— Contributed by Talisa Morris

Nowadays, you can buy anything online, even expensive products such as jewelry. But of course, online shopping comes with risks. I did have my share of shopping fails and I almost closed down my online jewelry shop — good thing I was able to get my money back. I learned research is a must before purchasing jewelry in an online store the hard way.

To protect yourself from seller scams, here are some online jewelry buying tips I would like to share with you:

Make sure to do your research.

Before you check out the jewelry you added to your cart, you should make sure that you are buying from a reputable and trusted online jewelry store. To do this, you must check the company profile of the business you’re buying from. Make sure to double-check their listings, look at their online reputation. You start by checking their social media accounts, especially their Instagram, to get a good look at their jewelry.

Double-check your measurements.

When shopping online, you need to double-check the size of the jewelry you’re ordering, especially when buying a ring. There are different measurement sizes used by wholesale fashion jewelry stores, including US sizes and European sizes. Millimeters and inches are also used. So make sure that you understand the exact measurement standards that the online store is using.

If you’re not sure about your finger’s size, you can always go to a local jeweler and measure your finger. You can also ask the online store to give you the list of sizes they have.

Read their return and shipping policies.

Always read the online store’s return and shipping policy before checking out and paying for your order. This is important if you’re purchasing expensive jewelry. Make sure that the store also offers insured shipping. It is also crucial that you fully understand the store’s return policy. Most online stores offer a return policy for a majority of their items. Still, you should check the day return policy from the date of the delivery.

Check for reviews.

As stated earlier, you need to know more about the online store you’re buying from. The best way to do this is to check the reviews they have online, especially in Google My Business and social media accounts. Through social media, you will see how the business builds its relationship with its customers. You will look at how customers think about the business, their jewelry, and their service.

Understand the store’s warranty.

Check if the piece of jewelry you’re buying will have a warranty and whether it’s coming from the manufacturer or the seller. And when buying jewelry online, the warranty should also cover any defects or loose gemstones for at least a year. The best jewelry stores offer a one-year warranty for their products, especially when your piece has a flaw.

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If you need to replenish your inventory, I highly recommend CeriJewelry. After dealing with various jewelry wholesalers, I can say that this online shop is the best. They offer the trendiest fashion jewelry pieces at competitive prices, and I get big discounts when I buy in bulk.