The US dollar now buys over 10 South African rand, up over 40% from 2 seasons ago. Truly a boon to the hard working operators in the RSA and Namibia.

In the past when the dollar was devaluing, the operators did their best not to push the increase along to clients. Like most dedicated business owners, they gritted their teeth while hoping for better times.

Since the USD now can by much more, goods and services should cost less to US consumers. Has anyone noticed hunts adjusted to the current exchange rate?

quote:

Since the USD now can by much more, goods and services should cost less to US consumers. Has anyone noticed hunts adjusted to the current exchange rate?

quote:

Since the USD now can by much more, goods and services should cost less to US consumers. Has anyone noticed hunts adjusted to the current exchange rate?

Obviously you don't know the golden rule of safari pricing, which is: Dollar goes down in value= increased prices, Dollar goes up in value= increased prices, Dollar is stable= increased prices.

The outfitters will complain now because it will cost more to come to the states for the shows. Either way the Rand moves to the Dollar they will have a complaint, at least that is the way it has been the last 15 yrs I have been dealing with them. Just go with the flow.

For this year the rand devaluated by 33%, but what is never mentioned is that our cost increase with the devaluation of the Rand, fuel cost went through the roof with more than a 50% increase, a combination in the rise of the oil prise and the devaluation of the Rand, we pay for our oil in $. Our food prise also went sky high. This makes up a huge portion of the day fees. Every time the Rand devaluates all businesses increase their prices but they never decrease it when the Rand strengthens.

In fact our margins decreased in the last year.

Look on the bright side guys........ The way the African economies are going, most African countries will have to abandon their currencies and use the USD just like Zimbobwe does now and that in turn will weaken the dollar and flush your own economy and industrial base down the pan and Obama will tell you how lucky you are to be helping all those poor Africans out with your sacrifice!



Damn but I'm glad to be retired and out of all that shit!

quote:

Originally posted by Jack D Bold:

The US dollar now buys over 10 South African rand, up over 40% from 2 seasons ago. Truly a boon to the hard working operators in the RSA and Namibia.

In the past when the dollar was devaluing, the operators did their best not to push the increase along to clients. Like most dedicated business owners, they gritted their teeth while hoping for better times.

Since the USD now can by much more, goods and services should cost less to US consumers. Has anyone noticed hunts adjusted to the current exchange rate?

So they gritted their teeth hoping for better times but did not make the client pay for the increase - today we apparently see a stronger $ with the Rand at 10:1 (won't last) and they have made no adjustments.

Wouldn't you agree that they are entitled to this brief respite and very minimally cut their losses from the past years?

FYI: 31/12/2010 - 1 USD = 7.0 Rand
31/12/2011 - 1 USD = 8.0 Rand
31/12/2012 - 1 USD = 8.5 Rand
04/07/2013 - 1 USD = 10.0 Rand

I just cannot figure out where your 40% increase comes from but then again I always was piss poor at maths!

The best bottom line advice is -- if you still can, go now! Times are reverting to "only rich folks can ___."

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:
Look on the bright side guys........ The way the African economies are going, most African countries will have to abandon their currencies and use the USD just like Zimbobwe does now and that in turn will weaken the dollar and flush your own economy and industrial base down the pan and Obama will tell you how lucky you are to be helping all those poor Africans out with your sacrifice!



Damn but I'm glad to be retired and out of all that shit!

Steve,
You nailed it. If Obama has his way we will be a 3rd world economy in no time.

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:
............ and use the USD just like Zimbobwe does now......

Steve, never noticed your spelling of Zim bob we before. How appropriate.

Jaco, don't you buy your petrol, food etc at the same locations as your barber, accountant, banker etc and their income stays the same in Rands but you who deal with Americans and charge in USD vs rands - yes you are better off with the weak rand.

Things are becoming difficult here now with the added concern that there are many hungry folk out there with accompaning spike in violent crime. African Socialism showing it's true worth.

quote:

Originally posted by Die Ou Jagter:
Jaco, don't you buy your petrol, food etc at the same locations as your barber, accountant, banker etc and their income stays the same in Rands but you who deal with Americans and charge in USD vs rands - yes you are better off with the weak rand.

