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Post by aDave on Jun 17, 2023 15:11:59 GMT -5
Personally, I don't buy from anyone who isn't a known quantity, and that would mean something like Craigslist. That's just me. If I were you, I'd keep an eye on the Marketplace here on this forum. Material is always popping up, and you can trust the fact your dealing with a member right here on the Forum. vegasjames recently posted some nice looking tumbling rough, but I don't know if it's still there as I write this. But, he did say in his original post that he had more. Take a look and see what's there and if there is anything there that will suit you. If there isn't anything in there now, most likely there will be in the future.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Jun 17, 2023 16:04:44 GMT -5
I agree with aDave. I don't think I'd be looking at Craigslist for rough. What form of rough are you looking for? Rough to slab, slabs to make cabs, tumbling rough? The forum Marketplace is a good place to start no matter what. You can also post a wanted to buy post if you have something in particular you're looking for. If anyone has some, they will let you know. There are also some folks on the board who have Etsy or other stores where they sell rock as well as finished goods. Checking at the bottom of posts will show a person's store link if they have a store and put the link in. Tony catmandewe and roy sell slabs on facebook at the Full Moon Rock Shop as well as some other folks that they know.
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geoff59
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2022
Posts: 288
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Post by geoff59 on Jun 17, 2023 17:15:04 GMT -5
1. Make sure the photos of the rock are quality, well lit, in focus, shown dry and wet, and that you can zoom in to them to look close. If there are cracks present, you should be able to spot them in the photos. Cracks aren’t an automatic disqualifier, but if there they also aren’t part of high/highest grade rough in general. You should be able to see them in the photos is all.
2. On the various market-places online, use the feedback ratings to guide you to the better sellers.
3. Do they accept returns on undamaged goods?
4. If all the above are thumbs up, and you’re good with the price, give it a try.
I have a few online sources for rock that I repeat-buy, I mean besides the obvious ones, and then I’ve also had a few that I would not buy from again.
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Post by stardiamond on Jun 17, 2023 17:39:59 GMT -5
I'm copying what I posted on the high cost of rough topic. My general advice is to know very well the particular material you are interested in buying. I'll take an opposite position. Unless you want to set the time machine for more than 10 years back, this is a great time to be buying slabs; quality and price. I am always looking for a wide variety of material, so I do check out ebay and sometimes Etsy, but I very little from those sites. I am currently buying from 6 Facebook groups and prefer BIN to auction. Most of the sellers are hobbyists. I watch the listings and they buy stuff from each other. The only problem with BIN is that with time zones, I wouldn't be able to get any sleep since slabs are being listed almost 24 hours a day. Here are my page links:
www.facebook.com/groups/FullMoonRockShop
www.facebook.com/groups/CreativeSlabConnection
www.facebook.com/groups/THESLABDEPOT
www.facebook.com/groups/1580169828944386 (wild west slabs and rocks)
www.facebook.com/groups/2103732609822197 (mike's rocks)
There are probably a lot more that I haven't explored. This is a hobby and information should be shared. Payment is usually by a paypal invoice and some sellers are quicker than others to invoice and ship. Most of my buying experiences have been positive.
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Mark K
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,741
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Post by Mark K on Jun 17, 2023 17:47:36 GMT -5
What are you looking for?
I have thousands of slabs for sale and tons of rough.
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rockbrain
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2022
Posts: 2,996
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Post by rockbrain on Jun 17, 2023 21:25:42 GMT -5
Mark K how do we find about more about what you have to offer. @hefty Stardiamond listed some of the sites I've been spending too much on lately. Cabs and Slabs is another. Actually they have two FB sites, on one they sell slabs and the other is cabs. I've got a couple pounds of Larimar coming from there in the next few days.
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Post by stardiamond on Jun 17, 2023 21:59:00 GMT -5
Mark K how do we find about more about what you have to offer. @hefty Stardiamond listed some of the sites I've been spending too much on lately. Cabs and Slabs is another. Actually they have two FB sites, on one they sell slabs and the other is cabs. I've got a couple pounds of Larimar coming from there in the next few days. I don't buy cabs which is what the cab page sells. I check out what is being offered. A lot of people sell on facebook. I'm not interested even though I could make some sales. It's a two tiered system with core people having free access to sell and others limited. I have seen some pettiness. I do this as a hobby and don't need aggravation. I do all my selling on Etsy and even there I try not to undercut those who are trying to generate income. I am interested in only selling enough to cover material and equipment. Since the weather is nice I am making ten times what I am selling.
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rockbrain
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2022
Posts: 2,996
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Post by rockbrain on Jun 18, 2023 9:43:59 GMT -5
Mark K how do we find about more about what you have to offer. @hefty Stardiamond listed some of the sites I've been spending too much on lately. Cabs and Slabs is another. Actually they have two FB sites, on one they sell slabs and the other is cabs. I've got a couple pounds of Larimar coming from there in the next few days. I don't buy cabs which is what the cab page sells. I check out what is being offered. A lot of people sell on facebook. I'm not interested even though I could make some sales. It's a two tiered system with core people having free access to sell and others limited. I have seen some pettiness. I do this as a hobby and don't need aggravation. I do all my selling on Etsy and even there I try not to undercut those who are trying to generate income. I am interested in only selling enough to cover material and equipment. Since the weather is nice I am making ten times what I am selling. I guess I was skimming again! I didn't notice that you had posted the Slab Depot.
