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Post by holajonathan on Dec 10, 2021 5:15:35 GMT -5
What I ordered:    Problems:
1. At least two of the slabs I received are not the slabs in the photos. The slabs I received are similar, but similar ain't good enough. 2. Colors in photos are very optimistic.
Compare photo of Calico Lace Agate (above) to this photo:  My photo is wet under normal light. It looks nothing like the website photo in terms of colors. (Indeed, I don't think it's the same slab.) Compare Pale Woodlace Agate (above) to this photo. Where did all that purple go?  3. Every slab I received is a wedge -- some laughably so. This was not disclosed. The thickness of the most even slab varies by about 1mm -- not too bad. The worst one is 4 times thicker at one end than the other. You can see the wedge profile in all of these photos (thinner when moving from left to right). The first is really bad.      4. There are deep saw marks (ridges) on the faces of most slabs. Some slabs have multiple ridges that are 1mm high running across the entire face of the slab. I'm not talking about visible but smooth saw marks. I can handle those. I'm talking about ridges that are caused by warped blades, a bent arbor, bent slab saw ways, slop in the carriage or vise, or something like that. This was not disclosed and was not apparent from the photos. Can you see the ridges?  5. "No fractures" (that I want to tell you about) The slabs I bought were listed as having "no fractures." Two of the slabs have obvious fractures, and two others have what I would call semi-healed fractures where the fracture is filled with grainy quartz. Maybe my definition of a fracture is different than the industry standard? I consider the slab below to have one semi-healed fracture and one unhealed fracture.  6. Slabs took 6 days to arrive and I live 25 miles from the seller. I was in no hurry. This may not be the seller's fault. Probably just a sign of the covid-times. I paid $37 (including shipping) for 5 slabs. Two of them are not even the same slabs in the photos. None look like the website photos in terms of colors. All are wedges, to a greater or lesser extent. They are what I consider $1 or $2 bin slabs -- good for someone on a low budget who is wiling to accept that working around the flaws in the slab will be half the battle to making a good cab. I am not opposed to working those kinds of slabs, but I want to know what I am buying. It's not a good deal if the product does not match the description. Most others seem happy with their orders from this site. If you are interested in their slabs, read those reviews, too. I have honestly described what I received. Others have had different experiences. So be it. The seller's return policy?  |
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Post by MsAli on Dec 10, 2021 7:40:25 GMT -5
Maybe it's just your luck and perception but I've no complaints and I know others don't as well.
Also a majority of his slabs he obtains from others, such as estate sales and private purchases so he isn't the one that doesn't know how to operate a saw
He is a very nice guy' very, very knowledgeable and willing to work with people so I hope you gave him the courtesy of contacting him 1st.
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Post by jasoninsd on Dec 10, 2021 8:05:53 GMT -5
I get where Ali is coming from...however...
I don't believe a seller's past history should give them carte blanche to become "lazy" with regard to listing the conditions of the material.
In this particular case, it would have been one thing if Jonathan had gotten one slab that had been overlooked with regard to disclosure...but to receive as many as he did, is completely unacceptable...in my own view.
I totally understand some people believe he should have contacted the seller first before posting this thread...but that doesn't stop the seller from doing the same thing to a different buyer. I hope Jonathan does contact the seller and updates the thread with the outcome of that contact...
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Post by rockjunquie on Dec 10, 2021 8:20:27 GMT -5
Yeah, looks like you go the raw end of the stick. My large order was perfect. I don't know... maybe the son took over or something.
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Post by MsAli on Dec 10, 2021 8:33:53 GMT -5
Very well could be someone took over, very well could be that a mistake was made.
We live in a world where people bash 1st and then ask for a solution. Like I said he is more than willing to work with people, but ya gotta give him a chance 1st.
Just my .2 cents and I know this review doesn't sway me negatively on Blair Rocks part at all
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Post by rmf on Dec 10, 2021 9:15:03 GMT -5
Back in the day I ordered 200# of "lime green" Amazonite from a WI rock shop. I had been to their place several times and they had good stuff. (Yes this was before the internet.) What I received was extremely low grade amazonite barely green. It was too expensive to ship back so I ate it and vowed never to purchase rocks that I don't lay eyes on. At best their description may not match my understanding. I wonder on here(the Forum) every time I read about people ordering over the internet. I am surprised more are not displeased. Caveat emptor is Latin for "Let the buyer beware".
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Post by lpl on Dec 10, 2021 11:39:41 GMT -5
I ordered some slabs from him once years ago when I was first starting down this path. I was mostly pleased with what I received and there were a couple freebies included which is always nice. But, several of the slabs also had saw marks and several others were really, really wedge shaped. I enjoy going to Blairrock to read the descriptions and stories. You can tell he has a passion for stones. But I spend my money elsewhere.