Momentarily yes!

quote:

Originally posted by Jaco Human:
For this year the rand devaluated by 33%, but what is never mentioned is that our cost increase with the devaluation of the Rand, fuel cost went through the roof with more than a 50% increase, a combination in the rise of the oil prise and the devaluation of the Rand, we pay for our oil in $. Our food prise also went sky high. This makes up a huge portion of the day fees. Every time the Rand devaluates all businesses increase their prices but they never decrease it when the Rand strengthens.

In fact our margins decreased in the last year.

+1 what about our tyres ( tires ) and all other imports,( we dont manufacture much here) all goes up.

quote:

Originally posted by Die Ou Jagter:
Jaco, don't you buy your petrol, food etc at the same locations as your barber, accountant, banker etc and their income stays the same in Rands but you who deal with Americans and charge in USD vs rands - yes you are better off with the weak rand.

The banker, the accountant barber and who ever keep on increasing their fees. One of our biggest expenses are fuel, which increased considerably in the last 6 months. When the petrol price rises everything rises food usually the most. Keeping a safari vehicle in top notch cost a lot, a set of tyres seldom reach the mileage they should reach because of poor gravel roads and the abuse they must handle.

I have adjusted my prices along with the weakening of the Rand. The problem is once have contracted with a client and the prices goes up, I cannot recover that higher cost.

I was a big advocate of quoting in Rand and that the hunters transfer the equivalent amount of $'s, which will give them the benefit of a weak Rand. I can still remember the negative reaction to that suggestion.

Hunters all over the world wants to be quoted in their currency, contracts are sealed in the past but what about the increases from fixing the safari prise and the increase in petrol food etc. The weakening seldom covers the increased cost.

It is still cheaper for an American to hunt in RSA than to hunt an Elk of spend a vacation in Hawaii

Any major fluctuation is exchange rates is a problem for all concerned & anyone, no matter who they are can be caught out by such fluctuations & a good example of that is what happened to Sir Freddie Laker in the early 80s.

At the end of the day African safari prices are not generally unreasonable and very few people indeed get rich from it........ & as I said before, it's probably a good idea to make the most of like & go hunting before that useless prick Obama stuffs your country & your economy up any more than he has already!

We could fix all of this if we had one world currency, one world government, no need for passports or any paper work for guns (oh yea with a one world government you could not own guns) wouldn't life be simpler but not so free for some of us.

Die,
Great idea. Just think, we could have the all powerful United Nations handle currency, banking, armies,and taxes. The UN has done such a wonderful job on Bosnia, North Korea, Iran and Sudan (just to name a few), we should have manage the really important stuff in the world.....

Oh well, maybe the UN could take over the SCI convention and sort out the scammers from the real guys. That may be too much to ask though.

dogcat, if you think the SCI has problems now just think of what it would be like with the likes of the UN running it.

quote:

Originally posted by Die Ou Jagter:
dogcat, if you think the SCI has problems now just think of what it would be like with the likes of the UN running it.

Damn but that made me laugh!

quote:

Originally posted by Die Ou Jagter:
dogcat, if you think the SCI has problems now just think of what it would be like with the likes of the UN running it.

The UN is the biggest mess out there since the NCAA or our very efficient IRS.

Changes in exchange rates are a two-edged sword.

When the ZAR goes down in value relative to the USD, the cost of imported items like fuel, tires, and autos will stay pretty close to the same when measured in USD, while the cost of labor and other domestically sourced inputs will go down when measured in USD. So this would be to the net benefit of the outfitter.

Unfortunately, when the ZAR goes down in relation to the USD this has a domestic inflationary effect which, over time, will cause the cost of domestic goods and labor to rise in terms of the ZAR (and the USD), somewhat offsetting the outfitter's net gain from the change in exchange rates.

But the bottom line is that if you are exporting a product (as with an outfitter selling a hunt to an American or European), it is easier to sell your product to someone who's assets are based on a stronger currency than yours.

Should this make a big impact on the price to foreigners on hunts in S.A.? No, it won't create any huge bargains. But it should provide the outfitters a little more room and let them offer a little more value for the same USD, Euro, or Krona. A meal at a restaurant, a beer at a bar, or a native craft should all seem a little more attractively priced since those items, priced in ZAR, won't go up as quickly as the exchange rate moves.

lvs, the fact you don't manufacture much is only your (not you personally) fault. You have a huge labor force, maybe unreliable I don't know. I do remember about 10 or 15 years ago your government forced a US manufacturer to produce good formerly imported goods to be manufactured in RSA. It was Kennametal (mfg of mining tools) which had a huge warehousing facility in Joberg and they were required to convert it to a mfg plant. I had some neighbors that spent some months there training workers and installing machinery.

quote:

Originally posted by Die Ou Jagter:
lvs, the fact you don't manufacture much is only your (not you personally) fault. You have a huge labor force, maybe unreliable I don't know.

