Guest Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I need opinions. Furrier on eBay sent me these two photos of Russian sable pelts. They are wild caught pelts from Yakutia. Length from nose to base of tail is 18 inches, unstretched. He tells me they are ten months old. He wants $225 each. http://i45.tinypic.com/2upy24l.jpg http://i47.tinypic.com/14b6kgk.jpg Tricia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worker 11811 Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 Why do you want those pelts? I don't mean that in a negative way, as if to ask, "What do you want THOSE for?" I mean to ask what you want to do with them. Do you want to make something out of them? In that case, quality would be important. Do you want to use them as examples? In that case, uniqueness and whether they represent a particular kind or quality of fur is the important thing. Are they for fur play? Softness and tactile quality would be key. Or do you just like to collect animal pelts? You would have to decide whether they are interesting enough to add to your collection. Depending on the reason you want them, you might be willing to pay more, you might be willing to pay less or you might be more/less concerned about quality. I don't know a whole lot about current fur prices. You would know more about that. What I am saying is that $200 apiece is a lot to spend on just pelts. You should know what you want, why you want it and what you are going to do with it before you spend that kind of dough. You could buy yourself a brand new iPad for the price of two or three of those pelts. PS: Be careful doing business with Russians over the internnet. Not to say that they are crooked just because they are Russians but people like that have a shrewd way of doing business. Caveat Emptor! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 11, 2013 Share Posted January 11, 2013 I collect animal pelts. Using fur for play is nasty. Human penises and vaginas should never ever touch fur. The furrier is in NYC. Tricia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worker 11811 Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Never said you did. Merely one in a long list of possibilities used to illustrate the point. Yes, I did seem to remember that you were a collector but I wasn't sure. Furrier from NYC is good to know. Do these pelts meet some goal you have in collecting? Reason I ask is because, as you know, I collect Teddy Bears. My wife and I have spent thousands on Bears. We are at the point where we have so many Bears that we only adopt new ones if they fulfill a special purpose. Is it a kind of Bear we don't already have? Size? Color? Style? Kind of fur? Manufacturer? Is it especially cute? Holliday or special occasion? The list goes on but I think you get my point. We have to be very, very choosy. If we aren't careful, we would have a house full of fur. Not a bad thing, per se, but we need room to live! I am only relating to you how we have to operate. I was hoping it would give you some insight into your own situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxb Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 I have bought pelts online and have had some very nice surprises so far. I've bought beautiful little Toscana lamb, Brisa lamb, the softest gloving leather, a fallow deer pelt and most recently, the pelt of a wild fox from Germany. I knew that the fox in particular wasn't fur-grade quality (though it is nicely tanned and has a lovely dark colouration with a red dorsal stripe - I intended to use it for sampling but this is my first experience of a pelt with the head, paws and tail still on - I can't bring myself to cut it up yet! I just stroke it - or put it around my shoulders like a stole... it feels like a parody of a stole since the pelt is unlined and not particularly glamorous, but never mind!). However, all of my purchases have been well under the amount your seller is asking for, so I felt comfortable taking a gamble... and I think I'd be reluctant to buy anything called 'sable' without being totally sure of its quality (I'm not an expert on sable yet). You are clearly more knowledgeable on the subject than I am. My two cents are that I would be reluctant based on those photographs even though the furs do look nice. What are some comparative prices for similar pelts? That might help a decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 German red fox is poor in quality. The North American red foxes are much better in quality. New Russian sable pelts, especially wild caught pelts as opposed to ranched pelts, are very expensive. I can get them cheaper if I attend Sojuzpushnina's fur auctions but then, only professional fur buyers are allowed to bid as the auctions are not open to the general public and buying individual pelts at the auctions is not an option. You'd have to buy them in bundles. Tricia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxb Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 (edited) Yeah - the German fox isn't fabulous. It has a coarse texture (particularly on the rump). His colour, while nice in its own wild animal way, is not as striking as the North American fox or ranched fox. It's also very slender (mustn't have had many good meals!). However, it's just perfect for some cheap sampling with techniques I'm not sure will work. Or it will be, when I can bring myself to cut into it...! Still, it wasn't expensive. It is a pity that fur auctions are so inaccessible. I'd love to attend one to see what it was like. I can understand why they only allow professional fur buyers - less chance that people will bid insincerely, more chance of shifting bulk stock, and less limelight in the public that could result in negative reactions. But it would be nice to have these types of pelts more accessible. I'm going to a fur warehouse on Monday. Is there any facility like that within reasonable traveling distance of you? I pestered the British Fur Trade Association until they invited me to this one (which was extremely generous of them)! I have no idea what they are going to have in stock, though. Edited January 12, 2013 by Guest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 I live in San Diego, California. We do not have any fur warehouses here. The nearest one on the West Coast is in Seattle. Tricia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samurman Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 A few years ago, there was a forum thread opened by a new member, who was a fur seller from Yakutsk offering wild sable pelts at prices that seemed quite reasonable, but I can't seem to find that thread. Anyone remember that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
summersmorning Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 Fur Harvesters Auction is in Seattle WA. http://www.furharvesters.com/ Pelt prices info: http://trappingtoday.com/index.php/category/fur-prices/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
summersmorning Posted January 12, 2013 Share Posted January 12, 2013 There are trappers fur auctions in every state. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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