Selling your Wild Ginseng Roots

Selling your ginseng roots can vary from state to state so be sure to check and find out what you must do in the state you live in. A quick google search will help you find the information you need for your state.

In Kentucky we don't have to do anything except locate a dealer, sell them our roots, fill out some information about when and what county it was dug in, and collect our money. Unless we want to hold onto it until the following year. Then we have to get it weighed and certified.

Before you take your ginseng roots to sell them, you should always weigh them beforehand. Most dealers are honest but there a couple out there that may shave a couple ounces off the weight or have a scale that is a little bit off. A couple ounces could mean a difference of $50.

You should also obtain a list of all the dealers in your state. If you can't find such a list online with a google search, you should be able to obtain one by calling your state agricultural deptartment who will then mail you a list or provide you the website URL if they have it listed online. Here is the one for Kentucky Kentucky Ginseng Dealer List . Find the ones in your area and call each of them to see what prices they are paying. Also ask if they pay a better price for a larger number of pounds. Many dealers will pay an extra $10-25 a pound if you have 3, 5, or 10 pounds or more.

One last note, often (but not always) the price goes up a little as it gets later in the buying season. If you don't need the money and the price isn't changing much or is moving slowly, it is often worth it to hold onto it a couple of months and sell it later in the season. Sometimes dealers have quotas that they need to fill for their buyer and will pay a little more to finish up their quota.

Hopefully this will help you get the fairest price out the hard work you put in finding and digging your wild ginseng roots.