Do's & Don'ts On Shipping Taxidermy
From time to time, the team at Splitting Image Taxidermy meets with our preferred shipping agent, Badger Cargo to keep up to date with what’s happening in the shipping industry. This allows us to pass this knowledge on to you when we manage your taxidermy order. Recently, they’ve given us a few Do’s and Don’ts when shipping your taxidermy to the United States or your home country.
DON’T Pool Your Trophies with Other Hunters
One of the biggest Don’ts that has come up recently is the fact that hunters are trying to pool multiple shipments into one crate in an attempt to save money when exporting their trophies. Firstly, by pooling trophies under one hunter’s name you may be in contravention of the Lacey Act. Pooling trophies together yields only a small saving, and is, in our opinion, not worth doing when compared to the risk of violating the law. We suggest that each hunter has their own documentation and own crate containing their own trophies.
DO Pay the Right Company for their Role in the Shipping Process
Shipping is a blanket term that includes many different stages from export, customs and clearing, to the final delivery to your home or office. The shipping agent handles your freight export. The Customs and Clearing Agents take care of clearing your trophies through customs when it reaches the port of entry of your choice. Final delivery of your trophies will be performed by a shipping or freight company. Each of these stages require payment to a different entity. There are service offerings available that consolidate all of these into one place that requires only one payment, should you choose to go this way it does make things very convenient.
DO Insure High-Value Trophies
Quite often, we hear about clients who receive their shipping quote and are taken aback by the final amount. It is important to read this quotation carefully, as some shipping agents include a line item for insurance, which is optional. This rate is usually stipulated by an international hunting association, for example SCI. Insurance on trophies is not necessary, if you feel that the risk is low enough, you are not obligated to buy cover. However, at Splitting Image Taxidermy we do suggest that some insurance is put in place for high-value trophies.
If you need a quote on taxidermy, shipping, or customs clearance, please email us on info@splittingimagetaxidermy . We are happy to assist and advise you every step of the way.
