Shipping & Delivery

Ship your skin via FedEx, UPS, or a Freight Trucking Service. Please do NOT ship skins via the U.S. Postal Service. It is recommended to ship hides on a Monday to avoid possible weekend delays. You may also deliver your skin(s) by appointment, M-F / 8 AM-12 PM & 1 PM-4 PM. We are not open on Saturday or Sunday.

Please ship your skin(s) to:
Black Diamond Tannery
3360 W Crigger Ct
Lecanto, FL 34461, U.S.A.
813-956-4335

       SHIPPING CHECK LIST

• Skin(s) have been fleshed and salted according to the hide preparation instructions.
• If your skin(s) have been frozen, the skin(s) are thawed completely and have been resalted.
• Roll skin(s) by starting at the head and roll towards the tail with outside of the skin on the outside allowing CITES tag to remain visible and accessible.
• Keep a record of the tag number of each skin you are sending. This tag number is needed for completion of the contract tanning paperwork . The tag should be listed by State/Year/Tag # (Example: FLM 17 12345)
• CITES tag must be attached to the skin in order to be accepted. Each skin MUST have its own CITES tag attached to it. Contact local game and fish authorities for instructions, shipping permission, or replacement tags. Hides that are sent in without the CITES tag attached will be returned skins at the owner’s expense.
• Do NOT send any untagged pieces of the alligator with your skin. An official CITES tag must be attached to all hides to confirm owner of hide upon completion.
• Place each skin in a sturdy plastic bag or heavy duty trash bag that will collect any drainage. 
• Line a sturdy shipping container with newspaper and put the wrapped skin(s) inside.
• Put your Customer Information Sheet, Contract Tanning Skin Detail Sheet (with your tag numbers listed), and check or money order (if applicable) in a resealable bag on top to prevent documents from becoming wet and/or damaged.
• Close and seal the box securely.

Hide preparation

Each skin should be properly skinned and fleshed in raw, wet-salted condition. Avoid freezing hides for best results.

• It is important to keep hides in cool, dry, and clean conditions during the skinning and salting process
• Skinning should take place as soon after the harvest as possible
• CITES tag should never be removed from tail
• Carefully remove hide leaving one row of scutes (central dorsal scale) on the removed alligator belly
• Scrape excess meat and fat from the underside of the skin
• Once scraped, skin should be relatively free of flesh and white in appearance
• Special care should be taken not to cut or put holes in the belly pattern of the skin
• Skin should be washed in clean, fresh water to remove blood and other fluids
• Avoiding sunlight, allow skin to dry or drain for a short time before salt is applied
• Cover the entire flesh side with 1/4 of an inch of NON-iodized salt and rubbed into all folds and into the skin
• Fold front and rear leg's skin onto salted hide and begin rolling from "head" of hide towards the tail 
• The rolled skin should be stored for 2-3 days to allow for the salt to absorb moisture
• Store in a cool dry place or refrigerated cooler if available
• Avoid placing hides directly on concrete floors and prepare for the hide to drain excess moisture
• Once hide is no longer draining, remove wet salt and reapply fresh salt 
• Keep hide in cool dry area until ready to package and immediately ship

Full and more detailed guides, including videos, can be found online or from your state's alligator harvest program website.  Proper skinning and hide preparation is the owner's responsibility, extremely dried skins or skins that require fleshing may be subject to a rehydration or fleshing fee. Healed and/or open scars can result in holes in the skin during the tanning process. 

Individual skins should be rolled and sealed in a heavy duty bag inside a sturdy box. Your contract tanning paperwork, including  deposit check or credit card information and color/finish choices should be placed in a waterproof resealable bag and placed inside the box right before closing the box. Do NOT put your paperwork on the bottom of the box with the skins placed on top.