I picked up the tanned hides from our June 07 hunt in Namibia yesterday. As with the previous shipment of skulls, horns, and green hides last fall, the import agent (ABX in Houston) charged MORE than the packing, export, and shipping fees charged by the exporter in Namibia. While the Namibian fees were well within the estimate we were given, the U.S. importing agent's fees seemed excessive. How much should it cost to clear a box of skulls or tanned hides? This same import agent quoted $137 to ship a 31 pound box from Houston to Austin, and even I am smart enough to know that UPS will carry it for a lot less than that.

Which shipping agency did you use? I got a shipment that is suppose to be sent soon with 31 animals, do not want to have to take out second mortgage to pay them.

welcome to the bend over and smile club

Did the $137 include clearing the package through customs and USF$W, as well as transporting the box from Houston to Austin? If so, then I think you got a bargain. If the $137 is only for the transportation between Houston and Austin then you got took.

I do my own clearing and picking up so it doesn't cost me a dime. If you have the time you might think of doing it yourself.

Namibiahunter

I was charged $675 by the import agent for the privilege of driving to Houston and picking up a 31 pound cardboard box. This is in addition to the $540 I was charged by the shipping agent in Namibia for packing, export permits, and air freight.

I'd love to have some comparisons by others who have shipped trophies. The import agent is ABX in Houston.

In the fall of 2005, I had a shipment of completed trophies from RSA sent to Miami. Maria Felix out of San Fran cleared the trophies for me. I think the cost was $325 or close to it. I had her clear the trophies because warthogs were included in the shipment. (I didn't want to mess with the swine.) I thought it was a fair price, plus, I just showed up, wrote the check, took the paperwork to the appropiate dock and loaded my trophies. THe entire process took less than 30 mins.

$406.00 Beth Craig in Atlanta for a 550 pound crate. Transported on my own truck. Delta lost the paperwork so was glad I had hired someone to do the import.

Yeah, that's what I thought. ABX charged us over $1,200 for three cardboard boxes of skulls and green hides. There were additional charges at the "certified taxidermist" of another couple of hundred. I just assumed that this was an expensive business until I got the tanned hides this week. Two zebras and six springok fully tanned hides in a single box with a gross weight 31 pounds cost $675 (again, not including the shipping, export, and packaging I had already paid of $540) to have released to me. From examining the contents, all individually sealed in plasic, it was clear that no one had even opened the box since it left Namibia.

Please, I'd love to hear more of others' costs as I intend to let our shipping agent in Namibia know that ABX is screwing his customers when the shipments get to the States.

I used W.R. Zane. They have an office in Houston, at IAH.
I asked about the sea route and there was no real savings, if any, since it was a relatively small box. Just find in the back of my wife's Sequioa (sic?).

ABX is the worst of the worst, IMO! I got sKrewed by them a while back and am still bleeding out the azz. I almost flew down there and took several more "trophies". I want their balls hanging from my Masai spear.

They shouldn't use the term "fees"...rather...RANSOM DEMANDS...

FAIR WARNING..............

luv,

Could you elaborate? What kind of charges did they make, and do you have any comparisons by other import agents? I'd like to build a solid case on them, then spread their name all over the internet if it is justified.