Ebay seller chimingrock - a recent experience

I think I agree - I bought a few slabs from CR a while back, at very reasonable prices, then suddenly all his stuff seemed to about triple or quadruple in starting bids. So I quit even looking at his stuff. It seems to me he (they?) is/are a lot prouder of their stuff than a lot of other eBay sellers. Just MHO.

Tom

I had some rough off them a couple of years ago, some biggs and polka dot agate, and a few slabs, you are right tho, the prices have gone through the roof, I've been tempted by some pieces since but can't justify the price.

Simon

Definitely should have stopped before calling you rude and uninformed. Your email was a little pushy, but no reason to get ugly on you. I would not have sent the email, but I would have been angry at the reply. Sometimes there are hard questions or mis-matched perspectives in the marketplace. Sellers should accept that. They are not obliged to accept offers, and there is very little profit in small rocck business, but no call to get ugly.

I have not bought much from them and that a few years back. I saw them at each of the last two summers at Prineville (or maybe Madras). I found the price/quality a bit off. Just bought one or two slabs to support the pow-wow.

I do agree Blue Mountain is stiffly priced at the mine. I searched through their offerings at Lucky Strike mine, and at the pow-wow shows. Only found a pound or so I wanted to spend that kind of money on. If CR bought retail they truly did not have much profit in that price. But when buying retail, you can easily do much better than 50% waste - so I don't fully buy the math. I think the wholesale sack price is cheaper. But 40lbs is a big buy for a small ebay seller.

It does rub me the wrong way that after giving a reasonably informed basis for refusing the offer, they did not have the savvy to make a counter offer. (You were only $8 apart and they did invite offers.) Even if you declined, it would have ended things on a good note. I do not like this high-handed blocking of buyers after one message. It distresses me to hear about that. ... and to boot they suggest you are too ignorant to be worth their time. ... and the threats about making trouble with ebay - I don't like that either. Not like you were stalking them.

... and that smug little "god bless" at the end is the worst part.

Maybe each of us who do buy on ebay should contact them to politely (for real, won't help to simply chew them out) say we wish there was a better resolution. Worse case we all get blocked.

.. they sell to everyone at $20/lb. ... and you can pick through the lots they send to shows and hi-grade, or you can dig through the huge bin up at Lucky Strike mine and hi-grade there too. They even dragged round a hose for me. They live simple and can afford to hold out for their $20/lb.

But this thread is about ChimmingRock - not the owners of the Blue Mountian jasper mine.

I've been on ebay a long time and know the rules. You can't make an offer on an item outside of ebay. I don't know what the seller had set the make an offer at and I didn't want to keep upping the offer. The response I was expecting from the seller would have been a reply that he had adjusted the make an offer limit or that he wasn't going to change the limit. The item is still unsold and a smart seller tries to turn over their inventory. Buying slabs on ebay is a crapshoot and unless you see an extremely unique piece, you shouldn't over pay. Either you get it for the price you think is fair, or pass. I didn't expect to be insulted and threatened.

IMHO, ChimingRocks prices are for A grade material, which they don't have. Their material is usually very weak and I've never bought anything from them. There are many, many other better dealers to do business with.

I agree with Toad. I would have told the buyer that I needed something closer to the price posted. I also would have countered with a no dicker sticker price.

