Yes shipping your finished trophies home from Africa can get very expensive.
We paid for the taxidermy work to be done there and had to contract with an expeditor to do the paperwork and get the trophies crated and in a shipping container to head to the states.
They do not ship your trophies when they are finished, they wait until they fill the huge shipping crate to cut down on expenses.
We found that by freighter took longer but was less expensive then using the airline for transportation. Once the boat with the shipping crates arrives at its destination, its a long wait before everything clears customs.
Then you pay for someone to transport them from customs to your home. Here is where another snafu comes to light. The trucking company only has to deliver them to your house...its your problem to get the crate off their truck. And yes the crate is huge!
I am assuming that since you have your own taxidermist, you just need to have them dipped and shipped directly to the person doing the work. This is ALOT less expensive.
I am sure you will still need an expeditor to do the proper paperwork and to insure they make it through customs. But you will probably need to use air freight to get the untreated hides home quickly to prevent slippage of the hair.
Hope this helps.
Take Care and Shoot Straight!
Jayne