Taxidermy sales in many (if not most) cases results in a need for a product to be shipped. While this is not an exciting part of the sale (for the business) or the purchase (for the buyer), it is often an unavoidable element. Sales are often not made in the showroom, but rather over the internet where customers and vendors are often states or even countries apart. Therefore, it is necessary to get the products from the warehouse or showroom to the home or business that is wanting to display our products.

While some items are small and some are durable and can be shipped in small boxes, others may require large crates built on skids to accommodate forklifts and truck deliveries… There is a wide variety of items in the world of taxidermy mounts, furnishings and related art items. Some items are fragile and easily damaged, including framed art with glass and matting. Other items are very pliable and are relatively risk-free (such as skins or hides) when it comes to shipping damage.

Due to the diversity of products, in both size, weight and care required, shipping is not a formula with a cookie cutter approach where  all items are handled and shipped the same. Larger items require extra work to build a package or crate for shipping that is custom sized to the object being purchased/sold. Because of this need, extra hours (or even days) may be required to prep an item for shipping. Another factor that extends the time frame for delivery is the carrier for delivery of the items. While UPS or FedEx specialize in speed and delivery to virtually any address, trucking companies focus on efficiency and accessible delivery locations.

Small items that fit in a tight space may be readily stored in an at-hand location that facilitates quick locating and packing. Larger items may be stored off site or in storage. This requires extra time for accessing and transporting your item to the packing location. So as you can see there are many variables and elements to take into account for shipping. Both in terms of cost, as well as handling time.  So a life sized big game mount such as this mule deer (https://www.mountsforsale.com/product/trophy-buck-life-size-taxidermy-mount/) will not ship as quickly as a coyote skin or deer antler…

This is not a list of all the elements pertaining to shipping and handling. But hopefully  it will help buyers be more aware of why handling times vary and why patience is often necessary!