I am trying to estimate shipping costs for Flora and Fauna to clear my trophies and handle shipment to the US from Namibia. There is a group of 5 of us and based upon their published rates I am planning about $250 per person to use them for clearing the customs process. Also we are considering ocean freight and using 200 lbs for each hunter as a proxy (1000 lbs) total shipping weight I am guessing about $2000 in freight costs for ocean freight.

Anybody see anything amiss in my proxies/

ocean freight will only take mounted trophies. at a cost of about 30% of airfreight. I'm guessing your clearing costs will be about double

Flora and Fauna assures me that you can take unmounted trophies via ocean freight.

quote:

Originally posted by Phoenixdawg:
Flora and Fauna assures me that you can take unmounted trophies via ocean freight.

They have been able to do ocean frieght for about a year now on unmounted trophies. I have not done it yet, I believe the only port of entry they use for ocean frieght is New York.

David that is correct NY is the port of entry for unmounted ocean freight trophies.

You will also have shipping fees to the final destination (from NY) via truck freight etc..

Call John Meehan at Fauna & Flora and he will answer any questions you may have.

I have used Fauna and Flora for 3 safaris... My last was from Tanzania 4 crates and 758 pounds to NYC. $3300 which I thought was a bargain... The four crates filled up a 3/4 ton pickup with tail gait down...

Mike

I can't see the freight bill on 1000 pounds being only $2,000.00, but I could be wrong. I've got a crate that I think is around 600 pounds in New York waiting to clear customs. It was sea freighted out of Zimbabwe, and I'm expecting something north of $3,000.00 - sea freight and then shipped to Vegas

Phoenixdawg,

just personally received a shipment via Fauna and Flora two weeks ago.

Customs entry service fee 225.00
Break bulk services 66.50
document transfer fee 834.50
inland freight 361.13
reforwarding service 31.96
terminal handling 30.00
carriers cert/ISC 25.00

Doc transfer fee was shipping from RSA to NY via AIR. Crate held two shoulder mounts, wildebeest and a small guy, kudu horns/skull, impala (european), 2 warthog, waterbuck, kudu, 3 impala, capes, back skin, horns.

Trying to estimate shipping is like herding cats, it can not be done simply, if at all. Considering your stuff won't be shipped for up to a year, maybe more, maybe less, transportation costs are fluctuating wildly.

I've been telling my clients that for a good sized plains game safari with 7 or so critters hitting the salt to estimate $2000. I hate low balling things and having things come back and bite me in the butt.

Hope this helps. And, you've already sealed the deal, have fun. You'll have a year probably to gather the funds to pay for this part of it anyway!

dan

Quick update, I just got my bill for my shipment from RSA and 440 lbs. the total cost was $2.486.22, it was sent air and was cleared by Coppersmith. This includes the ground freight to my taxidermist here in GA. Does not include the dipping and packing costs.

I have done alot of searching old posts here and see a wide range of epxeriences good and bad with shipping....how does one nail down the best way to not get surprised.
I am going for PG and should only have 5-7 trophies....Gemsbok(head), Kudu(head), Zebra(head and skin), Blue Wildebeest(head), Springbok (european), red hartebeest(european), warthog (tusks).

I admit some frustration when it comes to my research so far....I am a planner. Seeing the unexpected hidden fees/delays etc. do not give me a good feeling.
I have a taxidermist here locally to use and need to plan to have them dipped and packed (my outfitter)and shipped back. Either by air to DC or sea to NY...I could pick up myself and deliver to my taxidermist.

I just paid my shipping bill from Fauna and Flora. Buffalo shoulder mount, full bushbuck, 3/4 warthog, full leopard (lying on a branch), some leather buffalo goods and a pair of recreation elephant tusks. The weight (I think) is about 650 pounds. The bill with everything from Bulawayo to Las Vegas was 3,500 and change (including all of the inland freight - thank goodness diesel is so cheap right now or the inland could have been expensive ). I was hoping it would be a bit less, but ultimately, it's about what I expected.

