Broker Fees

[shehunts2]

We went on our first trip to South Africa and have been told we don't have to pay broker fees to get our hides and horns shipped to the US. Now we're hearing another story. We've been told we can "do it ourselves" by going to SF and fill out and file the USDA / Customs paperwork and get the signatures or have a broker do it.

Orignally we were quoted around $1500.00 to have them dipped and shipped. The dip cost $1300 and now to have them shipped it's another $1500.00 and it keeps getting higher. Looking for an inexpensive way to get this done. For those of you who have "done it yourself" what is involved? And is it worth the extra $$ to have the broker do it?

 

[bpnclark]

My Dad’s friend went down to SFO and picked up two mounts and did the paperwork himself (I believe they were just 2 springboks). He said it took over +8 hours and said he would never do it again.

I received my mounts this year and had a broker out of Concord handle the paperwork. They charged +$350 (each) for their services. My brother and I drove to SFO and picked up two very large crates ourselves. It took less than an hour and we saved on the delivery fee.

If you have any CITES animals I recommend not doing it yourself.

 

[jjhack]

This should have been covered long ago with the booking agent/outfitter. What kind of business operation would tell you that a Broker is not needed in Africa? The Import broker in in the USA not Africa?

In any case if you have any primates or swine you will need a broker or a taxidermist with a Agriculture department permit. I've cleared dozens of shipments already and never had a problem. It's time consuming for sure. The storage fees can be significant from the shipper if you get the call that the crate is here, but you cannot get to it for a week. Or that the crate is in Atlanta or Houston, Etc. and you're in Chicago or some other city that is far away. How do you clear it yourself?

Broker fees are a nightmare. I have seen Flora and fauna in New York charge 450 bucks to clear two European mounts! Whole crates of trophies at more then 2000 bucks.

Somebody should have helped you make some decisions on how this was going to work long before this point. I'm not sure you're gonna do much about itt now with the shipment immenent. Get the shipper to deliver it directly to your local airport then clear it yourself. Or call and use Coppersmith for the Broker. Maybe use the Taxidermist your having mount the game get involved with this to help you.

 

[BigSwad]

We used a service in RSA for ours. It was an all inclusive which took it through Flora and Fauna in New York. Shipping and everything with the containers shipped directly to my house was $3182. That was too large containers around 6 1/2' X3 1/2' X 3 1/2'. My container held 8 animals which included my eland, kudu, gemsbok and other animals I shot and had shoulder mounts done and also all the tannery I had done. A few rifle cases, pillows, a purse, wallets, rifle slings and etc.

I don't think the broker fees were more than about $400 of that, I think for each location but don't remember the breakdown. This was via ocean freight as well. Based on other quotes we received, this one was quite reasonable.

 

[SDHNTR]

I just got a broker fee quote from Flora and Fauna for $275. This was for 6 animals. Seems very reasonable to me.

 

[jjhack]

I wish you well with Flora and Fauna, way to many people have been ripped off and I will never suggest any of my clients EVER use them again!

 

[DEERSLAM]

Nate try Hunter International. They are the broker I'm using to get some of my antlers and capes back from New Zealand. $365 for as many critters or crates you have. No hidden charges like some outfits.

 

[BigSwad]

JJ, I had no issues with them. Mine went quite smooth. I may be the exception though, but I would recommend them based on my experience. As always, I think you should have it well planned out before you go. We did our due diligence well before we left, so there were no big surprises. I didn't take anyones word for it, I got everything I needed in writing before hand.

As for the original question, I would pay a broker. But thats just me. I payed for a rifle service as well, but could have done it myself. Being it was the first time I had went to RSA, I wanted people that knew what they were doing to handle the stuff, but wanted everything documented as to what cost and process was.

 

[SDHNTR]

Hmm, first I've heard of anything negative about F&F.

