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2,332 Posts
Thank you Poinpostal83, you humble me with your acknowledgement! There are other experienced trappers that visit this site I'm sure but I'm just a bit more vocal than many.
Is anyone selling their fur??
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633 Posts
Yup with 50 years as a fur buyer id have to say that not much has changed.Its still the skin trade,buy low sell high.Social media and Covid have added some new twists but only serve to magnify a dire situation,quite the opposite of The Perfect Storm that brought us $15 muskrats. Moving forward i believe in the Fur Business and have put my money were my mouth is with a large unsold inventory of wild fur. As a speculator it is the time to buy,as a trapper not a good time to sell.And of course your gonna ask what is fur worth? Even though iam basically retired it would be hard to turn down properly put up goods at my door,keeping in mind it is a buyers market Ive seen $120 coon,$90 red fox $20 muskrats and sold otter at $170 average,and quite the opposite .50 muskrat,$2 coon and red fox you couldnt give away.Its a great big world and when money can be made by some enterprising individuals,they will come,and the greased wheels will turn again.Todays prices muskrat 3.00 lg up,red fox 10 1&2 grey fox 8 1&2 mink 7 and 3 beaver hvy only 15 coon 7 top coyote 35 1&2. Now you can complain,but as one person already said its my money and your fur.Best of luck to all of you and as a group we are in this together,enjoy what you do,do what you enjoy!
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2,625 Posts
62 x $3.50 = $217
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1,099 Posts
Anyone try calling Roger? I can kinda see why he may be reluctant to post prices. As soon as he does, I'm sure someone will say that he's ripping people off or that they heard buyer X is paying way better, etc.
For those of you who don't know how this works, I'll lay it out for ya: The buyer tries to buy for as little as possible, while the seller tries to sell for as much as possible. At some point, they come up with a price that is agreeable to both parties and a bargain is struck. Or not.
Whenever I sell fur, I have a pretty good idea of what my fur is worth before I sell. I call the buyer and say, for instance, "I have x number of good winter rats. What's prices looking like?" Then I decide whether to sell to that buyer or not. I've actually had buyers call me back and ask if I had sold because they had decided that they could do better than the originally quoted price. I also had buyers ask me to size grade my fur and call them back with sizes and numbers. They then quoted me a price for the lot.
My point is, most buyers will work with you. They want to buy your fur. I have been disappointed in the price that I sold my fur for a couple times, but I have never been forced to sell.
For those of you who don't know how this works, I'll lay it out for ya: The buyer tries to buy for as little as possible, while the seller tries to sell for as much as possible. At some point, they come up with a price that is agreeable to both parties and a bargain is struck. Or not.
Whenever I sell fur, I have a pretty good idea of what my fur is worth before I sell. I call the buyer and say, for instance, "I have x number of good winter rats. What's prices looking like?" Then I decide whether to sell to that buyer or not. I've actually had buyers call me back and ask if I had sold because they had decided that they could do better than the originally quoted price. I also had buyers ask me to size grade my fur and call them back with sizes and numbers. They then quoted me a price for the lot.
My point is, most buyers will work with you. They want to buy your fur. I have been disappointed in the price that I sold my fur for a couple times, but I have never been forced to sell.
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18,244 Posts
I always liked the competition of fur sales.
No , there was seldom great variance among offers , but there were times when a given buyer had more interest in particulars...Which adds up when you're sitting on solid goods.
Hitting our local buyer resulted in taking his offer , or taking furs home.
I will credit him with being flexible along with the market , but both sides had to be in relation to current demand to make any sense of negotiating.
And when there's no demand , fur gets stored , or sold cheaper. Or not sold. Blah.
My last sell I had a live forecast when a guy walking out of the buyers offered me coon in the round cheap...Prices had halved in about a week.
And I was pulling all my steel shortly after.
No , there was seldom great variance among offers , but there were times when a given buyer had more interest in particulars...Which adds up when you're sitting on solid goods.
Hitting our local buyer resulted in taking his offer , or taking furs home.
I will credit him with being flexible along with the market , but both sides had to be in relation to current demand to make any sense of negotiating.
And when there's no demand , fur gets stored , or sold cheaper. Or not sold. Blah.
My last sell I had a live forecast when a guy walking out of the buyers offered me coon in the round cheap...Prices had halved in about a week.
And I was pulling all my steel shortly after.
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26,514 Posts
Yep, I try to look at the what the market is doing and what realistic value my furs are. Then I try to come up with a bottom line price I'll take. If he come in under that, I grab my fur an walk. He always has the option to up the price and I still have the option to refuse. Even with covid, there's a good number of buyers out there.
