So for the sake of those who may read this thread in the future, let's see if I can come up with an accurate summary regarding taxidermy being done in the U.S. versus Africa.
A few days ago, Dennis
@The Artistry of Wildlife started a thread comparing costs that
@Royal27 paid for taxidermy on a previous safari versus what he would have paid Dennis. By Dennis' numbers in comparison to what Royal provided him, it turns out that Royal actually paid more that he would have paid Dennis. As to whether or not the quality of Relive's work versus what Dennis would have provided is from the comfort of my recliner impossible to say. I would say based off of what Dennis' peers say via the awards he has received, that Relive does not do a better job. So quality being considered at best equal, Royal paid more for the same. Sorry Royal, not meaning to rub salt into a wound. Now this was just one data point and I don't think Dennis was implying that this would be the case for everyone. My take from that thread was you may not be saving anything at all, you may be in fact paying more but even if you are saving some money it may not be worth it. The latter part of that last sentence is the rub. If you do save money having the work done there, just how much do you need to to make it worth it to you? The answer to that question is subjective and up to the guy paying the bill.
That thread can be seen here:
http://www.africahunting.com/threads/my-studio-vs-african-studio-a-match-up-costs.30027/
This thread was started after and I presume in response to Dennis' thread. The title of the thread asks the question can you save having your taxidermy done in Africa? Well there's no question you
CAN when it's all said and done, pay less. The numbers in the first post of this thread need correcting. First the numbers that Bill provided that Dennis would have charged are off by $3500 when you add them up. Those numbers also do not reflect the 10% discount Dennis gives for the volume of work. That would be an additional $3100 or so. So if you back out the total of $6600 (3500 + 3100) you end up with a proposed $32,000 Bill would have paid Dennis versus the roughly $26,000 he did pay. So he saved about $6000, or paid roughly 20% less. No big surprise there, Dennis said himself he would have been about 20% higher.
One observation of Bill's case that stands out is the giraffe. The cost difference there was the most significant. If that work was not part of the bundle, the delta between Dennis / Relive would shrink considerably. Dennis would still be more, but not quite so much either in dollars or as a percentage. I mention this only because I think it safe to say that not many hunters will do a shoulder mount of a giraffe due to its size. As such and in order for those that read this thread, this particular item, unless you're planning on having a giraffe mount done, should probably be removed to get a more useful comparison.
So we have two cases identified. One where the customer paid more than he would have if he went with Dennis and this one where Bill paid less. My own experiences support both of these cases. The taxidermist for my first safari was in RSA and specifically LifeForm. Why LifeForm? Because that's who my outfitter used and I hadn't done my homework. LifeForm does in my opinion very good work and I think they're one of the better outfits in RSA, but you pay for that. In the end there's no question in my mind that I paid overall more than I needed to. My second safari the work was done far cheaper and I'm quite certain that I paid less by having the work done there. Most of that work however is okay, average. Additionally instructions weren't followed. Finally the full mount of my son's African Wild Cat is at best quite poor. Take that piece out and I'm not really disappointed, but I'm not terribly impressed either. I got mostly what I paid for.
So a few things to consider:
1) The first question to ask isn't can you save, the question is
WILL you save by using a taxidermist over there versus here?
2) If the answer to the first question is yes, then you have to ask how much?
3) After determining (guessing?) the answer to number 2 then ask if the quality of the work you think you'll receive will meet your normal expectations? If the answer to that question is no, then you need to decide if the cost savings is worth what to you is less than your expected quality?
4) Also take into consideration the intangibles. While communication with a taxidermist in Africa is certainly not impossible, it is somewhat problematic if for no other reason than the time change. If you live in the west like I do, it's that much worse due to the larger time change. What happens if there is a problem? I think it's safe to say that handling that issue with a taxidermist here versus in Africa is much easier.
5) Trophy clearance has for some reason come into the discussions. This in my opinion is noise. Whether one uses Coppersmith, F&F, SSI or clears the trophies themselves has no bearing when deciding on whether or not to do your taxidermy here or there. Whether it be finished work or skins/horns, the normal clearance procedures will come into play.
The issue really comes down to shipping. It is fairly easy to request price lists from the taxidermists and to possibly negotiate discounts for volume and compare those costs. But whether one saves or not is determined by the combined less expensive taxidermy costs but higher shipping bill from Africa in comparison to the more expensive taxidermy but lesser shipping bill by having done it in the U.S.
But determining that shipping cost of taxidermy from Africa is so hard to determine. Add to this that shipping costs likely vary with fluctuations in the cost of oil and it gets that much more complicated. I volunteered to collect data from those willing to share it, but I'm now rethinking this. It seems to me what we really need is a way to pre-determine what the shipping cost will be or at the very least a reasonable, in the ball park number. Robert SSI, I wonder if you have any ideas regarding this?
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