Has anyone ever successfully negotiated at Tiffany?

Gimmethebag

Gimmethebag

Gimme Gimme Gimme
O.G.
Dec 2, 2008
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#1
My boyfriend is planning on my buying my engagement ring there and he has mentioned that he doesn't want to appear "too eager" in calling in other stones, because he would like to negotiate. I know Tiffany's says that they never discount but we do know for fact that Cartier does.

The rings we are looking at are above a carat, in the five figure range (so, we're not talking about the crazy one of a kind 7+ carat rings), but my boyfriend can pay cash which will save them credit/debit merchant transaction fees up to 7%.

Has anyone had Tiff's "work with you" when you were the only person in the store? I've told my boyfriend the policy, but he just wants to make sure he is getting the best price on the item offered in store. You know how guys think... You can negotiate a car, a home, a watch, a kitchen renovation...
 
#3
The most that Tiffany's could offer is probably 10% off of the actual retail price. But have your boyfriend (or soon-to-be finance) book an appointment with a Tiffany's associate that specializes in dealing and selling engagment rings and have a talk with them, and see if you could get a 10% discount ... but I know for a matter of fact that there is no way to "bargain" or "negotiate" prices when it comes to Tiffanys.
 
#5
no they won't. i use to work for tiffanys.. the only time they'll give 10 percent is if you have a business account with them.. and buy things in bulk. but honestly there's no such thing as a discount at tiffanys.
 
#6
My FI purchased my ring from Tiffany last year when the economy was terrible and while our SA was fantastic, he would not budge on the price. My ring is 2+ cts and not their lowest specs, so it was in the mid 5-figure range. My FI also paid in cash. It was kind of annoying because I have heard Cartier and Harry Winston are more open to discounting the sticker price. I have heard others have had luck on negotiating on stones smaller than mine, but I am not sure if it is fact or fiction. Our SA did say that the negotiation policy does change when you get into the 6-figure range.
 
#7
cartier and harry winston's prices are higher then tiffanys.. so that's why they have wiggle room. a 2 carat at tiffanys.. would cost substantially more at both cartier and harry winston.
 
#8
lisachen08 said:
cartier and harry winston's prices are higher then tiffanys.. so that's why they have wiggle room. a 2 carat at tiffanys.. would cost substantially more at both cartier and harry winston.
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This is very true. When we were shopping for rings, we were shown a $76K 2 ct RB solitaire at Harry Winston :wtf: It was certainly not D/IF either!
 
#9
I think you'll have better luck negotiating if you go to a jewelry mart type of place as opposed to a retail store like Tiffany. Are there any in your area? I got my engagement ring at the jewelry mart here in SF and it was 1/3 the price of what it would have been at Tiffany.
 
#10
lorihmatthews said:
I think you'll have better luck negotiating if you go to a jewelry mart type of place as opposed to a retail store like Tiffany. Are there any in your area? I got my engagement ring at the jewelry mart here in SF and it was 1/3 the price of what it would have been at Tiffany.
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Yes, we have a few jewelers that would give us a deal. Unfortunately, I don't want a "looks just like a Tiffany" design, I want the Tiffany ring. So we're fine with the price but we just wanted to make sure that Tiff's doesn't have a hush-hush-wink-wink negotiation policy since we know for a fact that Cartier does.

Since it seems that they don't give anyone else 10% off or anything like that, he should be able to sleep well knowing that he paid just as much as the next customer.
 
#13
lisachen08 said:
i've heard that the discount is only applicable to their watches. not diamonds.
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While I know that SO's parents received a discount on some watches, I am pretty sure they were able to negotiate on pieces like the diamond dragon necklace as well. SO is pretty sure Cartier always gives them a deal, but I don't know the specifics. They buy a lot of jewelry (not just Cartier), so maybe it's still in the store's best interest for them to be coming back frequently? I am assuming that they probably give a bigger break on watches and a smaller break to regulars.

So I talked to my dad about this quandry and he said that while the cash idea seems like a good one, most jewelry stores prefer (an obviously verified) personal check because of anti-laundering laws, it's a huge PITA for a store to take more than $10k in cash for one transaction. So the manager could be thinking, "Yeah, you aren't doing me any favors. I will have a ton of paperwork to do after you leave."
 
#15
There are some lovely smaller jewelry shoppes that might discount. Are there any family owned in your area? Tiffany's has some lovely items but sometimes I think that we are paying more $$$$ for the name. I am only saying that because we have a wonderful family owned jewelry store in my area who goes through hoops to make the customer feel happy we get personalized care...
 
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