How to compare rudraksha sellers.
We will not publish a table of our competitors’ names with ticks and crosses beside them. We cannot verify another shop’s stock or practices from the outside, and a comparison built on guesswork would be exactly the dishonesty this trade already suffers from. What we can give you is better: the four questions that actually separate sellers, the answers we give, and how to put the same questions to anyone — including us.
Four tests any seller can be put to
| Dimension | What we do | What you may meet elsewhere | How to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where the beads grew | Named region, provable on request | Often unstated, or “imported” | Ask for the district, not the country |
| Proof offered before payment | Photos and video of your exact bead; X-ray on request | Stock photos; “certificate” after payment | Ask to see the actual piece first |
| Price transparency | A written quote per piece, against photographs, before payment | A figure that moves after you commit, or fees added later | Ask for the price in writing before you pay |
| Where it ships from | Kathmandu, Nepal — stated on the parcel | Warehouse in the buyer’s country | Ask which country the parcel posts from |
The middle column describes patterns common in this trade, not any named business. Judge every seller — us included — by their answers, not by our summary.
Nepali or Javanese — the comparison that matters most
Both are real seeds of the same tree family. The fraud is not selling Javanese beads — it is selling them at Nepali prices. Nepali beads are larger, with deeper lines readable by eye, and cost more honestly because fewer exist. Our full side-by-side, with photographs, is in the Nepali vs Indonesian guide, and you can measure any bead yourself with our size measurer.
Put us to the test first
Send us a photograph of a bead you already own — bought anywhere, from anyone — and we will tell you honestly what we see, free, with no obligation. That is the photo check. If our answer is useful, you will know what our answers are worth before you ever spend money with us.