verhoevenc Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 As I was looking into getting some shell I had listed my two favourite palces (from just perusing sites) in my bookmarks. And thought "let's compare prices" and I came up with some things that are kinda strange. I show you my findings here. The first price are MOP Supplies, the second is DePaule. Awabi $25 none Black Abalone Less than $51 none Black MOP $13 $30/large $45 Black Marbled none $15 Black Sunburst none $15 Bronze MOP none $20 Freshwater Pearl $12.30 $10 Gold MOP $10.50 $17/ large $23 Gold Sunburst none $12 Green Turban $18.65 none Green Lip Abalone Less than $14.60 none Green Abalone $15.95 none Green Heart $21.40 none Green Rippled $21.40 none Paua $30.25 $45/ large $72 Paua Heart none $45 Paua Blue none $55 Red Abalone $18 $45 Red Heart $35 $55 White MOP $8.70/large $10.95 $14/ large $18 White MOP Figured none $20 Washboard Mussel $13.70 none Pink MOP $10.95 $10 Smokey Rainbow none $28 White Turbo none $30 So my question is this: on the shells that both places have, lets take red abalone, or even paua to a slightly lesser extent... HOW is MOPSupplies so much cheaper? Is there a significant difference in quality from these two suppliers? Chris PS: All these prices are for .06" thick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhoads56 Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 not everything originates from within, or near the USA. How much do you think a container of shell costs to ship half way around the world, rather than a few thousand (or even just hundreds) of miles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verhoevenc Posted July 17, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 Thank you for that Perry, for insinuating I'm the kind of unworldly person that thinks everything is American, and that only America exists on the globe. However, I'll have you know, that out of my 20 years, only 6 have been in the US. The first 4, and the last 2 to date. Other than that I spent MOST of my life living around asia. So next time you decide to be a d**k about things, know your facts. Now, back to my question, why the price difference. Oh, and Perry, regardless of whether they originate, they both end up on my doorstep in the USA, so they all make the SAME trip, and I can't imagine the shipping charges on an OUNCE will make up for the some $15 difference between the pauas. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 I've spoken with Andy DePaule on a few occasions, and he's always been very honest and genuine. Without having any concrete comparisons, I'd suspect that if DePaule is more expensive, it's due to quality; I'd have gone with "thickness," but you seem to have compared the same thicknesses. I can't imagine Andy ripping anyone off, so whatever his price says, I'm believing that it's fair pricing. It's not that I wouldn't shop around still (hey, dollars talk), but I'd be more suspicious of why MOPSupplies is so cheap rather than why is DePaule costlier. Just a perspective, not an answer. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 DePaule's got great stuff, and you can ask for exactly what you want. On the other hand, the stuff I've gotten from MOP Supplies has been very good quality, and I wouldn't hesitate to order from them either. Both are legit, ship promptly, good stuff. Also, Chris, chill. Methinks Perry's just pointing out that shipping makes for a significant price hike, nothing more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batfink Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 DePaule's got great stuff, and you can ask for exactly what you want. On the other hand, the stuff I've gotten from MOP Supplies has been very good quality, and I wouldn't hesitate to order from them either. Both are legit, ship promptly, good stuff. Also, Chris, chill. Methinks Perry's just pointing out that shipping makes for a significant price hike, nothing more. From some non specific conversations with MOP supplies over the past few years the inference that i sort of got is they're very much geared to the trade so their material may on occassions be slightly more in the rough than say the nice little squares that you'd get from Stew Macs or allparts et all - i can't comment on Andy DePaule but perhaps it's a bit more 'retail' orientated. On a note i've brought 20-30 ozs from MOP Supplies over the past 3-4 years and never a problem just as long as you tell them if, for example, you want large MOP for truss rod covers, they'll always, in my experience, accomodate. Jem Oh, Perry does have a point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 MOP supplies quality good, but with Depaule you get a bit more. Depaule's customer service is much higher, and by that I mean... Depaule actually takes care to ensure you get a great order every time. MOP will give you "select" shell also if you pay the premium. Now I am not putting down MOP. They have great prices. If I order extra or ask for "select" I will get good usable(qual;ity) shell. If I order *ANYTHING* from Andy it will be great. Honestly both are good. It is just one is more volume oriented and one is service(which you pay for). Shipping is a factor especially for small low dollar orders. If you use MOP you need to buy a bit and then you overcome the shipping issue. I use both of them. I stock up with MOP on the basics. Andy is my choice for more specific special items. In todays market (ebay, internet, mail order) I think we discount the value added service some dealers offer. Andy most definately adds that value. If I want 1 rosette made from a specific shell at a specific width. I can either buy 3 rosettes worth from MOP and look through the strips to make a set, or buy a perfectly matched jewell of a set ready to go from Andy. Peace,Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cSuttle Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 Well, not have used either company, I refrain from comment other than to say make sure you are comparing the same thickness when pricing. I just went to MOP Supplies and notice that your can see the guys fingers right though the shell on a lot of the pictures. That is very thin. None of what they supply in the abalam would work for me. But, I guess it depends on the application. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verhoevenc Posted July 17, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 No no, those are the veneers they sell. If you look around they have actual blanks too. All the prices above were compared at .06" thickness. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 Well, not have used either company, I refrain from comment other than to say make sure you are comparing the same thickness when pricing. I just went to MOP Supplies and notice that your can see the guys fingers right though the shell on a lot of the pictures. That is very thin. None of what they supply in the abalam would work for me. But, I guess it depends on the application. The shell they sell is as advertised. They do sell a variety of thicknesses. I think the shell I have recieved from them was good. The point I was making about ordering from MOP vs DePaule mainly refers to color matching and such for a given project. The shell you recieve from either company will be good usable shell. Chris: To answer your question. The shell you are compairing as examples are unique. Think of it like figured Maple. There are differences in flash and color much as factors that set different figured Maples apart (and thus the huge price range). If Andy sells you 4A (maybe "select" is 5A) at that price. You will get a mixed lot of 2A-5A from MOP. This is why I say you need to buy larger quantity to get the matched pieces for projects. If you can find good use for all the different material it is great. If you ask MOP for "select" they will give you about what Andy sells as regular (maybe not as well matched, but all say 3-4A). Hope that made sense Peace,Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsilver Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 I haven't used MOP. I recently received some gold MOP from Andy for a LP project. There were 25 precut pieces for the fretboard, and they were perfectly cut, well color matched and beautiful. I also ordered some gold MOP blanks to make a headstock inlay, and the blanks were color matched to the fretboard inlays. Andy was great to deal with and advised me on which precut set to buy. Actually prevented me from ordering the wrong one by mistake when I told him it was for a Paul. And I received everything in 2 days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verhoevenc Posted July 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 So I took the plung and ordered from these guys. I ordered the an ounce of the green abalone and an ounce of the Washboard mussel (which is REALLY cool looking stuff cause it's white like MOP, but has grain lines like select grade paua, IMHO). I also bought like 100 dots in 4 different colors and some paua abalone purfling. SHould be a fun package Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 So I took the plung and ordered from these guys. I ordered the an ounce of the green abalone and an ounce of the Washboard mussel (which is REALLY cool looking stuff cause it's white like MOP, but has grain lines like select grade paua, IMHO). I also bought like 100 dots in 4 different colors and some paua abalone purfling. SHould be a fun package Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy DePaule Posted February 4, 2007 Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 Shell blank prices. Found this topic while on google and thought I'd tell a little about pricing. I do not know the folks over at MOP in Australia, but from what I've been told they are good to deal with. I do not know what they pay for shells, processing, shipping ect, or how they grade blanks. I can tell you about our costs. As far as Paua Abalone goes, to get good sized 1.5mm (0.060") thick blanks we have to buy the J grade shells. There are also K grade shells that are cheaper, but the blanks from those tend to be only good on one side. We want to have blanks that will be good quality throughout the thickness of the blank. At this time K grade shells sell for $6.50 to $9.50 per kilo. The J grade we use cost $22.00 to $24.00 per kilo. Just 4 years ago we were paying $6.00 & $7.00 for the J Grade, but those days are gone for ever. K grade can be used to make laminated shell products and or thin inlays, but not for quality blanks. The yeild from 100 kilos of J grade Paua Shells is about 7 kilos of blanks. I am still selling Paua Blanks for the same price I was selling for in 2001 but will go up soon because of the increasing cost of quality shells. Mother of Pearl also has gone wild in the past 4 years. In 2002 we paid $2.00 to $3.00 per kilo and now have to pay about $16.00 per kilo. I did raise the price a little two years ago but now need to raise the price again. Yeild from WMOP shells is about 16 kilos of blanks from 100 kilos of shells. Even though we operate in a country where people often make very little money, we pay our workers and artists about three times the going rate. This is because we want to keep our good people and also because it is the right thing to do. We also help our workers with cash when they have problems, medical, family ect. They also get good a good bonus for major holidays and we buy the meals while they are working. I'd say more but it is 2am and way past my bed time. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verhoevenc Posted February 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 Hahahahaha hey Andy! I never did leave my evaluation of the MOP Supplies versus Depaule supply. Needless to say, I haven't ordered again from Australia, but Andy, check your records for Chris Verhoeven, I've ordered a couple times. SO we can get the evaluation from there. Also, don't get me wrong people, I'm not bashing MOP supplies, they do have some shells that I love and can only get from them (washboard mussel being one that's VERY cool) however, when you order, you can't use the whole blank. Especially in the green abalone ripple I found alot or inclusion in the blanks which makes their yield not optimal. So even though they may be a little cheaper on some, you're not getting the same useability. So it's a trade-off really. I personally would like to know I can use the whole shell, but if you're doing smaller inlays, I think the inclusions wouldn't bother you as much. So really it's a personal choice in the end of what kind of inlays you're doing, and also what you're willing to deal with for savings and whether they're worth it. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsilver Posted February 4, 2007 Report Share Posted February 4, 2007 Even though we operate in a country where people often make very little money, we pay our workers and artists about three times the going rate. This is because we want to keep our good people and also because it is the right thing to do. We also help our workers with cash when they have problems, medical, family ect. They also get good a good bonus for major holidays and we buy the meals while they are working. Andy, very cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcovis Posted February 7, 2007 Report Share Posted February 7, 2007 I havn't used MOP, but I have bought from Andy Depaule a few times and have no complaints. His customer service is great and the products (blanks and pre-cut) are top notch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted February 8, 2007 Report Share Posted February 8, 2007 Even though we operate in a country where people often make very little money, we pay our workers and artists about three times the going rate. This is because we want to keep our good people and also because it is the right thing to do. We also help our workers with cash when they have problems, medical, family ect. They also get good a good bonus for major holidays and we buy the meals while they are working. Andy, very cool. +1 DePaule = excellent quality + great service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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