How to Sell Raw Agates
Agate rock is a banded, cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz or chalcedony. Cryptocrystalline means that the crystals are so small that a microscope is required to see them clearly. Chalcedony is a general term for all varieties of cryptocrystalline quartz. These popular rocks tend to be fairly porous and will stain a variety of colors. Agate rocks are abundant and sell in the marketplace as home accents and as prized specimens to collectors. With readily available sources of raw agates throughout the world, it is possible to develop a business and sell these rocks to both wholesale and retail customers worldwide.
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Things You'll Need
- Camera
- Computer
- Printer
- Trade-show displays
- Warehouse or store location
Instructions
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Form a small business by contacting your state and local business license office to register your business name and acquire a retail tax identification number. Obtain an employee identification number from the Internal Revenue Service for the business. Only an established business can purchase agate inventory from the rock dealers at raw costs.
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Take high resolution photographs of the agates that are for sale. Save the photographs at different resolutions for Internet and print uses.
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Determine the sale price of the agates and the quantities that you will sell. Rock importers typically sell their product by weight. You have the choice of selling the agates by weight or by determining an average weight of the rock samples and establishing a consistent price per sample. Calculate the retail price as five times the cost of the rock and the wholesale price as one half of the retail price. For example, if the importer charges $1 per pound, a retail cost would be $5 per pound, and the wholesale cost would be $2.50 per pound. Selling agates wholesale will allow you to sell in high volume at a low price point, while selling retail will be a low volume at a high price point.
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Open a retail store or a wholesale warehouse location and show the raw agates using attractive displays to entice customers to purchase your product if you have substantial inventory. Many wholesale warehouse operations have a small showroom for display purposes. All agates have different banded patterns which makes a store or showroom beneficial because customers are able to see the rocks before they make a purchase.
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Design and print a catalog with product and pricing information for customers who are not located near your store or warehouse. Catalogs can also be in an electronic format and emailed to customers to reduce printing and mailing costs.
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Establish a website so that customers can purchase the raw agates from your business via the Internet. If you sell to both wholesale and retail customers, consider operating two websites or a website with a separate log-in access for each type of customer since the prices and terms of sale will differ. If you sell the agates to retail customers from a website, show a photo of each item or provide a note that informs your customers that every agate will have a slightly different banded pattern from the generic photo on the website.
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Attend gem and mineral shows for wholesale and retail customers. Numerous shows occur throughout the country each year on a local and national level. One of the largest and most popular shows is the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show, which takes place in February each year.
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Tips & Warnings
Auction websites are another sales outlet to explore once your systems and procedures are established.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit agate image by jonnysek from Fotolia.com
