Moscow Hide and Fur 
The West's Leading Fur House

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by Moscow Hide and Fur

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How We Buy

General information about Moscow Hide and Fur, and terms for selling items to us.
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  • About Moscow Hide and Fur

    Moscow Hide and Fur has been buying furs and antlers throughout the western United States, and by mail from trappers and hunters nation-wide for over 35 years. Owner Gary J. Schroeder is known and respected throughout the fur industry,he is a former Hudson's Bay fur trader with 48 years of buying experience, and currently writes the fur market report for Fur-Fish-Game magazine.

    Our Address is:
    Moscow Hide and Fur
    1760 N Polk Ext
    PO Box 8918
    Moscow, ID 83843

    Prices, Grading and Payment

    Prices listed on this web site are top prices and should be considered rough guidelines, not guaranteed offers. It is our intention to keep prices on this web site up to date, but due to constantly changing market conditions, prices are subject to change at any time without notice.

    All merchandise is subject to grading. Lower grade skins have little or no value.

    On shipments of furs - we will call or e-mail you to confirm the price, or we will mail you a check and you will have two weeks to to approve or refuse the price offered. If you don't accept the price we offer, you are responsible for shipping charges to return the merchandise to you.

    Other items, including but not limited to, antlers, skulls, teeth, porcupine hair, quills, claws, snakes and rattles, etc. are not placed on hold.

    Shipments that are buggy, or not thoroughly dried will result in delayed payment of 1-2 weeks or more.


    Legality, Licenses and Tags

    We only buy items that are legally taken and that are legal for you to sell. You should check with your state's fish and game or equivalent department before taking or shipping any wildlife.

    Include any hunting or trapping license or tag numbers with your shipment. If a license or tag is not required for certain items in your state, or if items are from domestic animals, include a brief note of explanation.

    NOTE: Federal law requires that all packages containing wildlife or parts be clearly marked with their contents. We assume that when you send us an item or items that you have checked with your Fish & Game Department and that these items can be legally sold according to the laws of your state. Please note that if you send us an item(s) that has been illegally taken or cannot be sold according to the laws of your state, that MOSCOW HIDE & FUR will hold you responsible for any penalties and legal fees incurred by MOSCOW HIDE & FUR. Prices listed on this web site are not to be construed as an offer to buy anything that is illegal for you to sell.


    Shipping and Freight Charges

    Please be sure to include your name, address, phone number, e-mail address and a list of the items being shipped, both on the outside of the package and on a note inside.

    Do not ship any frozen items except in October, November, December, January, February and March. All frozen items are shipped at your risk. If they become rotten and carrier disposes of them, we accept no liablity of your loss. We do not accept liability for any furs which are not dried or tanned and which spoil in transit. You should ensure that these items get here as soon as possible, utilizing Priority Mail or Next Day, Second Day, or Third Day UPS unless you live close. Always ship on a Monday.

    When shipping things that are not dried, it is best to freeze them inside styrofoam containers or plastic buckets, then put the styrofoam inside a box to ship. Never just put a plastic bag with frozen articles in a box and ship them. Note that for life-size frozen animals, we will at times repay you shipping charges. You must contact us before shipping.

    We recommend you pack all shipments carefully and insure all merchandise against loss or damage in shipping.

    You are responsible for shipping charges to us and return shipping charges if you decide not to sell. Do not send any merchandise COD - we will refuse the shipment.


    Frozen Complete Skins

    We buy skins for tanning that have the feet attached. They must be fresh, of #1 quality, have all the feet attached, and all the claws must be present. Small animals may be frozen whole.

    Larger animals should be skinned cased, and the feet should be left attached to the hide and cut off at the ankles and wrists. The skull should be left in the animal. Heads must be of #1 quality with no holes in the head and with good ears, noses, etc. Skull may be broken, but no holes in the hides. No green bellies skins.

    You can wrap in plastic wrap, putting head, tails and feet inside. FREEZE in styrofoam containers that can be placed inside boxes to ship. You will be paid after the hides are unthawed and evaluated. At times, we will refund your shipping charges.


