Dosent look right????
09-05-2007, 02:37 PM
#61
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Brockport, NY
Posts: 613
RE: Dosent look right????
I learned a long time ago to not bother arguing with a happy customer. If this guy thinks 200 bills gets him what he likes, ya know what? Then he is right! Many guys out there can honestly not see any difference between a $200 mount and a $600 mount, so why pay someone the difference? There are, however, many differences, and its up to the customer to distinguish them, if he wants to, or to justify the differences, when he does. Freightwent up, and I know business well enough to know that even if a guy makes his own forms, time is money. When a taxidermist figures out cost, he must figure material, labor, but also other overhead like electric, insurance, etc. Many businesses just get by week to week or month to month. Many like it that way, too. Theres no right or wrong here. Freezerfull actually hit it right on the head, in my opinion...when he has to pay THAT much, he will mount them himself...thats when he will finally see why some of us charge more! Like I said first though, I dont try to talk the freezerfulls of the world into doing biz with me, theyre already happy elsewhere. It costs money to live where I do, and to do biz where I do, and Im getting paid right to do so. One last thing...time spent away from my family is worth a heck of alot more then the 200 bills others charge...
09-07-2007, 03:04 PM
#62
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Iowa
Posts: 1,858
RE: Dosent look right????
LMAO..
I knew that would get yalls panties in a wad..Im not knocking yall around..Im just saying that the prices are way out of control and the thoughts of them going up is ridiculous..I have plenty of pics. but I cant figure out how to put them on here(sorry)..But if you want youre welcome to have them mailed to you as long as you return them back..I understand how much work goes into a mount. My taxi does most of it himself, except for the form that comes from Mckenzie other than he does the scapel work, tanning , painting , fleshing , <---by hand, all of it.
Now if its a great deal to the mount like floor mounts, half-body or full mount yeah the price goes up..But shoulder mounts with wall plaque behind it and brass plaque goes for $200.00..Thats his price and Im
Now you can charge whatever you want to..I couldnt care less..But Im going to where the deals at and to be honest;I can't tell the diffrence between his and someone elses thatcharges $400+..He works a fulltime job and does it on the side for some extra cash..Probably 100 heads every season not counting fish,bobcats,bear,elk,and whatever else people bring him..
Truthfully..IMO..Yeah you guys are ripping people off..I can get 2 heads mounted for your one and yes His is just as good as any Ive ever seen ANYWHERE..He is licensed..He has beautiful work..And his prices are perfect..I recommend him to anyone..If you cant take it move on to the next forum. Im very busy. Have a nice day!
I knew that would get yalls panties in a wad..Im not knocking yall around..Im just saying that the prices are way out of control and the thoughts of them going up is ridiculous..I have plenty of pics. but I cant figure out how to put them on here(sorry)..But if you want youre welcome to have them mailed to you as long as you return them back..I understand how much work goes into a mount. My taxi does most of it himself, except for the form that comes from Mckenzie other than he does the scapel work, tanning , painting , fleshing , <---by hand, all of it. Now if its a great deal to the mount like floor mounts, half-body or full mount yeah the price goes up..But shoulder mounts with wall plaque behind it and brass plaque goes for $200.00..Thats his price and Im
Now you can charge whatever you want to..I couldnt care less..But Im going to where the deals at and to be honest;I can't tell the diffrence between his and someone elses thatcharges $400+..He works a fulltime job and does it on the side for some extra cash..Probably 100 heads every season not counting fish,bobcats,bear,elk,and whatever else people bring him..
Truthfully..IMO..Yeah you guys are ripping people off..I can get 2 heads mounted for your one and yes His is just as good as any Ive ever seen ANYWHERE..He is licensed..He has beautiful work..And his prices are perfect..I recommend him to anyone..If you cant take it move on to the next forum. Im very busy. Have a nice day!
