Seems like not a lot beaver to me? Maybe the May sale will have more

The cost to travel to North Bay to buy 100 coyotes is cost prohibitive.

If some one (any one) wanted those 100 coyotes they would have bought them at the May sale. Given the state of the coyote market, if I hadn’t bought them in November, they would still be there after the upcoming sale. The lots I bought had been through at least 3 auctions. Maybe FH should have taken them out and burnt them.

What does the auction house have to gain by giving the fur away?

Why even entertain PT on beaver? Before, during or after makes no sense in this beaver market. Makes no sense for the trapper.

Maybe FH should have taken them out and burnt them.

Yep

I’m getting the popcorn out, I see this thread degrading into another FHA bashing thread. Jesh if you don’t like how FHA operates don’t send fur there . I talked this morning with the buyer that bought most of the beaver at the recent Herkimer, NY auction, and he told me he sent several hundred beaver to FHA. So I don’t understand why so many would rather sell to a middle man at local auctions that also charge a commission, than sell direct to FHA ?

Who said anything about PTing beaver?

FH needs to make money to stay in business.

They don’t make money by burning goods or by letting pelts sit in their warehouse.

They made over $350.00 on the 100 coyotes I bought. May seem like chump change but it all ads up in the big picture.

Looks like beaver numbers are up about 14,000 more than last year's March sale.

I'm going to give the scenario. FHA sets a minimum offering price at the Auction to start the bidding process. Nobody bids. After fur has been offered at this price and nobody bid and it did not sell, the fur is offered PT for 10% more than it was offered by Auction. How is this selling fur cheap? And how is this bad for the trapper?

Assuming your scenario is actually what happens. Seems like a win win for every one.

But if PT sales weren’t allowed, those pelts would sit there for another 3 or 9 months. Who knows what the market would do in that time. Could go up. Could go down. Could stay the same. Perhaps a bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush.

With PT sales, shipper gets his money. FH makes their commission and empties space in their warehouse. Win win.

I fixed it for you, Nancy !!!

w

How do buyers steal the pelts and shippers get robbed?????

According to dirt’s scenario, the shippers got 10% MORE than FH wanted in the auction room.. if anything, the buyers over paid!!

Is that 10 percent negotiable ,..meaning, sure it was offered at such. Does that step down?,..I don't know.
From a buyer perceptive I would feel better if I lost in initial bidding and could recoup private treaty sales.

Take the flippin’ PT room away and people will be bidding. Duh

I agree with you Squash. I see it the same way. I wish I could have got my beaver onto the FHA sale but with no agent in our area and shipping not feasible I'm forced for now to sell via local auctions.

Have you ever listen to one of the sales . Most times there is very little bidding going on. Most fur is bought, it appears, at the minimum offering price. If there is real action, nothing ever goes PT.

lets try this scenario. I am a manufacturer of bobcat coats. So I got enough inventory to last me thru the selling season .Nancy runs the fur dept. at a high end store in Beverly hills. September a couple very rich men come in the store and they say to Nancy we want to buy ten bobcat coats for Christmas gifts. Now Nancy calls me and says I got these rich buyers who want 10 bobcat coats. I say Nancy I do not have enough inventory on hand to make the 10 coats. Nancy says to me, I will give you a 100 grand on top of the price to get it done. So I call up Mark at Fur Harvesters and say I need 100 good bobcats. Do you think for a minute he is gonna say sorry I can't sell them to ya till next March. If you owned the bobcats would you rather Mark hold them until next march auction or sell them at a strong market price now?

I disagree. If the buyers do not want or need the goods they will not bid. Unless they can set the price, which FH will not allow them to do. FH sets limits and sticks to those limits most of the time.

When I went to buy my 100 eastern coyotes in November - 6 months AFTER the May sale - they had over 5,000 eastern coyotes for me to choose from. Plus who knows how many western and central coyotes. Those coyotes were NOT bid on at the May sale. No body wanted them. I’m willing to bet that the bulk of the unsold coyotes from the May 2023 sale will be on the upcoming sale in March. And again, unless FH lowers the value, no one will want them again. So they continue to sit.

Squash - you don’t sell TO FH. You sell through FH. They are a middle man.

If you want to eliminate the middle man, sell directly to the manufacturer. If you can find him and if you have what he needs.