Frequently Asked Questions for New Customers
AKA Purchase Agreement
Welcome! Dangdang Studio is a legally registered jewelry agent in both China and the United States, dedicated to promoting Chinese aesthetics overseas and providing overseas Chinese with a more convenient and secure way to purchase traditional Chinese jewelry. It is one of the earliest and most professional online jade and gemstone stores in the United States.
All jade sold in this store is guaranteed authentic and consistent with its description. Jadeite and Hetian jade come with certificates from reputable domestic/US testing institutions and can withstand various re-inspections. Click here to enter the store.
Sisters in the San Francisco Bay Area (zip 94404) can book in-person tea/jade appreciation/body measurement. Shipping is available throughout the US and Canada; high-end items can be shipped worldwide.
Q&A #1 Are the products you sell genuine? Do you guarantee they are Grade A?
There are many types of jade. Although jadeite and Hetian jade, which have jewelry and collection value, are our main types of jade, we also have other affordable jade, such as agate, chalcedony, golden silk jade, Afghan jade, and so on.
Our brand owner is a certified jadeite appraiser by the National Gemstone Testing Center (NGTC) in China, and one of the very few jewelers in North America with specialized jadeite appraisal and grading qualifications. Our other members also possess formal academic qualifications and certifications in jewelry appraisal and design, making us the most professional and authoritative store in our category.
All items sold in this store that are described as "jade" are guaranteed to be natural Grade A jade . Jade from Guatemala will be labeled as "Guatemalan material". If there is no special label, it is assumed to be genuine Burmese material.
All jadeite and Hetian jade products come with certificates from reputable domestic institutions, which can be verified online.
If the original certificate is lost due to various factors, we offer the option to reissue it. Even for items that already have a certificate, we offer a paid re-inspection service. We absolutely guarantee the authenticity of our jade and gemstone products. We accept re-inspections from any reputable appraisal institution worldwide. If any item is found to be fake, we offer a full refund or compensation. (This includes jade and gemstone items in the "pre-owned" category. All jade and gemstones we handle are absolutely guaranteed authentic. A very small number of metals, diamonds, accent stones, braided cords, and other pre-owned accessories are not included in our authenticity guarantee; please contact us for separate re-inspection if needed.)
Our products come from hundreds of experienced and reliable suppliers in China, providing you with a wider selection of styles and price points.
Q&A #2 I'm not in San Francisco, how do you ship to me? What if it gets broken?
We ship throughout North America, and our usual shipping methods are USPS and UPS. You can see the specific delivery times here.
So far, none of the thousands of packages sold in North America have been damaged in transit. If any damage occurs due to improper packaging in the future, we will provide full compensation. However, to avoid unnecessary disputes, US courier companies typically do not offer in-person signature upon delivery. Therefore, for large purchases of bracelets, you will need to provide an unpacking video to prove that the damage actually occurred during transit. If your package looks very damaged and you suspect it is damaged, please immediately take a video and unpack it.
It's also important to note that once a package enters the "delivered" status, we are not responsible for subsequent issues such as lost or damaged packages. For example, situations such as poor management by the apartment manager, theft at the doorstep, or undelivered packages exceeding the inspection period are not within our scope of responsibility .
Q&A #3 Where can I browse products? What does "in stock" mean? What does "pre-order" mean?
We'll prioritize posting our newest stock items and recommendations for great domestic products on our WeChat Moments. To stay updated, add us on WeChat: dangdangblingbling
The bracelet will then be updated simultaneously in four different group chats. If you haven't joined a group, you can contact customer service to join.
Then, all the available stock will be updated simultaneously on the online store within 2-3 days.
"In-stock" refers to goods that are already in the US and ready to be shipped at any time. The seller is Dangdang.
"Available for pre-order " refers to goods supplied by our vendors who are still in China; the owner of the goods is not Dangdang. If you are interested, we can purchase them for you, and they typically arrive in 7-15 business days.
"Idle items" refers to second-hand jade items that customers send in for consignment, and the owners are our regular customers.
Q&A #4 What does "appreciation" mean? What does "buyout" mean?
The term "appreciation " refers to situations where one cannot view the goods in person and must view them via mail; it is a refundable commitment.
A buyout means a "blind purchase," which is a non-refundable commitment.
If you're very confident in your judgment and can basically determine whether something is suitable just by looking at pictures, videos, and descriptions, you might as well choose to buy it outright, as you can often get a better price.
Rules for mailing items for inspection and viewing:
STEP 1: Place an order at full price
STEP 2: Decide whether to reserve the goods within 48 hours of receiving them.
STEP 3: If you decide to keep the item, no contact with customer service is needed; the transaction will be automatically completed after 48 hours. If you decide to return the item, contact customer service promptly and provide us with the return tracking information within 3 business days.
STEP 4: After customer service receives the goods, they will process your refund. The refund amount will be: full price - postage (and high-value insurance, if applicable, approximately 1.5% of the goods' value) - appraisal fee. The appraisal fee for in-stock items is usually 5% .
First-time customers who pay with Zelle or RMB can enjoy a waiver of the inspection fee when returning the item;
Customers who purchase more than one item and return part of it will enjoy a certain discount on the appreciation fee (they only need to pay the round-trip postage).
There is no inspection fee for exchanges of nearly equal value or more, and round-trip shipping is included.
Q&A #5 If I want to take a look before deciding whether to buy, can I just pay the appraisal fee?
No, that's not the case. The appreciation fee refers to a small amount deducted from the refund if the item is returned.
