If you know of the where abouts of a pecan tree, the shells work just as well without damaging the tree.
Note I keep mine well guarded.
A friend bought me some Pecan chips from
Amazon as a thank you. I know there are different sources with
Amazon, but these were so old they constantly flashed in the chip tray.
I am not saying that some other supplier might not have fresher newer, but I would not go overboard especailly at those prices till I got one bag and tested them first.
If you'll watch
Amazon you'll catch some really good deals sometimes. Last year they were dumping there existing stocks and were selling Western Hickory, Mesquite, Apple, Oak, and Cherry chips all at less than 2.00/bag delivered. No pecan though.