Going to eBay and putting down a bunch of cash on a sterling silver jewelry item sight unseen is a frightening thought for many people. But if you are careful there are some amazing bargains available and you can come away with some real deals, almost as if you had bought wholesale sterling silver jewelry.

The key is to approach buying the jewelry you are interested in as unemotionally as possible. It is easy to get swept up in the bidding or in the dreams of buying and owning a particular piece of jewelry, and that’s when your emotions overcome your good sense.

So what are some rules to follow when buying sterling silver jewelry on eBay? Here are a few that might make the difference between a good buying experience and a bad one.

1. Check the seller’s feedback section. You want a seller who has a history of selling the types of items you are interested in. You should mentally pick a feedback rating that you are comfortable with, and rarely consider those sellers who drop below your minimum. Some buyers use a 97% positive rating as a guideline, and others are willing to gamble a bit and go lower.

2. Read some of the negative feedback comments. You can probably ignore the ones that look like they might be from new buyers who have not contacted the seller and given them time to correct a problem. You are looking to see if there is a pattern you can spot, which would show that the seller is not someone you would want to do business with.

3. Carefully look at the listing and find pictures of the sterling silver jewelry you want to bid on. You want to make sure that the jewelry pictured is what you will be bidding on, and not that it is just a stock photo of a similar item. If in doubt, email the seller. If you don’t get a reply then that is probably not a person you want to do business with anyway.

By doing your research and bidding carefully, you can frequently find bargains on eBay and can locate sellers of discount sterling silver jewelry whose auctions you can trust.