If you decide to keep it after viewing it, there will be no additional cost.
Our main purpose in charging an appraisal fee is:
1. Valuable jewelry may depreciate or be at risk after multiple shipments, so we charge an appraisal fee to reduce unnecessary returns. We hope you will consider this carefully before placing your order.
2. Labor costs, transportation expenses, and packaging losses incurred during mailing and packing.
3. Transfer fees ranging from 3% to 4% for credit cards, PayPal, etc., are non-refundable in the event of a return; we can only deduct them from the appreciation fee.
Q&A #6 Why are the appraisal price and the buyout price different? If I decide to buy out after appraisal, can I get a refund for the price difference?
That's not how it works.
Products purchased at a "buyout price" may have a slight price advantage, but they are non-refundable and non-exchangeable regardless of whether you are satisfied with the received goods.
Items purchased at the "review price" can be returned unconditionally within 48 hours of receipt. However, no further discounts will be offered regardless of satisfaction.
There is no such thing as inspecting the item before deciding to buy it, nor is there any provision for demanding a refund of the price difference if the item is not returned after inspection.
Q&A #7 What should I do if I don't know what size I should buy?
For those who have never worn a bracelet before, please refer to this picture to roughly estimate your size:
For more precise measurements, please consider our free bezel measurement service .
Q&A #8 How can I get here to view the goods from nearby? Is there an appraisal fee for viewing the goods in person?
There are no fees for viewing the goods in person. If you'd like to view the goods, please add our customer service WeChat account (dangdangblingbling) and schedule an appointment 1-2 days in advance. Parking is very convenient.
You can also use our online booking system . You'll receive the specific address after your booking is confirmed!
In addition, the appreciation period is only applicable to viewing the goods by mail. If you want to view the goods in person in person, you must buy out the goods and leave immediately. If it is not an A-type problem, you will not be able to return or exchange them by default.
Offline payment options include cash, credit card, Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, and RMB.
Please inform us in advance if you are afraid of puppies.
Q&A #9 How do your jade prices compare to those in China?
First, we inevitably face higher transportation costs, inventory costs, higher labor costs, and unavoidable costs such as US taxes.
However, with the reputation and sales volume we've built up in recent years, we've gained increasingly stronger negotiating power with domestic suppliers, and our team has developed a better eye for sourcing. It's fair to say that starting in 2023, our overall prices and value for money will be almost on par with mainstream jade shops and livestreaming platforms in China. This year, we've reached better agreements with many popular domestic online stores and physical factories, allowing many items to be sold in the US at the same prices as in China. This means you'll find that many items are available for almost the same price if you buy them in China or from us!
Compared to branded jewelry stores and physical jewelry stores, we do not have brand premiums or packaging premiums, so our prices have always had a significant advantage over the years.
However, regardless of the circumstances, we hope customers will consider the quality and appearance of the jade itself when selecting products. After all, no matter how much we try to reduce costs, we cannot compare to the prices from mining in Myanmar. We guarantee, with our professional expertise, that all our products are priced within a reasonable range of the overall market price. We hope you can trust our appraisal and pricing capabilities.
The saying goes, "Jade meets its destined owner, gold has a price, but jade is priceless." What you like is a matter of fate; the greatest value of a piece of jewelry is the pleasure it brings to your eyes every day. While jadeite has a relatively established market price framework, even experts will perceive different prices from different individuals. We do not encourage online "keyboard experts" to compare prices, and we do not want our clients to waste time and energy on pricing issues. If you have doubts about the price of your purchase, we suggest consulting a senior jewelry dealer for an assessment. Compare prices by examining the actual item in person , rather than relying on unreliable online reviews, which are often filled with fabricated images, concealed flaws, scammers, half-baked keyboard warriors, and unqualified individuals trying to gain your trust through boasting. Offline customers are welcome to bring their items to us at any time for price consultation. Our authoritative jadeite appraisers will personally explain every pricing rule for jadeite.
Q&A #10 I didn't see anything I liked, can you help me find something?
Dangdang originally started as a sourcing service for jade and gemstones. Although we now have more and more readily available stock, we still have extensive resources and experience sourcing jade and gemstones throughout China. Basically, we can find almost any item that exists on the market. However, due to labor costs, we generally don't send people to search for very low-value items, as this would result in you receiving a product with poor value for money. Therefore, we generally recommend that customers with a budget of $1500 or more and a specific target product contact us for sourcing services.
Please provide more specific pictures, style descriptions, or budget:
Example: "Icy floating flower jade leaf gemstone with a thickness of 5mm or more and a budget of 2000."
"A sweet fruit green bangle with a width of 9-13mm, 54mm in diameter, for a budget under 5000."
For other items, you can check our pre-order recommendations. We will post various types of jewelry with high cost performance on our WeChat Moments or in our groups as "pre-order recommendations".
The goods we specially source for you may not be as cost-effective as other in-stock items, but we guarantee that all our goods are priced within a reasonable range, are guaranteed to be authentic (grade A), and are accurately described.
Q&A #11 What should I do if I am not satisfied with the product or service?
If you are not satisfied with the product and need to return it, please contact our product consultation customer service (WeChat: dangdangblingbling). If you meet the return requirements, we will guide you through the return process.
If you have any dissatisfaction or suggestions regarding our service, please contact our customer service (WeChat: dangdangjade, email: dangdang.jadebangle AT gmail.com). We will process your feedback as soon as possible. Thank you for your support!