WilliamC
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2003
Posts: 416
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Post by WilliamC on Aug 16, 2003 14:13:40 GMT -5
Greetings All, I'm just wondering if anyone is familiar with an outfit on the Web calling themselves indiarockhounders.com. They are based in Poona and Bombay, India (makes sense and have some incredible prices for rough. Catch is the minimum order is 100kg for a particular type of rock, and the shipping charges for sea freight (don't even ask about air freight) run about $120 or so. BUT...at prices ranging from 75 cents per kilogram for agate and jaspers to $1.00 or so for aventurine up to several dollars per kilogram for citrine and rose quartz, it's almost too cheap to believe. I actually work with a couple of folks from India, so I might have them call at some point and check on the legitimacy of the company, but if they are for real I could easily see spending $600 to $1,000 for 500 kilograms (once cubic meters worth) of rough, since that would keep me busy for, oh ever or longer. And it would give me the perfect excuse to buy that Lortone model R40C that would push me from "enthusiastic" to "insane" rock tumbler And, if I go through with this, I just might have some rough of my own to barter with for different types of material. Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone else here had ever had dealings with them, or with any overseas company that ships rough to the USA. If so I would appreciate hearing about your experience. Thanks, WilliamC
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WilliamC
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2003
Posts: 416
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Post by WilliamC on Aug 28, 2003 20:45:40 GMT -5
Greetings All, I have emailed with this company a couple of times and am saving up to buy 500 kilograms of various rough rocks. Fortunately I work with a couple of people from India, one has a friend in Bombay. So before I send any money I'll have them check out the company and make sure it is legitimate. Anyway, I have a couple of questions for anyone who has experience with international shipments. First, the company quoted me a total price of $283 for shipping one cubic meter (which holds ~500 kg) from Bombay to Mobile, AL. I'll have to find out if this is the total price for getting the rocks from Bombay to the dock where I can pick it up. Anyone have experience in receiving international shipments by ship? Second question, 500 kilograms is A LOT of rough, at least for me, myself, and a couple of rock tumbers, so I would potentially be thinking of selling some rough through ebay or, better yet, trading some for other types of rough. Any advice on what type of rough (http://www.indiarockhounder.com/roughs.htm) would be best for selling/trading? I'm thinking 100 kilos each of the dark green aventurine, red aventurine, bloodstone, red jasper, and grey lace agate. These are not the cheapest rough offered, but not the most expensive either. Anyone here think that these would trade well? Anyway, it will be a couple of months, probably near end of October, before I have the cash to do this (the wife wants a new couch so that may have to come first ) but I'm really thinking of going through with it. This way for the next 10 years when Chris wants some extra money I can have him work up a batch of rocks for it ;D. WilliamC
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Robert
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2003
Posts: 15
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Post by Robert on Aug 28, 2003 23:40:49 GMT -5
WilliamC I found the same site doing a google search. I know nothing about the company or shipping so good luck. if it works keep us informed. Also if you have rough for sale I am always looking for tumbling rough.
Robert
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WilliamC
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2003
Posts: 416
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Post by WilliamC on Sept 14, 2003 19:45:47 GMT -5
Greetings All, Hey Robert, assuming this purchase works out I'll definitely let people on this message board know. As for selling some rough, well I'm not adverse to that but I might want to trade for some too. Of course if I were to sell, say, 1/3 of what I buy to pay for the total purchase, why then that just makes good finacial sense As I've discovered though, even the best deals on buying rough have to take shipping cost into account. Unfortunately, rocks are pretty dense and...so am I to pay to have them mailed to me Well, not really considering how much fun they are WilliamC
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WilliamC
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2003
Posts: 416
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Post by WilliamC on Sept 22, 2003 19:44:39 GMT -5
Greetings All, I'm now finalizing the details of how to go about placing an order and receiving shipment of my first 500 kg rock purchase from indiarockhounder.com I have to get in touch with a customs broker in the port where the shipment is to come in and make sure I know exactly what I have to do once the rocks arrive in port. I'm having my people contact their people in Bombay to verify the legitimacy of the company and I've asked for references from the company here in the USA. After this I will get a contract from the company specifying all details of amount, type, quantity, expected quality, shipment, insurance, and anything else I don't know to ask now. I've pretty much settled on what types of rocks I want to order, and I've about got my mind around the idea of trying to immediately sell 1/3rd of the rough when I get it to pay for my full costs of receiving it. If all goes according to plan (and does it ever then by the end of October the order will be placed and paid for. Then I'll just be waiting on a slow boat from...well, maybe China next time ;D WilliamC
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WilliamC
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2003
