WANTING TO SELL YOUR SUSPECT METEORITE?
This page is to assist anyone selling an object that might be a meteorite. I'm not referring to selling a classified meteorite like Canyon Diablo, etc. If you have a specimen that passes all the home tests and may possibly be an unclassified meteorite you need to read this.
If you have found, been given or purchased an unclassified meteorite (excluding North West African - NWA meteorites), it may be worth far more money than you could get for it on eBay. In order to establish its value, you need to have it classified. This means you will have to cut (hacksaw) a piece (walnut size) and send it to one of the following institutions. There is generally no charge except loss of 20 grams of your sample for the classification. The benefits of a little extra work having your specimen verified could be incredible! Ask Bob Verish who checked two rocks from his 'rock box'. The 'rocks' turned out to be two rare meteorites. Named LA 001 and LA 002 The Los Angeles Mars Meteorite! Just think, if you had found what Mr. Verish found and auctioned it on ebay, you would have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars and the scientific community would have lost valuable info about the planet Mars.
Classifying your meteorite is a win-win solution! You may not have a Mars meteorite, but if it is a new find, it is VALUABLE.
Question: WHY SHOULD I NOT SELL MY SUSPECT METEORITE AS IS? YOU JUST EXPLAINED THAT IT COULD BE WORTH BIG $$$$!
Answer: (1) It has not been verified to be a meteorite. Only one out of 1,000 suspect meteorites is verified as genuine. See for yourself that Suspect Meteorite Auctions do not win big dollars.
(2) Even verified but unclassified meteorites such as NWA's are only worth $.07 - $.30 per gram. (a recent Oman find -pdf file )
(3) eBay's Authenticity Disclaimers Policy prohibits advertising unverified items even with a disclaimer!
eBay's Authenticity Disclaimers Policy
Sellers should make sure that their items are authentic before listing them on eBay. Sellers may not disclaim knowledge of, or responsibility for, the authenticity or legality of the items they offer in their listings. If a seller cannot verify the authenticity of an item, it can‘t be listed on eBay.
Make sure your listing follows these guidelines. If it doesn't, it may be removed, and you may be subject to a range of other actions, including limits of your buying and selling privileges and suspension of your account.
Sellers are not allowed to:
List items that aren't authentic
List items if they're not sure if they are authentic
In addition, sellers can't disclaim authenticity of their item by stating, for example:
"I cannot guarantee the authenticity of this item, so please bid accordingly."Verify and Classify your suspect meteorite!
A person who doesn't has something to hide!