The old tried and true advise of let the buyer beware has not lost any of its meaning. As always, buyers should always take to verify that what they are buying is not a cheap knockoff. Consulting a reputable jewelry expert is one way to make that what you buy is indeed worth price you are paying.

The old comedic stereotype goes something like this. A salty-looking fellow stops you on the street. Opening his coat, he shows you an array of watches and offers to sell you a luxury watch cheap. Given the setting and circumstances, most of us would not fall for this obvious con. Strangely enough, there are more than few folks who would see this as an opportunity.

Greed and the desire to get something for nothing are powerful forces that some people simply cannot resist. The evidence of this something-for-nothing thinking can be seen almost everyday in the news. Scamsters and schemers have always counted on the greed factor. Whether you are approached on the street or in cyberspace, there should be a healthy, natural suspicion of any offer that seems to good to be true.

The online marketplace has been a boon to buyers and sellers alike. The image of the sleazy street seller has been replaced by unscrupulous sellers in cyberspace, offering the deal of a lifetime. Hidden among the hundreds of thousands of legitimate offers on the internet are disreputable cyber sellers. With offerings of merchandise that could be pirated, stolen, counterfeited or just plain nonexistent, it is buyer beware at all times.

At least with a street seller you get a chance to inspect the goods before you buy. Most internet sales are completed sight unseen. The money changes hands electronically often days before the buyer receives the goods.

It should noted that most internet sellers are legitimate and are genuinely interested in establishing long term relationships with their customers. Maintaining a loyal base of customers helps sellers to generate repeat business. Loyal customers help reduce the overall cost of doing business by reducing marketing costs. The customers benefit by receiving fair treatment and quality.

Whether face to face or in cyberspace buyers must be cautious. Buying expensive items like jewelry and watches online is risky business. Buyers can often be left holding the proverbial bag. Claims by sellers about an item of jewelry are impossible to confirm when buying online. Fake watches, rings and even raw gemstones can be purchased over the internet. Sellers of jewelry fakes and knockoffs go so far as to set shadow accounts on various internet sales platforms.

I personally heard of one brazen example where a seller offered an expensive item to an online auction site. The buyer with the winning bid thought a deal had been struck at a price that seemed too good to be true.

Instead of receiving the genuine article, the buyer received a picture of the item. The seller claimed that it was the picture and not the item that was being sold. In the end, the seller was arrested for several crimes including fraud. The sale occurred in the U.S. leaving the buyer with at least a slim chance of getting the money back. Should the transaction have originated with a seller in another country, the buyer would be left with little recourse and an empty wallet. When buying watches and jewelry online or in person, the rule is always let the buyer beware.