If you're looking to sell an item of jewellery, here's an article about what routes are possible, and how they commonly realise differing amounts of money.
Here's a very rough comparison, but of course this will vary depending on item, different places and market conditions.
Starting from the higher values, to lower. As a rule of thumb, the routes that offer the most money take longest to achieve, the quicker ones less.
Frequent options:
Private selling between two people can be one of the highest values a client can realise if selling an item. You're taking on the job of a shop and the work required to find a buyer, plus the risk of being paid. And of course a private seller nearly always doesn't need to charge VAT!
Selling price after commission fees in a shop selling on your behalf* - there's no way of saying how long it would take. You have the security of a reserve price. Sometimes you'll get more for a part exchange. We offer this service - click here.
Auction Selling price after fees*. Auction houses often quote a range 'hammer price', and an auction may escalate to the top end or beyond the range. You do of course have a reserve safety net. Do note the buyer pays a premium on hammer price, and after your commission to the auction house, there's quite a difference between the two, which the auction house has earned.
Immediate sale to shop buying an article outright. A shop is taking on the risk of finding a buyer, warranties and tying up their capital.
Material or gold value selling price to a business is one of the lower values an item can realise, however this is often the quickest way to dispose of an item. Sometimes you get more for a part exchange. We offer both these services - click here to read more.
Factoring in time and effort may also be considerations when deciding which avenue is best for a client.
Incidentally, we also use a few rules of thumb: they're not set in stone, though are a reasonable guide. Assuming than an insurance value is the very highest value an item has at 100%, then you may expect
40% to 80% of this value for options 1,2 or 3 above
30% to 50% of this value for options 3 or 4
10% to 20% for option 5
These rough outlines will vary depending on an item's size, condition, desirability, as well as general market environment.
* these can be similar, but bear in mind that an auction house will add on a buyer's premium to a hammer price, so the difference between what you get and the buyer pays widens.