Some of the Furdressers adds in the new Breakthrough are a little rediculous. I am seeing statements that claim such things as, WE HAVE THE TOP RATING FOR TANNING QUALITY, and, THANKS FOR MAKING US THE INDUSTRY LEADER IN FUR DRESSING. Was there a tanning competion that I knew nothing about? I dont think so. Some are listing customers that they dont have anymore because they went somewhere else. Why did that happen? Another one is claiming to be so many square feet, when half of that is a Taxidermy business. Flaunt if you got it! But make sure you have it first.
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I think you need to remember that hyperbole is part and parcel of marketing, even in the b2b world. Having said that, i think a competition would help to spur everyone on to greater quality.
In fact, before doing business with a fur dresser it would be advantageous to ask if they would participate in such a competition if one existed.
when i went to Sivko, i personally was impressed with their professionalism and was not put off at all by the confidence they show... but then i believe they backed it up in spades.
I wish we could have a tanning competition! There would probablly only be a few to show. For some, the confidence they show, is that just that, a show.
I'll bet THEIR customers do agree with every word they've posted. Just ask them. I see nothing that could be refuted in such an ad.
that sound neat. a
tanning competion would be great but fur varies considerably.
probably need to use ranch fur. how else could the quality be controlled. to be sure, each tannery was getting the same quality of skins. wild fur can vary considerably. depends on the animals nutrition etc.
eric
maybe you cant believe EVERYTHING you read, but when Wildlife Gallery says thanks for making them the industry leaders, lets face it, more top taxidermists are sending their stuff out there than anywhere else...period. Besides, theres lots of good tanneries out there still.
Are they top as in "we do the most money volume of tanning"?
Because they want 35 dollars for a weasel.
That is on their wholesale tanning price sheet.
!
If I could get 35 dollars per weasel my entire years' overhead would be paid off in 3 days of work and just one lot of skins from NAFA.
It adds up fast, a thousand weasels * 35 = 35 grand, that would make anyone "top" in their field, finances wise.
Great news too, weasels only need a couple hours' work, a few stirrings, it's the easiest 35 grand you can make.
Most commercial fur dressers are charging like, 3 dollars for a mink, 5 a chinchilla, 12 a fox, 15 a coyote. These people don't tan for taxidermists, they tan for garments.
Eric's idea is good but Eric, Sengseal, you have to be barred from entering the fur you're buying tanned and then reselling, LOL. You would actually have to submit a video of yourself tanning the fur.
Ideal fur, the bread and butter of the fur world: Ranch mink, lots of 20 to each competitor. The other problem is funding a competition of that sort. Ranch mink are currently going for about 55 bucks per skin + s/h/i in anything decent enough to come out # 1 after tanning. Lots are running about 440 so that means, we need everyone to come up with $1200+ supplies to compete. How many are willing to do that, is anyone's guess.
Why not the bread and butter of the industry? Whitetail capes...
Bottom line, charge what you need to do the work. Who would commercially tan weasels for taxidermy anyway? All I know is WG and a few other top end tanners dont send me packets, letters, samples and phone calls looking for work to do. Maybe some of the anon tanner posts should charge more for their weasels, and let the consumer decide. The tanning competition is already out there, guys.
are you sure that wasn't 3.50 tanning costs per weasel. and not 35.00..maybe you got some acid in your eye. 35.00 per weasel i can't believe that one!
and why don't you use a return email. mr. 216.144.8.139
yes i'm sengseal. but your wrong about my business. only 1 -2 % of the skins i sell are tanned by others.
:-)
keep smiling guys.
eric
Only one main criteria. You have to tan all your own skins. Lets use giraffe capes- oops that cuts many of you out of the race. If I am not mistaken, the Tannery Bill is refering to doesnt do zebra,cape buffalo, rhino,etc. If you are going to be the industry leader, you got to do it all! Well Im tired. We did over a thousand deer this week, and over 160 bear. Not to mention alot of other critters trowed in the mix.
I dont do fish, so that must make my gamehead and mammal work less attractive as well, eh? Maybe some tanneries know the limits of their shavers, etc. Maybe they still have intact shoulders, hahaha! I find it very professional to limit what you can do in a business, and hire out what you dont care to do. Bitch or agree, but they have a very very good product. I have a few favorite tanneries, and they are all among the top.
Are you calling yourself the best taxidermist in the U.S.? No, you are not saying that in a national magazine. You could do fish if you wanted to, because you have that level of talent. You chose not to do fish. The simple fact of this topic is that they cant do the skins I described! They dont know how to use a turner machine. Consider that a shaving machine on steroids, for those who dont know what that is. SHAVERS-- I would bet the least experienced Shaver at the company I work for against any other tannerys shavers in the U.S. They would get smoked on quality and speed! I didnt post any names of any tannerys that I was refering to in my origional post, everyone else did. Enjoy the debate!
Thats fair enough, and I understand your point. I still like their product and have no problem with their claim as one of the top dogs, though.
The really good tannerys like good taxidermist can afford to pick and choose their work load and dont have to break their humps doing rhinos, hippos, etc, they most likley started out doing them but as their skill level increased they found that they could skim off the cream and leave the grunt work for the rookies. Oh and by the way OS I thought the tannery you were working at a couple months back was the best tannery going or is that a gold medal you pack around with you from job to job.
The tanneries that don't do the large hides may have a comparative advantage in the smaller skins. By that I mean that Tanner A can do all the big skins and small skins better than Tanner B, but because they do the big skins at a much higher profit, they choose to let Tanner B do the small skins. The same for the reverse. Tanner B can gain a comparative advantage by making a specialty of the small skins and ship all the bigger skins to Tanner A.
Boasting in an ad that you are the industry leader is not wrong, just marketing. Eventually the buyers in the marketplace will award the trophy by repeat business.
The tanneries that don't do the large hides may have a comparative advantage in the smaller skins. By that I mean that Tanner A can do all the big skins and small skins better than Tanner B, but because they do the big skins at a much higher profit, they choose to let Tanner B do the small skins. The same for the reverse. Tanner B can gain a comparative advantage by making a specialty of the small skins and ship all the bigger skins to Tanner A.
Boasting in an ad that you are the industry leader is not wrong, just marketing. Eventually the buyers in the marketplace will award the trophy by repeat business.
You are full of it! You have insulted the intelegence of every taxidermist that visits this forum. Do you think large tanners enjoy doing very large skin, such as rhinos, etc.? NO! They require extensive man hours, not to mention the equiptment required to do them. The profit margine on these skins is very low. They do these skins because they are part of a full service tannery operation. Yes, I do tote that gold medal around. I am the shaver the little piss-on tanners dream about having. I could go in most shops in the U.S., and replace 3 or 4 of their shavers by myself! By the way, I am back at the company that I worked for for over 13 years previously. Another erogant statement-WHEN YOUR GOOD,you can go anywhere.
I have never told where I work on this forum, and dont intend to. The two different companies I have worked in the last 20 years or so, and their owners, want nothing to do with my internet debates. They are too busy running a full service tannery, to play around here.