The C.E.O. of an auction house in North Bay, Ontario is reporting a smash start to the fur season.
Mark Downey of Fur Harvesters Auction incorporated says 20 Chinese buyers showed up to his January 7th sale and that helped move product – a lot.
Downey says many items sold forty percent higher than last year which was unexpected:
“It was the most successful one we’ve had in over 20 years for a January auction. The number of buyers surpassed our record numbers.”
For example he says Beavers pelts averaged $32, up from $20 at the same time last year.
Muskrat pelts averaged $9, that’s up from $7 and Otters averaged $82 a pelt, that’s up from $45 dollars.
The Red Fox checked in with an average pelt-price of $53, up from $26.
Downey also says market conditions in China and Russia contributed to the surge.