If i shoot game in africa that I am not going to mount or just do a european mount is there any value of the cape? Am I better off just leaving it in Africa considering the cost of dip and pack, shipping, tanning... or does the value here exceed all of those costs?

Jim

It would be a break even proposition, You could sell them for about what the freight would be to have them shpped over and cleared.

There might be an exception if you had lifesize skins like Nyala, Kudu, some of the bigger species, but then, as with selling anything, you would have to find a buyer.

Jerry,

two questions for you.

1. got any spare ones for sale for less than $200?

2. how easy/cheap are they to acquire if you need one?

Answer: if I want to buy one, they have very little market value. If I have one for sale, you'd need to take an equity line of credit to buy it.

No offense...

Rich

Jerry, so to me it sounds like a waste of money to pay dip & Pack, shipping, tanning, shipping for a plains game hide you hope to sell unless it is something special if I understand you correctly. Why have a few hundred in a cape laying around you may never. To even sell for what you have in it would be a waste.

Rich, I think the answers to your questions would be interesting.

That's about it in my opinion Single, I don't buy and sell capes so I have absolutely no Idea what IS is talking about.
Now I would say there might be an exception, if you are going to have some of the heads shoulder mounted and some euros then you could go ahead and ship all of the capes back and sell the odd one or two that you don't have mounted. You could probably make a little off them then.

I deal in alot of capes, some african but usually exotics. Jerry is right, you might make some money over shipping. But then you have to find a buyer, and what is your time worth? Im in the pipeline so to speak and can't find buyers for some items. Ive got 8 lifesize bongos, and can't get anyone interested for instance.

As was mentioned, a kudu, impala and a few other of the common game species would sell. But taxidermists as a rule are going to be picky. They will want to know size, condition of hair etc. It would be a good idea to take measurements in the field. We all know that they shrink up when salted. But the difference between a 28inch kudu cape and a 32 inch could be $200.00.

Now, IM kinda shrewd(read cheap). I had a client send an eland cape and cape buff cape back. I told him I didn't need him and couldn't buy them. He said he would try to sell them and I told him what I told you. He gave them to me.......So if anyone needs a monster cape buffalo cape tanned and a huge eland.....

Enjoy Africa for the hunt. If you bring the capes back, talk to your taxidermist, see if he can shave a few bucks off your euros in trade.

Hugh

Capes vaule is placed on after Tanning as so many are handled improply and are not worth the tanning cost. A big mule deer cape is worth more than a kudu which is strange i sell hundreds of capes yearly and i hand pick what is good before tanning its a big gamble

Jerry,

my comments were based on the fact that anyone in the business of buying and selling capes and skins, like a taxidermist, is in it to make money.
They will generally not buy one from you for what they charge (you) to tan it.

I have a Cape Buffalo back half I am having tanned. The tannery offered to buy it from me for $150. They are going to charge me more than twice that price to make saddle skirting thickness leather out of it.

There is no value judgement offered or implied. It is, as they say, what it is. You will pay out the azz to buy a raw one. You will lose your azz trying to sell it for the cost of shipping it to a taxidermist.

Rich