Jewellery Buying Tips For Brilliant & Cute Customers In Today's Indian Express Newspaper http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/m5/2247308/Indulge-Chennai/19072019#page/9/1 As a smart buyer, you may keep the following things in mind when you deal with showrooms. First, if you are exchanging gold (selling old ornaments and buying new) make sure that you are getting the full price of what you are selling. i.e. As long as you are selling 22K gold, the showroom may not reduce any price but give you the actual market price of the 22K gold by its weight. There are some showrooms who charge melting charges, handling charges or whatever they may call it but never ever fall into that trap. Each and every piece has to be weighed separately and tested for purity using the electronic purity tester while selling. i.e. if you have a pair of ear rings, test them separately Ask for the current gold price on your purchase day and their standard making charges before commencing your shopping. Check for the BIS hallmark on the inner or back side of each of the pieces you are buying Ask for the ‘wastage charges’ for each of the pieces that you are picking and be prepared for the negotiation. Further tips: There may be some sales people who may try to belittle you on your miserliness and even might raise their voice. You may remind such people that you know this business and it’s your money that is at stake. Further, you may ask them why there’s no norm for this so-called wastage charges (Hopefully at some point the government will normalize this as well). Most showrooms may offer you a discount of 40 or 50 rupees per gram on the prevailing rate as if they are doing you a great favour. Please note that your REAL saving comes from the wastage charge negotiation. The ‘special discount valid only for today’, or ‘pick a chit and get your lucky discount’ etc are the gimmicks that they play to preempt further negotiation. Don’t fall for those tricks. Bottom Line :- 1. Buy jewellery which is open from behind, avoiding any wax & saving 30 to 40% of overall cost. 2. Sell your jewellery against cash without deducting any commission, etc. at prevailing market rates.