SO YOU WANT TO GO INTO THE ROCK BUSINESS FULLTIME? LET ME TRY AND SAVE YOU SOME BUMPS AND BRUISES AND HOPEFULLY GIVE YOU SOME INSIGHT ON YOUR JOURNEY. I WENT INTO ROCKS FULLTIME IN 2001. I WOULD BUY ROCKS OFF EBAY AND SLAB THEM AND LIST THE SLABS ON EBAY. I THOUGHT I WAS DOING PRETTY GOOD, BUT NOT REALLY. YOU WILL AVERAGE ATLEAST 12 HOURS A DAY SELLING ON EBAY---/CUTTING SLABS/ BUYING TRIPS/ ANSWERING EMAILS/SHIPPING...MYSELF? I PUT IN 15 HR DAYS 7 DAYS A WEEK. BUT I DON'T PLAN TO LEVEL OFF AND STAY ON COURSE. I AM WORKING WITH MY OLDEST SON, TRAVIS, INTO "hopefully" BUILDING ONE OF THE BIGGEST MINING OPERATIONS IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, AND IT HASN'T BEEN EASY.THAT WOULD TAKE UP A WHOLE DIFFERENT WEB PAGE SO LETS STICK TO THE BASIC OUTLINE OF BREAKING INTO THE BUSINESS. FIRST, REMEMBER ALL THOSE MINERS AND SELLERS AT ROCK SHOWS THAT WERE SO SWEET AND NICE TO YOU WHEN YOU WERE A HOBBYIST??? WELL ATLEAST 10% WILL TURN ON YOU LIKE A RATTLESNAKE. MOSTLY OUT OF FEAR OF MORE COMPETITION, AND JEALOUSY. THEY WILL START VISCIOUS RUMORS TO TRY AND DRAG YOU DOWN. MAKE MOUNTAINS OUT OF MOLE HILLS. IT IS GUT WRENCHING AT TIMES. I LIKE THE ADVISE FROM KOP KOPCINSKI, OWNER OF THE LUCKY STRIKE AND BLUE MT MINES, LET IT RUN OFF YOU LIKE RAIN ON A WAXED RAINCOAT.I CAN'T THOUGH, SOME OF THESE PEOPLE REALLY CAN HURT YOU. THEY ARE THE BAD BLOOD IN THE HOBBY-MONEY MONGERS THAT HAVE NO TRUE PASSION FOR ROCKS OR LOVE OF MANKIND-THE CUT-THROATS!!! I CAN'T REALLY GIVE OUT NAMES BUT YOU'LL KNOW IT WHEN YOU MEET THEM. THE FIRST THING THEY TRY TO DO IS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOU. IF THE PRICE SOUNDS TO HIGH-THEN CHANCES ARE IT IS. THERES ROCKSHOPS ALL OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WHERE THEY HAVE 50 CENT AND $1 A LB PILES TO PICK THROUGH...>>> NOW YOU NEED INVENTORY-THATS A MAJOR ROLE IN YOUR SUCCESS...MARK OFF THE MONTHS OF JAN. AND FEB. AND MAKE PLANS TO SAVE ATLEAST $3,500 AND GO TO QUARTZSITE AZ THE BIGGEST ROCK SHOW IN THE WORLD! YOU CAN BUY ROCKS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD AT WHOLESALE PRICES. ALL THE DEALERS GO THERE. GET YOURSELF AN AZ TAX I.D. AND START SELLING THERE IF YOU SO DESIRE. WE DID THE FIRST COUPLE YEARS AS WE DIDN'T HAVE THE CASH TO BUY SO WE HAULED DOWN ALL THE OREGON ROCKS WE COULD MUSTER AND DID ALOT OF TRADING TOO. THAT GOT US THE INVENTORY WE NEEDED TO RUN EBAY. ALSO DON'T PLACE ALL YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET-DIVERSITY IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS! FROM TUMBLING