I didn't think my post required an answer, but since you want to fight;
Any company whose business it is to buy and sell commodities has to buy that commodity at a price lower than what they sell it for.This is called "margin", "gross profit", "profit margin", etc. etc. Out of this margin, the company has to pay all of its' costs, both fixed and variable. Margin needn't be large if the company is handling huge volumes - many are the mansions built on Portage Avenue with 1/2c per bushel margins on wheat, for instance. Conversely, if volumes are low, the company will need a larger margin to meet its' costs. Fixed costs are not affected by the volume, variable costs are. That means that things like rent, heat, property taxes ( all fixed costs ) remain the same whether the company does X amount of business or 5X. Variable costs rise and fall based on the amount of business. A good example of variable costs are mileage, depreciation and so forth which are incurred while driving all over the province to pick up fur. Another example is bank interest. If the company doesn't make enough margin, they starve. Simple.

Why all this talk of margins? Because it is germane to the argument, and here's why. NAFA is a middle-man, same as any private buyer. They both need margin to cover their costs and make a profit. The difference is that NAFA's margin is guaranteed not to exceed a certain percentage. It is in their best interests to get the best price for my fur, because they are thereby guaranteed a higher margin. Takes some of the uncertainty out of their future. Basically a fee-for-service transaction.Gives me peace of mind, too. Why?Because I don't have to worry about getting beat. Auctions are THE BEST methods of price discovery. Instead of one bid or two on my fur, I have forty, a hundred, maybe two hundred interested people looking at my collection.
The private buyer, on the other hand, can only make what he can skin off the trapper. This is where volumes in relation to the margin become important. The private buyer is going to need more margin because he is not handling anything like the volumes of a major auction house. To make matters worse, he has a lot of uncertainty in his future in regards to eventual price discovery, and will need a bigger margin to cover any potential dips in whatever market he is selling into. Sounds like it would be near impossible to make a nickle at this business, doesn't it? But wait. If the travellers are shrewd, lucky, ruthless, or a combination of all three, they can make a fortune. All at the expense of the producer. It is in the travellers' best interest to pay as little as possible for my furs, at all times. That is their ONLY means of generating "margin". Simple. Never said they were "stealing" it. Don't put words in my mouth.

OK, now to summarize.Both the auction houses and private buyers take profit from my furs. Auction houses will only ever take a set percentage, private buyers will take whatever they can. Case in point: In an earlier post, you said that ****kers had paid as high as $100 for a coyote pelt. It's a matter of public record that NAFA sold the top lot of eight coyotes at the January sale for $208 each. I know a fella who had 2 skins in that top lot, and the money was true. If ****kers paid $100 for a couple of top-end coyotes, and put them on the sale for $208, how much margin is that? More than 11%? The trapper COULD have had this windfall. Maybe they will phone him up and offer to split the difference? In your own words, Timber, don't hold your breath.

Although I have looked at thousands of pelts over the years ( not all mine lol ), I am not arrogant enough to think that I can "talk price" with a pro. With the auction as an option, why would I even bother to try? Take my furs to a single buyer, and I know he's going to offer me the lowest price he thinks I will take. This concept has not changed since the Forties, or Fifties, or Sixties of any century. No "conspiracy", just shrewd business. When I take them to NAFA, I'll get what they are worth. Period.

Is there a place for private buyers? Not for me, frankly, but then I put up all my fur. That gives me the choice of marketing to any auction house. Private buyers might be happy to buy fur in the round, because that gives them another bargaining opportunity. Chance for a greater margin. Those of us who can and do put up fur correctly realize the best price at auction.

Does that mean the auction is God? Well, no, not really. Just the best selling option there is so far.