Import Charges

[wvmedic]

2 Cape buffalo, bushbuck, hyena and baboon

Thank you.

 

[Philip Glass]

That storage fee is what really burns me up. I had one sit over a weekend and it was like $700! All those fees are ridiculous. They should just make it clear what the costs are.
Ill have my RSA group hunt trophies from August finished and ready to ship soon. I’ll try to make a report on it.

 

[buck wild]

That storage fee is what really burns me up. I had one sit over a weekend and it was like $700! All those fees are ridiculous. They should just make it clear what the costs are.
Ill have my RSA group hunt trophies from August finished and ready to ship soon. I’ll try to make a report on it.

Absolutely agree. The airline storage fee is the kicker and the one that hurts the most. Take those out and the import service fee I paid would have been very reasonable. There doesn't appear to be much anyone can do about it, or getting Customs to take possession of the crate timely

 

[JKS]

See this is the kind of thing I appreciate seeing here. I'm waiting on shipping quote and final invoice for dip and ship out of South Africa. This gives me a ball park estimate of what to expect. Good or bad. At least it helps

 

[Safari Dave]

I was just given the quote of $3,234.03 for dipping packing and shipping 1 buffalo cape and skull and 1 baboon skin and skull from Mozambique.



(In 2007, I had 8 trophies mounted (full shoulder mounts) and shipped form South Africa to the US for $2,400)


I was shocked to learn that the final bill was going to be more more expensive to have the taxidermy done in RSA than in the US.

 

[C.W. Richter]

2 Cape buffalo, bushbuck, hyena and baboon

I was going to inquire how much you spent on the hunt, but this provides enough detail. Assuming 2 bulls, I'll surmise the total safari cost $20K+/-. Over the years, I've routinely had dip/pack/ship/customs storage & clearance (in mult countries to get home)/flights with me picking up from the customs brokerage at home and delivering to the tannery averaging about 20% of the total safari cost (but this typically involved more animals-one safari ran 25% and my first nearly 50%!) Your deal was fair (15%?) It is what it is. Blame it on the breakup of Pangea and continual continental drift ever since...(but now, it'll be even worse due to worldwide inflation/oil prices.) Although the old wooden crates were nice, HD cardboard is cheaper! Keep your Taxidermist close.

 

[Kelly G]

Last hunt in South Africa.

Shipping: $1595.00
CHARGES
DESCRIPTION CHARGES IN USD
Fish & Wildlife Documents 93.00
Customs Clearance Fee 400.00
Storage Fees 1,040.00
Total: $3,128.00

I thinking of pictures only next trip.

 

[buck wild]

@C.W. Richter Point well taken but the storage fees are what chap me. It wouldn’t have matter if there were 2 impalas in the crate, those fees would have been the same and apparently there isn’t anything a person can do if the fees kick in for whatever reason. You’d figure the airline would have been happy with the fees they got for shipping. I guess this is their tip.

 

[Edster]

I thought the fees on my crate were a bit steep till I started reading this thread. Broker fee, storage fee, and a warehouse transfer fee came to $729.00.

 

[Rubberhead]

Let's face it. If you're an American going on safari, then everyone knows you have at least some disposable income...on a world standard, you're terribly rich. The price is way, way more than the cost. Not everyone believes in capitalism but everyone sure is good at it...

 

[buck wild]

I was just given the quote of $3,234.03 for dipping packing and shipping 1 buffalo cape and skull and 1 baboon skin and skull from Mozambique.



(In 2007, I had 8 trophies mounted (full shoulder mounts) and shipped form South Africa to the US for $2,400)


I was shocked to learn that the final bill was going to be more more expensive to have the taxidermy done in RSA than in the US.

Moz is notorious for high D&P, shipping fees. It's one factor that will probably keep me away.

 

[buck wild]

I thought the fees on my crate were a bit steep till I started reading this thread. Broker fee, storage fee, and a warehouse transfer fee came to $729.00.