When you look at things closer in detail is when you see the difference between a $200 and a $500 taxidermist. Look at the shape of eyes, alignment of the nose & brisket, the shape of the ear muscle, the inside of the nostils, the paint/finsih work around the nose, eyes, & ears, how the hair is lying. Look inside the ear, around the antler burr, or behind the head....is everything sewn good, laying smooth, all holes repaired nicely? This my friend is when you see the difference.
If you don't know what to look for, or the imperfections simply don't bother you...then by all means pay your $200. But when someone tells you your mount sucks because of the reasons above.....you better keep your mouth shut, other than saying 'Well atleast I only paid $200 for it)
09-13-2007, 09:39 PM
#63
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 14
RE: Dosent look right????
nctaxi, wow you think that some people shouldnt be able to affordto geta deer mounted? What kind of logic is that? A lot of people like to mount their "trophy" for the memory, not the luxury. Stupid middle class people what are we thinking!
09-14-2007, 07:15 PM
#64
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,210
RE: Dosent look right????
I guess it could be interpreted that way but let me explain... I live in an area with 3 community colleges that have taxidermy courses. Therefore there are a lot of taxidermists in my immediate area. Most, if not all, have good intentions but don't understand basic business, which means that they charge sometimes absurdly low prices. Now I had to decide early on if I wanted to be one of those guys or try really hard to make a name for myself, so I studied further with some top notch, world class taxidermists. I am fortunate to call most of them friends, now. And if there is one thing that they all taught me, figure your time and expenses (all of them) and then figure your profit and that will give you your price. I have guys that charge, at last check, $165 all the way up to $500, with the average being $275. (Being in NC we have the current Best in World Whitetail - Tommy Hall, current National Champion Whitetail - Keith Bowman, National Champion Gameheads - Chris Barnhardt, National Champion Birds - Mark Benfieldand a few other really good taxidermists, sorry but I had to brag). Why do some guys think that they can make any money at $275? I have on good authority that one of the largest suppliers is going up 20% on lifesize mannikins and a good percent on all others. Now with current shipping costs, electric, advertising, paints, etc (ALL the things that go into a whitetail shoulder mount) you come up with a grand total of right around $150 (some might be more, some less). So after this the have a grand total of $125 to work with. So let's say that it takes 10 hours to mount a deer, they're making $12.50 an hour right? Wrong, remember basic business 101. Where is their profit? Using this math, they are only covering basic business expense and as such are not going to be in business very long. Guys pop up burn out by the dozens every year. I wish everyone could afford to have something mounted but I can't cut my prices to accomodate them. I don't think that some people shouldn't be able to afford it, but some can't affordupper end.It's no different than hunting, some guys can afford to spend $8,500 to hunt mulies, I can't but maybe I can afford $1500. Am I going to get the same experience (quality), maybe not. Am I going to enjoy it just the same, hopefully.
09-18-2007, 10:06 PM
#65
Typical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: East Central Illinois
Posts: 660
RE: Dosent look right????
I can put up more pics, but for all the taxidermists out there,what would you pay for this mount?
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b293/englum_06/Buck/Italy0651.jpg
If you want to see it more close-up, let me know specifics of what you want to see and Ill take a pic of it. Just curious as to how you guys rate this work. My taxidermist just had a full-page write-up in the news paper today about his work.
I would be willing to bet that this man's work is as good if not better than any $650 mount out there. Nothing personal against you guys buy any means,I appreciate any mount work and feel that it is all beautiful stuff, I just feel that this guy is excellent. He is just a very down-to-earth kinda guy. From a town with about 300 people and he's just a very caring person who claims he just likes to make people happy and not break their pocket.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b293/englum_06/Buck/Italy0651.jpg
If you want to see it more close-up, let me know specifics of what you want to see and Ill take a pic of it. Just curious as to how you guys rate this work. My taxidermist just had a full-page write-up in the news paper today about his work.
I would be willing to bet that this man's work is as good if not better than any $650 mount out there. Nothing personal against you guys buy any means,I appreciate any mount work and feel that it is all beautiful stuff, I just feel that this guy is excellent. He is just a very down-to-earth kinda guy. From a town with about 300 people and he's just a very caring person who claims he just likes to make people happy and not break their pocket.
