Anyone familiar with a storage fee levied by US Dept of Agriculture at Chicago Ohare airport? My trophies from Zim arrived on 12/18/15 with an entry date of 12/27/15. I have been sent a bill for $410 described as "STORAGE DUE TO AGGI HOLD". Thanks for the help.

In my opinion, the entire African trophy import process is a giant scam and rip off.

I just received the notification of my one small cardboard box, about the size of a carry on suitcase, and the fees just to the US Port of Entry are over $2000.

The shipment containing the trophies from the 2012 trip my wife and I took to Zim, arrived in NY the same time as Hurricane Sandy. All the Federal offices were closed for nearly a week. The bastards wanted to charge me impound fees for the entire period. Rosella at Safari Specialty Importers went mano a mano with them, and actually saved me more than she charged for the service. Recommend them highly. The more departments that have to inspect the imports, the more it costs. Must be nice to be a Fed employee, ignore your job and charge the taxpayer for your laziness.

Greetings All....

Tim,thank you for your kind words. It is true that when dealing with the government and I will include airlines, everyone has their hand out. There is not much that can be done because they are in the drivers' seat BUT we do keep a watchful eye and will fight for fairness.

Yes, storage charges due accrue at the airlines while USDA (Agriculture) has a hold placed. There is no control over how long each of the agencies will take to do their inspection/clearance. This is why we have the flexibility of directing shipments to any of our 7 locations because some places will only take 2-3 days to clear where others take upwards of 14 days! And yes, storage charges are accruing.

Lastly, the clearing process is not a scam. It is a necessary part of complying with entry requirements with USDA, USFWL, CDC and Customs. It has become increasing difficult and stricter but since we handle ONLY hunted trophies, we work with closely with these agencies to avoid issues and keep the process moving swiftly.

Thank you,
Robert
www.safarispecialtyimporters.com

I have always had my trophies shipped direct to Jonas Bros Taxidermy of Denver, CO. Apparently they are designated as an official Customs port of entry. Hence I have never had any issue with these types of fees.

As I recall, they charge $50.00 for the import, which is waived if you get the trophy mounted there.

This may have changed, so it is something to look into.

I have noticed that at most state and the national level, the governments are doing everything they can to separate citizens from their money.

Only by electing government officials that put individual freedoms first, will this trend change, IMO (think Republican - Trump).

BH63

quote:

Originally posted by buffybr:
In my opinion, the entire African trophy import process is a giant scam and rip off.

I just received the notification of my one small cardboard box, about the size of a carry on suitcase, and the fees just to the US Port of Entry are over $2000.

Agreed. The trophy shipping charges and other add-on charges, fees, etc. have got to be a scam!! Numerous unnecessary middle-men with their hands in your pockets.

FYI - If the trophy shipment includes either swine (i.e. - bushpig, warthog, or river hog) or primates, it must be forwarded to a U.S. Department of Agriculture "approved facility" prior to release.

Cajun: No swine or primates involved

No swine or primates involved in my shipment either.

And the $2,000+ fees that I posted earlier are only on the African side. It DO NOT include any charges after my shipment arrives in the U.S.

it isn't just trophies from Africa that have gotten very expensive. I just had a wooden box shipped from Copenhagen to ATL, containing a skull mount of a red stag and roebuck.USFWS held up the shipment for 3 months because they originally insisted on an English translation of the Polish hunting permit( where I shot them) as well as a Danish export permit( which doesn't exist- Poland and Demark are both EU members, so there are no such permits). I finally talked directly a USFWS agent and convinced him that it was impossible to provide what they wanted. The shipping costs $825 counting the Danish export agent's fee. It then is going to also cost $300-400 for Coppersmith's services in ATL. So over $1250 simply to import 2 skull mounts of the most common of European game animals.

I have had both of my hunts in RSA trophies delivered to Trophex Taxidermy by my PH. He pays them when the work is done and he inspects it.
Coppersmith has handled the import horseshit for me both times, and I picked my trophies up in Portland, OR, from their office. I have not had (thank goodness) mentioned. Yet...