The recent eBay’s update on its Authentication for Fine Jewelry rose many questions. We got in touch with our eBay colleagues, to get more answers.
For those who missed the announcement, here it is:
In collaboration GIA, the Gemological Institute of America, eBay’s ‘Authenticity Guarantee’ service expands to include fine jewelry from brands like Bvlgari, Van Cleef & Arpels and Cartier
SAN JOSE, Calif., July 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — As the marketplace’s luxury categories continue to gain momentum with double digit growth, eBay announces the expansion of its Authenticity Guarantee to fine jewelry. Beginning today, in collaboration with GIA, the Gemological Institute of America, eligible new and pre-owned fine jewelry sold for $500+ will be available for the service. The offering will soon expand to include top designer brands like Bvlgari, Van Cleef & Arpels, David Yurman, Cartier and Tiffany & Co. This marks the expansion of eBay’s authentication service to its fifth category, which currently includes sneakers, watches, handbags, and trading cards.
Many jewelers have also received a personal update on this:
We contacted our colleagues in eBay, and received some valuable clarifications, we are glad to share:
Q: Does the news mean all jewelry above $500 has to mandatory go through the process, or it’s an optional process?
A: Once rolled out to all sellers, yes, anything over $500 within the parameters will mandatorily go through the process.
Q: Does the seller roll into the program with all his products above $500, or he can pick up individual items in which he would like to use the service, and work directly with the client on other products?
A: Seller will roll into the program in the coming months, we are phasing it out so that we can scale this correctly and effectively for all sellers. Anything that is above $500 within the jewelry parameters will automatically and be required to go through the process.
GIA will be matching everything that the seller lists on the listing specifics and will allow for minor variations. Please see links below for tolerances:
We hope this information will help you to adjust to the new reality. We also hope the mandatory Authenticity Guarantee will do good for buyers in the long term, as the supply will definitely go down, and people looking for stones with “nicer numbers” will not find the “opportunities” (lower-than-GIA grades).
