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Post by stardiamond on Jul 4, 2014 22:01:38 GMT -5
I haven't seen much here lately. I've bought of rough and slabs on ebay over the years. I've been to some smaller local rock shows.
I have a bunch of standard searches I do on ebay; willow creek, morrisonite, bruneau, blue mountain, royal imperial, Owyhee, etc. The ebay stuff falls into two categories, overpriced (my valuation) and junk. Occasionally, I will find a bargain but most of the time I don't make a competitive bid. There was a nice 2"x2" piece of Hart Mountain. Enough to make two cabs. I bid around $13 with an hour to go and took a nap. It went for $57 and I probably would have needed to bid around $70 to get it. I must be living in a dream world. Is that the way it is today?
I've got enough good material to cab for the rest of my life, but you can never have too much rock.
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Thunder69
Cave Dweller
Thunder 2000-2015
Member since January 2009
Posts: 3,104
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Post by Thunder69 on Jul 4, 2014 22:22:17 GMT -5
Check with Tony...catmandewe....He has a big selection of jaspers ..John
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2014 22:40:52 GMT -5
Hart Mt. is never going to be inexpensive (just add up the cost of fuel just to get there and divide that by the few pounds you are allowed to take, if you can even find that much at all). Same goes for some other locales/types. However, you usually cannot beat the prices direct from the people who dig it, so I'll second the suggestion to check with catmandewe: idahorockshop.com
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Jul 4, 2014 22:53:31 GMT -5
Just my opinion but I think we are now in an age where "premium" slabs will always bring high prices. E-Bay has simply opened up the market to a multitude of competitive buyers and folks who are collectors or jewelry makers that make and sell premium pieces Ie. Jay Silverhawk types. E-Bay has also taught small time or bigtime commercial rock hunters that they can sell as much premium material that they can dig up which has led to commercialization and depletion of many old sites. Add to that, government closures etc and you wind up with a big pool of folks wanting a small pool of premium slabs, which of course, creates a hot sellers market. E-Bay got so bad that I've given up hunting for premium type specimens for my collection simply because bidding always seem to exceed my spending limits and then you still hace to add n shipping costs too. Hart Mountain. Blue Mtn, Willow Creek, Morrisonite premium stuff was super expensive even thirty years ago, especially when you adjust for the cheaper dollar now days....Mel
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2014 23:46:35 GMT -5
When you say premium are you talking about famous or real quality rock. In Quartzsite I saw a lot of premo rock that nobody knew where it came from. When I see people digging through a pile of cabs or pendants they are not looking for a name on it, just how good it looks.
Ok, don't bash me, I know there are a few people out there that are looking for a name but in my opinion most women look for beauty and would maybe want to know where it came from as in which state or country. Jim
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Post by Rockoonz on Jul 5, 2014 1:01:31 GMT -5
When you say premium are you talking about famous or real quality rock. In Quartzsite I saw a lot of premo rock that nobody knew where it came from. When I see people digging through a pile of cabs or pendants they are not looking for a name on it, just how good it looks. Ok, don't bash me, I know there are a few people out there that are looking for a name but in my opinion most women look for beauty and would maybe want to know where it came from as in which state or country. Jim Exactly why we don't sell at rock shows. The folks I refer to as the "rock snobs" only want the name. Regular people ignore my favorite Bruneau piece and drool all over the brazilian or thunder egg slice, the art show crowd with the deep pockets don't speak rockhound. Christmas bazaar people are more interested in will it go with her outfit.
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Post by Donnie's Rocky Treasures on Jul 5, 2014 8:36:00 GMT -5
When I hunt for slabs anymore I look for areas on the slab that is going to give me a cab with character. Some of my favorite cabs are ones made from material that I got from tandl in Illinois. Famous material....no, big name.......nope but what amazing cabs I got from it & definitely one of a kinds that no one else will have. That is what gets me excited!!!! Not the big names, although I do have some of them. I've gotten where I turn my nose up at some of those material because like Lee says...............there are definitely "rock snobs"!
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,709
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Post by Fossilman on Jul 5, 2014 9:15:01 GMT -5
As for Ebay,its overrated and over priced!!! There are people on this site that will give you great deals on slabs and or rough...Thumbs up
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Post by stardiamond on Jul 5, 2014 13:52:05 GMT -5
Thanks for the recommendations. From here, I've been very satisfied with the slabs I've got from stonesthatrock. I've been buying on ebay since 2002 and have been able to get good value in the past. One of my other hobbies is photography and I take a picture the same way I buy a slab. I only take a picture when I think there is an interesting scene that can be used or cropped. When I buy a slab, I estimate how many scenes there are to cut cabs and come up with a cost per cab to determine what I am willing to pay. When I design a cab. I want it to have an interesting pattern or scene unless it is material I haven't cabbed before in which case I will cut a cab with a lesser scene in order not to waste the better material. Except those test cabs, I only try to cut cabs that other people would be interested in buying. I have never tried to sell a cab and have somewhere over a 1000 in Ryker boxes. At some point I will sell in order pay for additional equipment and supplies. I never had the time before. I just retired and now I have more time and less money. Regarding premium slabs, I am not a snob. If your goal is to get some money selling cabs, using premium material impacts what you can get. The scenes, patterns and how the scene is framed are all important. I will cab anything that has an interesting scene or pattern. When I have the time I will search on something like "picture jasper" and look for slabs that have potential. The premium slabs I mentioned before generally have good scenes or patterns. Other than the ability to take a good polish that is why they are premium other than scarcity. Regarding the Hart Mountain I mentioned, I collect cabbing material, not slabs so the value to me is less than it would be to a slab collector. A piece of blue mountain that has no scene, pattern or orbs has no value to me. Here's a blue mountain cab that I cut that is the optimum of what I am looking for but rarely find.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,709
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Post by Fossilman on Jul 5, 2014 14:47:44 GMT -5
That blue mountain cab is totally "BOSS"!!!
