Hunting Websites - Price List Posted vs Enquire for Prices

[Mike70560]

It is a pity as most guys who do not post prices are honest.

That simply is not true. After a quick search of six top tier companies in Zim I found that three posted prices and three did not. I looked up four that I consider marginal or dodgy and three posted prices.

 

[johnfox]

If a hunter books a special size egKudu eg 59inch then I do think it is fair to charge an extra price as it take a great deal of time looking for the animal.

I've got to disagree with that sentence. The hunter is paying for the time whether it takes hours or days to find a animal that meets his/her preference.

It may suit some, but paying by the inch/cm isn't something I'd do. If I was fortunate enough to come across a particularly large trophy, to me, that is the luck of hunting and I'd be pretty p%ssed off if the PH said that animal is X number of dollars more expensive.

It's certainly goes the other way plenty of times.

 

[Mike70560]

That simply is not true. After a quick search of six top tier companies in Zim I found that three posted prices and three did not. I looked up four that I consider marginal or dodgy and three posted prices.

Baobab,

My apologies, I read your post wrong. I agree with you a lot of good guys do not post prices.

 

[Bobpuckett]

I've got to disagree with that sentence. The hunter is paying for the time whether it takes hours or days to find a animal that meets his/her preference.

It may suit some, but paying by the inch/cm isn't something I'd do. If I was fortunate enough to come across a particularly large trophy, to me, that is the luck of hunting and I'd be pretty p%ssed off if the PH said that animal is X number of dollars more expensive.


It's certainly goes the other way plenty of times.

I agree 100%. I for one do not like being told that an animal that is on my list when I book a hunt will cost me more if he's over so many inches. I am paying for a hunt that I expect the outfitter and PH to make as good as they can and its a good way to get your toes stomped on if we came upon a big animal and I was told it would cost me more if I want that one. I have only had something like this happen one time in all the years of my hunting and I will not give the guy a hunting report I will not give him a Recommendation and if anyone ask I will recommend others over him by a long shot. THEY WANT A TIP AND I WANT GOOD ANIMALS! They don't have to be Gold Medal but they do need to be the best they can find in the time given to hunt them.

 

[tap]

on my last safari i spent about $100,000. i to shopped around for the best deals. my point was not to find the lowest price but to find the largest animals with reputable outfitters. if prices werent listed i scratched them from consideration. as of now my safari for next year is almost complete. i have narrowed my list down for my leopard to one outfit in namibia and one in zambia. when considering who to use i did look at omanjeve or however u pronounce his name and i quickly noticed prices werent listed so he was instantly dropped from consideration. as a self employed businessman in america i have found that when my competitors list their prices and are open about everything that everything goes smoother. they will help u in the field and go out of their way to support their competitors. the guys i compete with in the oilfield who hide their prices are usually very crooked and shady people and they are never ones to be trusted. for this very reason i never consider outfitters who dont list their rates. being an american i think i can speak for all of us when i say we are sick of politics and hiding ones prices and asking prospects to contact you is a sure sign your about to play politics.

 

[Mike70560]

being an american i think i can speak for all of us when i say we are sick of politics and hiding ones prices and asking prospects to contact you is a sure sign your about to play politics.

Tap,

While I disagree with your approach to finding an outfitter I respect your method to choose your outfitter.

However you do not speak for all Americans, or at least not for one. I do not care if prices are posted on a website. It is my preference to hunt with people I know or to hunt with people that are recommended by people I trust. It is a narrow group and most are in Zimbabwe, and a couple in Tanzania and Zambia. Although I have only been four times I have had zero issues and have hunted with and without contracts. My hunts with Martin Pieters were done basically on a handshake, but I trust him.

While this may limit my prospects I feel it is a better method than excluding an operator because they do not post their prices.

I am not sure what part of the oilfield you work in, but I have been in the fab business for 30 years on the Gulf Coast. My company, my competitors, vendors, and similar businesses never post or share pricing.

 

[tap]

my argument wasnt that prices being post or not determined a good or bad outfitter but that noone wants to deal with politics of any dort while hunting. to me if an outfitter doesnt list his prices its a flag to me that i MAY be dealing with politics. my main argument was that americans dont want politics.

as for my pricing none of my competitors list prices. as far as that goes i dont kbow anyone who publicly lists prices. however if i ask a competitor what his prices are they gladly tell me and work with me whereas the cut throats never disclose anything and are a pain to deal with. as for my business i have oil rigs. i contract with oil companies to drill wells for them. yes its different than the safari industry but on a different scale its all the same.

i guess in my ideal world politics would be gone. wouldnt that be nice huh? lol

 

[joester]

Some outfitters have suggested that price changes or other updates on their websites are difficult to keep up with from the bush...I'm sure this is true, but even though I'm a low-tech guy I think that having a solid website is a 21st century business reality; Maybe using an urban computer geek as a sub-contracted webmaster is in order? If an outfitter can't maintain a website I wonder about the maintenance of the rest of the operation...just saying...

 

[Kowas Adventure Safaris]

The main reason why we do not publish the prices on our website (although the PACKAGES are available on the website), is to encourage communication with the potential client.

Potential clients could then determine how quick we respond to their enquire.

In the feedback, I then provide A LOT OF INFORMATION to the client, more than just the price list that they might request.