    Birds

    Game Bird Skins These are removed as follows: Lay the bird with the breast up, legs towards you. Make a cut from the anus to the base of the chin. Cut off the head and throw it away. Cut off the feet also. Make a cut from the anus to the top of each leg. Make a cut from the base of each wing to the tip of the wing. Now peel the skin off and tack it out or hang to dry. Remove the two bones closest to the body in wing so that the wings will dry. Make sure feathers all lay flat in a natural condition. DO NOT RUFFLE OR BEND FEATHERS. No skins purchased which are not completely dried!!! Do not keep bird skins prior to October 1. All skins which are not thoroughly dried are ½ off.

    Game Bird Tails We will purchase only complete tails from mature birds. We do not want any tails that have feathers that are shorter than the other feathers, or tails that have feathers missing. You can bring tails to us either fresh or dried. If you dry them, tack them out to dry in the shape of a nice fan, with no gaps or spaces between the tips of the feathers. Make sure that you allow all the feathers to lie in their natural position. You will also find it is best to cut some of the meaty area from the base of the tail. All tails which are not completely dried and fanned are ½ off.


    Capes

    We want your capes. However, we buy only #1 capes. Damaged capes do not sell and we will not buy them. We will not pay anything for them, so do not keep them for us. Also we will buy only fresh capes. If you cannot get your cape to us fresh, do not bring it at all, as we will not buy it. In warm weather that means the same day you kill it.

    NOTE THE FOLLOWING:

    1. No capes with tainted regions or drag marks will be purchased.
    2. No throat cut capes will be purchased.
    3. No capes with bullet holes in any region of the head will be purchased; no more than two holes of not larger than a $ .25 piece can be in the neck. These holes will cause the cape to be discounted.
    4. The entire shoulder region and brisket must be on the cape. Make sure that all the hair around and between the antlers is left on the cape. The lips and eye-lids as well as the nose must be left on the cape.
    5. No capes with damaged ears will be purchased.

    REMOVE THE CAPE AS PER THE DIAGRAM, MAKING CUTS ONLY ALONG THE DOTTED LINES:


    Claws

    Claws must have the hair removed and be dried. The knuckle must be attached to the claws. No dirt or blood should be on claws.

    Skulls

    We will buy a limited number of skulls. Skulls should be uncleaned, frozen. Must be unbroken, no worn teeth. Back of skull must not be damaged. No spoiled, smelly, or rotten skulls purchased. Mature skulls only. We will pay you when we clean them and ascertain which are unbroken. Please contact us before shipping. All skulls which are not #1 quality will be returned to the shipper and shipping charges will be deducted from shippers check. Note: mature animals usually have distinct sagital crests (bony crest on top of skull).

    Skulls should be shipped frozen by an express service such as UPS 2nd or Next Day Air to prevent thawing, and well wrapped to prevent leakage, such as with double or triple garbage bags.


    Teeth

    We have had some problems on shipments of canines and incisors. These should be extracted, and cleaned. This is best done by boiling. After extraction, take a small fingernail brush and clean the residual meat from the tooth. On incisors, the flesh in the embedded end must come out. This can be done with a wire or with running water from a faucet.

    DO NOT SEND ROTTING, SMELLING TEETH or those taken from rotting carcasses. We will return these to you as they are not saleable. When sending, just coat slightly in baby oil, mineral oil, or vegetable oil. Just a thin coating is all that is necessary to prevent cracking. The teeth do not need to be swimming in the liquid. Also, we have had several shipments which were sent is such a way that the liquid from smelly teeth has leaked from jars, plastic bags, etc., and soiled antlers, guard hairs, cleaned skulls, etc. If you ship in such a way as to soil other merchandise, we will return the merchandise to you and will not buy it.




    Questions or Comments?

    Before you call or e-mail us - Do not call or e-mail us asking for prices - everything we are buying is listed on this web site, so there is no reason to call or e-mail with these type of questions.

    If you have unusual items, such as unusual color phases (albino, etc.) you may send us a list of what you have and prices, and we will let you know if we're interested. Due to the volume of messages, we cannot guarantee responses to these messages.

    E-mail: CustomerService@hideandfur.com
    Phone: 208-882-0601 | fax: 208-882-5715