These were what my previous import fees were. They might have even been lower this round if the storage fees weren't applied and I would have picked up crate at warehouse myself as I usually do.

 

[Edster]

These were what my previous import fees were. They might have even been lower this round if the storage fees weren't applied and I would have picked up crate at warehouse myself as I usually do.

I’m fortunate to have a colleague that is in Boston all week long. He just swung by the warehouse and grabbed the crates on his way home.

 

[C.W. Richter]

@C.W. Richter Point well taken but the storage fees are what chap me. It wouldn’t have matter if there were 2 impalas in the crate, those fees would have been the same and apparently there isn’t anything a person can do if the fees kick in for whatever reason. You’d figure the airline would have been happy with the fees they got for shipping. I guess this is their tip.

It IS normal for US Customs to take awhile to get to your shipment (it's not just them, who also deal w/ ALL air imports, but F&WS, etc.) I've had shipments sit in a warehouse for 3 wks until cleared, at times. An unavoidable part of the adventure. Hunters not only support local economies, protect wild lands/game & non-game species, but they also pay extra TAXES everywhere they go (including on the homefront!) It's much like the Bugs Bunny episode where everyone is putting their hand out to collect a buck from the Boss. "How 'bout Me, Boss?..."

 

[C.W. Richter]

'Shocker, but I've been advised by Tanneries/Taxidermists that ATL is much more efficient than JFK in swiftly dealing with shipments. As the tannery my taxidermist typ uses is close to ATL, 'think I'll ship there in the future and have 'em pick it up (instead of at Alec Baldwin Airport).

 

[C.W. Richter]

If my memory serves me correctly, one cannot simply swing by and pick up if the shipment involves members of the porcine, primate or bovine families. It requires a letter from the taxidermist or tannery (and the shipment is supposed to go directly from the customs brokerage warehouse to them.) In any event, I simply do it because I can hit a jobsite nearby and conveniently pick shipments up. If it were far away, I'd simply have them ship it to the taxidermist or tannery for $100-$150ish (1% or less of the safari cost.)

 

[C.W. Richter]

If only automakers (and worse-dealerships) sold vehicles based upon their cost, plus a modest profit, anyone who wanted to go on safari, could (with the savings!) Even the mfrs are sending scathing letters to dealers now ("Try not to rip the customer off so much so we can sell more vehicles" et. al. Shelby sticker price ($69K). Dealer price ($129K). Even the MSRP is just wrong! Cars cost 20x more than they did in the 70s, while everything else is 5x higher.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Baltimore is a good pickup point for trophy shipments. Last one was three years ago and was done with F&W, customs, freight terminal, loaded up on the pickup truck and down the highway in less than two hours. Saved a little money doing it myself but it's impossible to escape the hose job in RSA and from the carriers.

 

[Hunt anything]

I’ve had 3 shipments cleared through Atlanta with an avg of about 5 days to clear. One was dip and pack and the other two finished taxidermy. Hopefully another shipment will be here in the next month or two. I live about six hours from Atlanta and my daughter lives there so we go visit her and pick the crate at the customs broker. That saves several hundred dollars in additional shipping costs.

 

[buck wild]

It IS normal for US Customs to take awhile to get to your shipment (it's not just them, who also deal w/ ALL air imports, but F&WS, etc.) I've had shipments sit in a warehouse for 3 wks until cleared, at times. An unavoidable part of the adventure. Hunters not only support local economies, protect wild lands/game & non-game species, but they also pay extra TAXES everywhere they go (including on the homefront!) It's much like the Bugs Bunny episode where everyone is putting their hand out to collect a buck from the Boss. "How 'bout Me, Boss?..."

These fees are not be to confused with sitting the the Customs/ USFW warehouse waiting for clearance, which as you note, might take weeks or longer. These fees were specifically bc they sat in the airline storage area waiting on Customs to take possession.