Despite a serious downturn in the wild fur market as of late, the most recent Fur Harvesters Auction Inc. fur sale posted some pretty encouraging results. Fur prices were still pretty low for some species, but others were impressive. Beaver averages were pretty low. Some raccoons did okay, while others didn't sell at all. Muskrat prices were very impressive, averaging … [Read more...]
More on NAFA’s Canceled January Fur Sale
After announcing that they would cancel their January fur sale, North American Fur Auctions put out another press release to trappers, providing a better explanation of why the sale was canceled: December 18, 2009 Dear Wild Fur Producers Some of you may be wondering why NAFA chose to cancel its January 2010 sale. No doubt it’s a highly unusual thing for an auction company that … [Read more...]
NAFA Cancels January Sale
This week, North American Fur Auctions announced that it is canceling its January fur sale. The January sale is the first major auction of the year, and fur buyers and trappers from around the world look to this auction to help define the fur market for the rest of the season. Here's NAFA's official announcement: December 14, 2009 IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL NAFA WILD FUR … [Read more...]
Fall 2009 Fur Market Update
Many trappers continue to wonder what kind of prices raw fur will command during the 2009-10 trapping season. We're at an uncertain time in the fur market, with recent economic turmoil influencing fur sales internationally. I'm far from being an expert in the fur market, but I'll do my best to provide a short summary of the state of the market and point you to the real … [Read more...]
NAFA Promises to Rebuild Wild Fur Market
North American Fur Auctions president Herman Jansen recently addressed wild fur producers in a special message about the state of the fur market. In his message to trappers and fur dealers, Jansen appeared fairly frustrated with the state of the market, and maybe just a bit defensive about NAFA's poor February fur auction results. Jansen did a great job explaining why fur … [Read more...]
Fur Market Update: Prices Reflect Struggling Russian Economy
The latest fur market update is as discouraging as the previous few. North American Fur Auctions completed its February sale a few days ago, which was met with very mixed results. The high volume fur items that typically drive the fur market: namely raccoon, coyote and beaver, sold at extremely low levels. Beaver commanded such selective demand (which means buyers were very … [Read more...]
Montana’s January Fur Auction Slow, but Things Should Pick Up
Local fur auction results appear to following an overall downward trend in the fur market realized in the NAFA and Fur Harvesters auctions earlier this month. The Montana Trappers Association held the first Western States Fur Auction in Columbus, MT last Sunday, and a lot of fur was difficult to sell. In fact, a lot of fur never made it to the auction. Most trappers appeared … [Read more...]
Fur Market Update: FHA January Sale Results
Results are in from the January 9, 2009 sale from Fur Harvesters Auction, Inc. Prices and sale rates were fairly low, but considering this week's NAFA sale results, the FHA auction was by no means a disaster. Since FHA offers a number of rare and unique furs from northern North America (wolverine, wolf, arctic fox, etc.), which are almost always in demand, they are probably in … [Read more...]