A very good friend of mine just got a quote of $2500 to ship four animals from Namibia to the USA ( Hides and horns only) 1- Eland,1- Oryx,1- Warthog, 1- Impala
There will be some huge increases this year!

Note to self: Go buy an extra memory chip for camera because I'm not about to pay those kind of costs plus taxidermy for a bunch of dust gatherers.

I'm by no means knocking those who do, it's your money, your hunt and your choices. I'll apply those funds to something that has a higher marginal value to me, like another hunt . OTOH I guess I'd pony up if I killed a true monster trophy like a 60 inch kudu, for instance.

That's about where I'm at as well. The rising cost of all of this doesn't turn me away from hunting but it does change the way I look at it. You can literally save many thousands of dollars just on a PG hunt.

Hope some of you can use this information for planning or maybe comparing??

We had the skins/capes tanned in RSA by Derek Robinson Taxidermy. Here was this cost for my trophies:

1 x Nyala Skull.$ 50.00
1 x Nyala Full Mount Cape - Tan.$ 250.00
1 x Zebra Cape, Back skin - Tan.$ 225.00
1 x Duiker Skull.$ 25.00
1 x Duiker Cape - Tan.$ 35.00
1 x Impala Skull.$ 40.00
2 x Impala Capes - Tan.$ 80.00
1 x Impala Back skin - Tan.$ 30.00
1 x Warthog Tusks.$ 10.00
1 x Warthog Skull, Tusks.$ 55.00
1 x Warthog Cape - Tan.$ 60.00
Sub Total.$ 860.00

Packing & Documentation.$ 172.00
Permits: General export permit.$ 48.00
Veterinary export permit.$ 48.00
Total..$1,128.00

My cost for shipping is $671.81.

Import fees from Coppersmiths here in Dallas is $533

Thanks for the itemized list. It's helpful to see them from time to time.

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:
Note to self: Go buy an extra memory chip for camera because I'm not about to pay those kind of costs plus taxidermy for a bunch of dust gatherers.

I'm by no means knocking those who do, it's your money, your hunt and your choices. I'll apply those funds to something that has a higher marginal value to me, like another hunt . OTOH I guess I'd pony up if I killed a true monster trophy like a 60 inch kudu, for instance.

My convictions also, I have hunted in Africa five times and after my last Safari NO MORE TROPHIES COMING HOME. Video and pics will do and with the savings it will pay for all transportation for another trip. I've given away to kids, family members, Church camps, etc. over 30 mounts, rugs, skulls, etc. in the past 24 years. If my wife didn't love some of these mounts I do have I'd cut the racks off making some nice skull caps and call it good. My son and I will be hunting in the next few weeks for ele and buff nothing is coming home even if it's a 45 inch buff, the experience is everything especially when we will have a professional video man who will video and edit the entire hunt.

Dirk

bo-n-aro,

Thanks for the itemized list. Did you ship by sea or air?

Does anyone have a similarly detailed list from Namibia? For a PG hunt there next year we would hope to have tanned skins and horns for shoulder mounts and rugs shipped back.

i just got my 7 animals from zambia - skins only tanned but not mounted. airfreight was 500 and clearing was 300. this is a hellova lot less than getting stuff out of zim

That's surprisingly low. Who did the shipping? Of course, Zambia more than makes up for cheap shipping with lots of other expenses.

Just did a shipment 3 months ago.
1 Duiker Skull, cape horns
1 Warthog Tusks
1 Bushbuck Skull Cape Horns
1 waterbuck skull cape horns

Taxidermy Dip, Tan and Crate $470. I have taxidermy done here.

Shipping Costs Via Air Fakir's CC
Airfreight Joberg to Baltimore Washington BWI
441.70
Agency and Documentation $75
Fuel Surcharge $98
Airline Vet Fee 55
Total $690

I cleared the trophies myself cost $55 handling cost.