Where do you shop?

Hawaiian Dreams · #1 22-04-2014, 10:34 PM

Besides Ebay and Etsy, where do you buy your crystals?

Adrienne · #2 22-04-2014, 11:10 PM

Hello Hawaiian Dreams,

The forum rules don't allow for posting links that sell items

however ... if you type in your search window something like metaphysical shops, New Age shops, Occult stores or something like that and your city, you may come up with some local options. Or if your area has Rock and Mineral shows/ events that is also an idea... prices for some of the crystals will be less expensive as they are not being sold as crystals, but as rocks. You just have to know what you are looking for, as they might not be labeled.

If you type in crystal shops, you might also find some but when I did that I got results for good china and crystal glassware !

I purchase my crystals at a local shop.

Hawaiian Dreams · #3 23-04-2014, 12:28 AM

Oops, didn't think that it might have been a problem asking for retail sites. If anyone has any good online sources, please private message me.

Hawaii has two stores that I know about, and I don't think we get any shows that come here since the cost might be prohibitive.

Adrienne · #4 23-04-2014, 12:32 AM

sorry about that, yes that is another option

no guess not on the shows then, very heavy to ship rocks.... wasn't quite sure where you were located. There are most likely some good online sites, I just don't know any.

Hawaiian Dreams · #5 23-04-2014, 01:04 AM

Thanks for all your help Dream Angel :)

Adrienne · #6 23-04-2014, 01:35 AM

You are welcome Hawaiian Dreams I hope you can find some crystals.

lightworker1981 · #7 29-04-2014, 06:40 PM

You'll pay x10 more if you buy in a local shop as well

FairyCrystal · #8 30-04-2014, 11:38 AM

Well, not sure what is allowed now, can we mention "Ebay" or is that against the rules too? :/
I have bought a lot on Ebay, occasionally I still do.

Best advice I can give you when buying online, regardless what shop, is to use your intuition, both for the shop(s) as for the crystal you're interested in.
If the shop feels good to you and the crystal you've seen does as well, go for it.
I must say I've never bought a crystal online that cost a bomb from someone I don't know. I wouldn't easily purchase for let's say $300 or more, because if something goes wrong, the loss would be too great.
If you got buyers protection, it's still quite safe, but if it's a piddly little shop that looks amateurish as well, I wouldn't.

Also think of customs fees. When I buy over $25 from the US, I have to pay import duties, which often are quite steep.
When I purchase from China, I hardly ever pay import duties as import from China (I'm in the EU) has different rules & regulations.

Hawaiian Dreams · #9 30-04-2014, 05:21 PM

Thanks FairyCrystal for your insight. I've been duped before on Ebay. One seller was selling a Super Seven Melody Stone and had very nice pictures. She described the piece as "naturally terminated" and all her pictures showed a double termination. When I received it, I discovered that she used camera tricks and/or photoshop to hide a huge contact area. The huge contact area was also included in the height/width and weight of the crystal. I'm glad Ebay had a buyer protection program... I didn't lose money on the crystal, but I lost money on shipping both ways.

Adrienne · #10 30-04-2014, 05:36 PM

" Let the buyer beware " ~ so the saying goes if one is purchasing anything from unfamiliar sources either online or in a shop.

Yes FairyCrystal you can mention Ebay, you just can't post links to a site that sells something.

Hawaiian Dreams, sorry to hear about the loss of shipping and the false advertised crystal. I hope you have better luck in the future with your purchases.