ZOIC PalaeoTech offer free-of-charge advertisements, by way of a Business Directory of fossil preparation services. This will be a centralised place allow potential customers to find a fossil preparator to clean their fossils. The aim is to connect experienced preparators with new clients.

We do not offer fossil preparation services ourselves - we are far too busy making tools! But we are often asked to recommend services. This allows a fair platform for advertisement. Adverts are free and we do not take commission. However, we would greatly appreciate a link on your website (if you have one). 

SERIOUS APPLICATIONS WELCOMED - this service is aimed at established and actively working professional preparators only. You must have sufficient and professional equipment and tooling to provide the services you are advertising at a commercially viable pace, e.g. if you advertise that you do cutting and polishing, you are advertising that you have professional stone-cutting and lapidary equipment. We expect at the very least you have a designated workshop space equipped with sufficient pneumatic tooling to clean the fossils you specialise in to a professional and consistent standard.  

You must have some experience dealing with customers, and a portfolio of paid work that you are able to share with us. If you are unsure of your eligibility, please contact us on info@zoicpalaeotech.co.uk.

Please do not advertise your other ventures here - whilst we wish you every success with them, customers looking specifically for a fossil preparator do not want to wade through a list of ads for all the other things you do. Please no links Etsy pages, ebay stores, or other marketplace where you are selling goods. 

Please do remember that we are doing this free of charge. Processing and listing the applications takes time. Consider your application carefully and make sure that you've read all of the information and provided us with what we need.

Please read the following carefully

• If you offer fossil preparation services and would like to place a FREE advert on www.zoicpalaeotech.com, please fill out this form. 
• Listings welcomed from UK and International Fossil Preparators (we will separate these as required for simple navigation)
• Part of the listing will include what your specialisms are and some photographs of your previous work. All of the photographs provided must be wholly your own or your company’s work and provide an accurate representation of your skill level. This must be what the customer might reasonably expect from you if you are presented with a similar specimen.
• We will not be listing prices (charge/hour). In our experience, many fossil preparators undervalue their own work. We don’t want to see preparators trying to undercut each other – your work is valuable, your time is valuable, your tooling is valuable and your experience speaks for itself. By not listing prices, your previous work will speak for itself and potential customers can then visit your website or contact you for a quote.
• If we consistently receive poor feedback or reviews on your service, we reserve the right to remove your listing. We understand that sometimes a miscommunication occurs, and we understand that one unhappy customer's opinion is not necessarily a representation of the service you provide - we will try to exercise good and fair judgement in these instances. We will not act in any way as a mediator or moderator should any issues arise between you and your client.
• Acceptance and publication of your listing does not serve as an endorsement from ZOIC PalaeoTech for your services, nor does it provide you with any unsolicited affiliation with ZOIC PalaeoTech. 

Images (your portfolio)

Please send us 5-8 decent quality images that you feel represent your work well. Some or all of these will be listed on our website as part of your advert. You could also include a picture of yourself working if you wish.

Format: JPG, JPEG or PNG format.

File Name: Where posssible, please name the file with your name or business name followed by genus/species of specimen.

By filling in this form, you consent to us listing this information on our website (www.zoicpalaeotech.com, www.zoicpalaeotech.co.uk). The information provided will be publicly available and accessible (with the exception of your exact physical address). If you wish to withdraw your advert at any stage, please contact us by email on info@zoicpalaeotech.co.uk.

If you have the time after having completed this form, please consider clicking 'Next' after you have submitted. As we build up this page on our website, we would really appreciate your input as professionals into how we go about it. This is optional. 

Optional Section. This does not affect your application in any way

This is a new page for us on our website, and whilst we get it underway we would really appreciate your input as professional fossil preparators. 

It is important to us that both you and the customer are happy, so we will be providing a little guidance to potential clients using our page. The customer needs to understand how they can best get an accurate quote from you. We want to be sure that your customers have reasonable expectations, and we also want to prevent the inevitable 'spammers' asking for ID etc. By providing an FAQs section, we can at least pre-empt some of the questions that potential clients may have. 

We would appreciate any input you have based on your experiences. There is a box below to type in any suggestions/edits. 

A section for the customer to read (draft):

How to contact a Professional Fossil Preparator to get a Quote:

There are a few things that a fossil preparator will need from you in order to provide you with a quote for fossil cleaning. It is usually easier for them if you email, but they may wish to follow up with a phone call.

• Good quality photographs of the fossil(s) taken in natural light (back, front and sides)
• Please include a scale bar or ruler in all of your pictures
• Provide as much information as you can, e.g. Locality, rock type, horizon (if known), preservational quality, potential problems or difficulties in prep
• A brief description of what you would like done
• Approximate weight of fossil(s) - useful for postage/courier shipping if not able to drop off/collect in person. This postage cost may or may not be included in your quote.

What does professional fossil preparation cost?

This entirely depends on the fossil you present to them - some fossils are quick, easy jobs, and others are much more involved and time consuming. 

Fossil preparators typically charge by the hour and this amount varies based on location and skill level. Their experience is what you are paying for - anyone can take a hammer and a chisel to a rock, but fossil preparators have years of experience under their belt. They have a curated and expansive selection of tooling which they use with expertise. Specialist equipment and consumables don't come cheaply, and you have to know how to use them. If you like what you see from their work, we suggest approaching them for a no-obligation quote.

Please bear in mind that a quote is just an estimate; not a final guaranteed price. No fossil or preservation is the same, and some challenges present themselves quite late on into prep. If your preparator has reason to believe that the job will take longer or be more complex than originally anticipated (often this can only be established once prep has begun), they will most likely contact you and let you know of any additional charges to let you to choose whether to proceed.

What do I need to know about getting my fossils professionally cleaned?

• Not all fossils can be cleaned. A preparator who knows the local rocks/fossils will be able to tell if you if a job is possible, and how promising the results may be.
• Fossil preparators have their own unique styles. Please check their photographs and links to be sure that you like the way that they approach their prep. 
• Not all preparators specialise in the same fossils or localities. You will likely get a better job done at a better rate if you go to somebody who is fully geared up for a certain type of fossil from a certain place, and has the experience required.
• Fossil preparators may have a waitlist for their services, please respect this. 
• Please do not email these preparators asking for fossil/rock identification – there are many sites including forums and Facebook groups specifically geared up to help people with identification. Please only contact them if you are interested in getting a fossil preparation quote. It's OK if you don't have an ID on your fossil, but please don't waste their time if you have no intention of using their services.
• The presence of an advert on www.zoicpalaeotech.com is not an endorsement from ZOIC PalaeoTech for a particular preparator – simply a place for preparators to advertise should they wish to. If you choose to get work done by one of the listed preparators, ZOIC PalaeoTech are not liable or culpable if you are not happy with the results.