trappnman, I have a ?

[steven49er]

Steve in an earlier thread you stated that you receive higher prices for you fur from a local buyer than the auction house averages.  

Now just for conservations sake I am going to play devils advocate and ask you what the basis for your conclusion that you are out performing the houses.  What I mean is have you in the past been made an offer for a lot of fur and then shipped and received less?  Or are you comparing your prices to someones elses that ships or are you comparing your prices to the printed sale averages.  

The reason that I ask is that my experiences are somewhat opposite and somewhat the same.  It seems on the quality stuff that is in demand like our good Mn coon or norhtern Mn beaver nobody that I have ever dealt with even comes within reason to the houses.  Now on the more commercial stuff like my northern muskrats and coyotes I seem to do as well or maybe even better than if I shipped.  On the other things that I sell like fox, mink or fisher I have no opinion as to which is better and I usually sell all local.  But one footnote on the mink, in the late '80s when mink were hot I would sell all my males local and ship the females and receive almost the same averages for the females as the males.   At that time the local buyers would offer half for females.  

Not trying to be arguementative it is just interesting to hear another experiences and maybe find out if I have just dealt with the wrong buyers all these years.

[Dan Mich Trapper]

I know this thread was not addressed to me , but I can relate . I sold at the auction last year with my Nov. and Dec. fur . The highest price on rats was $4 and that is what I got for my best rats . I held some back as they only offered $2.50 . I got $12 for my best prime coon . On top of all this , I lost 4% commission .
I went to the local buyer with my late Dec. and Jan. goods along with the fur I held back . Again I got $12 for my better coons , $4 for my rats and 3.50 to 4 for the rats I held back from auction . I didnt loose anything for commission , and didnt have to make a 150 mile round trip .

[trappnman]

By having higher averages than the auction averages, I mean my averages on the fur I sell is higher that the corresponding auction. For example last year- male mink average $11 something at the auctions. I recieved $12 st through on my males from my local buyer.

Now if I would have shipped- my good Dec mink would have, I am sure, been higher on average than the overall average- but then deduct al lthe incidentals.

Rats- last year got $2.60 st across the board. Auction averages weren't near as good.

Same on coon- I sold all my coon last year from Oct to Mar for an over all average of just under $11- green skinned.   I had a friend with a large number of coon 350 or so-he paid $1.50 to have them put up, plus commission, etc- his overall average at the auctions was less than mine!  

Now I might or might not do better on canines shipping. Last year, I average $28 on reds and $22 on yotes.  While the auctions had higher prices for select goods- for our commercial yotes here I was happy.

As I said- individual furs might have brought a lot more shipping- but if I can sell at home for prices that "beat" the auctions- why not.