Ive done a few things in my life that I'd say I was a professional at and have learned the worst people to have to deal with or to try to convince that something won't work or that you know isn't practical are the ones that have the least amount of knowledge on the subject.....
Kind of like when your wife says something she wants done shouldn't be that hard but she has no idea how to do it

The question is;" Would it be profitable?" Many times it has been.

"Despite the current global situation and the weakening of the US dollar, Fur Harvesters Auction realized respectable prices and exceptional clearances on most items sold May 20, 2003.

Since our February 2003 auction, the Canadian dollar has strengthened 15 points to the US dollar. Although the actual US selling price of beaver rose over February's average, this increase will not carry forward to Canadian shippers in a positive way.

The situation with SARS and its effect on the Chinese market has brokers and manufacturers of goods destined for this market place, very uneasy. As business in China has slowed to less than a crawl, we feel fortunate to have sold otter at only 5% less than February's level and cleared 98% of our offering. With the world questioning the magnitude and duration of this virus, we feel fortunate to have this sale over and done with. Positions like this are not easily taken and like all decisions taken here, we put our shippers first. Our competitor's decision to postpone their May auction and partner with Copenhagen Fur Center and sell in June could not have been easy as well. As Seattle was, and continues to be SARS free, our decision was strongly justified. Whereas Toronto is deemed North American headquarters for this virus, many buyers would have cancelled rather than risk contacting SARS.

Will the SARS concern be cleared up by June and will the American dollar strengthen to February's level? Our thoughts on both questions were no and our position was to stay the course. If by our June 23, 2003 auction, conditions do improve, we are very optimistic sales of wild fur will improve accordingly.

The market and interest continues to be very strong on wild fur. It is the poor mix of the world's current situation at this time hindering it. Such issues are beyond our control and must be endured. I hope this report finds you and your family healthy and safe, as this is what is most important.

Respectfully,

Mark Downey
Chief Executive Officer"

Yep, along with the people who have done things one way and think that's the only way to do things just because they've done it that way forever.

Again I just want an auction company to auction my fur. They say they will hold the valuations if sold pt but that has not happened. Selling in the bargain basement(pt room) is not an auction. It is being a middle man with my fur while making money on the buyer and the shipper. You guys defending this kind of business have a screw loose. It is not an auction. LLL

LL remember when Herman was the expert we were all supposed to shut up and listen to?

TRUE DAT, LLL !!!!

Spot on the money !!!!

walleyed

Exactly what I want as well LLL, however if FHA is firm with reasonable valuations some of our fur may never sell. The competition is able to buy large quantities of fur very cheap. Using high volume and mechanized processing is able to keep margins low, undercutting auction prices. As long as it remains profitable to move large volumes of fur cheaply they have cornered the fur market, with no incentive for higher prices.

LLtrapper - so what you are saying is that the only time FHA should sell goods is during a live open auction. In this case, that would be twice in 2021. April and some time in the summer. The other 50 weeks of the year, the fur sits there. Right??

Remember the old days when Pleuger posted on here frequently, the debate was "who sets the market?"
Well it is pretty clear who is setting the market these days.

Until they actually have an auction and start at a dime, then it would be they have to hold the line. The way things are going some of you might get your wish, sell everything for whatever.

They have to sell so much fur other wise they will go under.

Exactly what the competition is hoping for.

They said that themselves. We will hold the valuations in the pt. Read it for yourself. That is not what happened. Why say something and do the opposite and expect that I will be happy? If they are going to sell them at a lower price in the PT room in a backroom deal why in the world would anyone buy at an auction? I have no issue with them selling them after the auction but at least keep it close to the values that they put on the fur at the auction or you might as well call them a brokerage. How many furs did they sell of yours this year in the PT room Miss Wiss? Did you get the valuation they put on them? I think I know both answers but if the answer is none to either then I do not know how your opinion really matters. LLL

Why are bobcats and river otter still on a CITES list when they are obviously not a critter of "concern" anymore, even if they ever were one? The two producing nations of these furbearers and the end user countries of their fur should get together and tell the other countries who insist on this extra paper work to "kiss" off. Of course, the 2 NA producing countries won't, especially with the current administrations in place. But it would nice if they did.

A college professor/colleague of mine, a liberal guy in the old sense of the word, has told me a story several times of some form that the U.S. Dept of Commerce supposedly "needed" to be filled out for maritime business. Someone with power got around to actually asking "why was it need?". After investigation, it appeared that the genesis of this form had started in the John Adams administration when there were serious tensions with France and the U.K....

My opinion matters because every one’s opinion matters. Even Boco and Beav.

To answer your question - I didn’t sell any fur at FHA this past season.

Bobcat and river otter are still on the endangered species list not because they are rare and endangered but because they are very similar to species that are rare and endangered. Like the giant otter and other Lutra Species in South America.

The people in the various governments around the world, especially in China and SEAsia, need the tags to tell the species apart and know which ones are legal to buy and sell.

Maybe they realize their valuation was to high?? Unless you have a market cornered on the supply or demand side its a little hard to just set the price. Im assuming most understand the risk selling at an auction house. Sometimes you win sometime it wasn't the best choice. Unless you think they are just straight up cheating you I don't see were the problem is. Being involved in the cattle market and auctions my whole life I've never seemed to hit the top and rarely have got what I hoped to but have learned thats the name of the game. Some people just shouldn't sell at an auction house im thinking. FHA has came across as trying to what was best for me as best they can with my limited experience and so far I will continue to trust them.

to someone they may. LLL

That’s exactly how I think it should work. Maybe have a 3rd auction or even a 4th for the year. Every 4 months would be sufficient.
You buy what you think you’ll need and wait for the next auction. If you buy too much, then you buy less at the next auction or you can sell to another company that didn’t buy enough.

This will sell our fur at higher prices because people will need it. This is their chance!

No BS PT room buying.

I don’t get Christmas whenever I want. I need to wait for December. 25th every single time!

Yea but then all the children cry that their stuff is not sold.
I am of the opinion that they should sell the fur that they recieve freely into the market,whatever that market is.
If trappers dont like the raw fur market conditions they have three options available-get out of the profession, hold their own fur,or find a market outside the raw fur market.
Or a combination thereof.Letting the carpetbaggers put limits on what the auctions can sell their fur for should be scrapped.
I think I will bring this up with my director to bring forward at the next board of directors meeting.