I just received my trophies from my Namibian pg safari, and am very happy with most of them. One exception is the broken hyena skull.
I was expecting the trophies to arrive well packed in a well made wooden crate, as I paid $1,725 to have them crated. Instead, they arrived in a cardboard box filled with confetti, and individually wrapped in bubble wrap.
Is cardboard the norm for this sort of package?

Everthing I have ever had come from Africa was in a cardboard box they listed as a crate.

The trophies from three safaris came in wood or particle board crates with no damage. The tropies from one safari (Zimbabwe) came loose in a cardboard crate screwed to a wooden pallet.

If you paid $1725 for just the crate, you were screwed.

George

A lot of companies are using cardboard to make it simpler to comply with USA import regulations of timber. The less reason for the US authorities to reject a shipment.

If I had known it was cardboard, I'd have objected to the price. I guess I'll chalk another one up to experience.
Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted.

And George, you are correct. My zebra rug came without the felt, which was listed on the invoice. So I was screwed twice. The really odd thing is tha there was an extra hyena head in the box, and it was on a single shield. The remnants of mine were on a double shield, with the pieces rattling around in the bubble wrap.

All of my shipments from Africa have always come in specially built wooden crates. A majority of them having come from Life Form Taxidermy.

My shipments from Sa and Zim were in wooden crates. Namibia was the only time it was cardboard.

Wood must be special there?

If they charged $1725 for a cardboard crate, screwed up the documentation, did not put felt on the zebra hide, and you had damaged items, why haven't you called them up to complain?

Why haven't you called your outfitter to complain?

Why haven't you called your booking agent to complain?

'Chalking it up to experience' only increases the likelihood that a future customer will be screwed, too.

George

George,

I emailed the taxidermist and ph yesterday, shortly after picking up crate. I'm giving them a chance to make things right before I name names. But that time is rapidly approaching.

Call them.

They can ignore your e-mails and blame their ISP or servers.

George

Things like shipping pallets if made of wood must be treated with pesticides if coming from overseas ! This is to prevent contaminated wood with insects coming into the country .We already have lots of those ,like the emerald ash borer. You see more and more plastic pallets because of this.

6 different shipments from the 3 different taxidermists in 2 different countries all arrived well packed in custom wooden crates. you got screwed! nothing broken, loose, etc.

My crate from Namibia was wood

Have not heard back from the taxidermist, so am now posting the name so that others won't have a similar experience: Retoma Taxidermy in Outjo, Namibia. Their website has been down for a couple of days, so maybe they're already out of business.

Just received another email from my PH saying the taxidermist's email and website have been down, but that she would refund the money I paid for felting the zebra skin. I told him I also want a partial refund on the crating charge, as it was out of line for a cardboard box and bubble wrap.

EVERY TIME I THINK I HAVE SEEN IT ALL BEEN SCREWED BY SHIPPERS & TAXIDERMIST THERE THEY COME UP WITH A NEW WAY. TANNER JUST GOT ME GOOD FROM AFRICA TOO.

We had two cardborad crates shipped from Windhoek to Oslo via Frankfurt in February.
No damages, and the crates where sturdy with wooden frames inside.

We got the impression that cardboard crates were the norm shipping trophies from Namibia

Also had trophies shipped twice from South Africa in plywood crates, and that was no garantie against damage.
In both cases forklift had penetrated the crates, luckily without any damage on the trophies inside.

The box I received had no wooden frame, only four pieces of pvc standing inside. The top and bottom of the box were thinner than the sides, and the top had a large hole in it. Fortunately nothing was missing.

Can your hyena skull be put back together o'k?

Luggage and trophies seem to be the real adventure of African hunting. I've had plenty of drama with both. Was charged $350 for a less than one meter square wooden crate from RSA(just the crate) that my grandkid could have built better. And that was just the beginning of the laundry list of other things they billed me for.

Some operations seem to make up fees to charge you for like 'transfer fees'. Coppersmith hosed me twice for such things AND items were pillfered from my crate while in their custody and all I got was a 'sorry, we'll do a good job for you next time' from them even though I had paid for insurance.

What was the entire price you paid for getting your shipment? If it was ~$1700 that wasn't too bad. I've had my best experiences with shipments from Namibia. Or at least the least drama.

Steyr,
I think I'll be able to glue it back together, but I shouldn't have to. They did send another hyena skull, so I assume it was broken before it shipped.

Matt,
The $1,725 was ONLY for the "crate", and if they had built a nice crate for my trophies, I'd be okay with it.

I have hunted twice with Luke Samaras and my stuff has always come through perfectly.

Booked twice with a sublease guy, and my stuff came back with bug spots, wrong horns, a civet that was a total loss in tanning, etc.

A ranch hunt in Namibia had very good trophy treatment.

believe me it isn't just stuff from Africa that has this stuff happen. 10 years ago i had a buff pedestal mount by a taxidermist in Baltimore. the wooden crate was screwed to a wooden pallet. it arrived with a forklift hole completely through the crate and the pedestal base inside. needless to say, i refused the shipment and the whole thing went back to Baltimore for a new base, at the shipping company's expense. no way would i pay $1750 for a cardboard box, even if it was re-inforced with wood corners. that is commonly referred to as highway robbery!

Jdollar,
You are correct! I have asked for a partial refund of the crating fee from the taxidermist, and will post the result.

Similar issues with cardboard box from Namibia. Fork punched through bottom, no damage thankfully.
I paid by the cc.(size) for air to US. 50% of the box was just that. Expensive air.
Everything was individually wrapped with bubble wrap and shredded newspaper. If the cardboard had failed everything would have tumbled out.
Scott
Scott