Sell to fur buyer or ship to Auction?
 

Just curious where everyone’s thoughts are. Are you selling to fur buyer or shipping to auction? And give a reason or opinion why either way.

This year I will ship to auction after hearing the rumours of some highway robberies by certain fur buyers. And don’t get me wrong,I have dealt with good fur buyers in the past. But this year it seems like the bad are trying to dry hump you and the good ones are too scared of the uncertainty in the market right now.

That pretty much sums up my feelings as well.

Send to auction. FHA won’t sell your fur for what I heard some buyers are paying.

FHA won’t sell your fur for cheap and will carry it over to the next auction if need be.

Only one wild fur auction now so maybe FHA will surprise us.:)

Much different landscape in the market this year from last, a world of difference from two seasons ago.

No comparison.

Buyers were hungry for goods then, a true lust for coyotes and associated antics that followed. But that is not the marketplace today. The market is very quiet, deathly quiet, and this is not limited to coyotes.

Various reasons for the quietness, but it boils down to time might prove to be our best friend??? The market could stabilize at a favourable level in time. However bear in mind the concept of a falling market, in such the faster you unload your goods the better you will do. However in light of $33 and $40 country averages, how much worse could you do? I hear rumours of $50 country average but not aware of them materializing. I suppose stuff could be a no sale… that be worse.

The stagnant price for coyote is not an isolated thing, at the SAGA sales in EU, prices were down and limited interest, the key problems, China absent even tho internet sale and 2- Covid based inventory backlog, both of finished goods, parkas, articles, as well as skins.

Chinas absence was due to covid lockdown implications, cant goto work to build fur trimmed parkas, cant go shopping to buy fur trimmed parkas… and mink coats and fox strollers etc. thus carryover inventories and…. Springtime is coming!

Myself, Im not certain what im going to do with my fur yet. There will be no great coyote giveaway like the one of summer 2019, but im still quite afraid of a giveaway like summer of 2020. 2019 couldnt be helped but 2020??? At least now many understand covid better and its very good to see the virus seemingly softening up - omicron throat instead of chest - and that softening likely to continue.

(BTW, what was the next virus Gates was candidly suggesting was next??? Anybody?)

Lucky for you Dave, you sold your coyotes to Steve in 2020 and missed the pain and agony some suffered, but time heals (kinda) and trappers are a forgiving sort, or forgetful.

I guess it’s a chance you take either way but at 30-45$ averages what do you really have to loose sending to auction. At least the auction has minimum bids that if not met they go no sale until the next auction at which time the world could open up a little more and could see a little bounce back in demand. Or not I guess that’s the risk.

Just trying to talk it through for myself to see the better option risk versus reward I guess.

I heard recently that a seasoned veteran to the coyote buying was paying 40-50 average for frozen coyotes. I’m not mentioning names just passing on the info. I’m thinking 40-50 for put up coyotes is a little light which was another number I heard. Food for thought is all.

X

Supply vs Demand
 

Most people focus on demand when it comes to Fur. Other commodities like Copper for instance are easier to analyze on not just demand, but mining and recycling supplies are published daily and very transparent.

This fur business has always been tough to price, but this year may be the worst in a long time (ever?) Covid; Market depending on fewer buyers, less auctions to set price

Anyways, back to supply- I suspect it is safe to say that as far as Coyotes go:

Some fur producers didn’t/won’t reach their normal harvest levels
Some will store green/finished pelts to wait for market to improve
Some will quit altogether or concentrate on other furbearers

If supply is challenged in the short term (read 2022) - this may help prices establish a little higher price than some think; as even a reduced demand is met by a surprise in even lower supply of good Western goods

I am shipping to FHA; and believe better goods (all species) will have some min price protection …. And we get to see what the world fur market/ demand will pay for our top end Western Cdn goods

Cheers and good luck to all. We need this fur market to steady and find its legs again

Keep in mind, most fur buyers sell to the same auction you send to.

