How to security mark valuable swarovski figurine before sale?

beckstar1975

Hello

My 13yo bought a swarovski figurine with money received when his Granny died and he's recently discovered it's increased more than 5 fold in value and wants to sell to buy a PS5! We have been warned, however, to security mark it with a uv pen so if someone buys it then sends us their broken one back in the post we can prove whether it's ours or not.

Any tips, one for the sale and two what to get and how to mark it? I'm terrified in case it goes wrong as we can't afford to underwrite it and I don't want him heartbroken, it's been a big decision for him to sell it.

Thanks

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Have you considered selling locally on Facebook?

Even if you knocked 10-20% off the price (eBay will take 12.9% anyway unless you get their regular FVF offers), taking cash and handing it to the buyer is the safest way really. 20% off the usual price will entice buyers and if my maths is correct it would still sell for 4 times what you paid.

You could still security mark it with a UV pen, in case they claim it's not genuine or something later on, a small dot in one place will probably do.

KxMx

For something so valuable I'd steer clear of online selling personally. 
A local auction house, jeweller etc may be better places to approach.

You may not get as much as selling online, but also no scams/posting risks. 

beckstar1975

Thanks - I did try and online swarovski reseller and they said they're too busy with lots to be able to help with one but did say we'd be better off on ebay as long as we marked it carefully.

I'm not on Facebook sadly so that's a no go, but I'll pursue the auction thread.

Cheers

forgotmyname

Ebay wont care whether you marked it or not.  If a buyer claims its damaged or not as described then they will want
a refund.  Always a risk that the seller claims you sent something other than the item they received. Marking it wont

affect the outcome.

cymruchris

I wouldn't personally sell something fragile on ebay having been burnt previously. I would want to deal face to face with someone, or let a proper auction house sell it (if it's as valuable as I'm guessing it is) - what's the ball park figure in terms of potential value? Are we talking £100? £1000? Even if you don't have facebook - does another family member? There may be groups dedicated to similar products, and there's a chance you might find someone will to travel to you to buy it if it's something special.

beckstar1975

it's at least £500 - it's a Star Wars BB8, apparently completists really need them to complete their sets!

I've tried a couple of auction houses and set my husband up for FB marketplace, haven't heard from any so far

400ixl

Depending on where you are, make it collection only perhaps?

beckstar1975

I’ve had it listed as collection only and only 2 watchers, hmmm

soolin

beckstar1975 said:

I’ve had it listed as collection only and only 2 watchers, hmmm

Swarovski has a limited appeal , yes some bits have held their prices very well but you need to be patient and wait for that one buyer who needs it for their collection. There’s a lot at bricks and mortar auction houses at the moment as a lot of older collectors are selling off their specials , I bought several pieces myself only a few weeks ago which I bought very well and have resold already. Mine were all under £100 though. I think for a £500 piece I would probably be expecting to have to wait quite a while to sell it, and would prefer a no stress option, perhaps a bricks and mortar auction or via a collectors club. 

GadgetGuru

I would avoid eBay for this one, as mentioned above. 
Try local sites - Gumtree, Shpock, Facebook Marketplace, etc

Security marking does nothing. If a buyer claims it was not as described, they will be able to return it regardless. Worse still, what if it came back to you broken?? Yes, I've had people break things in the past in order to return items - it's obvious it has been broken by hand, but eBay side with the buyer regardless, leaving you out of pocket with postage both ways, as well as an item that is now worthless and cannot be resold. 

If you continue with eBay go for collection only, and only take bank transfer or cash upon collection so there is no going back once the buyer has inspected and purchased the item. If it is that valuable to a collector, he/she would be willing to travel a little to collect it....