For all members

well put

 

I have fur sellers, whether trappers or hunters I don't know, calling me all the time wanting to know if I want to buy coyotes, badgers, coons, etc.

I always offer that I will mount those animals for THEM, but I am NOT a fur buyer.

 

I am a taxidermist and a trapper. You cant go by what nafa averages are, all it takes is one piece of junk mishandled skin that sells for $1 to bring the average down.
Western grade fur is just that - graded western, doesnt mean they were caught out west its just a grade and a high one at that. It means that fur is the best of the best.
I live in eastern n.y. and every year this area will get a few bobcats that will grade western. Its the quility of the fur. You also cant compare taxidermy fur to fur market fur. Fur market doesnt have feet. Aniamals i sell on here i garuntee, ones that go to fur market, well its a crap shoot for the buyers, if it doesnt make it through tanning hes out that money, he cant go back and find out what trapper he got it from and demand his money back- its a gamble.
As far as the price if you dont want to buy than dont. Dont think anybody is trying to scam anybody or pull the wool over anyones eyes they are just trying to get what they think there fur is worth. Just like a taxidermist is going to charge what they think there work is worth. And with gas prices as high as the are most trappers arnt making any money.
I only targeted fishers so far this year and caught 7 of them. I'm selling the for 60- 75 each. I bet i spent over $1500 on gas checking those fisher traps. You do the math and i think anybody buying those critters is getting a deal?
P.s - there are some southern bobcats that are worth $20 on the fur market but they have spots to die for, therefor they are worth alot in the taxy market.
Then there are western cats that would go for $500 on the fur market but to a taxy they arnt worth that much.
My point is dont compare fur market auctions to taxy market.

 

;D if you want badgers, Papa Money cant be beat on price or quality!

 

I feel like whatever something sells for is what its worth. If you can list a badger for $1000 and people buy them up then that's what a badger is worth. I don't think anyone is taking advantage of us on here! Also you get what you pay for. There are some sellers on here that have higher prices than others but when you buy from them you know you are getting quality so its worth it!

 

This is true

This is true.

I feel that it is also important to judge each post and animal individually as some are worth more than others which is why pictures are necessary. To use the example in the first post, all badgers might not be worth $120 but some are, and it is also important to consider any additional labor costs. If a badger (or fox or marten or squirrel...) is deemed to be "worth" $90 but the seller has already skinned it or fleshed it or tanned it or mounted it, that should be factored into the price. If it is sold whole, it should be "base" value, whatever that value is decided to be by both seller and buyer.

That being said I do believe the OP has a point in the fact that just because the top animal sold for such and such price on the fur market it should sell for that here. I'm just saying that if a seller has an animal that is going to sell for such and such a price on the fur market it should be expected that they will charge a similar price here, or more. Some of the badgers that sold whole for $50ish on this site would have only brought the $20 average on the fur market. Just look at the pictures, not the location of the seller, as jeff c was saying...

 

Market value is the price for something that would be agreed upon between a willing and informed buyer and a willing and informed seller under usual and ordinary circumstance... An "Arm's Length Transaction"

 

Some deer heads are $200 and some are $600.....difference is quality. Not all hides going to the sale are Taxidermy quality.



I get $150 for a 23" whitetail cape but a 17" hill country is only worth about $40.....why is that not the same ???

Seriously, this is a FREE MARKET economy, nobody is FORCED to buy ANYTHING! So do you have a problem with people making a good profit??? You sound like a democrat!

 

Also, ship to nafa, you invest time, skinning, fleshing, washing, streching, packaging and pay commision, shipping and wait months for a sale to occur. and get your check. Alot can change things between catch date and sale date. Taxinet is cash now, no risk on changing fashion whims and auction attendance and prices. Think about things before you whine about how much you MIGHT get at the auction.

 

For me if I’m going to sell something it takes time and time is money
I don’t have dad and mom or the Government giving money….i’m self employed and need about $800.00 to $1000.00 per week to make car, house, insurance, food + payments it all ads up fast and if I’m going to sell something that I have to take time to make sure that it’s taxidermy quality >..not head shot, no damage of any sort, froze proper and sent proper then I need to get paid for that and $20 bucks over fur market won’t cut it

 

Agreed. I've bought several things from here and felt like I got "good deals" on all of them. Also here you are more likely to find a taxidermy quality cape or LS fur in better condition than many other places online. And with better pictures and descriptions.
If you want cheap buy whole frozen in bulk and skin out yourself, tan the way you prefer, and call it day. Or if you are buying a pre-salted/tanned/stretched (whatever) then you are going to pay more. You pay for the work put into it.

