I contacted Pam Foerster in Namibia for a quote regarding our safari in 2007. I was wondering if ya'll thought it was a reasonable price. The animals we are expecting to take are as follows:

3 Kudu
3 Gemsbok
1 Red Hartebeest
2 Mountain Zebra
1 Burchell's Zebra
2 Impala
1 Blesbok
1 Springbok
2 Warthog
1 Duiker
1 Steenbok
1 Klipspringer

The price she gave me for all these animals is $1,590 which includes packing, air freight, documentation, etc... and shipping to Houston, TX. I would appreciate some input on this. This sounds reasonable to me.

That's a fair price for 19 animals. The only thing about using Pam is you HAVE to use Coppersmith for your clearance agent. We tried to use ABX-logistics with her and she said NO.

Jerry,

Why would she say no? can't you use your own shipper and freight forwarder?

I agree with Jerry on the pricing, as long as that is the price! (no "hidden" costs!

This is what she gave me for my hunt this year.

1 Kudu
2 Gemsbok
2 Springbok
1 Zebra
1 Impala
1 Warthog
1 Hartebeast
1 Eland

I am bringing all skins back.

Dear Wayne,

Based on the fact that you will be taking the skins with you etc I have worked out an approx weight of 120 kgs for Atlanta.

All charges for packing, airfreight, documentation etc the Total Costs for 120 Kgs is USD 1275.00. up to Atlanta Airport.

Once I have the trophies on hand here I can contact you with a firm price before shipping



Regards

Pam

It was $500 to have Pam air freight my kudu skull, horns and hide all the way to Anchorage, AK. We're used to paying high shipping costs to AK from the Lower 48 so I didn't blink at $500 from Namibia.

That seems pretty fair. We paid about $300 less in 2004 for 4 or five fewer animals. There were no hidden costs in her bills/quotes to us. I would not hesitate to use here again.

Jerry, I didn't use Coppersmith for my clearing agent. I used Maria Felix with Hunter International in San Francisco. Those two ladies were a great team and made sure everything was taken care of. Like Pam, I would happily use Maria's services again. In fact, I'll be contacting her shortly to see about arranging the cleararnce of my SA trophies from this year.

Jerry- Not so! Pam has no requirment of who you use for a clearing agent as far as I know. I also used Maria at Hunter International this year as well as last year.

Eland Slayer- Your quote from Pam is on par with what I paid this year.

John

quote:

Originally posted by 30ott6:
Jerry- Not so! Pam has no requirment of who you use for a clearing agent as far as I know. I also used Maria at Hunter International this year as well as last year.

Eland Slayer- Your quote from Pam is on par with what I paid this year.

John

Actually, Jerry and I tried to use ABX Logistics at Jerry's suggestion. Even though it was on the tags on my trophies and I followed up with an email to the PH, the first thing I heard after the trophies went to Pam was a call from Coppersmith wanting information to clear my trophies. I email Pam for an explanation and she indicated that ABX was not one of her agents and she could not use them. She did say I could arrange a transfer from Coppersmith to ABX, and Coppersmith confirmed it. I presume this would have been after they cleared but am a novice at this.

I had picked ABX on Jerry's suggestion but we both agreed that it was not worth the trouble of transferring the trophies. And neither of us were suggesting that Coppersmith would not do a good job.

Thanks Charles for clarifying. Must be something about ABX that Pam doesn't like? She had no problem with me using Hunter International.

John

quote:

Originally posted by 30ott6:
Thanks Charles for clarifying. Must be something about ABX that Pam doesn't like? She had no problem with me using Hunter International.

John

I do not know although from what she said it was just that she did not have an agency arrangement with them.

Any reason why they couldn't be shipped at a slower rate? When my brother moved back from RSA, he had a lot of his stuff (books, bicycle, computer, etc) shipped as cargo on a ship rather than air frieght. Just curious as this seems would be much cheaper.

Troy

quote:

Originally posted by Troy Hibbitts:
Any reason why they couldn't be shipped at a slower rate? When my brother moved back from RSA, he had a lot of his stuff (books, bicycle, computer, etc) shipped as cargo on a ship rather than air frieght. Just curious as this seems would be much cheaper.

Troy

Sure, but it flies in the face of our American "need" for immediate gratification! There are pros and cons of ocean shipment, many hashed out right here and available through a quick search.

Hi Guys,
I have no obection to using ABX logistics at all,except they are not one of my clearing agents that I have an account with, I will ship to any agent you specifiy but if they are not Hunter International, Coppersmith, or Fauna & Flora then I will send to your specified agent but on a prepaid basis rather than a collect charges basis. I can also do seafreight from Namibia if required
regards
Pam

It has been my understanding that sea freight is to be only used for mounted trophies, not dip/ship trophies. Correct?

