Amazon, I know they deliver to your house but can we get back to stores? And leave Amazon. Store employees actually send customers to Amazon and tell customers we dont carry that.
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We have put stuff on Amazon. Since we do custom work.. we cast each ring individually, each one is hand done... it's hard to meet Amazon's deadlines for sending the items out. Plus, their return policy is very easy, and we have to abide by it. People can return all work, even custom work. PLUS, we don't have direct contact with the customers, and we cannot contact the customers, so it's very easy for someone to order a 24k gold ring, then send us back a lump of lead and Amazon will always rule in their favor. We haven't had that happen, but it's always a possibility. We now just sell off our site, talk to our customers, and have a more personal business.
The Amazon of jewelry are those people overseas who get costume jewelry made with cheap metal and labor, or buy it from Temu, and sell it for double or triple what they paid. Make it sparkle, even temporarily, people will buy it. Temu gets a bad rap, but most anything you get from Amazon anymore came from there. I looked up a jacket I liked on Amazon for $40, and it was on Temu for $15. Even the pictures were the same. I actually am talking to my kids about how we can do that too. You really can make some good money there!
Even in the jewelry business, as long as the item is "assembled" in the USA, jewelers can say they are "Made in the USA". We know several sites that say made in the USA, but they actually have it made it Thailand for a LOT cheaper than we can here. They get it to the states, put a file to it or whatever, and say it's Made in the USA.
I think the advent of the internet, cheap metals and lab created stones has made people not care for value and quality. It used to be get a good ring for your wedding because it needs to last as long as your marriage, now people want temporary sparkle in their ring AND their marriage. Both are disposable anymore. So that's where the jewelry business is. When we got into it 15 years ago, it was dignified. Now it's selling itself out! We were and are staying true to our standards, and our customers.
Anyhow, long story got long!!! Disposable society always seems to win!!! There are still people who want quality, but the majority just want a sparkly adornment!
That is sad, and horrible about Temu. And I can't see how putting a file to something from Temu and then saying made in America. I have heard of things like that, but is difficult for me to believe.