I've got nine trophies to bring home to Anchorage from South Africa and Zambia in one form or another, and I'm thinking of using Karoo Taxidermy in Graaff-Renet. They're billing themselves as one of the largest taxidermists in the world, so it's likely an assembly-line operation. Seems likely to save on shipping costs though.
We Alaskans get gouged on shipping costs to some port city in the Lower 48 and then gouged again for shipment to Alaska. That's assuming there's no additional shipping costs to and from the taxidermist. These intermediate shipping costs make it hard for Lower 48 businesses to compete on cost for those of us who live here.
The no-recourse argument for me applies no matter where I have the work done, if it's not in Alaska. Going to Chicago or California to appear in court against a local is not my idea of adequate recourse. So I consider that a wash. The local taxidermists are expensive and have limited experience on African animals. (I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them for Alaska game, however.)
I don't feel I have enough expertise to judge taxidermy work. I can tell crappy work, I think, but not the difference between good and excellent. Although I don't usually like to settle for less than the best quality, what's the point if you can't see the difference?
It seems to me that the formula for comparing costs of having the work done here or in Africa should look something like cost of taxidermy work (including any "documentation" or other fees), plus total shipping costs including every leg of the journey, plus admission broker fees; compared to dip & pack, total shipping costs of unfinished trophies to US taxidermist, plus total shipping costs from the taxidermist to my home, plus admission broker fees.
I haven't got quotes from all those I've requested them from, but I have the feeling that it will be hard for US taxidermists to compete on cost.