Nah. Try idiotic labour laws, an arrogant, don't care, just pay me labour force, a rampant trade union movement, and an Afro Socialist government currying favour by making impossible promises. There are many abandoned and derelict factories around here. A warning on the lunch-time news was that with the next round labour unrest on the mines, the mines will close down in the very near future.

Asia for the Asians
Africa for the Africans
and the White man countries for everyone.

quote:

Originally posted by Die Ou Jagter:
lvs, the fact you don't manufacture much is only your (not you personally) fault. You have a huge labor force, maybe unreliable I don't know. I do remember about 10 or 15 years ago your government forced a US manufacturer to produce good formerly imported goods to be manufactured in RSA. It was Kennametal (mfg of mining tools) which had a huge warehousing facility in Joberg and they were required to convert it to a mfg plant. I had some neighbors that spent some months there training workers and installing machinery.

It is not so much the unreliability of workers ( it also plays a part), the unions are busy ruining the major contributors to our economy. There is even a striking season in RSA. Mining and manufacturing and construction is suffering a great deal under strikes and we are losing millions in man hours. The end of the day the cost is transferred to the consumers or in the case of the mining industry, they start closing the marginal mines. This lead to a higher unemployment, which put more strain on the society, more grants, higher taxes, higher cost of living, higher manufacturing costs, all things that contribute to higher imports and lower exports, which have a negative affect on our balance of accounts and inflation..

So guess what, we are ......... Luckily the unions have little effect on our business other than increased cost in the items we must buy.

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:
Look on the bright side guys........ The way the African economies are going, most African countries will have to abandon their currencies and use the USD just like Zimbobwe does now and that in turn will weaken the dollar and flush your own economy and industrial base down the pan and Obama will tell you how lucky you are to be helping all those poor Africans out with your sacrifice!



Damn but I'm glad to be retired and out of all that shit!

I fail to see any connection between Zimbabwe or any other country (Ecuador, El Salvador, Panama)
using the dollar as their currency and that "flushing our economy and industrial based down the pan". What is the causative factor?

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:
Look on the bright side guys........ The way the African economies are going, most African countries will have to abandon their currencies and use the USD just like Zimbobwe does now and that in turn will weaken the dollar and flush your own economy and industrial base down the pan and Obama will tell you how lucky you are to be helping all those poor Africans out with your sacrifice!



Damn but I'm glad to be retired and out of all that shit!

I fail to see any connection between Zimbabwe or any other country (Ecuador, El Salvador, Panama)
using the dollar as their currency and that "flushing our economy and industrial based down the pan". What is the causative factor?

Soooooooo....... can I assume you're not very big on humour then?

If there is any........

Let's just say that my sense of humor is in much better shape than that feeble attempt at what you style as "humor".

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:
If there is any........

Let's just say that my sense of humor is in much better shape than that feeble attempt at what you style as "humor".

Maybe that's the difference between humour and humor....... I have it and you don't.

So I suggest you try to develop one or failing that, get over yourself!

YEAH....I have faced the same arguments with my favorite fishing lodge in the Queen Charlottes, BC, Canada...AND trying to buy a nice Double Rifle in Canada....even when the exchange rate was at 1.67 to US$.
At the Lodge, prices in $US were set when the CDN$ was at .95....by the time it later went to 1.67 he was cutting a fat hog....and raised the prices when the rates fell back to normal....because he was losing so much money...in $CDN while charging clients in US$. Seems to me you can't have it both ways...and I haven't been back fishing either!!

quote:

It is still cheaper for an American to hunt in RSA than to hunt an Elk of spend a vacation in Hawaii

Incorrect. It is way less expensive to go on a elk hunt or long vacation in Florida.
#1-there is not that huge airline cost to go from US to anywhere in Africa. From the west coast we are paying over 3K just to fly to Africa.
#2 - Very few US outfitters can get away with charging a trophy fee for an elk -you pay for a tag for the animal from the state and the outfitter rates do not change once an animal is taken. There is also no refund if you do not get an elk. You are paying for the guide only. The tags are considerably less in most respects than trophy fee for a similar animal i.e. Elk -v- Kudu or Sable. Unfortunately, some of the American guides are getting wise to how it is done in Africa and the trophy fee thing is starting to raise its ugly head here. You book a moose hunt and happen to get a chance at a bear and wham - they hit you with a trophy fee. The guys I know and deal with don't do that, I don't do that, but it is starting to become more prevalent and is something I don't agree with as you have already paid for the guides time and the tags from the states.

