BLUF: My total cost for export from SA, air freight, and US import of my 128 x 118 x 98 crate of finished taxidermy was $2248.
With shipping being one of the biggest unknown costs of a safari, I think it's important to share current costs to help others plan and budget. There are too many stories of people leaving their finished trophies there after being hit with an unexpected shipping quote and not being prepared to navigate the process.
I received notice from my SA taxidermist that our mounts from our 2023 safari were about to be wrapped up in mid June. Their "preferred shipper" immediately followed up with a shipping quote. I took the crate dimensions and shopped it around a bit and Badger Cargo quoted a price $500 lower, so I informed both parties that's who I would be using.
Everything was finalized with the taxidermy and I settled up with them on 7/15 and made sure they were in contact with the shipper. Badger had my crate in their facility on 7/22. Export documentation was done and I settled up with the shipper on 7/29. Their final bill of $2006 came in slightly lower than the original quote. I had selected Delta due to price, but at the last minute the carrier was switched to Turkish. Pieter explained to me that there had been significant delays in Atlanta due to new inspection protocols with trophy imports so he switched carriers to avoid the fiasco in Atlanta and possible storage fees for me. My cost would remain the same but the new itinerary was JNB-IST-IAH, allowing me to clear everything in Houston where I would be picking up.
My crate left JNB on 8/5 and arrived at IAH on 8/7. I headed up to the airport the next morning with my documents and went to the WFS warehouse for Turkish. The woman at the front desk confirmed my crate was there and as I expected there was a customs hold on it. I drove over to the customs office with my documents and spoke with Agriculture, USFWS, then Customs and they released the hold. Drove back to the warehouse, paid their fee of $242 and went to their loading dock. Waiting for someone on a forklift to get my crate and load it into my truck was the longest part of the ordeal. WFS was very busy with truckers and hotshotters and arriving cargo. My crate was in the US less than 24 hrs before it was in my possession and I avoided any storage fees ($225/day minimum at Turkish). It took me a half day to go get it, including the 2hr round trip. It's a great feeling when you finally get your hands on your trophies!
Crate 128 x 118 x 98cm, 133kg gross weight, 231kg chargeable
10 animals - 6 shoulder mounts, 3 skulls, 3 flatskins, various backskins.
No CITES, swine, or primates. All fully finished.
With shipping being one of the biggest unknown costs of a safari, I think it's important to share current costs to help others plan and budget. There are too many stories of people leaving their finished trophies there after being hit with an unexpected shipping quote and not being prepared to navigate the process.
I received notice from my SA taxidermist that our mounts from our 2023 safari were about to be wrapped up in mid June. Their "preferred shipper" immediately followed up with a shipping quote. I took the crate dimensions and shopped it around a bit and Badger Cargo quoted a price $500 lower, so I informed both parties that's who I would be using.
Everything was finalized with the taxidermy and I settled up with them on 7/15 and made sure they were in contact with the shipper. Badger had my crate in their facility on 7/22. Export documentation was done and I settled up with the shipper on 7/29. Their final bill of $2006 came in slightly lower than the original quote. I had selected Delta due to price, but at the last minute the carrier was switched to Turkish. Pieter explained to me that there had been significant delays in Atlanta due to new inspection protocols with trophy imports so he switched carriers to avoid the fiasco in Atlanta and possible storage fees for me. My cost would remain the same but the new itinerary was JNB-IST-IAH, allowing me to clear everything in Houston where I would be picking up.
My crate left JNB on 8/5 and arrived at IAH on 8/7. I headed up to the airport the next morning with my documents and went to the WFS warehouse for Turkish. The woman at the front desk confirmed my crate was there and as I expected there was a customs hold on it. I drove over to the customs office with my documents and spoke with Agriculture, USFWS, then Customs and they released the hold. Drove back to the warehouse, paid their fee of $242 and went to their loading dock. Waiting for someone on a forklift to get my crate and load it into my truck was the longest part of the ordeal. WFS was very busy with truckers and hotshotters and arriving cargo. My crate was in the US less than 24 hrs before it was in my possession and I avoided any storage fees ($225/day minimum at Turkish). It took me a half day to go get it, including the 2hr round trip. It's a great feeling when you finally get your hands on your trophies!
Crate 128 x 118 x 98cm, 133kg gross weight, 231kg chargeable
10 animals - 6 shoulder mounts, 3 skulls, 3 flatskins, various backskins.
No CITES, swine, or primates. All fully finished.
