05/27/2026
A lot of people are heading to Africa to hunt this time of year. Here’s just one reason to bring them home and have a local taxidermist do the work.
Finished taxidermy costs significantly more to ship than raw trophies. Finished mounts are priced by volumetric weight, require custom wooden crating, and need specialized, fragile handling. Raw, “dip-and-packed” trophies are much smaller, packed tightly, and travel as standard, durable freight.Finished TaxidermyBecause taxidermy is already shaped (e.g., shoulder or full-body mounts), it cannot be compressed. You are largely paying for “empty air” inside the box.Cost: Ranges from \(\$500\) for small items, \(\$1,500 - \$5,000+\) for large/international shipments.Calculation: Shipping companies charge by volumetric weight (length \(\times \) width \(\times \) height \(\div \) factor) rather than gross weight, meaning the physical space occupied is the primary cost driver.Handling: Requires heavy-duty wooden crating, internal bracing, and specialized “trophy haulers” (or LTL carriers) rather than standard parcel services like FedEx or UPS.Raw Trophies (“Dip and Pack”)Raw hides, skulls, and horns are chemically treated, dried, and stacked tightly together.Cost: Usually between \(\$200\) and \(\$800\) domestically or for export/import handling.Calculation: Because they are flattened or nested together, the volume is extremely low compared to finished mounts, avoiding the heavy volumetric surcharges.Handling: They are rugged and can be shipped in standard, dense shipping cartons or smaller wooden crates, requiring far less packaging material.Key Cost ConsiderationsInternational Transport (e.g., Africa/Alaska): Bringing back a raw hide and paying a local taxidermist can sometimes result in better quality and slightly lower total logistics costs than shipping a finished mount internationally.Damage Risk: Attempting to ship finished taxidermy via standard freight rather than specialized taxidermy transport services risks catastrophic damage. Need help getting them into the US? feel free to message me.
