How do yu folks decide to group your fur at fur sales? Obviously NAFA does it for you, but what about the local trapper association sales? Is it better to group them by best coyotes to worst coyotes? Say like three groups. Or is color a better criteria? Fur density? Thanks for your thoughts.

It all depends on what the sale allows, some only allow you x amount of lots per amount of fur.
How many coyotes you have will dictate how many lots you "should" need.

Tell me how many you have and I'll help.

I will be selling 35

You probably shouldn't grope coyotes. You might could end up jail over that if your liberal buddies hear of it.

Now that is funny!! Too bad the original post got fixed. LOL

Bucksnorts, are you selling up here at Blackfoot or the UTA sale?

I think his liberal buddies would just add a C to LBGT and then demand that everyone watches them grope coyotes in public, teaches that coyote groping is preferred, in school, demand that coyotes gropers can marry their coyotes and force religious business owners to sell items to celebrate coyote groping, even if they see it as morally wrong.

Keith

with 35 I would separate into two piles lights and dark's. Take the pale pile and sort out the heavier thicker pelts into a pile of their own. separate whats left into two piles one with any slights or rubs the other should be good commercials and semi heavies.

Thank you. I appreciate your advice.

UTA. Good luck today if you are selling in Blackfoot

Lol

Thanks Buck, good luck at the UTA sale.

Monster Toms has lots of experience grouping coyotes at a Trappers sale and offers you some good advice.

From my perspective, I would do it differently. 35 coyotes is a nice catch of coyotes but it isn't an extremely large lot. And being from northern Utah, they are all probably quite similar in color (I assume). I would leave all the skins as one lot - no grading or grouping.

If you have a lot of low grade pelts - rubbed, damaged, really early - I would put those in a separate lot and put the better ones in another lot. If you have just 1 or 2 low grade pelts, leave them in your main lot.

Likewise, if you have one or two pelts that are super outstanding, you could pull those and offer separately. Some trappers do this to try and have the top dog price wise at a sale. It takes a very special pelt to bring top price as some buyers like to pick out a single pelt that is very nice and they pay an over the top price for it, just so every one talks about that price. Cheap advertising.

In studying the data from the Oregon fur sales for a number of years, there isn't much difference overall in the average of a trappers pelts if he sells them in one group or in "graded" groups. It all works out about the same.

From a buyers perspective, multiple small lots are more time consuming to price than one big lot. It may only be a couple of minutes but when a sale has 500 plus lots, a minute here and 2 minutes there can add up. And since buyers are in a crunch to get their bids in by the deadline, an extra half hour can be crucial.

Bottom line - there is no perfect way to group your pelts. Consider all options and decide what is best for you.

Good Luck at the Utah sale.

Like I said before IF they let you have multiple lots split them, as Nancy says in small trapper sales especially on tables, pales and dark's split apart is best. If you are only allowed a couple lots, try to make notes of other lots to get an idea what different groupings sell for.

You must have a different sale or lot method then the local association auctions we held or I sold at in the past. If you have a lot of buyers the fur was pretty much sorted for you after the first buyer went through the lot.

Bryce

Thanks Wissmiss and Toms. I appreciate your input. I have another friend that is a buyer and he suggested them all together too except bad ones. Iwill think about my strategy. I have watched buyers go through the fur before and it looks pretty intense the way you have to look at every hide and make your best offer while trying to compete with the others. Not easy. Thanks again.