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Post by Rockoonz on Dec 10, 2021 12:33:59 GMT -5
Interesting.
Even in a well worn misaligned saw, or a cupped wandering blade, one that lost it's tension, a wedge shaped slab should only occur when reclamping the rock, and it should only be one slab. Since the blade should be wandering the same direction every cut, even with blade marks they should still be parallel. I gather they are selling in other places as well, and treating this page as the offloading site for budget priced 2nds quality slabs? Or maybe they are winding down and offing what is left of their inventory? Prices are markedly lower than what I see on IG and FB, at least for some of it.
If you're buying cabber slabs from commercial slab cutters, you should expect some saw marks from time to time or pay the extra that they need to charge if they are going to run the saws slower and keep the blade cool and fully tensioned.
I agree that some communication before outing a dealer is a good thing. It will be good to see the outcome.
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hypodactylus
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2021
Posts: 478
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Post by hypodactylus on Dec 10, 2021 12:49:22 GMT -5
Yeah, that is disappointing.
I fully support you posting the full experience with a vendor, not just after everything has been 'made right'.
While I tend to be somewhat forgiving, I still prefer to deal with vendors who can get it right the first time. That said, nobody is always perfect.
However, I am personally pretty unforgiving of vendors who intentionally hide important details or doctor their photos...
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Post by holajonathan on Dec 10, 2021 13:18:12 GMT -5
Maybe it's just your luck and perception but I've no complaints and I know others don't as well. Also a majority of his slabs he obtains from others, such as estate sales and private purchases so he isn't the one that doesn't know how to operate a saw He is a very nice guy' very, very knowledgeable and willing to work with people so I hope you gave him the courtesy of contacting him 1st. It is not merely my perception that a slab is 4 times thicker on one end than the other, that a slab I received is not the same slab as the photo, or that a slab is listed as having no fractures but does indeed have fractures. I'm not sure what luck has to do with it. I have purchased rocks from at least 50 different sources and I don't think I have ever written a flat out negative review about any other seller. Needless to say, there have been lots of disappointments. When there is any room to give the seller the benefit of the doubt, I do. I spent time carefully picking out the slabs on the website, analyzing the photos carefully and reading all of the descriptions. I even sketched out a few of the slabs on a piece of paper so I could better visualize the dimensions and patterns. Imagine doing that and then receiving a different slab than the one pictured. I know many others have had positive experiences with this seller. My experience seems to be an outlier. So be it. I get no joy from bashing a rock seller. I am not a complainer; these slabs are just bad. |
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Post by stardiamond on Dec 10, 2021 13:41:38 GMT -5
I've had generally good experiences with them. I'm looking to turn nothing into something. I don't care about uneven slabs, fractures or saw marks. I can work around them. My biggest complaint is occasional misidentification. There are no decent nearby rock shows, so it generally comes down to ebay or Etsy. Etsy is generally too expensive with the exception of altamontbead and ebay doesn't have the quality for the price I am willing to pay. Blairrock has a large selection of small inexpensive slabs so I can try out new material and not pay much.
I have low expectations and they are easily met. I've made 12 orders and look for Butterflywing and Tahoma which are harder to find.
