Do fur buyers generally dock much $ for pelts that have a few knife holes, but have been sewed prior to sale?

Here"s one I did a few years ago and I had no damaged grades in the coyotes I shipped that sale: https://trapperman.com/forum/ubbthreads....9689/Words/sewi

Don't ever recall any downgrade for sewed up pelts.
Just don't send them with big holes in 'em.

Thanks for the info.
I would never send 1 in with big holes, but are you saying it's ok to not sew some small holes?

If your pelts with good size holes aren't being downgraded, then either the buyer/grader isn't paying attention or you've done a good enough job to fool them into thinking it is an undamaged pelt.

When it comes to the furrier, a hole is a hole is a hole. If he/she ends up paying top price for a group of pelts and half of them turn out to be damaged, they are going to be more cautious in the future about whatntheynhave their broker/buyer pay.

I'm not saying you shouldn't make the effort to clean up around a hole and sew it shut, but you shouldn't expect to receive top dollar for a such a pelt. It is damaged - no matter how well it is sewn.

When it comes to leather out pelts (muskrats, Raccoon, otter, mink) and open pelts (beaver), sewing holes is sort of a waste of time. When it see a muskrat with several bite marks on the back that have been neatly stitched shut, I still grade that muskrat as damaged. I don't pay extra for the time and effort you put into sticking the holes shut.

Obviously a trapper should take pride in presenting well handled pelts. But one of the reasons to sew pelts like coyote or fox is too fool the buyer/grader. IMO

For sending to a tannery, I figure a hole (big or small) should be sewed to keep it from breaking open worse during the tanning process. I don't know much about the tools or methods that tanneries use though.
I figured fur buyers and auction houses would want it sewed, otherwise I assume someone down the line would have to sew it. I suppose they have professionals they trust that can sew it better than the average person.
I'm glad Nancy cleared this up some, because I was wondering why a fur buyer wouldn't dock for a sewn pelt. I can only imagine that hole creates a weak spot whether sewn or not. I mean how could they use it in a garment if it had a hole in it...

The guy who bought my pelts said to sew any holes larger than a dime. (I think this was his first year as a fur buyer though.)
I tried tanning part of a fox I picked up on the side of the road. (No foxes where I live, so even though it was destroyed, I decided to mess with it.) I found out pretty quick in the breaking process that you want to sew holes before tanning because if you try to break, they'll get wider, so this leads me to believe that sewing them probably does more than conceal the hole.

I've either worked for or dealt with quite a few fur buyers, when talking about holds in fox or coyotes and bobcats first remove any bullet burn or red rim around the hole.
I've seen where a bullet literally cut/ burned the fur it grazed the side never hitting meat so to speak, this also needs to be cut out and stitched up.
I've normally put some borax on the area where I've sewn up a pelt, washing it and brushing afterwards doesn't hurt it to much unless it's a bobcat I never liked washing them.
Even spaces between the stitches helps also some turn into a patchwork quilt of sorts to figure out how to make the fur look right again no matter if it was from a rifle or shotgun it will make you shake your head and wonder if you keep after it long enough.
Allan

What does the borax do Allan?

It just helps take any of the moisture out of the area of the stitches and any bad bacteria that may bring a strong or bad odor a red flag if you will to some fur buyers.
I've had customers drop off 30-50 coyotes at a time from them hunting off snowmobiles and they weren't hung by a hind leg in a cool shed or barn, generally they were thrown into a pile and left until I got there or they brought them to me.
Stay Safe out there !
Allan

Sorry I got carried away pressing the submit button ha ha

Your job is to fool the grader/buyer. A hole does not make a pelt worth far less than a pelt without a hole to a fur sewer. Just another scheme to get your pelt for less than it is worth. Tanners put more holes in my pelts than I have ever done. It does not really give me heartburn. According to the experts here, wild fur is used primarily as trim. That would mean most are cut into smaller pieces. When cutting patterns, I can work around holes or rubs. Sewing up a hole or cutting out bad spots do not add significant labor to my job as a fur sewer. Unless the pelt is really bad and full of holes, the end user will not take it in the shorts because they bought your pelt as a #1 and it was a slight damaged. 5% or better of your #1 super selects are probably going to come back from the tanner slight damaged to the guy who bought them anyway. Of course, they will blame it on the trapper.

. I don't believe I've ever tryed to cheat any buyers out of any fur that I've ever sent. Whether it be NAFA or FHA. For the few that I have sewn it's about making it through the tumbling process and offering a good pelt. One thing I've noticed is to make sure your sewing leather to leather and not getting the mucus or slimy membrane on the leather.

IMO it's not a matter of trying to cheat the buyer. It's a matter of presentation and obtaining the best possible price for my pelts.

I don't know, I sent 1 coyote last year and 1 this year that I had stitched a little on just to make the fur look better. Every time I do this I get docked for damage on the pelt. Even if it is a small hole that has been repaired. Not trying to hide anything but I still get docked for damage.