eBay UK is introducing authenticity checks to jewellery sold on its website worth more than £500.

Sellers on the ecommerce giant will have their goods fully vetted and verified before receiving their money, with no additional cost to themselves or the shopper.

All products will be examined by specialists from the Gemological Institute of America, who go on to forward the goods to shoppers.

The experts check various inspection points to ensure the products are legitimate.

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eBay global general manager of luxury Tirath Kamdar said: “Rightfully customers want confidence when buying a special item, which is why we are expanding our luxury offering within the authenticity guarantee programme to now include fine jewellery in the UK.

“Customers want to trust what they are getting is the real deal.”

A recent poll carried out on behalf of the British Hallmarking Council by WRi revealed a third of “gold” jewellery sold online was suspected of not being hallmarked.

The move comes after eBay UK launched its Authenticity Guarantee service in 2021, inspecting luxury watches (worth over £2000) on their way between seller and buyer.

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