Saw a post where a fella sold his castor to groney for 20 bucks per pound..
He didn’t specify green or dry from what I remember..
Is that just cheap,, or is that the average price now …last I heard,, dry castor was around 40 per pound

Last I sold (dry castor) was at $20/lb at an OTC sale earlier this month. At the beginning of the season I was getting $30-$40

I think lure makers bought a lot last year and with the beaver market weakening maybe feel like they're well stocked for now.

It is decreasing and according to my knowledgeable source it'll probly hit 10.00 a pound before it's over..it might not sell at all for a time in the near future.

20 is the market right now......

We are still paying $25 # currently for #1 grade well handled castor. It is a very unstable market currently from what I am told.

I'm still at $40 for clean dry southern castor.

FHA on this last sale reports selling castor for $75.20/lb western select, $64.80 for #1, $44.80 for #2, and $28 for the #3.

They don't report the % of sold goods for castor.

What I’ve as least seen is when pelt price is way down castor is up and visa verse , 2 years ago average $25 per beaver pelt and $70 a pound castor now it’s in the tanks

I took the $20 and ran 3 weeks ago. Prices are headed down further.

I positively will not sell for less than $20/lb. I will take my chances at FHA before I would do that.

You have a different grade of castor than we have here Carl. $20/lb is good here right now.

Debating on weather or not to just put it in the freezer and sit on it for a potential increase or sell it in case it gets extremely stagnant market

I remember an old beaver trapper back in the day that eschewed the $7-8/lb being offered for castor for years. Had a chest freezer full of the stuff accumulate and ended up selling when the price went up to $45. If he would have waited a couple more months the price went up to $100.

I don't now if there is any moral to the story. Just a story.

Moral is you go crazy trying to time any market.

Sold what I had for $40 about a month ago. Today that same buyer is offering $20 and a bit reluctant to pay that.

Is castor graded by region or are there other factors (how it’s handled, color, etc)?

And I think BP already answered this, but can you freeze indefinitely?

Yes. Semi dry them before you freeze though to help keep them from turning dark color.

The main thing is all the buyers want light colored plump well filled castors. They should not have spent any time unfrozen in plastic as they will taint. And finally clean castor with all the red membrane having been removed.

Some buyers (like Paul) have specific criteria: ie Southern castor only.

At FHA the best grade is called "western select" and it is very light colored with full pods. That grade sells out every time with no holdover.

I’m very wary of a buyer telling me that my merchandise is on the down turn. It’s been a long time since Grd3 castor was $20/lb. I stopped looking past 2017. Lowest was $21 and some years they hung onto it. My old Gr2 went last auction for $2.80/oz.
The brokers for the hatters got their pee pee wacked and the flat early beaver aren’t worth $40 no more. A lot of trappers don’t go after ice beaver. A buyer looking for castor telling me that I better move it now because it’ll get worse is trying to take advantage of you. FHA coulda probably moved it last year, but they hung onto it. That’s where all my castor goes. A local buyer (not Mbcoonguy…lol) was way out to lunch with what he offered me. Fed me a pile of BS of what it was selling for at auction. I corrected him and said the results are public knowledge….lol.

If I recall correctly after shrinkage, commissions, and shipping came out I averaged about $37/lb on 13 lbs of nice castor I sent up to North Bay last year for the March sale. Was a little less than the $40 I averaged at assoc. sales.