Welcome
@REB1136! Yes, taxidermy can become a can of worms. The basics of it are that in general the prices in Africa are less, but the shipping of finished animals is quite a bit higher than just horns and skins. So the question is always going to be will the cheaper shipping offset in general higher prices for taxidermy in the USA.
The rub is the shipping. It is very difficult to estimate this and be able to know what the offset will be. In one discussion you may have seen, Dennis
@The Artistry of Wildlife did a workup for
@Royal27, and in Royal's case, Dennis would have been the less expensive route. With Dennis being an award winning taxidermist.....well you get the idea.
I'd encourage you to know who your taxidermist would be here in the US and what his prices will be before making a decision. Yours still may be more costly, but there is something to be said for having him on this side of the ocean and available to resolve any issues. Once your work has arrived from Africa, you pretty much own it as is or have to pay someone here to deal with. How much is that worth to you? That is for you to decide.