Post subject: Is it possible to make a living as a gemstone trader?
Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2020 8:17 pm
New to the Forum or The Quiet Type
Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2020 9:21 pm Posts: 1
I’m new to the forum and was wondering is it possible to make a steady living as a gemstone trader? If so how do you break into that part of the industry?
Post subject: Re: Is it possible to make a living as a gemstone trader?
Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2020 2:45 pm
Gold Member
Joined: Mon May 26, 2014 9:42 pm Posts: 1033
Certainly there are lots of people at Tucson who do. My favorite is the guy from the Congo who sells malachite. We asked him if he had a website. He said "No website. No phone. No electricity. You want more malachite, you come back here next year!"
I am sure he is the miner.
Many Ethiopians come, working with their government to export various gemstones. The real question is "What is YOUR value add?"
Post subject: Re: Is it possible to make a living as a gemstone trader?
Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2020 3:24 pm
Gold Member
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2016 7:58 pm Posts: 1424 Location: San Marcos, CA
dchallener wrote:
Certainly there are lots of people at Tucson who do. My favorite is the guy from the Congo who sells malachite. We asked him if he had a website. He said "No website. No phone. No electricity. You want more malachite, you come back here next year!"
I am sure he is the miner.
Many Ethiopians come, working with their government to export various gemstones. The real question is "What is YOUR value add?"
Post subject: Re: Is it possible to make a living as a gemstone trader?
Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 9:33 am
Established Member
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2015 5:45 pm Posts: 24 Location: UK
BlueDiamond44 wrote:
I’m new to the forum and was wondering is it possible to make a steady living as a gemstone trader? If so how do you break into that part of the industry?
I expect you mean something a bit higher level than what I currently do, but in case the following info helps:
I'm not able to work in a "proper" job, so I try to keep myself busy trading gemstones on eBay. I buy what I think is under-priced, add some value by testing it and putting some degree of a guarantee on it, and then I sell it on for the appropriate market rate. I know people might think I'm one of those horrible eBay traders out to rip people off, but I go out of my way to treat everyone I deal with in the way I would like to be treated myself. I don't have a formal gemmology qualification but I'm a keen amateur and I make sure that every single stone I sell has been tested to the best of my ability / equipment so that it is what I claim it is, and if I'm not sure then I say so. I provide a minimum 30 day return window and have a completely no quibble policy: I will change it or refund the gem+p&p even if you just don't like the shade of green it is.
Buying and selling on eBay is as much for myself as it is to make any money but the answer I've been long windedly getting to is.... No (If you do it on a 20 hour a week part time basis like me, you are unlikely to make enough money to live off). I imagine people who can expand vertically within the supply chain (is that the right phrase?) may have a lot more luck, by removing all the middle steps where a percentage is added each time.
Post subject: Re: Is it possible to make a living as a gemstone trader?
Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 6:13 pm
Gold Member
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2016 7:58 pm Posts: 1424 Location: San Marcos, CA
maladriak wrote:
BlueDiamond44 wrote:
I’m new to the forum and was wondering is it possible to make a steady living as a gemstone trader? If so how do you break into that part of the industry?
I expect you mean something a bit higher level than what I currently do, but in case the following info helps:
I'm not able to work in a "proper" job, so I try to keep myself busy trading gemstones on eBay. I buy what I think is under-priced, add some value by testing it and putting some degree of a guarantee on it, and then I sell it on for the appropriate market rate. I know people might think I'm one of those horrible eBay traders out to rip people off, but I go out of my way to treat everyone I deal with in the way I would like to be treated myself. I don't have a formal gemmology qualification but I'm a keen amateur and I make sure that every single stone I sell has been tested to the best of my ability / equipment so that it is what I claim it is, and if I'm not sure then I say so. I provide a minimum 30 day return window and have a completely no quibble policy: I will change it or refund the gem+p&p even if you just don't like the shade of green it is.
Buying and selling on eBay is as much for myself as it is to make any money but the answer I've been long windedly getting to is.... No (If you do it on a 20 hour a week part time basis like me, you are unlikely to make enough money to live off). I imagine people who can expand vertically within the supply chain (is that the right phrase?) may have a lot more luck, by removing all the middle steps where a percentage is added each time.
Post subject: Re: Is it possible to make a living as a gemstone trader?
Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 6:43 am
Established Member
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2015 5:45 pm Posts: 24 Location: UK
Hi glhays,
I'm based in the UK so I can be found on the ebay.co.uk site.
I didn't want to break any forum rules about advertising, not that I have huge amounts to advertise, so I've pm'd you a direct link to my shop
I had a sneaky peek at some of your jewellery and gems, they are very impressive. The photos are excellent, extremely clear and you don't seem to have any of the problems with background colour that I do.
Dan
_________________ My eBay shop can be found via the following link: UKGemmology
Post subject: Re: Is it possible to make a living as a gemstone trader?
Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 12:00 pm
Established Member
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2015 5:45 pm Posts: 24 Location: UK
Thanks Barbra, I'll add the link to my profile. I have to confess to being a little embarrassed of my limited collection, in the company of some of our members!
_________________ My eBay shop can be found via the following link: UKGemmology
Post subject: Re: Is it possible to make a living as a gemstone trader?
Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 1:48 pm
Gold Member
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2016 7:58 pm Posts: 1424 Location: San Marcos, CA
maladriak wrote:
Hi glhays,
I'm based in the UK so I can be found on the ebay.co.uk site.
I didn't want to break any forum rules about advertising, not that I have huge amounts to advertise, so I've pm'd you a direct link to my shop
I had a sneaky peek at some of your jewellery and gems, they are very impressive. The photos are excellent, extremely clear and you don't seem to have any of the problems with background colour that I do.
Dan
Thanks,
We still have an eBay account, started back in the beginning of eBay. We gave up on that platform 2-3 years ago, if you pay eBay to sell your items you can break even but that's about it other than that your listing within milliseconds are buried alive, if you try to use creative searching terms in the headings people will berate you to death. Good platform for liquidating. JMO
No need to be embarrassed, I put up a pair of $20 Oynx bookends right after listing a elegant Opal perfume bottle.
Post subject: Re: Is it possible to make a living as a gemstone trader?
Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2020 6:22 pm
Gold Member
Joined: Mon May 26, 2014 9:42 pm Posts: 1033
glhays wrote:
dchallener wrote:
Certainly there are lots of people at Tucson who do. My favorite is the guy from the Congo who sells malachite. We asked him if he had a website. He said "No website. No phone. No electricity. You want more malachite, you come back here next year!"
I am sure he is the miner.
Many Ethiopians come, working with their government to export various gemstones. The real question is "What is YOUR value add?"
Post subject: Re: Is it possible to make a living as a gemstone trader?
Posted: Sun Apr 04, 2021 9:52 am
New to the Forum or The Quiet Type
Joined: Sat Apr 03, 2021 7:23 pm Posts: 4
dchallener wrote:
Certainly there are lots of people at Tucson who do. My favorite is the guy from the Congo who sells malachite. We asked him if he had a website. He said "No website. No phone. No electricity. You want more malachite, you come back here next year!"
I am sure he is the miner.
Many Ethiopians come, working with their government to export various gemstones. The real question is "What is YOUR value add?"
Many Asian, African and European governments support traders at intl. trade shows. Not sure about Canada or Australia. I'm unaware of similar support for US traders. Come to think of it: in 20+ years on ebay and five-figure feedback, I can count the # of buyers from Asia or Africa on one hand. I did have 2 from Japan (a broken camera and a red Coleman lantern). Could be wrong, but I suspect that buyers from Asia buy from sellers from Asia by choice. In the gem-trade, most Americans have to buy from Asia and Africa. Our yogo sapphires, beautiful as they are, are just an expensive novelty for some Americans to buy. Thirty + years ago, my retired old friend in the Mid-West had worked hard for years producing and selling beautiful obsidian spheres to support his dismal income. That soon ended. The same obsidian (etc) spheres soon turned up en masse online, dirt-cheap, made in China and India. Then he died and the vultures came and hauled off his Lortone stuff for peanuts.
Post subject: Re: Is it possible to make a living as a gemstone trader?
Posted: Sun Apr 04, 2021 2:57 pm
Gold Member
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2016 7:58 pm Posts: 1424 Location: San Marcos, CA
ostrea wrote:
dchallener wrote:
Certainly there are lots of people at Tucson who do. My favorite is the guy from the Congo who sells malachite. We asked him if he had a website. He said "No website. No phone. No electricity. You want more malachite, you come back here next year!"
I am sure he is the miner.
Many Ethiopians come, working with their government to export various gemstones. The real question is "What is YOUR value add?"
Many Asian, African and European governments support traders at intl. trade shows. Not sure about Canada or Australia. I'm unaware of similar support for US traders. Come to think of it: in 20+ years on ebay and five-figure feedback, I can count the # of buyers from Asia or Africa on one hand. I did have 2 from Japan (a broken camera and a red Coleman lantern). Could be wrong, but I suspect that buyers from Asia buy from sellers from Asia by choice. In the gem-trade, most Americans have to buy from Asia and Africa. Our yogo sapphires, beautiful as they are, are just an expensive novelty for some Americans to buy. Thirty + years ago, my retired old friend in the Mid-West had worked hard for years producing and selling beautiful obsidian spheres to support his dismal income. That soon ended. The same obsidian (etc) spheres soon turned up en masse online, dirt-cheap, made in China and India. Then he died and the vultures came and hauled off his Lortone stuff for peanuts.
Best wishes, John
We found in our eBay platform that plenty of international buyers were there and interested in our listings. The hurdle for most of them were their own government import restrictions and or duty taxes, extremely high shipping costs. What is meant by your statement "most Americans have to buy from Asia and Africa"
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