Posts: 416
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Post by WilliamC on Sept 30, 2003 20:11:31 GMT -5
Greetings All, Just an update on my first (but hopefully not last) purchase from indiarockhounder.com. I've been in touch with a customs broker and got information on all the fees I'll need to pay in order to get the rocks through customs and ready for me to truck home. Since the rocks are not considered to be "worked" or beads or set stones they come in as mineral specimens, duty free. So if my financial situation holds up I'll be placing the order sometime in the middle of October, or the end of October at the latest (just have to make sure I not only have the cash, but have the EXCESS cash, which means enough so that my wife allows me to spend it on this . After it comes in I'll be looking into setting up an Ebay store to sell some, and depending on how quickly I can get my money back I'll be thinking to import some more. I'm starting to read up on small business and such, so I'll have to see where this takes me. The main thing I'm after is just to have the hobby pay for itself, if possible, and to use it to teach myself about capitalism, so I can in turn teach my son from his early years on up. Much to learn, much to know, much to experience, and a long way yet to go WilliamC
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WilliamC
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2003
Posts: 416
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Post by WilliamC on Oct 16, 2003 20:12:51 GMT -5
Greetings All, I've just emailed Indiarockhounder.com to arrange for placing an order. I have everything ready on my end, now we'll see if this is actually something that's going to happen or just a false alarm. As I'm thinking now I'll get 100 kilos each of red jasper, red aventurine, dark green aventurine, grey lace agate, and either bloodstone or moonstone. I want to place the order sometime next week, so I'll let ya'll know how it goes. Wish me luck WilliamC
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WilliamC
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2003
Posts: 416
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Post by WilliamC on Oct 25, 2003 12:06:01 GMT -5
Greetings All, Well I am starting to get a little perturbed with the Indiarockhounder.com company, I've been sending daily emails for over a week ready to buy and no response. BUT I did hear from my friend who has friends in Bombay AND they did call the company AND it is a real business SO I will be buying some rocks from them ASAP. Besides, I found another company out of South Africa, check out www.mineralgallery.co.zaI've put in a request for a price quote from here too, so if Indiarockhounder doesn't pan out maybe this one will. Besides, I work with a girl from South Africa, and I can get her to call someone to confirm that this is a legitimate business before I buy from them. Gee, sounds familiar doesn't it? You know what, I can already see it, I'll be buying from BOTH companies. ;D WilliamC
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donwrob
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2003
Posts: 509
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Post by donwrob on Oct 25, 2003 14:03:42 GMT -5
Another neat site William, that Koi jasper really looks interesting to me. I've never seen it before. I may try to get a sample of it to see if it is knappable after heat treating. It sure would make an interesting arrowhead. I'm bet it would make super tumble rock too. Thanks for the link, keep em comming and good luck with your order. Don
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Pdwight
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2003
Posts: 619
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Post by Pdwight on Oct 25, 2003 18:25:38 GMT -5
What about the neat "River Stones" they have..reminds me of the terrible movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom..always thought the stones in the movie were neat though..anyone have a comment on these..I know practically nothing about them.
Dwight P
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donwrob
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2003
Posts: 509
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Post by donwrob on Oct 26, 2003 8:16:30 GMT -5
Hi Dwight, help me out here buddy. I can't find the river rocks you are talking about, or maybe I did and just don't know it . Which ones are they? Talk to you later, Don
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WilliamC
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2003
Posts: 416
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Post by WilliamC on Oct 26, 2003 15:04:24 GMT -5
Greetings All,
Welp I've come to a bit of a roadblock with Indiarockhounder.com. The impression I get is that they really are a new company and don't really know quite what they are doing yet. Here's a quote from an email I just got from them
</begin quote>
Hello,
We apologize for our terms and conditions were really guesses, regarding 500 kg and one cubic meter. We will not be able to fit 500 kg of stones in one cubic meter.
Besides, we do not have a stock of the roughs you have asked for, it will take a while to get 500 kilos down, for we are very busy for the season.
We would appreciate if it would be possible for you to wait for about 4-6 weeks before we can get the roughs and inform you?
Also, since packing is now with a professional packing house, they can fit about 100 kilos of mineral in one cubic meter. I guess it might be about 150 kg in one cubic meter.
</end quote>
So now one cubic meter equals 150 kg of rocks, not 500 kilograms, and they don't have any in stock, sounds like it's not even down from the quarries yet. Hummmmmmm, well I'll email them and see what they do have in stock, what it costs, and how to go about knowing what I'm paying for before it's shipped to me. I'm glad I found this other site in South Africa, although I fear shipping will be expensive. Still that verdite and amazonite are simply....irresistable. I'll keep ya'll informed.
