Question for the Commercial guys or anyone who knows

[Scott_NRA]

I thought of this from an exchange with Herb over buying crabs from the dock. (He's a rec crabber and it's a no-no.)

Is it acceptable practice to buy crabs right off the crab boat or at the dock?  I have seen crabbers achored up and culling and wondered...  

It would seem that two things are possible.  The most obvious is that the commercial guy who sells at the dock or right his boat is screwing the seafood store out of his rightfull profit.  The other is that the crabber has to eat and support his family  too and if he gets an extra few bucks a bushell selling on the water he got more money for a bit less work for that sale. (not having to handle those crabs to the seafood shop)

So which is it?  If you sell crabs off your boat are you doomed to go to prison with the people who tear tags off of matresses and never sell to seafood shops again if caught, or is it done semi-regulary?

[delawhere]

  Great Question Scott!  I've been wondering this myself!

   I've met people in the past who say they know crabbers and by straight from them but it always seems that they have to buy a large quantity.  Is this acceptable?  If so how many does one have to buy for it to be ok?

Doesn't a crabber have the right to sell to who ever he wants to if he's not under some sorta contract?

[Scott_NRA]

I'll put it to you this way.

I sell plumbing and heating equipment to Wholesalers who stock our products and sell them to contractors (not home owners)

If I sell direct to the contractor (or worsee, the home owner) and cut out the profit of the stocking wholesaler (for one or two sales at a time) who supports me by buying multiples of my products on a regular basis, he would be likely to cut me off and buy from someone who supports him.

That way, I could see the crabber dilema and would understand.

[cblu]

I think it all depends. I've bought some from comm'l guys before, but that doesn't mean they'll all sell them, or that the same crabber will sell them to you every week. They usually have a partnership with their buyer. They buyer buys them when they're hard to get and the crabber only gets 2 bushels, conversely they're obliged to buy them when they're running and a guy comes in with 50 bushels. It probably depends on the relationship & how they're running. I wonder about the price though, who sets the price that the crabber gets at the dock?

[ran_c]

i'm not sure how things are done on the east coast but here in louisiana i sell to the public as much as i can. there is no respect or contracts here. they use us when they need us and when they don't they cut us off. so make what you can while you can. prices go up and down all the time and almost everyone gets different prices here. if they can get you to take 10 cents less a pound they will drop the price.

[Scott_NRA]

Cblu,

My guess on who sets the price is that it would be negotiable at least to a point.  If you are the buyer and somehow know what the seafood shop will pay for them then you have a great advantage.  Most of the time that would not be the case.

If I know that the going rate is $20/doz at the seafood resturants for mediums and a guy has a nice bunch of #1 jimmies, I would aske him what he wanted a doz or bushel before I blurted out an offer.  If he were reasonable against the price of the mediums, I would pay it.  No since in trying to swindle him.  I would not pay more than I would at the seafood shop though and would not expect to pay the same price.  

Obviously it is less handling for him to make his Money at the dock or off his boat and cash speaks loudly in most places.

I would love to know what the commercial guys get paid for their crabs by the bushel.  Ballpark of course as it is so seasonal.

[Darrell]

 ::)It is widely belived that people can simply go down to a dock and buy from the boats. Now if Crabs were plentlyfull that may be the case but right now they are not.. so watermen are getting top dollar from their supplier, as demand is still high and higher. with all the crab houses around, and if you are talking Jimmys and #1s that a big demand just to take care of them thru the supplier..Now if the waterman wants to sell a bushel off the side thats his business but he will want to keep his supplier furnished who pays him year round cause the crab houses are crying for crabs. If a waterman sells too many bushels off the side in good times, the supplier may remember that they were stiffed and when bad times come they may decline to buy from the water man, ..so unless the offer for crabs at the dock is impossible to refuse a waterman may be not willing to sell you crabs. Right now demand is high and crabbers can make good money thru the standard business method of selling to suppliers for all the crabs they can catch. Now I have seen years not too long ago (about 6) where crabs were over a hundred a bushell in early summer and 20 a  bushel in fall not from the waterman mind you but at retail at Wye landing. So the watermen were making even less.

[Crabpop]

All good points.  It's a case of supply and demand.  In previous years, over at the Wye River, I returned to the ramp many times with a bushel or less and three people in the boat.  Schnaitman's will sell crabs at a really reasonable price as long as they have excess beyond what they are contracted to supply to the crab houses/restaurants.  I can gaurantee they are not doing that this year.  Good way to make a few extra bucks when crabs are plentiful.  They charge you the wholesale price that they get from the crabhouses/restaurants and tack on another 20% or so. The 20% provides them with additional profit and in the end you're getting a bushel of crabs that is still $30-50 less than you would have to pay retail.  Everybody's happy!
 

Crabpop

[eelfisher]

just an example...... saw a comm. guy at the ramp and asked if he had any crabs to sell me. he couldnt...had only 3 bushels for the day. same guys i bought from a month ago the same way.

 this crab situation sucks  

[Scott_NRA]

The dynamics of this industry are amazing.  I hope some of the com'l guys that swing through tis site will also share their $.02 on this.

Anyone have any idea what those guys get paid/bushel by the seafood shops?  What kind of marke up there is?  I'm mostly curious and to see just what I may expect at the dock.

[jack1747]

Would I sell you crabs from my boat?  No.  Why, because you won’t be at the dock tomorrow.  Nobody will be there on cold and rain days.  So why would I want to take a chance that my buyer will get pissed off?  It isn’t worth the few extra buck on one bushel of crabs.  I gotta live here you know.

A crab house usually will have a contract for x number of bushels per day.  If they have more than enough to fill the orders the owner will sell the extra to anyone that asks.  If you are paying a $100.00 for a bushel of crabs in town it is a safe bet the crabs are going into the truck at about a 1/3, say $30.00. Now once they are in the truck the owner might sell you a bushel for say $80.00 because he will probable get $60.00 per bushel from the retailer in town.  Rough estimates for sure but you get the idea.

[Scott_NRA]

Thanks Jack,

Yep, that's what I though would be the response from many com. crabbers.  Could not blame or have hard feelings from being told "no" at the dock of course, but you can't blame a guy for trying huh?

Greed and hunger can mix!

[Thoroughbred]

Commercial guys!!!

We are still looking for a good supplier this year.  Currently still buying our best crabs out of LA but would rather help the local guys and save us the shipping to boot.

Let me know if you can handle 20+ bushels a week.