If someone doesn't like the price they don't buy. That's the way the world works. I can say a penny is worth a million dollars but it's only actually worth that if someone pays for it at that price.

 

If I could add my two cents on this topic. Just recently I was purchasing a new tractor when a gentleman came in and complained to the sales rep I was with that Kubota didn't have a clue on whats going on in the world asking the prices they were with the current economic situation. I sat and wondered and then had to ask the guy, "Does it cost less to make a product or ship a product because the economy is in the tank?" Of course it doesn't. This is true with the furs we buy. The question I'll ask is the same, "Does it take less effort and time as well as less shipping costs to process a hide/fur when the economy is bad?" Of course not. In fact it's just the opposite. When the times are bad less is being purchased and shipped so therefore the price has to go up to offset the furs not being sold. It's simple supply and demand. If the product is too expensive for you then either wait for a less expensive one or dont buy at all. Dont beat up the guy trying to make a sale. Do you really think he is going to retire off that $120.00 badger.

 

Why thanks,much appreciated on my end!!

 

What a great country we live in .I see stuff on here and on ebay that is way more than I would give for it.
Some of it actually sells for those High prices. Thats the beauty of a free enterprise.Sadly I could never afford most of it .
I really do appreciate all the good people on Here that have helped me to mount a very nice collection for myself.
Without this site I would never be able to get a lot of the animals that I have. And what about the people who sell items for far less than I think they are worth. We all have different oppinions and thats what makes this country great.Spend your dollars wisely . LOL

 

Value is in the eye of the beholder. Have you ever watched the antique roadshow? There are items on there I wouldn't pay 10 cents for that sell for thousands of dollars. The value of an object is only truely measured by those that value it. The fur prices do set some sort of standard, but is not the gospel when it comes to purchasing fur. If you rather buy a badger for $20, then why not be a buyer at a fur sale?

 

Something else to consider is the number of buyers involved. If I have 100 furs and I sell to the local fur buyer, I have 1 buyer. If I sell on here I may end up with 100 buyers to deal with. I don't know which way of selling would be more work, but I know how much work it takes just to get the animals in the first place. If anyone really has a good complaint here it is the trappers. If they added up their time, overhead and materials, then forced people to pay the price you wouldn't be getting $20 averages on anything. I don't know how the professional trappers do it, they deserve a lot of respect for what they do. If you look at the average trapper though, they are putting a lot more money out than they can ever hope to get in return.

 

true true true thanks Chris

 

A day on the trapline

Up at 4:30 a.m., add wood to the stove, fix breakfast, eat and pack lunch, add wood to the stove. Leave at 6 a.m. on first trapline. 8 degrees F. Run that trapline on a four wheeler and on foot (it's only about 8 miles). Check and reset (all traps that are needed). Re-bait. 12+ inches of snow is on the ground.

Return to base, add wood to the stove, hook jon boat to truck and head to lake 20 miles away. Now it's 11 degrees F outside. Launch boat and travel on a lake that is somewhat frozen and at winter level, further increasing the risk of hitting a submerged stump or outcrop. If you get dumped in the water you may make it for 30 to 60 seconds..

After completing this circuit of 42 Miles round trip, at speeds of 35 mph in an open boat, you are very chilled. You also have to check and reset all traps that are messed up due to trips or bad weather (more time).

Return to base. Restart fire in stove. No animals in traps today..so nothing to skin and prep. Over 10 hours on the lines and nothing to show for it.

Finally, when you do connect with a critter, you finish your lines and then get home to skin it .. If it is going to the fur market, it needs to be skinned, fleshed and boarded. If it is going to Taxi, extra care must be taken to leave enough 'skin' around the eyes and lips and get the ears and nose just right. Then you must freeze the green hide.

Once you find a buyer, you must get materials to ship in an insulated box with ice packs. Then I have to drive 31 miles, one way, to get to the post office to mail the item.

Therefore, a lot of time and gas are spent and may not produce anything. Other times, I may get a yote or bobcat.

Would you do this to sell a taxi animal for $50.00?

 

A day in the taxidermy shop ;D

Wake up at 6am and turn the coffee pot on.

Turn computer on to go through the for sale section to see what there are for reasonable sales.

Find a badger for sale and find out the guy wants $150 for a short haired badger.

Think about how much a form, eyes and all that needs to go into this short haired badger.

6:15 Drink my coffee and go to next for sale thread.

Would you pay $150?