Take a hard look at the buy back policy

I have a habit of stopping by the jewellery section of mega stores whenever I am in a mall, just to check out designs at some of the branded jewellery counters.

The good thing about the branded jewellery is the designs especially suit the career woman who like wearing light jewellery to work.They are easy on the pocket and very well finished so the glitter is hard to resist.

Just recently I was at Shopper's Stop in Ansal Plaza in south Delhi. Over at a jewellery counter,
on a casual enquiry about a ring that i liked I found the return policy of the company gave you only 75% of the cash back but on exchange they will value it at 90% of the original price.

"That's a Rip off!!" I protested.
"But we don't charge any making charge" she countered.
"But that doesnt explain 25% of my money" I replied.
The coy sales girl could only muster a few words after that "Its the company's policy."
I didn't expect any other response. But I got something to write about.

To some it might come as an after thought, but if gold jewellery is something you buy fondly and truly believe any money spent on gold is an investment, then you got to remember this:

The value of your investment is the money it will fetch in the market when you sell it.

Knowing the return policy on the jewellery item at the time of purchase could save you from burning a hole in your pocket/investment.

Best in Class Buy Back Policy:

Tip1: Your gold jewellery should be, well worth its weight in gold. Typically only making charges should be deducted on returning your gold jewellery.
Tip2: In case of Diamond jewellery expect to pay up deduction of (making charges + 10% off) on the value of jewellery, on account of losses incurred by broken diamonds and wastage of gold.
Tip3: A jeweller should promptly process your return if bought from the same store. Non-hallmarked jewellery could be subjected to an assay test at a nearby hallmarking centre. Determining purity shouldn't taken more than a couple of hours anyways.
Tip4: There should be no loss in value whether you go for cash-back or exchange.