FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Fossil Age Minerals?
For over 2 decades, Fossil Age Minerals (formerly Greatsouth.net) has emerged as the preferred online retailer of authentically preserved fossils and minerals, for you, our discerning collector. We are honored to be your accredited choice for precious minerals and rare fossils from around the world. Having carefully shipped over 20k orders to more than 10k customers internationally, our team of researchers, fossil collection experts, and preservation specialists’ attention to detail endures. Your satisfaction is our success. We are full of gratitude to see our list of repeat customers grow. For more on Fossil Age Minerals, please see our “About Us” tab.
I found a fossil could you identify it for me or tell me how much it is worth?
If you require assistance in identifying items, we highly recommend submitting them for identification in the Fossil ID Forum at TheFossilForum.com. There, you will find a community of highly knowledgeable individuals who are willing to help with identification. Please note that we do not engage in the authentication, valuation, or purchase of fossils from individuals. Thank you for your understanding.
Are you also a physical location/storefront?
Yes! Fossil Age Minerals is located in Post Falls, in the panhandle of N. Idaho. You can find our displays inside “My Favorite Things” at 503 E. Seltice Way #12, Post Falls, ID 83854. When you enter the store, just follow the Dinosaur tracks that begin at our front register display case, to see all of our displays. The wonderful staff at My Favorite Things will be happy to allow you to handle and inspect any item, just ask them to unlock the cases for you. The show cases protect the items from theft, as well as protecting the fragile pieces from too much handling.
Are your fossils real?
Yes, we do not sell any replicas, only authentic fossils. We select our vetted suppliers face to face. The few who have earned our trust over time, are proven to be knowledgeable and professional, with high integrity. We also meet with our partnering suppliers twice a year in person. We only partner with excavators or paleontologists who acquire their product both ethically and legally, on private lands or known dig sites, with permission. This is in line with our Shared mission with the Association of Applied Paleontological Sciences, with which we are members. Please visit: https://www.aaps.net/ethics.htm to see more on the AAPS code of ethics.
We also verify the authenticity of the specimens that we offer ourselves by hand, as each one is inspected manually from each angle, as part of our inspection and photography process, under high quality lighting. We are trained to identify replicas and reproductions. We ardently avoid offering any inauthentic items to our esteemed patrons. If ever you question the authenticity of an item, or if any restoration or repair work fails to meet your expectations, your fossil can be returned for a full refund. Fossil Age Minerals honors a 60-day return policy for any reason. Your peace of mind is our top priority.
How do you accept payment?
We accept payment through credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover), by debit cards, with Paypal, as well as Googlepay, Applepay, Facebookpay, Shoppay, JCB and more in our online shopping cart system, which will recognize these methods and accept them. Our system also recognizes and accepts Bitpay, automatically. For higher priced orders we can arrange alternative payment methods including checks (shipment is held until check clears), and money wires.
What comes with the fossils I purchase?
We are in the process of updating all listings to include Certificates of Authenticity on each item, but this is not complete at this time. Take your time in reading each detailed listing; fossils that already include COA’s at this time are clearly marked, “COA Included.” If your favorite listing does not yet show “COA included,” feel free to request one and we will happily include a COA for your item, early.
If your item will include a stand, this will also be clearly stated in the individual listing. If it will not include a stand, the listing will simply not reference a stand. If you receive a stand with mineral tack included, you will simply unwrap the stand, and apply the mineral tack to your item, and gently press the tacked item to the stand in the position you prefer. Mineral spheres and eggs typically come with a stand that does not require mineral tack. If the item is not pictured with a stand in the listing, the item will not come with a stand.
A word on stands: We are often contacted by mistake when a patron did not see the stand we carefully packed and included. The stands are often disassembled for shipping purposes, and will be smaller than expected, until they are assembled. Please empty out the box of packing material completely, and carefully sort through it prior to contacting us, as packed stands are very commonly missed. Some of the stands are simply small, and are also wrapped in bubble wrap, which can look the same color as the shipping material. Although we enjoy talking with our customers, we want you to avoid the stress and embarrassment of contacting us in error for this reason.
A word on packing peanuts: Fossil Age Minerals proudly uses only biodegradable packing peanuts. Biodegradable peanuts simply dissolve in water.
We have created this video of how out two-part stands are to be assembled and customized to best display your item:
How can you be selling real dinosaur teeth under $100. Aren't they rare?
