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If you get skins becuase the eels are being eaten or live ones used as bait then they die and you skin them then the cost of the skins is reasonably low. If you are buying eels just to skin them and throw the rest away , the price will be very high.
You got the right idea about doing a lot at once though Chris. that is a nasty job so once slimed you want to do enough so you don't have to do it again for a long time.
Big skins for attachment to plugs should last someone a long time unless of course the plug is lost altogether. They can be used , resalted, used , resalted , etc. So its kind of like buying a plug .
Now I would think there would be a market for some of the smaller eel skins too. For jigging. This time of year or in a week or two anyway , skins tied to jigs are good substitutes for herring. Unlike most of the year when you want the max length , you would tie them on to the jighead short so the whole thing is maybe 6 inches long, maybe 7. Also for this time of year you would leave them inside out.
Anyway , good luck with the whole project Chris. people are lucky to have someone willing to do the skinning. It should not be a bargaining thing at all. the eels cost money , its not easy work , skin , clean , salt bag. I would think $5 is easily a reasonable price for big plug skins, maybe more if the eels have gone up. Only way to keep the cost down is to find someone who wants the eels for food. maybe talk to people at a chinese restaurant. They may want the skinned eels. not to serve at the restaurant but to eat themselves.
Good Luck.
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