Fur Harvesters Auction

Looking to 2025 and what to expect for fur interest, it is best to reflect on what took place the previous year. As most everyone knows, during the 2024 selling season all auctions at FHA were conducted live with what turned out to be our largest international buyer attendance in North Bay’s history. We began witnessing a growing interest in the early fall of 2023, with foreign buyers from countries needing visas to enter Canada requesting invitation letters from us. As early as six months prior to our scheduled March 2024 auction a great many requests came in, whereas historically these were not requested until a couple of months prior to our auctions. As well, we were getting inquiries on almost all wild fur articles as to what our quantities would be on our auctions.

Beginning at our March 2024 auction we witnessed strong price advances and amazing clearances on most wild fur species, the exception being muskrats, on which we continue to hold the better grades with what we feel are realistic prices. Our 2024 market forecast outlined our position that all northern items would be in demand and this was the case throughout the entire year. Articles like beaver, otter, fisher, lynx, bobcat and marten all sold at rising levels and several at 100% clearances. Even raccoon and western coyotes sold and cleared far better than was expected.
The 2023 season ended with a good profit at year end and at the conclusion of the 2024 season FHA realized an 80% gross sales increase over 2023, so we are expecting very good news once our 2024 year end is completed. Now that summer is over, calls are coming in as buyers are showing interest in buying most wild fur species, even muskrats, prior to our 1st auction of the season. As we are sold out on so many species, all this points to 2025 being another great season and we are optimistic that many articles that sold strongly last season will do so again, and that further price increases can easily happen.

We are hosting our annual convention again after several years when this was not possible, and we look forward to seeing many of you during the January 10/11th event.

Until then, good luck trapping, be safe and thanks for entrusting the Fur Harvesters team in marketing your fur.

Respectfully

Mark Downey
Chief Executive Officer
Fur Harvesters Auction Inc.