[meteorite-list] Chelybinsk eBay price history

From: Mal Bishop <magbish3_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:24:36 -0400
Message-ID: <515C9E14.5040505_at_lowcountry.com>

Hi Mike, Rob, and all -

Well , I for one dealt with this seller (the one Rob mentions -- i.e.
seller name ".a.") plus one other from whom I purchased from in the past
and have a GOOD history with, while the other was just on a
whim/chance. Both came through excellently ( more than once) with the
Chelyabinsk specimens I bid or
purchased out-right. eBay seller ".a." ( real name Michael ) and I have
communicated numerous times and is extremely professional, friendly, and
timely
in all our communications. Michael ( .a. ) has evidently a very
reliable, educated professional fellow, whom he has worked with for
years dealing in Soviet era electronics, etc.
(so they evidently know each other very well), going around the area in
the strewnfield purchasing pieces from locals and shipping them out
directly to the winning bidders while Michael handles the
eBay (and money part) here in the U.S. -- specifically, California.

I was very satisfied with Michael (aka .a. ) and the other seller on
eBay I've been dealing with. I have purchased from 3 sources (including
our own illustrious Michael Farmer ) and all the specimens
I've obtained look identical inside and out. I do agree that the
antiquated Russian postal service along with the iffy customs inspectors
( I was told many are ex Soviet era officials, etc. -- read KGB, and so on)
make it a "sitting on pins and needles" sort of ordeal waiting for your
parcel to arrive. It took one of my small packets from Chelyabinsk 25
days to arrive. I had a tracking number, but after the almost week long
transit from Chelyabinsk to Moscow, and after it was shown to arrive at
customs and 2 minutes later leaving customs, there were no further
updates for 15 days. Neither the Russian postal service website,
nor the U.S. postal service website showed any further updates until
finally on the 24th day it "magically" appeared again on the USPS
website showing it at our local sorting facility in Columbia, South
Carolina --
before arriving at my local post office the next morning.

The guy in Russia working for eBay seller, ".a." does however have a
very interesting way of hiding/camouflaging the little space rock
treasures from potential sticky fingered customs agents and/or postal
employees. I will say, it is EXTREMELY clever
and smart of him. Michael ( .a.) told me this guy has many years of
experience shipping out of Russia and knows a thing or two regarding how
to smuggle things out of Russia and circumvent the officials that may
not be so much on the up and up when it comes
to performing their trusted and honored duties! I won't mention any
details on the list openly regarding how the rocks were hidden from
curious, prying eyes out of respect for the seller and his partner, but
if anyone wants to know, contact me off list and I may
tell you. :-)

Not only do I have the rocks which were mailed directly out of Russia
from Chelyabinsk ( with the "registered" mail packaging appropriately
stamped and showing its point of origin), I also have the devices used
to hide and smuggle the rocks safely out of
Mother Russia. They are prominently displayed ( with the piece of glass
and photos Mike Farmer sent with the VERY nice specimen I purchased from
him) along with my several specimens of Chelyabinsk. What a story will
be waiting for family and friends
when they ask why I have these obviously/disparate/, out of//place items
displayed along with meteorites.

Mal
IMCA#6819


On 4/3/2013 4:10 PM, Matson, Robert D. wrote:
> True enough -- for some anecdotal evidence, I opted to test a small
> amount of money to purchase a stone from this seller back on March 19th.
> The estimated delivery date was given as April 9-25 (by which time the
> price per gram will be down to a third of what I paid). --Rob
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Michael Farmer [mailto:mike at meteoriteguy.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, April 03, 2013 1:00 PM
> To: Matson, Robert D.
> Cc: Meteorite Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Chelybinsk eBay price history
>
> Just saw that. Not surprisingly the piece is being sold direct from
> Chelyabinsk.
> Buyers taking huge risk that it will arrive from central Russia. I
> think that rusk depresses price and bidding pretty badly.
> Michael Farmer
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
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Received on Wed 03 Apr 2013 05:24:36 PM PDT