This is my first attempt at posting. I became a member, Apr. 1st, '06, originally by being invited by a person I had been buying materials from on ebay, starting in '05. I was new to computers (still am, other than clicking on a link), and lapidary, but was funded by wife losing her mom, and our selling a house, so I bought and bought from a LOT of people (2 tumblers, a vibralap, saws, grinder polisher and a LOT of rough), with 4 eBay ID's eventually, trying to get a better deal on auctions, trying to spread good, and cash as I went, thinking I had found a place (lapidary) to try and create another start, as I figured all those people bidding for rocks would run right out there and bid the things up again if I tried selling the rocks just bought. I knew many people from purchases made (but not the person), and had so much feedback, I never read much of it. At any rate, money went eventually, and I started my store site. First, not many buyers, and when it did get a little busy, I noticed people started doing all different types of things, instead of the proceedures I followed most of the time when I learned how eBay worked. I told this to a seller friend I had met in '05, asking if he had ever noticed any strange patterns, requests, etc., or accusations from his buyers. Well, he invited me to join a rock tumbling group, which I did. First thing I noticed was the Good, Bad, and Ugly section, and a "we have ways of messying with people" entry and was put at ease a bit, but since I hadn't ever used a computer beforehand, I never tried to say hi, just checked the site to see if any late mailings had put me on THE LIST, and drifted away eventually. One day, after I had made a SECOND contact with a person on ebay (over a year apart, I hope it was) who had the same initials as another seller friend I would buy from, and emailing her thinking she was someone else, forgetting I had done the same thing a year or so earlier, from her, or something else, I came back to the RTH, and found a lot of people were also ebay sellers, and they showed their RTH names, so it does appear a lot of sellers are buyers, and buyers are sellers, and that made me feel a lot better. Over time, the store got really busy, but wasn't used for income, just buying more rocks. As soon as the decision to try and use for income was made, the Grand Canyon dam overflowed, then Hurricane Ike happened, shortly followed by the Mortgage Meltdown, where our re-financing that had been promised disappeared, and the value of the property took a dive also, so a couple of hundred thousand flew out the window also when we had to sell house to pay mortgage off. As soon as we did that, the big collapse hit, and almost everyone who worked took a savage hit (store sales dropped 75%). A builder friend of mine didn't have a job for over 7 months, but as all people know, bills must be paid anyway, or else...I don't know anyone, other than seeing people on internet on and off, sporadically, as I searched for deals at all hours, hoping to find more items, and while some were found, I also noticed that the QUALITY of items were the main reasons stores were busy, or it cost to win a bid, as some specimens ARE better than others. Some you win, some you lose. Some stores have great photos, but the area photoed could be small, and when it gets there...I never did gripe to much if that happened, again, as I had cash and figured they needed it, if it came to that, but I always moved on. I never had a bad experience with either of these people, as a matter of fact, try as I would to send extra shipping fees with my purchases, when I FIRST STARTED buying, as I figured I had cash coming out my ears, and told a seller to keep it, the overage would always come back to me immediately, with a patient note. All items bought were very nice, as far as I was concerned, and in checking Lapidary constantly, found material was a lot better than most, and bought what I could win, for awhile. I drifted away from buying rough or slabs, unless I could sell it, so I haven't even shopped at all with either for a while now. I did go back and get a couple thunder egg halves, and a slab, when the free shipping craze was on, and prices have always seemed to go up each year after da desert gem shows also, but the expensive slabs weren't the only items in store, just had free shipping at that time, or were of new material, with everyone's cost everywhere going up if you mined the stuff, or wanted to buy the good stuff, and I found some items I liked. If everyone wants to have a buy and sell site, everyone needs to try and support everyone. As I sit here with my $200 Awaiting Payments, with P.G. & E. due, and wife's unemployment extension check coming a week away, I might snap at someone, but not mean it. Heck, list a piece that cost you $2 for $1.99, for 4 weeks, and the price to me is now $3.60. Will it sell for $1.99, get bid up, or sit till taken off. Just gas to go back and forth to Post Office if the mailman goes on vacation, and his replacement comes at 11 AM instead of 3:30 pm can add $5 to $10 to a few packages. Then fees happen, for the roads must roll...That $2 item I bought sold for $2, but cost me $4. Two trips to post office, it might have cost $5 by now. Then someone emails can you ship this free if I buy it? No one should be slighted for how they try and get by, but it happens. I will say that I liked all contact with these sellers, and outside of waitng for jaw surgury to heal once, which didn't bother me because of my situation, would have to say newcomers would do well to find these people. I like my customers, because THEY are what makes things work, but as my dad the Oakland busdriver said to a little old lady after he snapped at someone, and she asked why, he said that while she sees just one bus driver, the bus driver sees hundreds of people, and some aren't as nice as her. I hope the other person doesn't stay angry too long, as most everyone could use a friend or 2 nowadays. Sorry to interfere, and sorry it isn't a quick message. Hopefully moderation will prevail, but I had to say something, as even thou I don't know anyone, I like to think they are my friends of a sort, for inviting me into there home. At least it isn't the second time I typed this. Jeff

Your email didn't seem rude to me. It was to the point and very businesslike. The response you got from the seller was far more rude. Thanks for the heads up regarding that seller.
Steve