Stone Testing

This post was inspired by a few threads where experienced members offer to evaluate Japanese natural stones for less experienced members. I've been thinking about sending my stones out to a few friends here, and perhaps others would find this information helpful.
If possible, it would be nice for all the honemeisters who are offering to evaluate hones please reply with their location (to help us newbies choose someone close by) as well as any suggestions on how to ship such costly stones.
Shipping stones worth so much money can be risky, but there is no need to take risks unnecessarily either by shipping it incorrectly or farther way than need be.
Always, it's good to remember that even after someone has told you what kind of stone you have and how it works, YOU still have to put in the time to learn the quirks and necessary touch yourself. But we're all straight razor shaving anyway, so we're no stranger to long term learning curves and rewarding hours spent mastering a craft. :)

I have never had problems shipping with insurance and priority mail.
As far as choosing who to evaluate the stone for you, you need to look not for the closes person but for those that actually have handled a few Jnats and know what to look for in a stone just MHO.

I don't like to ship my stones unnecessarily. I would suggest looking for a meet nearby with a knowledgable member. I know this isn't viable for most, but would be a first step. This would also give other advantages to shipping it off.

I certainly do not disagree that it can be beneficial to have others test your hones when you are having trouble or hitting a roof. But, ultimately, I think this speaks to the importance of buying the stones from a seller who you trust will have tested the hones before selling them and a seller who's insights you trust and value.

For shipping, I like to use the large bubble bubble wrap and packing peanuts with a snug fit into the box and room for two or more layers of peanuts per side. Using a solid cardboard box also makes a difference; I'm really not partial to the small flat rate boxes (for anything), as the cardboard is rather flimsy and they don't leave much room for padding because they have one very short dimension. The mediums or using your own boxes are my recommendation, with an eye towards whichever is cheaper.