If you’re in the process of remaking your garden and discover a pile of unwanted stones, you might think about whether you can sell them and make a quick dollar.
Landscaping rock is always desirable for projects involving gardens and there are probably plenty of people who could benefit from getting a good deal on your unwanted garden rocks.
If you’ve come to the conclusion that you want to sell your gardening rocks, this short post will cover where to find buyers and also include more expensive types of rocks that could be in demand!
Garden rocks ain’t cheap
Rock is often worth saving money because it is durable and, after some cleaning-up, easy to use again in a variety of landscaping projects.
In addition, when you consider that hardscaping can constitute most/all of what you spend in a landscaping project, it’s easy to see that people will want to save money by sourcing cheaper rock.
If you have one of those expensive, landscaping rocks sitting in your yard, those buyers trying to buy hardscaping rock to save on the current, exorbitant prices will want to have a chat with you.
Mexican beach pebbles
These beautiful and smooth shapen peach pebbles from Baja, Mexico can add an touch of the exotic to any garden.
Unfortunately, due to the regulations on export treaties by the Mexican government, the price for these rocks is going up like crazy!
If you have any in your yard, either buried in your mulch or prominently displayed in your landscape, you may have a fortune on your hands, as they are worth as much as $949.99 per cubic yard.
River rock
River rock is another expensive type of rock – that buyers would like to save some $$$s on.
Pricing often varies depending on the location of the river, with pricing up to $650 per cubic yard.
Landscape boulders
People are looking to sell off “useless” landscape boulders and landscape rock, as that unwanted rock can be worth $250 per cubic yard.
These boulders can be anything from something that can be carried by two people, to boulders that are too large and require a crane to move safely.
Lava rock
This igneous rock is expensive, and you should get a good amount of money for it – even if you have some nice big chunks.
Lava rock can retail for up to $180 a square yard, so you’ll be able to sell it for less, and the buyers will be pleased!
5 places to sell your garden rocks
Online forums
Online gardening and home improvement forums, such as Houzz, are a perfect way to drill down to the target market that you need to sell those rocks.
If you have for sale a specific type of rock or a specific garden design, the forums, will be a great place to advertise your garden rocks.
This works best with time, as, it will take a while for folks to respond to your post.
Posting pictures of what you have and how it can be useful, will help you generate some traffic and inquiries.
Social media
If you have a lot of connections, friends, or followers on social media, that social media network is an excellent place to sell those rocks for your garden.
The shares get those rocks in front of the people you need to see them to sell. Additionally, you can search the large networks for groups where people buy and sell these types of things.
You want to put in the effort ahead of time with a terrific video of the rocks so potential buyers can see them in a 360-degree view.
Classified Ads
If you believe that your old rockery is someone else’s new one, the best place to sell it is probably in a classified or want ad.
Having a website, such as Craigslist, allows you to reach out to thousands of people who may be looking for the same rocks you have.
It allows you to sell easier if you provide a competitive price, clean off the rocks, and deliver them as well.
Be sure to check out the want ads so that you can see if someone is looking for rocks in your area.
Many of the people on classified ad sites will be looking for free rocks, so if it is just a matter of getting rid of them, they usually do not last long.
e-Bay and other online auctions
eBay is known for having an incredible amount of buyers searching for odd items of all types.
If you have rare or different kind of rocks that have been properly valued, they could sell on an online auction.
You may need to wait a while to see any money get sold.
Once you set your request, if it doesn’t sell, you can re-list until you get a response!
Contact local landscapers
The mound of stones you’ve accumulated could be exactly what a local landscaper is seeking.
Landscapers and gardeners are routinely doing the hard work of constructing rockeries and retaining walls, and would be happy to use your rock in their next garden design.
Pre-existing rock can also provide a better value for the project, hence a gardener would also be more than happy to accept your call and you might even see them.
Also, landscapers possess the expertise and access to the equipment to remove the stone from your property. Even if they are unable to use the stone immediately they may have off property storage, it might be worth asking.
3 last-minute tips for getting your landscaping rock sold
Despite the fact your garden stones may not be newly quarried, if you get some effort into the sale of the stones you should be able to get the cash you are seeking.
Here are three specific tips to help keep with sale of the stones.
Clean it up
A pile of dirty old rocks won’t sell for very much.
If you want to make some money, pull out the power washer and clean those rocks up. You will be saving their new owner a bunch of time and hassle!
Take some pics
If interested buyers can see the rock in person before responding to your ad, the chances for them to buy the rock increase significantly.
Take some great pictures. Write a description of the rock – including what type of rock it is, how much of it you have, etc.
Move it to a pallet
Dealing with loose rock can really be a pain and you can minimize the hassle for any potential buyer by moving the rock to a ton sack/pallet and giving them good access to suffle it away.
Rounding up
Clearly, when it comes to selling your garden rocks, the old saw that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure applies in spades to the situation.
If you can afford to wait for just the right price, you will get rid of the boulders.
However, if time is money, just giving away for free is the best way to get your rocks off your lawn and your yard ready for next projects.