Don't know if the current situation in the mid-east will affect the market or not, but it sure has been interesting this late winter. Deep south cats averaging over a hundred...the good westerns averaging around a thousand or slightly less.

I'm trying to figure out what to do for minimums at the ITA sale this Saturday. Last June (my) similar cats averaged $265 at FHA and graded either heavy or semi-heavy western B or B-C bellies. One titty belly female brought that average down or it would have been about $300. Is the market even hotter now?

I think the Chinese are really pushing the market but they get a lot of their energy from Iran. On the other hand, if crude sky rockets in price that will have Russians with full pockets and they are the heavy western cat end user aren't they?

Any thoughts?

A lot of secrecy involved in the market. From time to time I get a little tidbit of gossip about inner-workings but with the understanding I'm to not repeat or make public anyway.

There is no good Chinese food without cats. Top secret ally thing.

Don't let greed lose u $

Then why ask us

Was hoping for thoughts from those on here that have insights on the market. I'm more of an open book kind of guy unless I've been forbidden to share something.

I don't have any insights, i know watching the sale in Ms. made zero sense to me. I didn't see that many 100 dollar cats, what i did see is 5 dollar brown bellied kitten cats bringing too much money! That sale still isn't making sense to me and i can't honestly say THAT is the current cat market, I don't know what went on with that sale.

As for Russia wouldn't all the sanctions keep them on the sidelines? I know our southern coon was the thing for them for a decade and now they are a dime a dozen but only if someone is wanting to make teddy bears out of them.

lol …. I should have rode over partner… might be a one time opportunity?

Yep them buyers be on food stamps next Feb. probably, lol

Don't fool yourself...from what I hear Russia has little problem getting stuff in sanction or no. Gotta have them oligarch's sweeties wearing the best money can buy.

My two cents worth, for what it's worth !

The guy buying the fur that high has a deal with a private buyer some where, and is taking the chance like a gold miner on a hot pocket of dirt !!

Nobody advertises the sales over. As far as the war, the timing isn’t good. Give this fur market a chance to run.

I'll know more after this weekend. lol

Talked to a small time local buyer who was at the Prineville sale, he told me he didn't understand the cat market right now, he graded out some of those cats at the sale and didn't understand what they sold for or exactly what the buyers buying them were looking for. For what it is worth, he is taking his cats to Glenns Ferry this weekend.

I always hem haw on minimums and tend to go low. I put the minimum at the minimum I am willing to take for a particular cat, if I sold everything at my minimum I wouldn't be happy, but if I sell some at my minimum and some at double my minimums I end up walking away happy. I took some home one year that didn't meet my minimum and sent them to Furharvesters (I have NEVER been happy with my experiences with Furharvesters the few times I have dealt with them and absolutely don't trust them) it took two years to sell those cats and they sold lower than the minimums I had on them at Glenns Ferry. On the other hand I took three home one year that didn't meet my minimums, took them back the next year with the same minimums on them, and sold them for almost triple my minimums. Haven't had a cat offered under my minimums for the last two, maybe three years.

Just from a memory of the pics of your cats on here, without having them laid out in front of me to grade, I would expect you to probably hit in the 275-300 average, but that doesn't exactly help with minimums on individual cats. Price varies so wildly that one or two good cats can bump your average a lot. One thousand dollar cat makes up for several hundred dollar cats. And I expect you have some hundred dollar cats in that group of coastals.

Ask wissmiss.

bearcat, I've had the same experience as you with fur harvesters...but last year I really made out well by shipping them when they didn't meet my minimums. I had my two best cats last year parking lot sold (K. Falls) to Pappas @ $200 each. At FHA my third best cat fetched $360 a couple of months later.

Those $200 cats were sold after the sale when they didn't get my $150 minimum.

Or....he just watched what happened last June at FHA on the commercial grades and has contacts that say the market is still rising and figures it's a risk worth taking.

I've been told that a lots of the cats being bought at the western sales will be at FHA in June. Have no idea how accurate that is.

"I've been told that a lots of the cats being bought at the western sales will be at FHA in June. Have no idea how accurate that is."

It's not accurate. It sounds like something Nancy would say. At one time possibly but things have changed.

I know one of the big buyers Pappas also buys at FHA. Just based on what I saw last June I could have made a killing buying my grade of cats at the western sales and flipping them in a couple of months at FHA for about 300% profit.

Another thing...why in the heck do buyers measure the backs (on cats) when it is the belly where the money is? I mean heck, even back in the nutria hay-days they measured the bellies because that was the desired fur on a nutria.

Only gamble what you can afford to lose.



In the fur industry skins are measured from the the nose to base of the tail.
Its easier to get the size from the back.