Some buyers will claim to have a special deal with a furrier. That's 90% BS.
It may be true that a furrier may offer some high volume sellers a special deal.
On premium fur.

But it simply makes no sense to pay more then need be for lower grades of fur.

hey you guys....how does one store finished dogs until next year? do they have to be kept frozen?

Frozen is best, but it costs to run a freezer. I used a dead freezer to hold over 60 or so once. I put an inch of dry sawdust on the bottom (probably not necessary), then stomped the skins in while sprinkling 2 boxes of mothballs with them. Put a big rock on the lid.

Kept them for 18 months or so. They were stale when I pulled them out, but there were no bugs present. None.

I put them on the NAFA auction, into a rising market. None were downgraded that I noticed; my average on that sale were about the same as fresh goods.

thanks, rr:)

I dont recommend storing raw fur in such a manner. Stale skins do not dress well. The leather often ends up ick, brittle

Use a working freezer, line with cardboard including bottom and lay skins in flat. Its better if they are sealed in plastic bags, but for a year not necessary. Dry pelts I’m talking

You can store dry pelts in such manner many years, the less oil and fat the less skin will oxidize, seal in plastic if saving years.

Hide out skins such as muskrat, stack and plastic wrap, even vac seal. Make sure they are 100% dry or wet slots will burn and turn white. If you freeze them dried very fresh they will retain their fresh bright colour and stay that way for years, sealed in plastic.

One year i had 32 top lot calibre coyotes at end of season, but those years May sales always sucked. I laid flat in freezer, upon pulling out 3/4 year later they looked as fresh as fresh, but alas only 2 made top lot, i think a bunch went 2nd lot and my average on them was very high, much better than if i sold them in may.

That time

Raw skins as in wet, always store in plastic, skin on skin, skin 100% covered. Do not freeze wet raw skins much more than a year for best results. Way better to finish and dry, then store. Make extra effort to eliminate all fat for long term storage.

You could be right , Marty; all I know is it worked for me. The skins were stored from March of one year to November of the next (19 months). You can't hide stale, and the end users didn't seem to care.

I have 2 coyotes and a road-kill coon in that same freezer right now, waiting for me to tan them. Just need to get a couple of nice foxes to throw in the batch. I'll let you guys know how it goes....

It works for you cuz you dont have a clue what happens once it leaves your hands???

The end user doesnt want to buy goods that are marginal or screwed.

When the auction company mixes marginal in with good, it bites the end user. The end user wants to buy sound goods. If he loses money regularly because there is a percentage of loss/screwed, he is forced to adjust his price down, and in the grand scheme it eventually costs you the producer. In the auctions defence, it is difficult to catch everything.

I encourage all, just Do it right. When everybody makes money, then everybody wins

Take care of the end user, very wise thing to do!

Marty is very right. I have bought quite a few otter in the past an have been burned a bit on every lot I purchased, one lot there was 8 NFG. if you took the time to take the critter at least respect animal.

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"For true long term storage of raw fur, it should be frozen. To prevent freezer burn, the pelts should not be exposed to air. Vacuum sealing is a popular option, but may not be necessary. As long as the pelts are stacked tightly in the freezer, air spaces removed and pelts kept from touching the freezer walls, they should last for years. If vacuum sealed, it’s recommended that the pelts not touch plastic, so pelts should be wrapped in paper towels, paper or cardboard prior to being sealed in plastic bags."

https://www.trappingtoday.com/long-term-fur-storage/

Dave, your post sounds like it pertains to wet skins. Dry skins can't freezer burn. Freezer burn is an act of the skin "freeze drying". It is unwise to store wet skins long term. Finish them, dry them before long term storage.

But on wet skins, your guy is bang on.

Dry skins, sealing in plastic in a freezer can't be a bad thing.

Red Horsey, nothing personal!

A raw fur isn’t wet. It’s one that has been fleshed and dried.

Golly Davey, I guess it’s raw fur whether it’s wet or dry, so long as it ain’t tanned/dressed.