods and what are the costs.
Make sure the shipments are handled by a well known shipping company such as: UPS, Fedex or DHL. Like that, your order can always be tracked (using the tracking number).
If you are worried, pay via PayPal!
If an online seller is using PayPal they are most probably a legit seller.
Here are a few online sellers/brands: that I know of: Tiffany, Zales, Kay Jewelers, Harry Winston, Debeers, Helzberg, Jared, James Allen, Blue Nile, Shiree Odiz, Tacori …