ROUGH TO 100 LB CHUNKS OF GOOD ROCK FOR SPHERES, YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO PLEASE AND ACOMODATE. YOUR ROCKSHOP, BASICS YOU WILL NEED A 24" SAW I MEAN IT IS SO ESSENTIAL AND A MAJOR MONEY MAKER. THEN AN 18" SAW AND 14" RIGHT DOWN TO A 10" TRIM SAW. 4 SAWS WILL KEEP YOU BUSY AND BUILD THE SLAB INVENTORY YOU NEED... ALSO A HIGH SPEED SANDER AND LEATHER BUFFER, AVAILABLE AT RICHARDSON'S RECREATIONAL RANCH NEAR MADRAS OREGON.ALSO IF YOUR GONNA DO CABS A DIAMOND WHEELED GENIE IS A MUST. NOW DOWN TO MINING. IF YOUR IN THE WESTEN STATES THEN YOUR CLOSE ENOUGH TO BLM LANDS THAT HOLD GOOD ROCKS WORTH CLAIMING AND DIGGING.THE LAWS ARE EVER CHANGING, NOT TO THE BENIFIT OF THE MINER I MIGHT ADD. TALKING TO PEOPLE AT LOCAL ROCK SHOPS WILL GAIN YOU THE KNOWLEDGE OF WHERE TO START LOOKING. ALSO IF A MINE OWNER EVER GIVES YOU PERMISSION TO SIFT THROUGH THEIR OVER BURDEN-GET THAT PERMISSION IN WRITING!!! BLM CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH WHATS CALLED "A MINING PACKET" IT CONTAINS ALL THE MINING LAWS AND PROPER CLAIM FORMS-A HANDY DANDY THING FOR YOUR RECORDS. YOU'LL MAKE MOST OF YOUR REVENUE ON EBAY, OR OTHER AUCTION SITES, AND WEB PAGES. ITS IMPORTANT TO HAVE A GOOD LIST OF CLIENTEL. EBAY HAS TONS OF MATERIAL TO READ ABOUT TO GET YOU STARTED. YOU'LL ALSO NEED A GOOD DIGITAL CAMERA-VERY ESSENTIAL. I USE AN OLYMPUS D-460 AND USED IT SINCE 2001, BOUGHT IT ON EBAY FOR $200.00 ABOUT ALL THE PICS ON THIS SITE WAS TAKEN WITH THAT CAMERA.THERES REALLY NO TIPS OR TRICKS TO SUCCESS. JUST NEVER EVER LIST A ROCK THAT YOU WOULD NOT TAKE THE TIME TO CUT AND CAB YOURSELF. ALSO, PEOPLE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN ALL THE ROCKS IN THE WORLD-SO DON'T BE STINGY IN LISTING. LIST EVEN THE SLABS AND ROCKS YOU WANT TO KEEP FOR YOURSELF, SHARE YOUR TREASURES AND PEOPLE WILL APPRECIATE IT...ON FEEDBACKS I NEVER LEAVE A FB UNTIL THE TRANSACTION IS 100% COMPLETE. WHY? WELL I HAVE NO IDEA IF THIS BUYER WILL CLAIM THE ROCK NEVER ARRIVED, OR CLAIM ITS JUNK AND TRY TO COERCE ME OUT OF MORE. WHEN I ADOPTED THAT POLICY CLAIMS FOR LOST AND DAMAGED GOODS DROPPED BY 60%!!!! ALSO DON'T LEAVE BAD FEEDBACKS UNLESS IT IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST...IF A BUYER HAS WON AND WON'T ANSWER EMAILS, GIVE HIM A COUPLE WEEKS, FOR ALL YOU KNOW HE COULD BE IN THE HOSPITAL OR HAD A LOVED ONE PASS AWAY. OFTEN TIMES THAT IS THE CASE. MOST ARE REAL GOOD PEOPLE AT HEART... LIVE BY THOSE PRINCIPLES AND YOU'LL DO GOOD ON ANY AUCTION SITE...GOTTA BREAK FOR A COUPLE DAYS- MORE TO COME...