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572 Posts
We’re did u go to school?? It’s 4.30 avg ... If your going to talk [email protected] at least get it right lol, Whats your avg 3$
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1,398 Posts
Earlier in the season, I did post on my thread rat and fur routes, that I was paying $1-$5. I also stated that I would not post prices on the internet. Phone calls a must. I haven't seen a buyer issue price lists for years. I was a kid. I'm the only buyer on here that even posts. Several days ago, I get an email from pigeon with a list of rat sizes that he wants me to fill the spaces in. I politely reply, as a reminder, that I do not type $$ on the computer, which I'm certain that he already knew. I also reiterated the fact that discussion fur $$$ on this forum spark anger. I politely acknowledge that he is free to do as he wishes. MOMENTS later, he's on the forum in a rage, creating angry issues over fur $$ and my unwillingness to post. THATS MY F"N BUSINESS PERIOD. When I posted $$ on recent sales at FHA, I was trying to relay recent events as to rat $$$. FHA, the now defunct NAFA, SAGA, Kopenhagen Fur Sales are transparent businesses where information is openly shared on sales results. Anyone that is interested has free access. Me quoting the recent sales is acceptable, because it is PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE. You can phone today and get the same info. What I do here is PRIVATE business. Groenewold, Wiebke, Zanders, Roger Ruginis, we have no obligation to offer any information as to what we buy sell or trade. Why someone would go into a fit and rage is a mystery. And of course Seldom jumps in with the vehement anti fur buyer rant. I just can't understand the anger. Get over it. Sell elsewhere. I don't want your ****. I've physically, and verbally thrown people out of here. Some end up coming back. I can't honestly remember a situation where I have bought fur and the customer wasn't happy with it. Might not be what they had hoped for, but it was always on a cordial departure. I won't take the fur, nor will I write a check if someone feels cheated. It's also been years since I have not bought the fur I'm looking at. There have been NO no sales. While all this has been going on the past few days, I've bought another 1000 rats. I expect to buy 1000-2000 rats in Dorr on the 30th, and again, if you're not happy I don't want the goods. If you're an angry person, PLEASE do not contact me. I do not want your fur. For those who fell obligated on running me dowm, I don't care. You're not important to me . You are insignificant. Get back on your high blood pressure med, or have a drink, or smoke a fatty. Whatevers your bag.
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414 Posts
Well at least I know who to never sell to or recommend. How awful that he asked for a general idea on price. The nerve. Huge difference between that and a call and the fact he did it out of the public veiw...wowow. the audacity. And I bet you know what the average was of the 1000 rats you have bought this week was. But that would be so bad to say..anyone selling knows they may not get that or may get more. But a starting idea. So hard.
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2,332 Posts
Has nothing to do with anger Roger or personal dislike, it has to do with a vast multitude of experiences dealing with fur buyers making for an indelible impression of gross lack of trust!
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633 Posts
As a fur buyer i can actually say i liked most of my customers,never took a survey to see if the feeling was mutual,but i will add that a few always managed to slip a rotten frozen rat or shot gunned coon into their carcass collections,Of course none of them ever offered an apology or monetary restitution.There were some that i chose not to buy from as i also had an indelible impression that ironically also created a Gross lack of trust.
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2,332 Posts
Absolutely true! Another reason why I have always been a loner trapper so that my reputation was my own! I try to protect my reputation because it's like a shadow. It can precede you or it can follow behind you but it's always there for someone to see and judge.
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1,826 Posts
Reputation is a very important part of this commodity buy and sell. Relationship between buyer and seller is developed over time. Seller dealing with unknown buyer can call ahead or take their chances or risk losing time and travel expense if they do not wish to sell at offered price. Buyer when dealing with unknown seller has the burden of making a offer based on inspection and initial impression of fur quality. To publish price or not is inconsequential . Too many variables which could change hours prior to the sale. I have yet to deal with a buyer who doesn't have a phone to call prior to loading up. As a seller I want to maximize my return and that's my responsibility . The right of refusal is mutual even at Auction. As for reputation, if you sell or hide junk it will catch up to you eventually. If you low ball then sellers migrate elsewhere and you don't meet your end user numbers and they look for other sources. Risk falls on both. Most issues are resolved with a phone call or question asked prior. I'm stating what I see is obvious but may getted foggy based on prior statements in this thread. Free Market Rules !
Well said Anita - I appreciate that Roger buys from trappers around the state. Years ago, Roger actually bought some of my fur when I went to the association auctions. I was putting myself through college and always appreciated any suggestions he had on putting up quality fur. Well put up fur will always sell and since the early 90's I have sold to the auction houses. I have always been pleased for what I have received. A little bummed that NAFA kept $80 from four blanket beaver a few years ago, but that is the risk of selling to an auction house that went under. Am happy though that the forty beaver I sent in that year sold before they closed. Maybe when I retire I will put on some workshops on putting up fur that will always sell?
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265 Posts
Sold again on thursday had [email protected] $6 and [email protected] $5 also a handful @$3.50 total of 122 rats. Its amazing the way ppl get about cheap rats. I have nothing against any buyer. We should be thankful that anyone is still willing to buy period at this point! Also sold 9 coon put up for a total of $27 and they were 3x coons! If your in this game to make money good luck..... The only thing we should be concerned with right now is that the buyer makes a buck and stays in afloat. Without them we're all screwed. I have sold plenty of fur to roger over the yrs and he has been as fair and never left unhappy.
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414 Posts
Still a damn good avg. on rats. Well done
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