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Post by Donnie's Rocky Treasures on Jul 5, 2014 16:15:43 GMT -5
Awesome Blue Mountain!
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deserthound
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2013
Posts: 390
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Post by deserthound on Jul 5, 2014 16:50:31 GMT -5
When you say premium are you talking about famous or real quality rock. In Quartzsite I saw a lot of premo rock that nobody knew where it came from. When I see people digging through a pile of cabs or pendants they are not looking for a name on it, just how good it looks. Ok, don't bash me, I know there are a few people out there that are looking for a name but in my opinion most women look for beauty and would maybe want to know where it came from as in which state or country. Jim No bash here, thats is real world... The Blue mountain is amazing stuff and you made it come alive.. I too would check with Tony if he doesnt have it sure might know where to get it...
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rykk
spending too much on rocks
Member since September 2011
Posts: 428
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Post by rykk on Jul 5, 2014 19:20:39 GMT -5
You can get great slabs AND a great price on Ebay. There are only about a half dozen sellers there that get ridiculous prices for their stuff. I'm baffled as to why that is. I mean, say you buy a slab with maybe two good cabs in it for $70 plus 6 bucks shipping. Heck, you'd have to sell them for $38 apiece just to break even. Factor in, say, $15 apiece for a decent profit and now you're talking about $53 per cab. I sell those exact slabs that I bought for big money and am lucky to get even $15 on any of them.
I've been doing Ebay for 5 or 6 years and have seen lots of cabs. I've looked at Etsy some, too. Most cabs seem to go for $5 - $15. Folks are wanting to make jewelry out of cabs and make a profit, as well. At $53 plus shipping for a cab, they'd have to charge a heckuva lot for their necklace, ring, etc made of sterling or some other inexpensive metal. They'd wait a good while until such a piece sold, I think.
That all said, I am more of a collector of slabs than I am a cabber because it's 110+ degrees in my garage here in Florida a good 9 months out of the year - plus 70%+ humidity and it *feels* like 130. To pay such extreme prices for cab material just makes absolutely no business sense at all. I bought my slabs to polish as is and to keep. Unfortunately/fortunately, I ended up with a couple thousand+ and am having to trim my collections before the added weight to my house's floor creates a sinkhole under it - LOL. I've been able to find good deals, many times, by going to Collectibles/Rock, fossils, and minerals/Lapidary Materials and just browsing the new listings for 10-15 a day rather than searching for a certain species. I think you'll find that it's not necessarily just that the rock type is way expensive, but it seems to also have a lot to do with *who* is selling it. They, mostly, have decent quality, but there are a ton of "smaller" rocksellers on Ebay that offer great stuff and you can get it for a lot less if you're willing to invest a little time and look for it. C-ya, Rick
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Post by stardiamond on Jul 5, 2014 19:58:32 GMT -5
I am very familiar with the sellers on ebay. I know of only one seller who gets premium prices and that is because his quality is good. I watch his auctions and sometime I still can get a good deal. Some of the sellers are dreaming about what they are asking. The bidding on all sites for good stuff is overly competitive no matter who the seller is.
I went through 24 hours of auctions for rough for cabbing. All I saw was a couple of small Montana rough pieces that I liked and got for the starting price.
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Post by rockjunquie on Jul 5, 2014 21:25:28 GMT -5
I have been buying slabs on ebay. I buy mostly premium slabs- not because I am a rock snob, but because they really tend to be nice stones. There is a reason why people want them. However, I buy a lot of small name and no name slabs, too. And, I always try to get a bargain. I agree, there are some sellers who are nuts with their prices and some whose auctions go through the roof. But, I have still gotten a lot of good stuff for cheap. I have sold many expensive cabs in the 40 -55.00 range. So, there are buyers for good cabs. I always have my eye out for great slabs- either named or not.
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Post by snowmom on Jul 6, 2014 7:56:40 GMT -5
I have only been here for a short while, but in trading boxes of rocks with a few members have found that they are generous and send really nice quality (sometimes named) stuff in trades. So get to know a few members who seem to like the same things as you do and try some trades. Its been a great experience for me!
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Post by deb193redux on Jul 6, 2014 9:17:35 GMT -5
"Sometimes named" is a pretty low standard. The OP was about buying named materials with cood pattern. Most folks trading here are going to try to send nice material in the spirit of RTH. A lot of this will be hounded rock, or surpluses gotten from estate sales.
Getting known/named material of good quality, especially as slabs, is going through a price cycle. Before ebay, when shows were the main outlet, you could find good values. Ebay did drive up prices. But, in 2009 nobody had money for rocks, and there were some great buys. Lately, more bidding exuberance is returning.
I get good slabs, mostly jaspers, from a few vendors, but they are not as cheap as they were. The ability to buy decent rough for 10" or 12" saws helps alot because there are better rough buys right now.
Right now I buy fewer slabs, look for higher quality, and pay a bit more. But, I walk away from silly bid spirals.
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Post by snowmom on Jul 6, 2014 17:54:37 GMT -5
I apologize.
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