This is the category where what you can show decides what you get, because almost nothing a buyer wants to know can be seen.
Gold and silver: show the three numbers
Weight. Put the piece on a scale on camera and let the figure settle. Weight plus purity is most of the price of a plain gold item, and a seller who will not weigh it on camera is asking to be bid down.
Purity. Gold jewellery sold in India is covered by BIS hallmarking. A hallmarked piece carries the BIS mark, the purity in karat and fineness — 22K916, 18K750, 14K585 — and a six-character HUID. Show the hallmark close up and read it out.
What is not gold. Stones, enamel, beads and any inner structure are weight that is not precious metal. Say so. A buyer who discovers it in the parcel reads the whole listing again in a different light.
What a hallmark is and is not
It is a mark. It is not something a buyer can verify from a video, and it is not a promise that this video shows this piece. Only an assay settles purity.
If the piece has a HUID, put it in the listing. BIS provides a way to check one, and a seller who expects the buyer to go and check is a seller who has nothing to hide.
If a piece is unhallmarked — old family gold, something inherited, silver — say unhallmarked plainly and price it as unhallmarked. That is an ordinary and respectable listing.
Stones
Do not describe a stone as something you cannot show. If there is a laboratory report, name the laboratory and show the report. If there is not, say "untested" and describe what you see: colour, size, how it is set.
Watches
- Does it run? Show it running, with the second hand moving.
- What is original and what has been replaced — strap, crystal, crown, dial?
- Is there service history, and can you show it?
- Any boxes and papers?
"I have not had it serviced and I do not know when it last was" is a useful sentence. It sets the buyer's expectation and it protects you.
Delivery
Small, valuable and the one category where a lost parcel is a serious matter. Packing jewellery and watches.
More: how to sell on Metzee, pricing jewellery and watches.
Questions people ask
Do I have to hallmark before selling?
Hallmarking rules are a matter for the trade and your own circumstances, not for a blog post. What this page asks is simpler: say truthfully whether the piece is hallmarked, and show the mark if it is.
Can I sell inherited jewellery?
Yes, and it is common. Describe it as it is — unhallmarked if it is, with an honest weight.
Should I clean silver before selling?
A gentle clean is normal. Heavy polishing removes detail and can remove value, especially on anything old. Say what you did.