Shipping and Import from South Africa

[davetexas]

First timer and looking for some input.

My trophies are done and crated and waiting to be shipped out from South Africa.

The shipping folks gave me a quote of $1,100 by Ocean which would go to New York and $1,600 by air which would go to Houston where I live so no additional freight charge.

I'm inclined to do the Air as the shipping from NY to Houston has to be a few hundred. If I do the Air can I go and clear them myself and pick it up myself? If I pay someone to help clear customs what would this run me approximately?

The Crate in CM is L 125 W 123 H 123 and Weighs 150KG. I've got 4 shoulder mounts, Zebra Rug, and 4 European mounts.

Thanks!

 

[billc]

Do the air because till you ship from new York to tx you will have the same cost. Direct air to you will have a better chance of getting no damage till you get it also.

You can clear them yourself just need to do paperwork. I would call coppersmith and I would bet it would be 400 or less to clear them for you. No need to pay more then that from anyone else for just plains game all mounted and finished.

 

[redriver]

I believe that Houston is a USDA port of entry, like Baltimore, where I get my trophies. Trophies come in by plane and
I have a local import broker handle all of the inspections & paperwork then I pick it up myself. You should be able to do the same. Much cheaper than the folks in NY. I never understood why many folks have their trophies sent through NY.

 

[edward]

good advise.

 

[davetexas]

Wow thanks for all the quick responses. I'm in agreement on the Air and less potential for damage especially with the cost so close.

Can anyone point me to a primer on how to clear them myself? Is there a local person in Houston that could help or someone you guys would recommend? I've not heard of Coppersmith?

 

[redriver]

just do a search for import brokers in Houston, any importer should be able to handle it, you may want to make sure they are hunter-friendly but money is green and they usually do not have a problem with some new business in my experience

 

[cpr0312]

I have used Coppersmith 3 times, all good experiences. Pretty sure they have a branch in Houston, Dallas, or both

 

[K-man]

You might try Cindi Rulon at Well World. Based in Houston, have imported three shipments for me, all smooth. P.M. if you want phone #

 

[BRICKBURN]

Any questions on hunting trophies with the USDA contact:
AskNCIE.Products@aphis.usda.gov

USFWS
Importing Personal Sport-hunted Trophies from Africa: Guidelines for U.S. Hunters https://www.fws.gov/le/pdf/ImportingPersonalSporthuntedTrophiesAfrica.pdf

 

[Sand Rat]

You might try Cindi Rulon at Well World. Based in Houston, have imported three shipments for me, all smooth. P.M. if you want phone #

Cindi has cleared two shipments for me as well, they are very easy to deal with and have a funny video on their website that explains the process.

 

[Scott Slough]

First off, double check with the shipper. But, my "air freight" was flown to Washington Dulles and TRUCKED to Houston by a company called Air Forward. It took 4 days to get from Washington to Houston instead of 4 hours!

I cleared my own trophies in Houston ... and it was a pain because Air Forward messed up the paperwork TWICE. They are NOT a good company to work with. Even with the headache, I would clear my trophies again if given the headache as it saved my about $1000 (about $400 to clear and $600 to store and then ship 100 miles to Nacogdoches) and got me my trophies a couple of days quicker.

The company that does almost all of the clearing in Houston is Well World Wide Logistics - http://well-usa.com/hunting-trophies/ If you are interested in having a local company, I would HIGHLY recommend them as they were the ones who cleared up Air Forward's mistake with my shipments without charging me a dime.

I had contacted Air Forward three times PRIOR to the arrival of my package that I would be clearing the trophies myself and they still sent the paperwork to Well World Wide, which is how I met them. Air Forward did not really care when I complained about the mistakes that Air Forward made .... however, when Well World Wide informed Air Forward that they would find another company to ship trophies ... my problem was resolved in minutes.

If you chose to clear your own trophies, PM me and I will answer any question that I can.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Do the air shipment and have Coppersmith (http://www.coppersmith.com/ ) clear it for you. It's worth the ~$300 or so.

Coppersmith: HOUSTON
15904 International Plaza Drive
Houston, TX 77032
Phone: (281) 442-4800 • Fax: (281) 442-8892
Email: iah@coppersmith.com

When you get them home and hanging on the wall, then make sure you post photos here!!!!!

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Go air as everyone else it seems is encouraging. While you may incur some storage charges as I understand it, the charges once coming off a boat add up much faster and negate any savings on the actual shipping and can result in it costing more.

 

[wesheltonj]

While I have not imported trophies myself, I have imported merchandise. I am quite familiar with Forward Air, they are a trucking/warehouse company. My stuff came on BA to IAH and then trucked to SAT by Forward Air. My bill of Lading said SAT as port. You want your stuff to arrive DFW or IAH. The paperwork was quite easy, for me it was a lot of driving back and forth between customs at SAT and Forward Air warehouse in San Antonio.

By the way, I am having Coppersmith clear my trophies, because I am have the taxidermy work done in another state.

 

[johnnyblues]

Air for sure, and yes coppersmiths can handle it at a very reasonable price.