Trophy shipping costs

[Tundra Tiger]

Strictly for the dip and pack mine was $1150 for ten animals, and a chunk of that was for the crating. It was 50 bucks for each hide or cape and 50 bucks for each skull, to include buffalo. I brought something home from each animal, so ten animals are represented. I would add mine showed up in very good shape. One skull had a bit of damage to the bridge of the nose but I was able to fix it.

 

[QKRUNNER]

Took my first safari in July in the Eastern Cape and had the taxidermy done in Africa. Just received the shipping cost from Rex Freight in Port Elizabeth.

6,391 Total (5,482 freight, 107 terminal fee, 95 depot handling, 180 nature permits, 92 courier, 170 insurance, 265 Rex Freight)

This is far more than I expected but includes many trophies - Shoulder Mounts: Duiker, Impala, Warthog, Black Wildebeest, Kudu, Gemsbuck, Bushbuck, Blesbuck, Springbuck, Eland, Nyala. Skins: Zebra rug, female impala.

To be fair, no set price was ever promised. Being new to the game, I don't have much to reference against. My take away is to dip/pack and have taxidermy done at home on future safaris.

 

[Hunt anything]

That has to be a huge crate!! But it is amazing how much the shippers/ taxidermist can fit in a crate. Are you going have them delivered to your house or do you live close enough to the airport to go pick them up? Congratulations and post some pictures when they arrive.

 

[Troubleshooter]

Volumetric 96 Kg from Johannnesburg to San Francisco earlier this month; shipping cost using Badger Cargo was $1303.

 

[Milo]

Volumetric 96 Kg from Johannnesburg to San Francisco earlier this month; shipping cost using Badger Cargo was $1303.

Ouch

 

[JKS]

That's probably right. Mine was 64 kilos from Johannesburg to Chicago and it was $600

 

[rookhawk]

Can anyone explain how to calculate volumetric weight? For example, say a pedestal or piece of furniture may weigh very little and therefore it goes to the mysterious volumetric calculation instead. I’m not sure how that works.

 

[SFRanger7GP]

Multiply length X width X height. In most cases, you then need to divide this number by 5000. Some carriers may divide it by 4000 or some other number in order to gouge you harder.

Safe travels

 

[buckshot85]

In inches or feet? Well, maybe mm or cm?

 

[Mike B.]

My box was 133x103x68cm. I have seen all kinds of numbers using the different calculators available online for the volumetric weight. It seems like each carrier is a bit different in what number they are using so I have no idea what to give you for what mine was because it was not given to me and I wasn't the one actually dealing with the shipping agents, etc. Anyway, my shipping cost was $1900 air but I also had a buffalo in there so my options dwindled dramatically due to carrier restrictions. This was from South Africa to the States shipped this week.

 

[SFRanger7GP]

CM with the 4000/5000 divider

139-170 if you use inches.

Again, the dividing number depends on how hard they want to screw you. When I requested what formula is being used by some of the trophy shippers, they went Joe Biden on me.

Safe travels

 

[Huntforever]

I guess all depends on the company you use in South Africa. They all seem to have different rates.
Dip/Pack I use charges $180 for PG.(skull,horns,cape and back skin)
DG are different prices.
No crate fee and $100 for paperwork/permits.

If you have a Big Five in crate there are not much options on freight I found out. Turkish Airways is it for a big five in crate.

No other American airline will fly the Big 5 to the US?

 

[Hunt anything]

Here is the complete after safari cost of my 2021 safari. Trophies are, wall pedestals of bushbuck, springbok, blesbok and gemsbok, full body klipsringer and a roan with a pedestal.
Taxidermy-$4880.00
Permits, crating and shipping - $3642. SBS Logistics
Coppersmiths, clearing and transport to warehouse - $450.00
Warehouse fee- $50.00
Terminal handling fee -$215.00
Turkish airlines storage- $198.00
USDA -$28.00
CITES inspection- $93.00 (not sure about this one as I had no CITES species in the crate)
Grand total $9556.00 about $1600.00 per animal.
now off to Atlanta on Sunday to pick them up.

 

[BLJC30]

Here is the complete after safari cost of my 2021 safari. Trophies are, wall pedestals of bushbuck, springbok, blesbok and gemsbok, full body klipsringer and a roan with a pedestal.
Taxidermy-$4880.00
Permits, crating and shipping - $3642. SBS Logistics
Coppersmiths, clearing and transport to warehouse - $450.00
Warehouse fee- $50.00
Terminal handling fee -$215.00
Turkish airlines storage- $198.00
USDA -$28.00
CITES inspection- $93.00 (not sure about this one as I had no CITES species in the crate)
Grand total $9556.00 about $1600.00 per animal.
now off to Atlanta on Sunday to pick them up.

Who done the taxidermy?

 

[Hunt anything]

it was in-house taxidermy at Shaun Keeny Safaris.

 

[SFRanger7GP]

Here are some of my excessive and unnecessary fees and butt pain. Our trophies came in on Ethiopian Airlines. It landed in Dulles and was flown to Dallas without the Agriculture clearance that is needed at port of entry. Then for a month it was in storage while Customs, Agriculture and Ethiopian Airlines argued about who screwed up and whether it should be returned to Dulles, who pays return flight, who pays storage, etc. Rhonda Jones of Heart of Texas taxidermy was doing the clearing in Dallas. Not sure how she was handling the clearance screw up, but her side of the story is completely different from the daily log I was allowed to review at the storage facility.

Rhonda had promised me she would pick them up and put them in her warehouse at no extra charge. She didn't and kept insisting for me not to worry, as Ethiopian Airlines/CBP/Agriculture has to pay or write it off. Yea right! I was alerted that it would be declared abandoned if it was not picked up. I went and picked it up as I had just returned from Africa. This screw up cost me $1883 extra. If Rhonda would have picked it up as promised, it would have cost me less than half that. I won't use her again. I also won't allow the shipper to use Ethiopian Airlines again. However, even with all of those screw ups, it still came up (a lot) cheaper than most of the recommended shippers and clearing agents. But it was a total sh$t show.

The trophy shipment issues can really put a stain on a good safari, no matter how much you try to shrug it off. I think it would do the Africa Safari industry a huge favor if the PH organizations and DSC/SCI got together and found an honest and competent agency to handle shipping and clearing. They all want our money, yet this issue has caused more than one to say no more taxidermy/trophies or even no more Africa Safaris.

Safe hunting.

 

[Hunt anything]

What a cluster glad you got your trophies!

 

[Huntforever]

I agree 100% Ranger

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

Just got my estimated shipping costs for this years safari. All dip and pack
Johannesburg to Dallas
163 kg
144x108x81
$2710.00
Will still have clearance and transport costs when it hits Dallas.

 

[buck wild]

Just got my estimated shipping costs for this years safari. All dip and pack
Johannesburg to Dallas
163 kg
144x108x81
$2710.00
Will still have clearance and transport costs when it hits Dallas.

Plan on getting hit with airline storage fees once it gets to the US. Approx $300 per day for at least a few days. It's the new scam.