09-19-2007, 05:29 AM
#66
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location:
Posts: 1,832
RE: Dosent look right????
ORIGINAL: nctaxi
I guess it could be interpreted that way but let me explain... I live in an area with 3 community colleges that have taxidermy courses. Therefore there are a lot of taxidermists in my immediate area. Most, if not all, have good intentions but don't understand basic business, which means that they charge sometimes absurdly low prices. Now I had to decide early on if I wanted to be one of those guys or try really hard to make a name for myself, so I studied further with some top notch, world class taxidermists. I am fortunate to call most of them friends, now. And if there is one thing that they all taught me, figure your time and expenses (all of them) and then figure your profit and that will give you your price. I have guys that charge, at last check, $165 all the way up to $500, with the average being $275. (Being in NC we have the current Best in World Whitetail - Tommy Hall, current National Champion Whitetail - Keith Bowman, National Champion Gameheads - Chris Barnhardt, National Champion Birds - Mark Benfieldand a few other really good taxidermists, sorry but I had to brag). Why do some guys think that they can make any money at $275? I have on good authority that one of the largest suppliers is going up 20% on lifesize mannikins and a good percent on all others. Now with current shipping costs, electric, advertising, paints, etc (ALL the things that go into a whitetail shoulder mount) you come up with a grand total of right around $150 (some might be more, some less). So after this the have a grand total of $125 to work with. So let's say that it takes 10 hours to mount a deer, they're making $12.50 an hour right? Wrong, remember basic business 101. Where is their profit? Using this math, they are only covering basic business expense and as such are not going to be in business very long. Guys pop up burn out by the dozens every year. I wish everyone could afford to have something mounted but I can't cut my prices to accomodate them. I don't think that some people shouldn't be able to afford it, but some can't affordupper end.It's no different than hunting, some guys can afford to spend $8,500 to hunt mulies, I can't but maybe I can afford $1500. Am I going to get the same experience (quality), maybe not. Am I going to enjoy it just the same, hopefully.
I guess it could be interpreted that way but let me explain... I live in an area with 3 community colleges that have taxidermy courses. Therefore there are a lot of taxidermists in my immediate area. Most, if not all, have good intentions but don't understand basic business, which means that they charge sometimes absurdly low prices. Now I had to decide early on if I wanted to be one of those guys or try really hard to make a name for myself, so I studied further with some top notch, world class taxidermists. I am fortunate to call most of them friends, now. And if there is one thing that they all taught me, figure your time and expenses (all of them) and then figure your profit and that will give you your price. I have guys that charge, at last check, $165 all the way up to $500, with the average being $275. (Being in NC we have the current Best in World Whitetail - Tommy Hall, current National Champion Whitetail - Keith Bowman, National Champion Gameheads - Chris Barnhardt, National Champion Birds - Mark Benfieldand a few other really good taxidermists, sorry but I had to brag). Why do some guys think that they can make any money at $275? I have on good authority that one of the largest suppliers is going up 20% on lifesize mannikins and a good percent on all others. Now with current shipping costs, electric, advertising, paints, etc (ALL the things that go into a whitetail shoulder mount) you come up with a grand total of right around $150 (some might be more, some less). So after this the have a grand total of $125 to work with. So let's say that it takes 10 hours to mount a deer, they're making $12.50 an hour right? Wrong, remember basic business 101. Where is their profit? Using this math, they are only covering basic business expense and as such are not going to be in business very long. Guys pop up burn out by the dozens every year. I wish everyone could afford to have something mounted but I can't cut my prices to accomodate them. I don't think that some people shouldn't be able to afford it, but some can't affordupper end.It's no different than hunting, some guys can afford to spend $8,500 to hunt mulies, I can't but maybe I can afford $1500. Am I going to get the same experience (quality), maybe not. Am I going to enjoy it just the same, hopefully.
If you want to be successful its not just you doing outstanding work,in excelenttime,and offering an outstanding warranty and providing great service..
Ultimately whats going to keep you in business is money being brought in......
