Buying Jewelry Onboard - Good Deal or Total Rip Off??

[JMB1969]

Wow!  I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and that 2019 is a great year for you!  

 

Best wishes!  

[graphicguy]

Jewelry markup (including watches) is astronomical.  Does that mean it’s a bad deal on a ship?  Not any more than buying on land.  Will you get a “steal”?  Probably not.  What you will find is you don’t pay taxes on what you buy on a ship, which differs from what you’ll pay for at home.

 

I’ve shopped most of the island shops (including those tucked into side streets that you have to look hard to find).  I’ve shopped the stores on RCCL, Carnival, NCL, HAL, MSC, and Celebrity.  They are all more or less the same....some differences here and there.  They are “leased” stores (not directly owned by the cruise lines, but leasing space on the ship).

 

They aren’t “Grey Market” items (which is sometimes the case with buying watches on-line).  Plus, buying online for jewelry is more or less a gamble because you can’t inspect any jewelry or watch in person before you buy.

 

I’ve bought a few watches on board (not Invicta, which are generally available anywhere for huge discounts)....one Tag, one Tissot and one Movado.  All were good watches..  Tag needed service under warranty and was taken care of by Tag with no issues, whatsoever.

 

Bought a ring for my (then) wife on board.  Wasn’t outrageous, but was diamonds and gold.  She loved it.  Even if I could have found something similar, stone quality, gold quality, etc will make it next to impossible to compare apples-to-apples.  I know a little about jewelry and felt the ring was not overpriced.

 

Prices on board generally mirror what you’ll find in the islands at places like Diamonds International.  You might be able to save a few dollars by shopping at the secondary island jewelry shops.  But, unless you’re really versed in watches and jewelry, you’re never sure what you’re getting from the secondary stores.

 

In brief, if you like it, want it and can afford it?  Buy it.  Generally speaking, at worst you won’t be getting the shaft on what you buy on board.  At best, you’ll be getting a piece of jewelry or watch that you’ll like wearing and will remember the trip by.  Plus, you’ll save some money by not paying taxes.

[kfnesq]

46 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Jewelry markup (including watches) is astronomical.  Does that mean it’s a bad deal on a ship?  Not any more than buying on land.  Will you get a “steal”?  Probably not.  What you will find is you don’t pay taxes on what you buy on a ship, which differs from what you’ll pay for at home.

 

I’ve shopped most of the island shops (including those tucked into side streets that you have to look hard to find).  I’ve shopped the stores on RCCL, Carnival, NCL, HAL, MSC, and Celebrity.  They are all more or less the same....some differences here and there.  They are “leased” stores (not directly owned by the cruise lines, but leasing space on the ship).

 

They aren’t “Grey Market” items (which is sometimes the case with buying watches on-line).  Plus, buying online for jewelry is more or less a gamble because you can’t inspect any jewelry or watch in person before you buy.

 

I’ve bought a few watches on board (not Invicta, which are generally available anywhere for huge discounts)....one Tag, one Tissot and one Movado.  All were good watches..  Tag needed service under warranty and was taken care of by Tag with no issues, whatsoever.

 

Bought a ring for my (then) wife on board.  Wasn’t outrageous, but was diamonds and gold.  She loved it.  Even if I could have found something similar, stone quality, gold quality, etc will make it next to impossible to compare apples-to-apples.  I know a little about jewelry and felt the ring was not overpriced.

 

Prices on board generally mirror what you’ll find in the islands at places like Diamonds International.  You might be able to save a few dollars by shopping at the secondary island jewelry shops.  But, unless you’re really versed in watches and jewelry, you’re never sure what you’re getting from the secondary stores.

 

In brief, if you like it, want it and can afford it?  Buy it.  Generally speaking, at worst you won’t be getting the shaft on what you buy on board.  At best, you’ll be getting a piece of jewelry or watch that you’ll like wearing and will remember the trip by.  Plus, you’ll save some money by not paying taxes.

Agree with this 100%.  If you see something you absolutely love, and feel the price is fair and what you can afford, go for it.  It's something that will remind you of a great vacation and hold wonderful memories.  At least, that's how I look at it.  🙂

[kellers13]

On 12/20/2018 at 8:49 AM, cruisin'sz said:

I was wondering if it was worth it to buy jewelry while on-board.   Can you really get a good deal or is it all just one big rip off?  Also, if you do buy jewelry on board, can you use your on-board credits and (I think it is 15% ) the ship discount some of us have as frequent cruisers?   Finally, if it is worth it to get the jewelry - are the jewelers negotiable.  Thanks for the help.    

I bought several pieces last year on RCCL in the jewelry store. NOT because they were a great deal, but because I loved them. We did talk the sales person down quite a bit and had the items appraised after returning home to find them 2x and my favorite piece actually 3x the value paid. Bottom line - buy it if you love it.

[Sand and Seas]

I've bought several of the gold & silver 'by the inch' bracelets and they have lasted for years.  Sadly, I accidentally left my favorite bracelets in a hotel once....but happily they weren't that expensive to replace 🙂