 

[bpnclark]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (DEERSLAM @ Aug 28 2008, 01:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Nate try Hunter International. They are the broker I'm using to get some of my antlers and capes back from New Zealand. $365 for as many critters or crates you have. No hidden charges like some outfits.[/b]

Second recommendation for Hunter International. They were the brokers I used. My family and family friends have used them several times and no one has ever had a problem.

BigSwad – I took a risk and filled out our gun paperwork on the plane ride there. I was a little nervous but everything went really smooth. I was in and out of the airport in less than an hour. I don’t think I will ever pay someone +$100 to fill out that paperwork. Not worth it.

 

[shehunts2]

Thanks for all of the advice and we've been in contact with the broker and it seems like the price ($745.00) to take care of our big crate of 9 hides and horns will be the way to go. Sometimes it's better to just pay for the service rather than having to deal with something you don't know much about. This has been a learning experience and we have contacted our Safari guide to inform them of our disatisfaction of not being informed of the cost to get the hides and horns from South Africa to the US.

 

[SDHNTR]

Not to rub salt in the wounds but I think a lot of the responsibility lies on the shoulders of the hunter. I'm not sure it's the guide's fault. Most every hunter in Africa has a budget and a little research beforehand would have revealed that there is significant expense in getting your trophies home.

 

[BigSwad]

Yeah its definitely a learning experience. If you aren't aware of it, then its hard to react. But like SDHNTR mentioned, do some due diligence first and it will save you money and less headache later.

bpnclark, I didn't have a problem with it once. But if I go back, then I probably wouldn't use the service as I know how it works. But never having been through the process, the thought of getting my .375 H&H taken away for not wanting to spend $100 wasn't worth it to me. I am not a big risk taker when it comes to that, and thought that the service was well worth the money I spent. Next time I go though, I might just take 2 bows and then borrow a rifle if I need it from the PH. That way I can also go through England on the flight over to cut down on that long plane ride.

 

[Gray Ghost Safaris]

What JJ says is worth it's weight in gold. It's not the fault of a PH as once your trophies are delivered to a dip/pack/taxidermy company, it's out of his control. Most all of them deal with firms that pay them a commission. They usually avoid problem makers but not always. Money talks. Your booking agent or hunting consultant should be able to give you all the details...bar none. If your a DIY guy, then you best do your homework. There are a lot of snags that can happen, going and coming. I no longer use Taxidermy firms for mine, or my clients dip and pack. That cuts out 40-50% of the "overhead" payola. As for Customs Brokers, if you ever have a shipment seized, you'll thank your lucky stars for a good one. Personally, I've never had any issues with Fauna and Flora. John Meehan knows his business, and I've had Hunters call me with serious "train wrecks" where their CITES permits had expired or were incorrectly filled out. They were forced to return their shipments to the countries of origin or have them seized and destroyed by our own F&W Service. Had John been involved, their trophies would have been stored at F&F under bond and only the paperwork would have needed replacing. I wouldn't think of attempting to clear anything other than minor plains game by myself. Another good Broker is D&L out of Illinois. But as JJ mentioned, you'll need to have your trophies shipped to a licensed Taxidermist or Tannery once they clear customs if they are raw. I'm am amazed at guys who will spend $10-$30,000 on a double rifle, $30-$60,000 on an International hunt and then get burned over saving a few hundred dollars. You can save money by careful planning and talking to your agent or consultant. You have options. Good ones and bad ones. As for bringing a gun through RSA/Jo'burg; This year was the worse I've ever seen bribery. Guys that tried to check their own guns through were hassled and forced to pay "fines" because they always find something wrong, and it took them hours to clear. We went to the head of the line (probably over 100 standing there) had our In Transit permits stamped and on our way. We were only passing through to Zim. You'll pay....one way or the other. There are several good companies that will expedite you and if your needing a connecting flight the same evening...better hire one of them. Just my humble opinion, for what it's worth. Good hunting, GGS

 

[shehunts2]

Gray Ghost Safaris and all others who responded, thank you for your comments and information you provided. It is greatly appreciated. We began researching for this trip almost two years prior to going, and over all everything was great. This minor glich was our only surprise.