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Post by holajonathan on Dec 10, 2021 14:45:52 GMT -5
I've had generally good experiences with them. I'm looking to turn nothing into something. I don't care about uneven slabs, fractures or saw marks. I can work around them. My biggest complaint is occasional misidentification. There are no decent nearby rock shows, so it generally comes down to ebay or Etsy. Etsy is generally too expensive with the exception of altamontbead and ebay doesn't have the quality for the price I am willing to pay. Blairrock has a large selection of small inexpensive slabs so I can try out new material and not pay much. I have low expectations and they are easily met. I've made 12 orders and look for Butterflywing and Tahoma which are harder to find. Perhaps my expectations are too high. This is only the third or fourth time I have bought slabs. I usually cut my own. Almost none of the slabs I have bought are as good as those I cut myself in terms of even thickness and lack of saw marks. I only consider buying slabs when I can't find cutting rough of the same material. There are no rock shops around here either. The slab were cheaper on a per slab basis than etsy or Ebay, but they are also quite small. The real question is cab yield, as you often point out. If the slabs had matched the website descriptions, I would consider the prices to be good. The slabs I receive are not total garbage. I can work around fractures and wedged thickness. But disclosure is key. Or just post quality photos with no description. I don't mind that approach. Poor quality photos + inaccurate description is what irks me. Either because of intentional manipulation ("photoshopping"), differences in lighting, inaccurate computer screens, etc, colors almost never look the same in person as they do in photos. It is no coincidence, however, that the colors are almost always worse in person than in photos. I expect that when buying rocks online. But if a seller states a specific slab thickness, it is inexplicable and unacceptable that the slab is an extreme wedge. It is just as easy to type out "wedge shape ranging from 3mm to 12mm" as it is to state a single but incorrect thickness. This is true whether the slab cost $4 or $400. |
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Post by holajonathan on Dec 10, 2021 15:20:20 GMT -5
Very well could be someone took over, very well could be that a mistake was made. We live in a world where people bash 1st and then ask for a solution. Like I said he is more than willing to work with people, but ya gotta give him a chance 1st. Just my .2 cents and I know this review doesn't sway me negatively on Blair Rocks part at all I am torn about giving sellers a second chance to be honest before disclosing a negative experience. It seems that many online rock sellers consistently overpromise and underperform. A common example of this is selling bulk rough that varies in quality, but only posting photos of a few of the nicest pieces out of a huge pile of rough, without disclosing the fact that most of the rough is not as nice as the photos. (Who knows if those nice pieces even remain in the pile, or if they are removed and slabbed by the seller.) Unfortunately, this business model seems to work well (from the seller's perspective). Some buyers simply don't notice or don't care. Many others do notice, but decide it is not worth their time to complain. Returning rocks is a hassle, as is photographing them and trying to explain in detail how they do not conform to the advertised description. It is a minority of buyers, I suspect, that actually complain. They get "taken care of," and as a result, many sellers' consistently subpar business practices fly under the radar. Simply stated: many online rock sellers are not completely honest or forthcoming, and they usually get away with it. In this context, sellers who are completely honest and forthcoming are at a competitive disadvantage. The quality of their rocks will seem comparatively lower, and their prices will seem comparatively higher. I am NOT saying that Blairrock uses this business model. I don't know if that is true. Most people only post vender reviews that are positive, and either say nothing about negative experiences, or give the seller the chance to fix problems first. I understand that this approach is motivated by good intentions. But I fear that it feeds into the business model that I describe above. It's easier to grease the occasionally squeaky wheel than it is to honestly describe and disclose. |
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gemfeller
Cave Dweller 
Member since June 2011
Posts: 4,059 
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Post by gemfeller on Dec 10, 2021 20:06:59 GMT -5
I've bought from this company several times and I've been very happy with what I've received, but the last couple of orders were not as great as the first few. I sense something's changed with the supplier but have no idea what.
I too have fairly low expectations but I've cut some really fine cabs from Blair material and have no complaints. A lot depends on what one plans to do with the slabs. If you want display slabs Blair's probably not your preferred source. But if you want to cut cabs and have the skills to deal with the usual issues (pits, fractures etc.), no problem. Nearly all the material I've received from Blair was clearly identified except for some freebies.
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Post by rockjunquie on Dec 10, 2021 20:37:01 GMT -5
Very well could be someone took over, very well could be that a mistake was made. We live in a world where people bash 1st and then ask for a solution. Like I said he is more than willing to work with people, but ya gotta give him a chance 1st. Just my .2 cents and I know this review doesn't sway me negatively on Blair Rocks part at all I am torn about giving sellers a second chance to be honest before disclosing a negative experience. It seems that many online rock sellers consistently overpromise and underperform. A common example of this is selling bulk rough that varies in quality, but only posting photos of a few of the nicest pieces out of a huge pile of rough, without disclosing the fact that most of the rough is not as nice as the photos. (Who knows if those nice pieces even remain in the pile, or if they are removed and slabbed by the seller.) Unfortunately, this business model seems to work well (from the seller's perspective). Some buyers simply don't notice or don't care. Many others do notice, but decide it is not worth their time to complain. Returning rocks is a hassle, as is photographing them and trying to explain in detail how they do not conform to the advertised description. It is a minority of buyers, I suspect, that actually complain. They get "take care of," and as a result, many sellers' consistently subpar business practices fly under the radar. Simply stated: many online rock sellers are not completely honest or forthcoming, and they usually get away with it. In this context, sellers who are completely honest and forthcoming are at a competitive disadvantage. The quality of their rocks will seem comparatively lower, and their prices will seem comparatively higher. I am NOT saying that Blairrock uses this business model. I don't know if that is true. Most people only post vender reviews that are positive, and either say nothing about negative experiences, or give the seller the chance to fix problems first. I understand that this approach is motivated by good intentions. But I fear that it feeds into the business model that I describe above. It's easier to grease the occasionally squeaky wheel than it is to honestly describe and disclose.
