Rach M.

As a Top 50 Contributor, I've spent SEVERAL thousands with JTV. I'd say at least $3K-$4K has been on the auction site. My experience has been a 50-50 split. I've gotten some beautiful pieces at a fraction of their listed price, & I've gotten some ridiculous duds that cost me $13.98 to 2-way ship. I order such a high volume (& therefore MANY returns) that I started storing to-be returns in a box that could be shipped before the 30-day deadline. I can then only waste $15 to ship at the post office rather than Smart Labeling@ $7 a pop. Unfortunately, the $2K or so I've spent on air (could NOT keep) makes me ill.

A couple months ago, I decided I'd try to sell off some of my loose gems collection to take up for some of the money I've spent just to send crap back. Warning: Ignore the hosts & website prices! Even my most prized rare stones have proven to be dumb investments! For an example, I won a $148 opal for a mere $8 ($15 w/ship). I was certainly pleased with the quality! The most I was able to get for that $148 ("below retail" per JTV) opal was... drumroll... a whopping $6! Maybe a fluke? Nope. I took a bath on 5 opals before deciding I'm stuck with boxes of pretty but near-worthless treasures. What good is an appraisal value if you can't actually unload a gem for even close to that price?!

I've thought many times that I should just pack up the years of collecting to return & just eat the 10% restocking fee for missing the 30-day window. However, the idea of losing even more $ on items I no longer own keeps me crossing my fingers that mines will suddenly deplete & my kids will make a killing off mom's hobby some day.

To the person who asked where to find loose gemstones, I'd recommend eBay of all places. Of course it takes time, research, & a fee aggravating lessons, but I've gotten some fabulous tanzanites (3ct auction win for $38!) that put JTV's high-priced stones to shame in color! Keep in mind that eBay is NOT the place to SELL (see above), but be patient & place a lot of small bids. Eventually you'll win one due to the oversaturated market. I like to randomly pop in to see auctions (not Buy It Now) options that are ending soon & still low. I've beaten even some questionable bidding practices (another account jacking up the price) by bidding within the last 10 minutes on stones.

If I can get 2-9x7,1-10x8, & a carved cab tanzy on eBay for LESS that JTV's listed price for 1-8x6 tanzy of a similar color (well, on the pic anyway) AND pay less shipping, benefit from buyer protection & timely refunds... well, lesson learned!

For the most part, JTV loose stones aren't any better quality than what you can find for a fraction of the price. Their service standards & s/h fees are silly. Their resale value is maddening. Quite while you're ahead... or at least before you loose any more. :)