Don't make this mistake when buying Second Hand Jewellery! You could lose thousands.

A couple months ago we had a beautiful one off pre-loved Cartier Diamond and 18ct Rose Gold Juste Un Clou Necklace for sale on our website.  As soon as we listed the item we were inundated with emails and offers on the piece.  Several people started sending us offers on the purchase price which happens commonly with our pre-loved pieces.  

We offered all of these customers a discount off the asking price however a couple of the customers were stuck in negotiation hoping to get a further $50 off the already discounted price.  

While this was happening another buyer swooped in and paid the asking price.  Once the item sold the people who had missed out were extremely disappointed.

This is known as haggling. As a seller, I am also a buyer so see this from both points of view.  I advocate negotiation but do try to avoid haggling.  Haggling is when someone persistently bargains to the point of when it is no longer giving a fruitful outcome to either parties.  During haggling people miss the bigger picture. 

The bigger picture and the bigger picture is the opportunity to purchase a one off pre-loved item and thousands off retail.  It is uncommon to have an opportunity like this.  

We have seen this happen several times on quite a few of our pieces.  Every single time this happens the people who miss out message us asking when we would get another item similar again.

Unfortunately, the answer is, we will never get a piece exactly the same as the one they missed out on ever again.  The pre-loved market is different to the brand new market where a shop has a supplier ready to make an item whenever they need it.  The pre-loved market is contingent on so many things.  There needs to be a seller willing to sell, and in addition a seller willing to sell at a price that a buyer is willing to buy at. 

For this Cartier Just Un Clou necklace after we sold the item we realised we had the item priced $3000 cheaper than other pre-loved items (which was $5000 off retail) that were selling.  So not only was the item extremely rare, it was priced much lower than other similar items.  Therefore the people who were 'haggling' over $50 missed out on the opportunity to save $3000.

In negotiation it is very easy to fall into this trap, but if I were to give advice as someone who both buys AND sells is not to get caught up in persistent haggling.  We do advocate trying to negotiate and get as good an outcome as you hope to get, but it is very important to not lose sight of the bigger picture. 

Catherine Trenton Jewellery

"We are an established boutique organisation specialising in pre-loved diamond designer jewellery from Tiffany & Co. and other luxury brands.  As experts in this niche trade we work hard to provide a safe and simple environment for buying and selling pre-loved fine diamond jewellery online.

In January 2018 we also introducing our own line of fine jewellery.  

Whether you are buying pre-loved, new or selling a piece of fine diamond designer jewellery, we put customer service first and aim to provide you with the best outcome possible."


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