Today I received 2 orders of pearls, from 2 different people on ebay. Like most everything there, it's a gamble. One order was from a vendor in Asia, and I was worried - and they were absolutely stunning and probably worth twice what I paid. The other was a seller in the States, and they were worth nothing at all.
Here's what I think: Most of the ebay sellers are making a profit (of course). Some can do this because they live in another area of the world where costs are cheaper. Unfortunately, the people in those areas are sometimes poor, and fraud runs rampant. Others live in areas where costs are more. The make a profit by simply knowing where to buy, and then passing stuff on to you for additional money, ridiculous shipping costs, no refunds - a different kind of fraud, in my opinion.
For an example, let's look at hugepearls (
http://myworld.ebay.com/hugepearls). I have no idea what they are doing exactly... and no stake in their company of course. But he is selling 2 "south sea" pearls that are black. He shows a lot of closeup photos and measurements - they are about 9mm x 18mm each, and the bid is $57 - and they have 5 hours to go. If you don't like them, you pay for shipping both ways, must return them within 3 days, and pay a 15% restocking fee... and you wind up with nothing.
Now, over at
www.icgems.com, there are 2 "tahitian" pearls - also black, about 10mm x 13mm each. You can buy (not bid) the two of them for $27. The refund policy is that you return them within 15 days, and you get a full refund. Which sounds better?
Again, I have no idea what hugepearls is doing, but... what if he bought pearls from ICGems? Then he's making 100% profit, and his return policy really prevents many returns.
Food for thought...