Ebay black obsidian, is it real? The price seems too cheap

[jupo88]

Hi,

I'm interested in buying a 50-60mm black obsidian sphere. I'm looking on ebay, and there seems to be a lot of extremely cheap offers. Some are even below $5, including shipping!

This sounds too cheap to be true. How can I tell the difference between real and fake? It seems like a difficult thing to do with black obsidian.

Here's the specific item I'm looking at (sorry, can't include links in posts yet!):
ebay.com/itm/Healing-Stone-Gift-50mm-Asian-Natural-Black-Obsidian-Sphere-Large-Crystal-Ball-/391617801376

[Dude]

That does sound a bit off, but all I can suggest with things like this is to look at the sellers reviews- look for key words (fake or genuine) and then look at their rating (without looking I seem to recall eBay has a number by your name of how many ratings you have recieved or something) lots of people with low numbers saying yay this is genuine could easily be from employees etc.
I personally wouldn't use eBay for crystals, I have seen some on there and the names didn't even match the crystal.
Especially starting out my advise would be to find a company you trust with good reviews etc and get a feel for the crystals so you will then know what kind of effect they have on you, then if you do take a chance on eBay you will have an idea of what to expect and can judge for yourself if it is fake or not.
My worry with starting out on eBay would be if it's a fake you may think obsidian has no effect on you and then never bother with it in future when actually you have not tried it if that makes sense. I love obsidian. Black can be harsh starting off though. When I first got mine it was quickly hidden away, but now i adore it and always have a palm stone in my bag.

[FairyCrystal]

Difficult to tell... The problem with obsidian being that it could just as easily be black glass. Basically obsidian is glass, but you still want the real deal of course.
The thing I don't like so much about this seller is that he mostly sells other stuff that isn't even related to crystals. Whenever I buy on Ebay I prefer to buy from ppl who are into crystals.
He currently isn't selling anything other than that sphere either. Can happen but still...
I think I'd leave it. You could get it and see if it does something for you. I mean, 5 dollars ...

[jupo88]

Thanks for the replies guys. Glad I'm not the only one who is a bit skeptical about these items.

@FairyCrystal - yeah, I probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference between real black obsidian and colored glass, being as new as I am to crystals. Still, I'd like to have the real deal, even if it costs much more. As @Dude mentioned, it would be a shame if I bought a fake, and set my standards for all black obsidian to that.

I'll take your advise and search specifically in crystal seller's shops.

[Dude]

For a 4.5 sphere in the shop I use online it's £10 (U.K.) not sure if that's any help at all lol but obsidian is not an expensive one, My palm stone was only £6 and is about 7x5 cms, only 1cm thickness but makes it perfect for under a pillow. Delivery is extra. They do do international shipping. Not sure if I'm allowed to put the shop here. I try other shops I see if they look good and cheaper but I always go back as I just trust the quality and genuiness? (Is that a word) and for me that's the most important thing. I'd rather have a few genuine crystals that will be beneficial than a load of poor quality or fake. Tumble stones are cheap as chips so maybe go to a few places and get same tumble stones and compare them. do you have any crystal shops you could go to and cop a feel? :)

[BellaSage]

Hi Jupo88,

There are some options for you on Etsy if you are still looking. Etsy also has some UK sellers I have seen that look very reputable.

While this one is a little smaller, the price is fair and so is the shipping.
The seller looks fairly new but the items look to be genuine.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/5070192...f=sr_gallery_3

This is an option or you could try adding UK as your search region when shopping. Oh did you say you were in the UK? LOL Maybe a brain lapse there.

I hope this helps!

[jupo88]

@Dude: I agree, I'd also have a few genuine and quality stones than to have many poor quality and fake stones. Unfortunately, I don't know of any local shops to buy crystals. I live in Finland, and not knowing the language very well doesn't help much with the search.

@BellaSage: thanks for the link! It does seem nice. Links like these to real spheres give me a good reference point to compare sizes and prices.

[Lynn]

Hello

The best way to know is to get it from a shop that has a good reputation. When it looks like something is too good to be true it usually is.

There is so much fake glass out there now that its hard to find the real thing. Best to go to a shop that sells thing than on line at times.

Lynn

[Crystal canuck]

Just because you buy it from a shop doesn't mean it's not fake.
Just where do you think shops buy them from....online of course. You can just take the middle man out and buy it online for a third of the price.

With something like the obsidian, especially a sphere, it's hard to tell from pictures if it's a fake. Usually in person you can tell when you hold it. A real crystal will have a colder feel than glass.

Sometimes a good deal is actually a good deal. I just got a 60 mm fluorite sphere with green, purple and clear sections, even has a stripe, and really interesting specimen, got it for 10 bucks !

[jupo88]

Hi all! I ended up purchasing a 65mm obsidian sphere from an ebay seller who is specialized in selling crystals. I've been watching several of this seller's clear quartz spheres, and it seems like this seller is genuine.

The obsidian sphere was €14, with about €9 shipping. Still quite cheap, but not to the extent that I feel suspicious about it.

Here's a link to the details page, if anyone is interested:
ebay.com/itm/182265973217

Thanks again for all the advice and input!