Yes they are real. Many types of fossils are not as rare and many people may think. In fact, teeth of certain types of dinosaurs are relatively common in the fossil record. Like today's sharks they shed their teeth throughout their lifetime and an adult dinosaur may go through thousands of teeth in its lifespan. Like all fossils, some types maybe common but big perfect specimens can be extremely rare.
Do your orders come with a physical Certificate of Authenticity?
We don't send physical certificates with our orders by default. It takes time to create them and most people throw them out anyway. If you want a physical Certificate of Authenticity with your order make note of it in the shipping instructions and we will create one for you and sent it with your order.
Where do your fossils come from?
Our fossils come from many sources worldwide. There are some we have self collected and prepared. The bulk we buy wholesale in quantity from suppliers. We prefer to work with the people that actually took the fossils out of the ground instead of dealers. This allows us to get the best prices and also allows us to provide more detailed information and backstory on the collection. In some cases we also buy high end collections of fossils that are being liquidated by longtime collectors for resale.
Do your fossils have "repair" or "restoration" and what's the difference?
Repair of fossils
More frequently than not, fossils, when collected, are found in pieces and as such require “repair,” or reattachment via acceptable methods, often with adhesives made for this purpose. It is in fact an exception if repairs are not needed for materials from the dinosaur era.
Adhesive repair is also to stabilize porous or very fragile items, as they will be shipped and put on display for years of enjoyment, outside of the matrix mother earth held them in for eons. When we remove fossils from their natural stabalizing environment, it is our duty and obligation to replace that stabilizing element to ensure they can continue to endure. Exceptional repairs are hard to see most of the time even if the fossil came out of the ground as a puzzle, which is usually the case. Repairing (reattaching) enhances value by creating wholeness. Otherwise, items could only be displayed as fragments, which do have value, but a lesser value than a larger whole, and more recognizable item.
Restoration of Fossils
Depending on the era of the fossil and the characteristics of it’s physical extraction location, restoration may be needed. Restoration refers to the actual reconstruction to complete or recreate missing or unsalvageable parts of an incomplete fossil. The restorations can be very small or they can be extensive. When you visit a museum most of the larger fossils on display have some type of restoration. It is not uncommon for large museum specimens to be 50% or more restored. Like Repair, Restoration is also normal when dealing with items this ancient, and when done professionally, good restoration work by skilled professionals adds to the beauty and value of an otherwise incomplete or unrecognizable piece. Specimens that are found perfectly complete and whole are few and far between as well as very costly. For your peace of mind, Fossil Age minerals honors a 60 day return policy as long as the item is returned in the same condition it was shipped in.
Were your fossils legally collected?
Yes, the fossils we sell on this site have been legally collected and can be sold legally. Unlike many dealers we don't sell material from locations like China where export is illegal, or material collected from BLM lands which is illegal to sell. All of the US based material that we sell is either collected from private land, leases or areas where commercial collecting is permitted.
Do you ship overseas?
Yes, we will ship our fossils overseas.
Do you insure your shipments?
It is an unfortunate reality of shipping that occasionally a package goes missing or is damaged in transit. We take pride in our ability to pack items and get them to their destination intact, but unfortunately there are circumstances beyond our control.
It is extremely difficult and time consuming to get shipping companies (USPS, UPS, Fedex, etc) to pay out on insurance claims even when they are clearly at fault so we "self insure" shipments. A premium is added to the shipping cost to cover the cost of self insurance. This premium is currently set to 0.75% of the total order value.
Do you have a variety of dinosaur bones for sale, such as teeth, claws, or complete skeletons?
We offer a huge collection of dinosaur bones, teeth and claws for sale, and we also offer complete skeletons from time to time.
Can I purchase dinosaur fossils online from your store?
Yes! You can purchase fossils online from our store by visiting the below link:
We are also available on Etsy, Ebay, TikTok, Shop App, and many more.
What types of dinosaur fossils do you have available for sale?
We offer a wide range of genuine dinosaur fossils for sale on our website acquired from all corners of the world. To know more, visit the below link:
Are the dinosaur bones and fossils you sell authentic and certified?
All our dinosaur bones and fossils are guaranteed authentic and come with a Certificate of Authenticity.
How long does fossil take to process an order?
All our orders are packed and shipped within 24 hours on working days of the week.
What are the most common dinosaur fossil for sale
Almost all the dinosaur fossils for sale are common, but the most common ones are Spinosaurus, Mosasaur, Prognathodon.
Do you offer a secure checkout process for customers looking to buy dinosaur fossils
Absolutely! We offer a safe and secure checkout process for our customers looking to buy our fossils and minerals.