Buy a full case and the price per unit drops automaticallyRequest a sample
AccountCart0
All ContainersBottlesJarsCaps & ClosuresPumps & SprayersTubs & PailsJugsDroppersTinsTubesAccessories
Industries
Personal CareShop all 934 items →
AromatherapyBathBath →Body careBody care →Color cosmeticsColor cosmetics →DeodorantDeodorant →FragranceFragrance →GroomingHair careLip careLip care →NailNail →Oral careOral care →Skin and faceSkin and face →Soap and washSoapmaking →Sun and protectionSun and protection →
Learn:BathBody careColor cosmeticsDeodorantFragranceLip careNailOral careSkin and faceSoapmakingSun and protectionEverything we have written →
Learn
Beekeeping100Hot sauce making90Jam and preserves96Pickles and ferments64Sauces and condiments36Syrups36Oils and vinegars34Nut butters and spreads33Dairy and alternatives33Coffee and tea36Confection31Resin and casting27Supplement liquids23Laboratory17Dispensing13Photography and darkroom14Industrial chemical14Prepared and deli15Body care14Color cosmetics13Bath14Pet health15Toiletry decanting14Oral care14Capsules and tablets14Nail14Fragrance15Deodorant17Fossils16Janitorial16Baking and dry goods16Seed storage17Specimens16Paint and ink18Automotive fluids18Wax melts17Diffusers17Detailing15Sun and protection18Dish and hand16Soapmaking91Candle making93Beverages92Cleaning products92Lip care89Minerals and rocks93Powders91Skin and face91Spices and seasoning91Findings and components16
All 1,895 pages we have written →
Minerals and rocks
All Containers›Shop by use case›Minerals and rocks›Selling it›What to chargeShop all minerals and rocks →
Selling it

What to charge

By Dwight Davis, Founder

Updated

On this page5

The least formulaic pricing in the estate, because every unit is different.

There is no formula

No cost-plus. A specimen that cost a tank of fuel and a Saturday can be worth a hundred times a specimen that cost the same.

Which means price is set by comparison rather than by calculation, and the skill is knowing the comparisons.

What actually sets a price

Species and its rarity. Locality, and whether it is classic. Quality: form, lustre, color, completeness. Aesthetics. Size class. Damage. Provenance.

Damage is a large downward mover and the one sellers most often discount too little for.

Locality and provenance are the biggest upward movers and the ones that are pure documentation.

Building your own reference

Go to shows and look at what things are marked at, then at what they sell for, which is not the same.

Watch completed auction results rather than asking prices.

Keep a note of what you paid for comparable material, which is the reference that matters most and the one you already own.

And ask dealers. Most will tell you how they priced something if you ask as a buyer.

Pricing to sell

Price the specimen in front of you, not the one you hoped to find.

Discount damage properly and say why, which makes the price credible.

Price self-collected material on what it is, not on what the trip cost.

And be willing to be wrong: material that does not sell in a season is priced wrong, presented wrong or in the wrong channel, and holding it has a storage and condition cost.

References

No published source. This page is written from practice rather than from published guidance. No extension service or agency publishes on this question for minerals, so nothing here is cited, and it should be weighed as experience and not as a standard.
Written from the federal land-management rules, the conservation literature and the agency guidance named on each page. Collecting rules differ by agency, by unit and sometimes by parcel, and the land manager for the ground you are standing on is the authority on it, not this page.