I just got my bill for my Jan Tanz hunt - $2538 for airfreight and freight forwarding. This is more than the 21 day bill I had in 2009; back then I shot an ele, lion, leopard, 2 buff, plains game incl zebra, etc; took all the backskins.

This hunt I shot 2 buff, a grants, tommy, impala, warthog,cokes, and wildebeeste.

The freight forwarding bill was $1200!! For what??

I think I am going to give Tanz a rest.

Wow, that's high!

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:
I just got my bill for my Jan Tanz hunt - $2538 for airfreight and freight forwarding. This is more than the 21 day bill I had in 2009; back then I shot an ele, lion, leopard, 2 buff, plains game incl zebra, etc; took all the backskins.

This hunt I shot 2 buff, a grants, tommy, impala, warthog,cokes, and wildebeeste.

The freight forwarding bill was $1200!! For what??

I think I am going to give Tanz a rest.

Who did you use? Seems pretty high.

So, you got off cheaply. I did a similar 21 days in Tanz.

I haven't had the cats shipped yet due to the Tanz CITIES tags issues, but the rest came. Essentially I have 20 animals in this lot.


$5800 for the freight stuff. I get another bill when the cats come.

This is pretty excessive, IMHO but sounds like the way it is.

I firmly believe most shipping companies screw us because they can. Unless the outfitter/PH gets involved what recourse do we have?

I have often wondered if there is any collusion between some operators and shipping agents.

At their mercy. Actually not shocking to me given what I've paid in the past. I was $1400 and change for two buff - shoulder mounts only, a grysbuck and a wildcat last year from Zim.

For sure every time someone touches it they're going to tack on several hundred. I'm starting to not be opposed to the idea of not bringing thorniest home. That's not realistic though if you're taking cats or elephant.

Bwanna - I agree completely. I haven't brought any plains game home for several years. I even left a Buff in Zim for the PH. Didn't really have the room in my home for any more mounts especially one as large as a Buff. It's pictures only for me and screw the airlines and freight forwarders with their ridiculous prices.

Between shipping, freight forwarding and customs clearance here in the US, I paid $1600 for one raw buffalo skull and fore hide at the beginning of this year.

I've often wondered why we wait forever to have them shipped, and then they ship them by air.

Bwanna
Unfortunately you are at their mercy. There is a lot of horse trading behind the scenes.We deal with this every day. Our company is there for the client to get treated fairly with the best rate and a prompt delivery of trophies (90 days).We handle the trophies from when they are ready to go to the dipper and packer and all the way to your trophy room. We are a personalized service but we are not for everyone. Some still want to handle things themselves and get caught up in the middle of doing business with traditional third world countries. Once they have your money and your trophies, they are in the drivers' seat and that's where we fit in because, we direct everyone and only when we are satisfied that all is in order, will anyone get paid. Excuse the long reply but this is a passion of ours and when I read stories of what happens, and know it could have been avoided if handled correctly from the beginning, it upsets me.
P.S. Please excuse the look of our website as it is being upgraded....thank you.
Robert

Safari Specialty Importers:

Open a branch in Tanzania - we certainly need people like you - at least it may stop the hinted 'collusion' between Shipping Agents and Operators.

Four buff boss mounts, European style-$1400 Moz to Atlanta. Not bringing anything back this October other than Pics.

Though not cheap, I was not unhappy with the prices for shipping paid to the shipping agent in Namibia, which were almost exactly what he quoted me beforehand. Where the screwing came was in the "import broker" fees by ABX of Houston, who did nothing more than receive the dried skulls and horns and call me to come pick them up. Their fees were nearly as much as the shipping, which was totally unjustifiable.

On the two previous hunts, the stuff came into Atlanta and I cleared it myself. Piece of cake if you live near a port of entry.

In answer to fujotupu and Stonecreek....We do have a presence in all of Africa (and other countries) through our relationship with each country's Nature Conservation Office and the Outfitters and Dip and Packers and Shippers who do not work on commission but rather on relationship for the benefit of the hunter. Remember, a happy hunter is a returning hunter. Second, the issue with the 'Import Broker' mentioned by Stonecreek is that the traditional broker is only a clearing and logistics agent. period. This means they only get involved whenever the shipment arrives at the port of entry. The responsibility of permits, and correctness of export paperwork and directing traffic between the outfitter, dip & packer and shipping agent is on the shoulders of the hunter OR the hunter leaves it to someone in the country of origin. As for pricing, you should have a breakdown of all your charges.

Got this today. OUCH!!!

quote:

Originally posted by VFR:
On the two previous hunts, the stuff came into Atlanta and I cleared it myself. Piece of cake if you live near a port of entry.

I did the same.

this ridiculous bullshit( and a full trophy room,anyway) is the reason i bring nothing home but pictures and memories. when the cost of simple trophy shipping is that high, someone is getting screwed and IT WON'T BE ME! when you pay that much after 2-3 trips, you could have paid for another hunt.

I left the last buff I shot in Africa just for that reason. If it had been a bruiser bull of a life time, I might have had a different opinion about the whole shipping affair but I'll be damned if I'm going to spend that kind of cheddar on a non exceptional trophy.

Pictures are great.

The COD shipment from my Tanzania trip this past March was $3400. I feel your pain. And, they shipped it to Dallas -- not Houston, so I'm not done.

Also, it doesn't include anything other than air freight. I look at Larry's bill and cringe.

My trip last year pretty much cured me about bring animals home now.As above I will take lots of pictures too.I have been thinking more along the lines of non-trophy plains game and working with past ph's on reduced fees,not a cull hunt though.I got enough on the wall just relish the chase.

why dont you guys considering not bringing trophies home just do Euro mounts?? You should be able to get a whole box load of skulls home for under a grand.

I recently relocated from Guam back to the States. My shipment back included all the furnishings from a three bedroom house, a Harley Davidson, more scuba gear than I care to admit including four tanks, and an 8'x 4' 3/8" stainless steel smoker that probably weighs around 700#. This shipment, plus clearing customs, and three months storage cost $23,000.

I guess the company I work for is lucky they didn't send me to Africa.

Ditto on the OUCH.

A SA Freight forwarder just charged me $3,279.00 on a 151km. box w/ two sets of ivory from my October Zim hunt. (Yes 332 #'s, a good hunt) I requested a detailed list of charges and was surprised by a list of what seemed to be quite inventive charges.
The air freight JBG to US was only $862. The rest was quite of hodgepodge. I will now have to dictate who will be handling that end also.

I am not done with them as I my start my own thread or post the list here.

By the way, I have never paid over 2 grand previously.

It seems to me that the airlines may be the culprit. I know that business class flights for my trips this year were about double what they were last year.