What you need to keep in mind when selling your jewelry…

  • Appraisals or bills of sale have little bearing on the price you’ll get when selling. Generally, you won’t get more than “scrap” value.
  • Take each item to several places that buy jewelry and get competing offers. Try pawnshops, especially when selling gold. Most jewelers do not buy used jewelry.
  • To get more money, sell to an individual (such as to a friend or relative) through a private sale—you might get as much as 50% of retail.
  • Sell through eBay. This is reasonably safe if done carefully and if you use a third party, such as PayPal, to handle the financial transaction.

    • Note: Protect valuable jewelry from being stolen before you can sell it by storing it in a hard-to-find place, such as a hollowed-out book. Never use a jewelry box on your dresser. That should be reserved for costume jewelry only—if anything is stolen, it will probably be that box.

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