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Post by stardiamond on Jun 18, 2023 22:12:49 GMT -5
Thank you Stardiamond! Yes I think this might be dangerous to find some consistent online markets for rough. I'll be losing plenty of sleep and cash. Mark I want to make some stuff out of jade. I have a couple nephrite slabs to practice on but ultimately I'd like a small inventory of the good stuff - icy blue guatemalan princess jade, or apple green. Also looking for nice color and stable chrysocolla, chrysoprase. Sugilite, charoite, malachite, datolite, imperial jasper, binghamite, ametrine, pietersite, larimar, ruby zoisite. . . also interested in agates that have parallax or highly contrasting band colors. I've bought from Tanner. He just listed a bunch of stuff you could look at. www.facebook.com/groups/THESLABDEPOT
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wargrafix
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2023
Posts: 1,020
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Post by wargrafix on Jun 19, 2023 10:35:02 GMT -5
How do ppl normally make payment? I am from Trinidad and shipping isn't the issue, it's ensuring smooth paymant
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Post by stardiamond on Jun 19, 2023 11:05:04 GMT -5
Paypal is generally accepted. Each seller has their own policies regarding payment and shipping and they are posted with each item listed.
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wargrafix
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2023
Posts: 1,020
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Post by wargrafix on Jun 19, 2023 11:42:26 GMT -5
Paypal is generally accepted. Each seller has their own policies regarding payment and shipping and they are posted with each item listed. PayPal is a great and safe option
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Mark K
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,741
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Post by Mark K on Jun 19, 2023 20:57:56 GMT -5
Dan Hurd has lots of jade. He is in BC. He finds it and cuts it and then sells it. If you contact him he will gladly sell you some.
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Post by roy on Jun 20, 2023 10:38:29 GMT -5
I agree with aDave. I don't think I'd be looking at Craigslist for rough. What form of rough are you looking for? Rough to slab, slabs to make cabs, tumbling rough? The forum Marketplace is a good place to start no matter what. You can also post a wanted to buy post if you have something in particular you're looking for. If anyone has some, they will let you know. There are also some folks on the board who have Etsy or other stores where they sell rock as well as finished goods. Checking at the bottom of posts will show a person's store link if they have a store and put the link in. Tony catmandewe and roy sell slabs on facebook at the Full Moon Rock Shop as well as some other folks that they know. thank you i also have a web page rbrockshop.com and can take custom orders
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,709
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Post by Fossilman on Jun 20, 2023 13:31:39 GMT -5
Can't go wrong with Roy and Tony! Two of the best sellers!
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Jun 28, 2023 10:50:45 GMT -5
I use a lot of sources. Other than the obvious (here, rock retailers, some Ebay) I hunt for things like estate auctions, garage sales, moving sales, liquidation sales, household auctions. Look for little clues like "my uncles estate sale. He did something with rocks and has a lot of stuff in boxes. No idea what it is, come make an offer." Usually you have to dig and poke around, but sometimes it pays off. I also use local FB groups. We have one called buy nothing. People post up their trash and give it away. I occasionally post up a "in search of" post looking for lapidary supplies (I.E "ISO rock polishers and supplies. I will come and pick it up. Interested in rough rock as well" I have not scored anything great yet (well I did score 15 sets of deer antlers lol) but it is more about the thrill of the hunt. I live in a rock ppor area (we have some ok cherts, quartz pebbles, granites, and occasionally some adventurine/ quartzite) so I get the "nothing local" idea, but I do live only 5 hours from Nethers farm (going there for flint this year for sure) and I hound up along Lake Erie and Ontario on occasion. I also work with 2oo plus people and they all know I'm into rocks. Every time someone takes a trip I ask if they would be willing to collect some rocks for me (I give them my address and tell them I will pay for shipping). SO far it hasn't panned out real well (did get some lo grade chert that tumbles well but is very plain jane in color) but again the thrill of the hunt. I have been doing this tumbling thing for 20 years now, and have built up a pretty nice collection of rough, and when I die someone is going to have a decent score, but remember you need to be in this for the long haul to reap the payoffs!
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Post by stardiamond on Jun 30, 2023 19:35:41 GMT -5
I saw this on fb described as Royal Sahara. I commented that it looked like Deschutes and the seller got pissed at me. I found this on Ebay listed as Deschutes. Since I don't think there is a scam involved. The seller decided I was right. I went through my fb notifications and his response to my comment is gone. Never bought form him before and unlikely to in the future.
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dillonf
fully equipped rock polisher
Hounding and tumbling
Member since February 2022
Posts: 1,622
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Post by dillonf on Jun 30, 2023 20:25:36 GMT -5
roy Hey I tried to check out your site and got this message:
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Post by roy on Jul 10, 2023 11:01:32 GMT -5
roy Hey I tried to check out your site and got this message: ya my web page was down its back up sorry about that
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