Merry Christmas folks!
Just a quick question,
I got a phone call this morning from an older gentleman looking to have foxes skinned, fleshed and boarded. Just wondering what others are charging for this service?

I wouldn't do it for less than $10. Anything I have to turn is $10 minimum. Holes are Xtra. Fortunately, I found my way out of the fur finishing business about 6 years ago.

It would depend on If he Is going to sell them to the fur market or is He going to tan them. If he's going to tan them then they don't need to be turned.
But $10.00 per fox would not be out of line.

Down here someone would have to give the foxes to me and then I would put them up for myself.....but I see you're in Canada...they're worth a little more...

I was thinking about half that. i can easy do four fox in an hour and probably a few more than that. Even at $5.00 per fox that's not bad money.

With the current market $10.00 to skin, flesh and board might be close to what a fox is worth.

$6.00 on fox. Pretty easy critter to put up

That's terrible money. When I was finishing fur, the amount of time to put up the animal was only part of the equation. I had to supply the building, heat the building, supply sawdust, borax, stretchers and staples or pins, etc... If they aren't worth putting up, then they aren't worth putting up. If you wish to donate your time and money to someone, that's fine, but it wasn't much fun finishing thousands of skins each season, so the money was a bit more necessary when I was in the business.

i didn't and don't take those things into consideration because if I was doing it I'd be using heated building and supplies for putting up my own furs. That stuff wouldn't be used exclusively for a customer. Or I'd be using the the customers heated building, materials and supplies.

Or I'd be doing it for more than one customer so I wouldn't have to charge one guy $30.00 per fox to break even.

Business 101.

As far as heat, which would probably be the biggest expense, my fur shed is only heated about two hours each day. Furs dry fine in the cold dry winter air, even when frozen overnight.

Hey Lugnut, I wasn't trying to beat you up, I was just pointing out some of the additional things that should be taken into consideration. My experience for the first couple of years putting up fur was a sore back and not much money. Lol. BTW, I have I taken the BUS 101 course as well as attaing my MBA... The rest, I learned through the school of hard knocks.

It’s all good trapperkeck. I’ve never skinned for pay, only what I put up for myself.

Congratulations on your MBA, I hear they can be quite valuable when put to good use.

I don’t have an MBA but I have been running a construction/remodeling business as well as a property management business for the last thirty-plus years.

After losing money and having my employees make more money than me on some jobs during the early years, I learned the hard way what to do and what not to do. Like you, I graduated from the school of hard knocks.

It would depend how many this older gentleman had. If it was just a few for the season do a good turn and hook him up for nothing.
If it was a weekly chore that would be a different thing

You could do it for 1 guy cheap, but not 2. If it gains you more business, I'd say you'd have to raise your price.

Do the work in trade for something like hunting or trapping territory.

I guess it depends on if you're helping an old friend or you're doing it for money,