I recently had to return a slab that wasn't even close to the description or picture. What sucks is that on eBay, if you do a return, you can't leave feedback. At least I couldn't. THAT is messed up. How many people had a bad experience and couldn't say? Perhaps they should list how many returns as part of the feedback profile. I have no problems leaving a bad review where needed, but I also really appreciate a deal gone right and honest sellers.
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Post by holajonathan on Dec 10, 2021 20:46:44 GMT -5
I am torn about giving sellers a second chance to be honest before disclosing a negative experience. It seems that many online rock sellers consistently overpromise and underperform. A common example of this is selling bulk rough that varies in quality, but only posting photos of a few of the nicest pieces out of a huge pile of rough, without disclosing the fact that most of the rough is not as nice as the photos. (Who knows if those nice pieces even remain in the pile, or if they are removed and slabbed by the seller.) Unfortunately, this business model seems to work well (from the seller's perspective). Some buyers simply don't notice or don't care. Many others do notice, but decide it is not worth their time to complain. Returning rocks is a hassle, as is photographing them and trying to explain in detail how they do not conform to the advertised description. It is a minority of buyers, I suspect, that actually complain. They get "take care of," and as a result, many sellers' consistently subpar business practices fly under the radar. Simply stated: many online rock sellers are not completely honest or forthcoming, and they usually get away with it. In this context, sellers who are completely honest and forthcoming are at a competitive disadvantage. The quality of their rocks will seem comparatively lower, and their prices will seem comparatively higher. I am NOT saying that Blairrock uses this business model. I don't know if that is true. Most people only post vender reviews that are positive, and either say nothing about negative experiences, or give the seller the chance to fix problems first. I understand that this approach is motivated by good intentions. But I fear that it feeds into the business model that I describe above. It's easier to grease the occasionally squeaky wheel than it is to honestly describe and disclose.
I recently had to return a slab that wasn't even close to the description or picture. What sucks is that on eBay, if you do a return, you can't leave feedback. At least I couldn't. THAT is messed up. How many people had a bad experience and couldn't say? Perhaps they should list how many returns as part of the feedback profile. I have no problems leaving a bad review where needed, but I also really appreciate a deal gone right and honest sellers.
You can leave feedback for a returned item, but Ebay has made it difficult (on purpose?) to do so. I can tell you the steps if you'd like. It's not hard, just sort of hidden. Same 60 day feedback period applies, so it might be too late for the transaction in question. |
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Post by rockjunquie on Dec 10, 2021 22:25:29 GMT -5
I recently had to return a slab that wasn't even close to the description or picture. What sucks is that on eBay, if you do a return, you can't leave feedback. At least I couldn't. THAT is messed up. How many people had a bad experience and couldn't say? Perhaps they should list how many returns as part of the feedback profile. I have no problems leaving a bad review where needed, but I also really appreciate a deal gone right and honest sellers.
You can leave feedback for a returned item, but Ebay has made it difficult (on purpose?) to do so. I can tell you the steps if you'd like. It's not hard, just sort of hidden. Same 60 day feedback period applies, so it might be too late for the transaction in question. It's not under my purchase history. I don't even know how to find it. Not sure if it was more than 90 days ago, but I think it was. |
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Post by holajonathan on Dec 10, 2021 23:24:54 GMT -5
rockjunquie Just in case you want to do so in the future... In your purchase history, click where it says "Show: Not Hidden" and select the "Show Hidden Items" option. That should show you the return.  You will not see the normal leave feedback button, but if the time frame for leaving feedback has not passed, click where it says "More Options" and one of the options should be to leave feedback.  If the time frame for leaving feedback has passed, that option will disappear from the "More action" drop down menu. It seems like Ebay is trying to hide this for some reason.
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Post by rockjunquie on Dec 10, 2021 23:37:17 GMT -5
rockjunquie Just in case you want to do so in the future... In your purchase history, click where it says "Show: Not Hidden" and select the "Show Hidden Items" option. That should show you the return. You will not see the normal leave feedback button, but if the time frame for leaving feedback has not passed, click where it says "More Options" and one of the options should be to leave feedback. If the time frame for leaving feedback has passed, that option will disappear from the "More action" drop down menu. It seems like Ebay is trying to hide this for some reason. FOUND IT!!!!! They were LITERALLY hiding it! Sneaky bastards. |
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Post by victor1941 on Dec 12, 2021 11:52:35 GMT -5
This was a very interesting topic. I especially liked your complaint about the lack of quality control in the slabs sent and the eBay feedback option. I personally would contact the seller about uneven thickness, possible slab substitution, and poor photography and see if an adjustment was in order.
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