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HOME | NEW SPECIMENS | BEST OFFER MINERAL AUCTION | SPECIMENS FROM PAST SHOWS | CONTACT US


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q - Can I purchase specimens through layaway?
A - Yes! We offer a layaway option for the more expensive purchases and it's a very popular with our clients.

Q - How does the layaway option work?
A - A down payment is made first (usually about 25% of the price) and then the remaining payments are
made over a number of months. Time is determined by the client since they know how to best fit their own budget.

Q - Can a layaway specimen be returned?
A - No. Layaways are considered sold since they are placed aside for a number of months. A layaway
can always be traded back for another specimen however. Cancelled layaways forfeit the down payment.

Q - What is your return policy?
A - We offer a 3-day / 10-day return policy. This means notification of intent within three days of the
specimen's arrival at your address and then up to ten days to return the specimen to our address.
The specimen must be repacked and insured in the same manner in which it arrived.

Q - Can I return auction specimens?
A - No. This is to maintain the integrity of the auction process and confidence of all bidders.

Q - Do you offer a trade-back policy for the specimens you sale?
A - Yes! We encourage trade-backs for all collectors who wish to upgrade their collections. The
specimen being traded back must be of a lesser value of course (usually 1/2 as much or less) and we
prefer to trade the same minerals (Topaz for better Topaz, etc.). This rule isn't written in stone however.

Q - How often do you run auctions and how long do they last?
A - We usually have two mineral auctions per month and they last anywhere from one to two weeks.

Q - What is a Best Offer Mineral Auction?
A - A Best Offer Mineral Auction will feature fine minerals from online showrooms and new minerals
from current mineral shows. They will usually be offered with a suggested "reserve" of half the original
retail value but this reserve is for educational use only. Bidders are always free to bid below the reserve.
We encourage everyone to make their best, most realistic offer to increase their odds of winning.

Q - Do you offer a secure online form for sending personal information and credit card numbers?
A - Yes. We have a secure order form which is located at the HOW TO ORDER link at the top of every page.

Q - How secure is this form?
A - All information is completely encrypted and safe from second party viewing.

Q - How do you determine shipping charges?
A - By weight and USPS shipping guidelines. We can ship via any service that is requested however.

Q - How do you usually ship?
A - We usually ship via FedEX, USPS, and occasionally UPS.

Q - Will you ship overseas?
A - Oversea orders make up a large percentage of our business and we ship to almost anywhere on the globe.

Q - How long will it take for my specimen to reach me?
A - We generally ship out most specimens within five days of order but sometimes they may be
shipped faster or take a bit longer depending on the backlog. For U.S.A. orders, the shipping
time is usually anywhere from three to seven working days. For international orders, it may
range from one to three weeks but usually takes about twelve working days on average.

Q - What are the accepted methods of payment?
A - We accept VISA, MC, Discover, AMEX, personal checks, money orders, international money orders, and Western Union.

Q - When I open a credit card account, will you keep the information on file for future orders?
A - Yes. All credit card information can be kept safely on file. This makes future ordering much easier and quicker.

Q - What are your "EXCEPTIONAL SHOWROOMS"?
A - These rooms contain specimens of a higher grade and or rarity. If you are a collector of museum grade
specimens or wish to upgrade to higher quality pieces, these rooms are the place for you to start!

Q - Do you have another website besides The Mineral Gallery?
A - Yes! Our other website is "www.exceptionalminerals.com".

Q - Do you have a search engine for your website?
A - Yes! And the search engine covers every mineral showroom on both of our mineral websites!
Its link can be found at the top of the every website page and it works off of key words or phrases.

Q - What are your Specialty Mineral Rooms?
A - These are rooms devoted to specific minerals. They include Rhodochrosite, Elmwood minerals,
Beryls (Aquamarines, Morganites, Emeralds, etc.) as well as Gold and Silver specimens. The links
to these rooms can be found at the bottom of every website page.

Q - Why do some specimens remain SOLD for a period of time without being removed?
A - Because we wait for the ten day return period to expire before removing any sold specimens.

Q - Why don't you use thumbnail photographs instead of the large mineral photographs?
A - Several reasons. We actually held a poll a couple of years ago as to which format was
preferred and found that the larger mineral photographs were more popular with our clients.
They said that they liked the better quality of image as well as the detail in the larger photos.
Thumbnails were rejected because our clients said they were too tedious to click through.
Most agreed that would rather wait a bit longer for the photos to load to receive better quality
and with high speed internet connections, the waiting time is much less than it used to be.

Q - Do you have an e-mail list that I can sign up with to receive notification of when you update?
A - Yes! It's located at the bottom of the home page on this website. Sign up to receive all update
notices and early notification of new mineral auctions as well as news from the shows!

Q - Do you buy collections?
A - Yes! Contact us if you have a collection to sell or are interested in selling. If I find that I'm
not interested, I can always submit your e-mail to another dealer that probably is.

Q - Do you take specimens on consignment?
A- Yes! We have an excellent record of selling specimens for our clients and welcome new consignments
all the time. Our commission is set at 25% which is the industry norm and this can be added to the
desired selling price. We pay for all expenses and high resolution photography from our commission.

Q - Do you purchase specimens for clients at the mineral shows?
A - Yes! We frequently track down and purchase minerals for our clients who can't attend the
various mineral shows. Our fee for this service is only 10% of the specimen price.

Q - What are the "HALL OF FAME" rooms?
A - These are rooms where the better specimens of both past and present are displayed for
everyone to enjoy. Accreditation is given for specimens which have sold and are in personal collections.

Have any additional questions that should be added?? E-mail me and let me know!


Additional Mineral Showrooms of Collector Interest....

GOLD SHOWROOMS | SILVER SHOWROOMS | BERYL SHOWROOMS | RHODOCHROSITE SHOWROOMS | ELMWOOD SHOWROOMS


All Photos are © 2000 - 2014 Kevin Ward and The Mineral Gallery, Inc.
PO Box 91448 . Mobile, AL  36691 . USA