My dadcharges $175.00per hour for his accounting services and bills just his book-keepers out at $85.00/hour..I'm not sure about the accountants are billed out at,but I would imagine somewhere around what he charges for himself....
I've never seen any Lawyers bill themselves out at less than 200 an hour and often its in the thousands.......
First year Apprentices in our shop start at $14.00 an hour and are being billed at out $30/hour....
Journeyman carpenters and glaziers employed by are company,make looking at $35.00 to 40.00 per hour and are being billed at $65-70/hour..
Successful companies run on making profit,, and your just taking food out of your kids mouths and sooner or later you'll be living in a cardboard box down by the river if anyone thinks they can get clients (through advertising and location), keep clients( by still maintaining maintain quality and service) and STILL STAY IN BUSINESS by ripping yourself off by not charging enough,just so you can undercut the competitor...
Bottem line, don't work for free, if you have the skill the knowledghe the experience but you don't have business intelligence, (and alot of people out there are like this,I know I not the only one
) work for someone but don't go cheep......Your doing yourself a huge huge diservice by doing so.....
09-19-2007, 11:24 PM
#68
Typical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: East Central Illinois
Posts: 660
RE: Dosent look right????
yeah, he did some pretty good work didn't he taxi?
My guy's a little cheaper partially because he tans them right at his house so he doesnt have to pay to have all that done. He charges 60 down and 160 at pickup. The only bad thing is when I went to pick it up I kid you not he walked me through the whole process. I was there for 3 hours! lol. No its not a bad thing, it was really neat.
Nothing against you guys it just kinda irked me when I saw someone post something along the lines of ''id like to see what a $250 mount looks like'' and ''its too bad to even show us pictures of it''. I know that quality work can be done. After this guy got his deer returned to the hunters,he had over 150 calls in just a couple months.
My guy's a little cheaper partially because he tans them right at his house so he doesnt have to pay to have all that done. He charges 60 down and 160 at pickup. The only bad thing is when I went to pick it up I kid you not he walked me through the whole process. I was there for 3 hours! lol. No its not a bad thing, it was really neat.
Nothing against you guys it just kinda irked me when I saw someone post something along the lines of ''id like to see what a $250 mount looks like'' and ''its too bad to even show us pictures of it''. I know that quality work can be done. After this guy got his deer returned to the hunters,he had over 150 calls in just a couple months.
09-20-2007, 05:04 PM
#69
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Iowa
Posts: 1,858
RE: Dosent look right????
yeah, he did some pretty good work didn't he taxi?
My guy's a little cheaper partially because he tans them right at his house so he doesnt have to pay to have all that done. He charges 60 down and 160 at pickup. The only bad thing is when I went to pick it up I kid you not he walked me through the whole process. I was there for 3 hours! lol. No its not a bad thing, it was really neat.
Nothing against you guys it just kinda irked me when I saw someone post something along the lines of ''id like to see what a $250 mount looks like'' and ''its too bad to even show us pictures of it''. I know that quality work can be done. After this guy got his deer returned to the hunters,he had over 150 calls in just a couple months.
My guy's a little cheaper partially because he tans them right at his house so he doesnt have to pay to have all that done. He charges 60 down and 160 at pickup. The only bad thing is when I went to pick it up I kid you not he walked me through the whole process. I was there for 3 hours! lol. No its not a bad thing, it was really neat.
Nothing against you guys it just kinda irked me when I saw someone post something along the lines of ''id like to see what a $250 mount looks like'' and ''its too bad to even show us pictures of it''. I know that quality work can be done. After this guy got his deer returned to the hunters,he had over 150 calls in just a couple months.
09-20-2007, 06:03 PM
#70
Typical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: East Central Illinois
Posts: 660
RE: Dosent look right????
You know you're right about that. He doesn't care about money, he lives in a small house and works in a factory with my dad. Like I said, it just bothered me when I read that all $250 work was junk. There are guys out there that just enjoy doing it. If it wasn't for guys like him, I wouldn't have mounted the buck I did last year.