That's a fantastic deal for all those capes and horns. I paid half that amount to have a kudu, hartebeest, warthog and some jackals shipped from Nam to a taxidermist in RSA. (Yes I know, I let someone else arrange the shipping and he either screwed me or looked the other way while I got screwed). I thought it was going to cost me a couple hundred dollars at most, til I saw the bill. Lesson: get them mounted in Namibia, or shipped to USA. (And getting them mounted in-country is a good idea unless you have a good deal here...shipping is higher but the taxidermy work is about half the price due to lower labor costs.)

Eland Slayer,
Price sounds like a bargin to me. You did not say if they are skins and horns. If you do have the taxidermy work done there just remember air charges are based on volume (size) and weight. After my work was done the charge was much more than my quote at the time I gave the taxidermist my animals. Used Coppersmith in Atlanta, will use them again.
Bobga

I have used Coppersmith as well as ABX, NEVER ABX ever again.

quote:

shipping is higher but the taxidermy work is about half the price due to lower labor costs.)

Just be sure to see some of the work and make sure you are satisfied with it before you decide. Cheap labor is not always a good thing.

Yes, this price is for both the skins and the horns. I am having them mounted here in TX. We use Rocky Cooper of Brush Country Studios, he does awesome work.

Another vote for Pam.

Anybody have contact information for the Pam Pam Foerster mentioned in this thread!? Will bee hunting in Namibia in May.

quote:

Originally posted by DC Roxby:
Anybody have contact information for the Pam Pam Foerster mentioned in this thread!? Will bee hunting in Namibia in May.

This is what I have from December of 2005:

Pam Foerster at IACS:

pam-iacs(at)mweb.com.na

Replace (at) with @ of course.

Thanks! I will send her an e-mail.

quote:

Originally posted by Charles_Helm:

quote:

Originally posted by DC Roxby:
Anybody have contact information for the Pam Pam Foerster mentioned in this thread!? Will bee hunting in Namibia in May.

This is what I have from December of 2005:

Pam Foerster at IACS:

pam-iacs(at)mweb.com.na

Replace (at) with @ of course.

Bummer. E-mail bounced.

quote:

Originally posted by DC Roxby:
Bummer. E-mail bounced.

Sorry -- maybe Eland Slayer has a better address.

DC, check your PMs, I forwarded you some contact information for both Pam and Maria. Good luck.

I'm confused on this one.
First you pay the local taxidermist to dip and pack, right?
Then you pay for shipping home along and whoever you have receiving your capes.
What are you paying Pam for?

quote:

Originally posted by Eland Slayer:
I contacted Pam Foerster in Namibia for a quote regarding our safari in 2007. I was wondering if ya'll thought it was a reasonable price. The animals we are expecting to take are as follows:

3 Kudu
3 Gemsbok
1 Red Hartebeest
2 Mountain Zebra
1 Burchell's Zebra
2 Impala
1 Blesbok
1 Springbok
2 Warthog
1 Duiker
1 Steenbok
1 Klipspringer

The price she gave me for all these animals is $1,590 which includes packing, air freight, documentation, etc... and shipping to Houston, TX. I would appreciate some input on this. This sounds reasonable to me.

ES,
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but this sounds like multiple hunters are taking these animals, is that correct? Is your quote to include everything in one hunter's shipment? I was under the impression that each hunter had to have their animals shipped individually, or am I mistaken? Seems that would increase the cost. Does Pam understand there are multiple hunters and those animals have to be seperated?

Please correct me if I am wrong...

I wont use coppersmith again, once was enough for me. They have standard charges no matter if you use the service or not.

DPhillips,

Yes, this "expected" bag is for 3 hunters (myself, my mom, and my dad). You bring up a good point, as I am not sure if they have to be shipped separately or not. Good question. Unfortunately, we had to postpone our safari until next July (2008) so I will need to contact Pam again sometime within the next year to get an updated quote. Anybody know the answer to DPhillips' question? Do each hunter's trophies have to be shipped separately? If yes, how much extra (approx.) does this cost?

Trophies from hunters that are unrelated, in other words with different surnames, may not be packed together in one crate for the USA. Up to date this is not a regulation for any European countries.

Mounted trophies and trophies that are only prepared for dipping & shipping are allowed to be crated together.
All warthog-related products must be packed in a separate box, inside the main box of trophies. No skeletons of animals may be exported - only skulls, horns and skins.