A 7 day elk hunt in the US in will range from 3k to 10K - dependent on where you go and how large the elk are supposed to be in the particular area. Some of the luxury lodges and Indian reservations tend to get a bit more, but they are tailored for distinct clients, luxury lodges have more staff, the Indians are simply more greedy and definatly less helpful. Personally I would not pay over $4k for an elk hunt, there are literally hundreds of elk guides, some good some bad just like Africa, but most know the area and can get you close to a good elk from 4-6k total cost including getting there

I recently just came back from Florida. I took my wife on a ten day trip to Key West-Probably one of the more expensive areas of Florida. The airfare for both of us was a little over 1k, the motel we stayed at was $200 per night and we went fishing three days, flats, offshore wrecks and deep sea. The boats cost me $600, $800 and $1000 respectively and we did a lot of sight seeing, activities, fine dining and drinking it up. My total cost for the trip was less than 8K, and my wife can spend money.

Now, if you were to compare a guided Alaskan moose hunt to a plains game hunt in RSA you would be right. It costs a lot more to get to where the big moose are

Not bagging on you guys in Africa, I would rather hunt Africa rather than anywhere else, but it does seem some of the costs are getting out of the range of most of us hunters where only the most successful can go, especially after DG

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:
If there is any........

Let's just say that my sense of humor is in much better shape than that feeble attempt at what you style as "humor".

Maybe that's the difference between humour and humor....... I have it and you don't.

So I suggest you try to develop one or failing that, get over yourself!

I would suggest that you improve your efforts at self evaluation, they are no better than your humor.

How about if I work on my humour & you work on your ridiculous pomposity?

I'll have you know I'm well known for my sense of humour......... not for my good sense of humour. Just my sense of humour!

Why don't you use words that you know the meaning of, or give examples of my "pomposity".

Anyone who posts stupid statements and then calls them "humor" should be well known for something.

Yeah righto....... I'll take your advice on board & then promptly ignore it.

Like I said...... you need to get over yourself.

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:
Yeah righto....... I'll take your advice on board & then promptly ignore it.

Like I said...... you need to get over yourself.

You need a mirror for your advice.

Not to mention a handy dictionary.

I think I understand the meaning of pomposity & also think you match the description of pompous old git perfectly.

You just fail to see it & need to get over yourself.

Byeeeeeeee.

I hope that's your final word, since you can't give examples of what you write.

A motel has been booked for you two
just down the road

quote:

Originally posted by fujotupu:

quote:

Originally posted by Jack D Bold:

The US dollar now buys over 10 South African rand, up over 40% from 2 seasons ago. Truly a boon to the hard working operators in the RSA and Namibia.

In the past when the dollar was devaluing, the operators did their best not to push the increase along to clients. Like most dedicated business owners, they gritted their teeth while hoping for better times.

Since the USD now can by much more, goods and services should cost less to US consumers. Has anyone noticed hunts adjusted to the current exchange rate?

So they gritted their teeth hoping for better times but did not make the client pay for the increase - today we apparently see a stronger $ with the Rand at 10:1 (won't last) and they have made no adjustments.

Wouldn't you agree that they are entitled to this brief respite and very minimally cut their losses from the past years?

FYI: 31/12/2010 - 1 USD = 7.0 Rand
31/12/2011 - 1 USD = 8.0 Rand
31/12/2012 - 1 USD = 8.5 Rand
04/07/2013 - 1 USD = 10.0 Rand

I just cannot figure out where your 40% increase comes from but then again I always was piss poor at maths!

An increase from 7.0 Rand to 10.0 Rand is actually an increase of almost 43%.

x = 10/7
x = 1.4286
x = 42.86%

Damn, a lawyer doing math. Where is Larry Shores when we need him.