WilliamC
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Pdwight
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2003
Posts: 619
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Post by Pdwight on Oct 26, 2003 22:09:03 GMT -5
Is it just me .............or did anyone else read that with the NY cab driver accent ;-)
Dwight P
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Pdwight
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2003
Posts: 619
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Post by Pdwight on Oct 28, 2003 1:41:13 GMT -5
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donwrob
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2003
Posts: 509
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Post by donwrob on Oct 28, 2003 9:28:14 GMT -5
OK Dwight, those are sweet. Like giant cabs, heck, that one is 27" long! They are beauties, it would be nice to have a ton of that stone huh? I am gonna have to watch that old movie again, don't remember them in there, it's been too long. ;D Thanks, Don
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WilliamC
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2003
Posts: 416
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Post by WilliamC on Nov 1, 2003 21:55:56 GMT -5
Greetings All, Welp, looks like Indiarockhounder is out for now They won't have any large quantities of rough ready to ship for at least a month or longer Oh well, that's ok, because I've already lined up a purchase through www.mineralgallery.co.za We will work out the details next week but now, instead of getting a mere 500 kilograms of rocks, I will instead be getting...TWO METRIC TONS, or OVER 4000 POUNDS OF ROUGH! Yes you heard right, I will be importing 2000 kilograms of rough from South Africa, about 325 lbs each of autumn jasper, koi jasper, leopardstone, butter jade, carnelian, and verdite. Alas, no green aventurine, no amazonite, no pink and blue agate, no rose quartz. Those will be next time. I'll have to send my customs broker a check Monday, Gerdus (from S. Africa) is sending me pictures of the actual rocks to be sent, I'm having my people in South Africa (yes I work with a girl from South Africa as well as a girl from India) check out his operation, and assuming all is legitimate and overboard then I'll be legitimatally overboard myself with 2 tons of rocks. In a few months that is, after it makes it's way across oceans and continents, through ships and trains and trucks, passing throgh ports of call and interstate transport, until finally, at long last, after tens of millions of years of waiting (well, for the rocks at least), they will arrive at my house in little old Senatobia. Cool. I'll keep yall updated. William C
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donwrob
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2003
Posts: 509
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Post by donwrob on Nov 1, 2003 22:25:42 GMT -5
Thats cool William, congrats! I hope it works out for you. I e-mailed them and talked to the girl who answered my e-mail about the Koi. I wrote them back to try and add some other samples to check for knappability after heat treating also and still haven't heard from them yet, been about a week now. Shipping was high to have the small sample sent, but it would be worth it to check it out. Maybe I'll have to buy a few pieces from you before going forward with the 1000kg route myself if you would be willing. I liked that Autumn Jasper also. Talk to you later, Don
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Post by stoneyjoe on Nov 2, 2003 4:26:19 GMT -5
TWO TONS!!!!!!!!!! I would love to hear the excuuse you are going to make to your wife......anyone got a spare room that William can borrow!!
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SirRoxalot
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 790
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Post by SirRoxalot on Nov 3, 2003 14:50:03 GMT -5
Er, not to be a wet blanket, but importing this much stuff quickly becomes a business in the eyes of the law. This is about 3,800 pounds more than any tumbler will ever get through, assuming you're not running a 200lb machine, and donating the polished stones to your local club. If you plan to sell the stuff you need to look into the rules for small business for your state; eg. tax collection and a business license. You might find it more hassle than it's actually worth... there's a ton of other people doing the same thing... there are a lot of costs above and beyond the cost of the rocks you're importing...
Having said that, if the leopard jasper looks good quote me a price for 50-100 pounds.
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WilliamC
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2003
Posts: 416
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Post by WilliamC on Nov 13, 2003 16:47:18 GMT -5
Greetings All, My friend from South Africa that I work with has had her mother (who still lives there) call Gerdus, and sure enough he runs a legitimate operation exporting rocks and minerals and has a couple of shops in country. She (my friends mother) lives about an hour away from one of them and was so impressed talking to the folks there she is actually going to go visit them herself soon. Another innocent person taken by the rockhounding impulse So now it's just a matter of finalizing the order and me paying for it, then I wait for it to be delivered ;D I have been looking into the idea of setting up a small business around the rocks with the hope of getting the hobby to pay for itself. The easiest thing would be to set up an Ebay type store, but if I get ambitious I could try to set up an acutal lapidary type shop. I even have a name, Simply Stones (NOT Stoned) for the Ebay store, and Stone's Throw Enterprises for the lapidary shop. Will it actually happen? Sometimes I doubt it, but I am looking into it. But you are right SirRoxalot in that it would be a time consuming hassle. It all depends on what I want out of it I guess. For now just getting the 2 tons of rough will keep me happy for a long time. Well, until I get a' hankering for some different kinds of rocks that is, but I'm hoping to trade for that. As for the leopardskin jasper, what I'm getting is something called leopard rock, not quite the same thing as far as I can tell. I'll let everyone here know as soon as I pay for the shipment (should be by the end of this month) and when I actually get it (should be early 2004).
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