AN OVERWHELMING 91 percent of Brain Squad respondents say they don’t charge for consultations that don’t result in a sale — but “no” turns out to cover a lot of ground. Some see free consultations as a relationship-building investment that pays off in loyalty and referrals. Others cite high close rates that make the question largely academic. But a notable faction within that majority admitted they’re actively rethinking the policy, driven by rising gold prices, repeat tire-kickers, and a growing sense that their expertise has value that shouldn’t be given away. In a recent INSTORE Brain Squad survey, we asked readers to elaborate on the question of:

Do you charge for consultations that don’t result in sales?

YES: 9%

“If someone is looking for an estate evaluation or wants me to sort their items into gold or costume, then I charge $150 per hour with minimum one hour charge. I am lax about the charge if it is an older couple looking to decide what to give to children or people that are not obviously taking advantage of the service. And if there is a charge and they decide to sell us the old gold, then I take the charge off.” — David B., Calgary, Alberta, Canada
“We don’t do a lot of it but have started charging for some things. For example, if someone wants to have us sort a large amount of family jewelry to divide among their children, we ask if they are going to sell any of it. If not, we tell them what the charge will be, before they make the appointment.” — Nancy & Pierre P., Swansea, MA

“If someone has over eight items or more to go over, we usually charge $30. If they just have a couple of items that they want to know if they are real, we do not charge.” — Karen H., Batavia, IL

“Giving general advice is part of our business and when it involves assuming any liability or using intellectual or hard resources we charge and put it in writing with appropriate disclaimers. Any important questions relating to estate issues we simply suggest consulting with an attorney.” — J. Dennis P., Johnstown, PA
“Example — when people bring in boxes of old jewelry to go through and separate the costume / no value from the of value and sell it to us as scrap. Bridal customers that want designs done and don’t come to fruition. Not very often this happens with us luckily.” — Tom N., Spencer, IA
“Depending on amount of time involved, travel, time of year, where meeting held, additional travel companion, etc. All discussed in advance with client and follow-up in email. Could be appraisal or important potential sale.” — Eileen E., Decatur, IN

NO: 91%

“I have five decades of experience. I distribute my knowledge freely to my community. A quick assessment of Grandma’s jewelry box, an ID session for the ladies at the church rummage store, a diagnosis of why one earring always feels loose … I’m happy to do it. It builds relationships, brings many more customers than the $$$$ magazine ads we place and locks us in as the family jeweler, the guy you can trust. I do charge, however, for written appraisals.” — Steven W., Chatham, MA
“I feel like that just puts a bad taste in the customer’s mouth. If they’re on the fence and then you charge them, they more than likely aren’t coming back. It’s our job in my opinion.” — Cole R., Bradenton, FL
“No, but I absolutely need to. People these days have no respect for and no problem wasting your time. I can’t wait to see what others charge for this so I can use it as a guide for myself. I would rather have someone gruff at a consultation fee than for me to keep getting burned. And when I get burned, I get ticked off and things get nasty from there. It’s better for my mental health to take money from a total waste of time than to go down the dark and angry road.” — Marc M., Midland, TX
“I don’t but I’m changing that. I’m going to start charging for my time if I have to do designs and/or look up info. I find that people are coming in ‘just’ for the info and really, my time is worth more than that. So yes, I am starting to charge.” — Susan K., Lewisburg, PA
“Design is a process. I can sit down with one client, and have the design and deposit in less than a half hour, other clients are in the kicking tires stage to see if what they are dreaming of is affordable. My time is valuable, but so is my client’s time. We always say dreaming is free at the Jewelry Mechanic, but getting on a bench requires a half down deposit.” — Jo G., Oconomowoc, WI
“I don’t charge because even if I don’t close them on this, they remember you and often come back for something else. Our closing rate on consultations is 90%.” — Elizabeth S., San Diego, CA
“I’m going to start to because my time and consumables (like testing acids) are ending up costing me more than I foresaw by weighing, testing, valuating people’s gold. It’s becoming more frequently done since the price of gold went up.” — Monica L., Fond du Lac, WI
“Most of our consultations result in sales whether it’s a design appointment or a Jewelry Box Consultation. We are considering a design fee to be rolled into the cost of the project if the appointment goes over 30 minutes. This is designed to manage our time with clients efficiently and to qualify the inquiries.” — Megan C., Poulsbo, WA

“We take a deposit for bringing in gems and then charge a fee ($100+) for no shows. But no consult fee. It’s always felt like it reduced hesitation to try custom.” — Jim T., Seattle, WA

“We do not charge for consultations; we try to figure out what the client is looking for. We do charge a CAD deposit when the idea becomes a deal. The deposit is non-refundable but we promise to make the client happy!” — Tim W., Yorktown, VA
“I’m not a traditional jeweler or a gemologist, so my ‘consultations’ are more informal. When I do get into a discussion with someone about wirewrapping (my area of expertise for over 40 years), I’m just happy to pass along any knowledge or tricks I’ve learned along the way. Karma, y’all — you get back what you put out there!” — Janne E., Cocoa, FL
“Part of what we do is answer a lot of questions; it’s part of the game. If someone asks if they can pay us, we ask them to put money in a box for a local animal charity we collect for.” — Georgie G., Palo Alto, CA
“At this point we have such a high closing percentage that it is not an issue. Should it become an issue, we will pivot.” — Cliff Y., Lowell, MI
“I work by-appointment only, and there are only a few appointments per year that don’t result in a sale. Charging for consultations seems like a barrier.” — Angela C., Atascadero, CA
“We’ve always looked on the time spent on a consultation that didn’t result in a sale as a cost of doing business, especially with clients who are unsure of exactly what they want or what they want to spend.” — Bill E., Terre Haute, IN
“I consider the time I spend consulting as a business expense.” — Peter T., Show Low, AZ
“Our closing rate is high enough that we don’t have to enact that policy, but I see why others must.” — Trevor W., Myerstown, PA

“We have always welcomed inquiries at no cost. Some pan out some don’t but if we didn’t offer this as a free service, we would miss many opportunities.” — James S., Lowell, IN
“It is a customer service and shows good will.” — John A. Jr., Bala-Cynwyd, PA
“We do a lot by samples so other than time it’s not a big investment for us to do free consultations, plus we are fairly happy with our success rate so it seems we are doing something right!” — Becky B., Peabody, MA
“It’s a service that translates into future sales and referrals.” — Drue S., Albany, NY
“That seems really greedy and we don’t roll that way.” — Bob G., Zionsville, IN
“We always try to help the local community and it is good will.” — Barry F., Bardonia, NY
“Just does not seem right to me, that simple.” — Klaus K., Bristol, RI

INSTOREMAG.COM

Message History

Delivery option(s)