Thread: Possum fur info

Hey guys ,I was just wanting to know on average what the going rate is per kg of possum fur and on average how many possums are needed to have a kgs worth?

The price for fur can fluctuate anywhere between $95 to $120 (and has been known to go higher) per kilo and can differ on whether hand plucked or machine plucked. Skins were fetching good money for a while but I have heard that that has dropped recently. It is still worth the trouble of carrying the bodies out for the pet food market and if cage trapped, live females with young in pouch or on the back are fetching top dollar.
The number of possums caught to the ratio of fur depends on the size of the possums...about 20 to the kilo.
As soon as you have a quantity of fur for sale, the price will drop...Murphy's Law

About 17 per kilo around here, and 105 a kilo for hand plucked. Like scribe says ,as soon as you have some to sell the price goes down. Also the scales at home vary quite considerably to the buyer's, as always seems to be the case

Originally Posted by Gapped axe

About 17 per kilo around here, and 105 a kilo for hand plucked. Like scribe says ,as soon as you have some to sell the price goes down. Also the scales at home vary quite considerably to the buyer's, as always seems to be the case

An easy fix for the scale difference is to take an object of known weight with you when selling your fur and check it against the scales...I have never sold fur to anyone who I thought had shonky scales, they have all appeared straight up to me.
On hell of an accusation to make without checking one's own home scales.

and if cage trapped, live females with young in pouch or on the back are fetching top dollar.
rop...Murphy's Law[/QUOTE]
How or what are these animals used for?

havn't said who the buyer was, in the past I have changed buyers over this discrepancy

Originally Posted by Gapped axe

havn't said who the buyer was, in the past I have changed buyers over this discrepancy

I don't doubt that there are some shonky dealers out there.

Originally Posted by Spook

The price for fur can fluctuate anywhere between $95 to $120 (and has been known to go higher) per kilo and can differ on whether hand plucked or machine plucked. Skins were fetching good money for a while but I have heard that that has dropped recently. It is still worth the trouble of carrying the bodies out for the pet food market and if cage trapped, live females with young in pouch or on the back are fetching top dollar.
The number of possums caught to the ratio of fur depends on the size of the possums...about 20 to the kilo.
As soon as you have a quantity of fur for sale, the price will drop...Murphy's Law

Hi there 'spook' I have a question. Are these live females with young on their back destined for 'The Ark' .. 'Project Ark' that we have been hearing a bit about lately????.

Good thread, very interesting.
The ARK, isnt that Kimdotcom's boat? Just imagine it, loaded to the gunwhales with possums and Green voters, setting sail for parts unknown!

Anyone ever made a blanket from skins? I wonder the cost of it ? Be pretty high no doubt but would look good.

The last fur i sold was to dawson furs $110 kg. That was about three months ago.I can tell you i knew the weight to the grain and their scales were fine.

Originally Posted by C404

Good thread, very interesting.
The ARK, isnt that Kimdotcom's boat? Just imagine it, loaded to the gunwhales with possums and Green voters, setting sail for parts unknown!

Anyone ever made a blanket from skins? I wonder the cost of it ? Be pretty high no doubt but would look good.

Hi 'C404' I don't think Dotcom or the Greens are involved in the 'Ark Project' But stranger things have happened. What little snippets of information we have picked up tell us ...There is an old hulk laid up in the mangroves, somewhere up North. On it they have gathered possums, rats and various other creatures to restock our offshore island.

Motive is unclear.

Originally Posted by Scribe

Hi 'C404' I don't think Dotcom or the Greens are involved in the 'Ark Project' But stranger things have happened. What little snippets of information we have picked up tell us ...There is an old hulk laid up in the mangroves, somewhere up North. On it they have gathered possums, rats and various other creatures to restock our offshore island.

Motive is unclear.

Anyone got any information on the ARK.

Care to comment on the morality of the project.

Originally Posted by Scribe

Hi there 'spook' I have a question. Are these live females with young on their back destined for 'The Ark' .. 'Project Ark' that we have been hearing a bit about lately????.

I can assure you that these possums are not for release on public land. As for the "Ark", I have not the faintest idea of what you are on about...I have heard no mention of it in the news...I do live in a small world, so that is not surprising.

Originally Posted by C404

Good thread, very interesting.
The ARK, isnt that Kimdotcom's boat? Just imagine it, loaded to the gunwhales with possums and Green voters, setting sail for parts unknown!

Anyone ever made a blanket from skins? I wonder the cost of it ? Be pretty high no doubt but would look good.

A person I knew of making possum skin blankets was selling them from $1200 - $2500 each...very nice they were too. but way beyond my finances.

Originally Posted by Spook

I can assure you that these possums are not for release on public land. As for the "Ark", I have not the faintest idea of what you are on about...I have heard no mention of it in the news...I do live in a small world, so that is not surprising.

I move in circles where projects like 'The Ark' are likely to be discussed. Thames Landcare has heard very little.

I am probing now of course to find out what is going on.

Surely these sales of live possums are not destined for possum farms. All this has been tried before and been spectacularly unsuccessful.

The Tuhoe received a large Govt grant to trap and farm possums in 86 87 from memory. The large cage traps can probably still be found scattered around on ridges up the Whakatane River, or they could be a few years back.

"Spook I don't think the 'Ark Project is likely to feature on our television set in the near future.