Need advice on best way to sell high end items

[tracymom1]

Hi mamas,
We have recently come to the conclusion that we need to seriously liquidate our more 'fancy' things due to near poverty. We have a bunch of small things and household items listed on Craigslist and had some pleasantly surprisingly successes with that. I was wondering if any of you have experience selling things like diamonds, Rolex watches, other types of 'real' jewelry, etc... Back in our pre-child days when we were both working we had tons of disposable income and collected a lot of very nice things. I have been a SAHM for the last 2 years and DH has basically been out of work and we need money to live, so we are looking to get a fair price. I know we will never get what the true value is, but I wanted to see if there was a better way than just Craigslist or what-not.

I did talk to a (reputable, high-end) jeweler about the diamonds and he would buy them for about 1/2 of what they are worth (based on his appraisal a few months ago!). Should I try a private party sale or look around for another jeweler? I thought about ebay, but to he honest, I have never done that before and it kind of freaks me out. I really don't know why. Does anyone have any better ideas or success stories?

I am sad to let some of these things go, but happy to continue paying the mortgage. I think getting rid of my engagement ring will be the hardest but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!
TIA

[kijip]

I would try to sell them on Craigslist for a bit more than the jeweler said he would pay.  You will need to agree to meet people at a jewelers so they can verify the items are real.  

If you can't sell them on craigslist, then go to a jeweler.  Consider getting 3 quotes before you sell so you get the highest price. 1/2 value for diamonds is about par for the course.  

However, unless you are confident that he or you will find a job soon, there is only so long you can sell things to avoid foreclosure.  Can you re-negotiate with your lender?  Can you sell the house?  You may need the money from selling things to move into an apartment.  Don't throw money into the house if your chances of keeping the house are slim and you won't be able to get money back out when you move.  

[pbjmama]

Appraisals are the value you should issue the piece for, not the actual price a piece would bring. I agree with pp that 1/2 is a decent value from the jeweler. For your watches I would go to a rolex authorized dealer (you can look up dealers near you on the rolex site) and see what they would asses the value at and if they will buy from you. Rolex watches seem to hold value more than other jewelry items. Other things that do well are brand names so if you have tiffany, cartier, etc those are the first things I would sell.

[HollyBearsMom]

Do you have a high end auction house in your town/city?  I have used Skinner in Boston and they specialize in high end art, jewelry, etc. http://www.skinnerinc.com/index.php  They do charge a fee but get very high results.

For the newer branded items I suggest you see an authorized dealer as noted above.  I bought my husbands vintage Rolex from a dealer. With the economy being what is the market is kind of flooded right now but if your is unique or special you can get top value.

If any of the branded pieces are "vintage" which has many definitions but usually means at least 50 years old or more you can try the brand- got to Tiffany, Cartier, Winston, etc and see what they say. If the style has been discontinued or is very unique you can get more $$ and often they may know a collector.

I collect Hermes scarves and have more than I care to admit.  If you have any unique, collectable or vintage ones let me know!