I’m extremely new to trapping and have just heard about nafa. Can anyone explain the whole process. What’s the normal price for a coyote and raccoon. When are the auctions.

Check out their website.


Basically they have a few auctions each year.


The way I've do it is but taking my finished fur to an agent. From there it goes to them. Gets graded and auctioned.


There is no "price". It's an auction. A very BIG auction. Sometimes stuff sells well and it all sells. Other times you might have fur held by them for a long time...I had coon not sell right when the market started dropping. They sort of set a reserve I believe. Eventually they let them all go for whatever they brought.


You can see past auction clearance and average prices but you also have to know your sections and how your fur might grade....


Lots of other info I'm sure but that gets you started..

NAFA only accepts stretched and dried pelts. If you aren't putting up fur and want to sell green, you will need to do so locally or at your state sale.

When you send your pelts to NAFA they are intersorted (graded) into lots with fur from a lot of other trappers. If you send them 25 Raccoon, they could easily end up in 25 different lots, based on size, color, clarity, damage, etc.

NAFA has 3 auctions this year. The first one is the end of February. It is too late to get fur on that sale. Their big sale is in June. Then they have a cleanup sale in August. Generally the May/June sale is the biggest.

There are fees involved to sell through NAFA. Commissions, drumming (if you send long hair fur), CITES fees (if you send otter or bobcat). All of these fees are deducted from your check. Checks are mailed 3 weeks after the last day of the auction. From the time you send your fur to the time you get your check could be as long as 3 months.

NAFA does put values on the pelts they offer for sale. This is what they think the pelts are worth on the international market. This is the price they attempt to get in the auction room. But they will sell the pelts for what ever they think is a fair price. Once you ship your fur to NAFA it is gone. You have nothing to say about what it brings or when it sells. The furs could sell at the first auction or they could sit there for several years.

If you are just starting out trapping, I would suggest you try to sell locally. A local buyer will be able to explain why he is pricing the pelts the way he is and he can also offer helpful tips on improving your fur handling and how to get more money for your fur. If you send to NAFA, you will get a grade sheet along with your check but you won't know which pelt is which. Some times new trappers think one pelt is worth more than another and they are right but they don't know exactly which pelt brought what at NAFA.

That's just some general comments to help you get started. Good Luck where ever you sell.

Thanks Nancy/WissMiss for all the info...however...

NAFA *does* accept green fur. There will be a charge, of course, which is deducted from your fur check, and noted as such on your account.

As always...the best way to get correct information about NAFA is to contact your Collector/Agent. To find out who your Agent is you can call the NAFA US Headquarters in Stoughton, Wisconsin at 608-205-9200.

NAFA’s website has a wealth of information too.

Richard

Make it Priority number one to learn how 2 correctly put up your fur. Wherever you decide to sell

This sums it up the best and hold true. for when I use to sell by them. not anymore for how they went from years ago . Now I deal with a local buyer that for me is fair with me and I am with him. I do put up all my own furs. I know that at one time NAFA took green furs .I did not know they still do.I know the one that was doing them up for them stop from the past post stated when they had there fire sale on coon.

OP, just want to clear-up a misconception you might have; furs are sold at NAFA, not sold "to" NAFA.
NAFA is an auction house, they don't buy anything.

I'm a pickup spot for NAFA. I was told they don't pick up green fur by the agent who picks it up for NAFA.

I'm thinking the green fur issue at NAFA is agent by agent and with certain conditions - like the fur is dropped off at the agents place and he makes arrangements to have it put up.

NAFA used to have a wild fur processing facility in Wisconsin. I heard that it closed a couple of years ago.

I can see NOT taking green fur on the pick up route - those items could be rather ripe by the time the truck reaches Wisconsin and is unloaded.

When I put up fur for NAFA we got tons of green skinned critters. In fact we handled lots of carcass critters also. So they must have come from some where.

They came from me and my partner. Too bad somebody lost them.

I know, it never happened.

I still have 30 rats floating around up there somewhere from last year. Some apparently were sold, but "credited to my account" instead of sending a check. Also if you sell at NAFA there's an annual membership fee and they keep a commission for selling them for you.

There is a $10.00 "magazine subscription" that is taken out of your check. You can opt out. Magazine comes out twice a year. Some trappers find it useful, others not so much. Some times has Fur grading articles.

You can also join the Wild Fur Shippers council for a fee. Gets you a 2% reduction in commission plus some other perks.

Lots of stuff involved when selling through NAFA. Not as simple as going to your llocal buyer and leaving with a check.

I have seen pickup trucks loaded with frozen coon carcasses at NAFA stops. Also beaver but not a 100 plus.

Bryce