A TIP FOR SELLERS

[remington]

When you are answering a first request for horse information DO NOT answer the question with a question. IMHO the seller should work for the buyer. For example:

I put an ad on the LB saleboard searching for a certain thing, asking specific questions for the seller to send info on...the first being a picture. Guess what I got among the replies......

3 emails that had NO info on them at all but only ask what my price range

is!! My answer to that is...it's different in every case depending on the HORSE (whom no one sent any pictures of!!) Now, when I go to these people's websites to look at Possible horses they might have....I see the horses are not priced. Okay, so the owner wants me to price their horses for them. NOT.

**Now, if the owners do read this it does not mean I won't buy your horse, I just won't price it for you. All I really want is a picture and information on which to make a sound decision.****

Just thought I would share something that irritates me as a buyer.

 

[Jill]

Anyone who would doctor a photo of a sales pic (other than to like brush out a lead rope or some poopies) doesn't care really about the long term welfare of the horse. I "finally" have a few for sale and #1 on my list of priorities is trying to be sure the new owners are going to be happy with the horse.

I know that when I am inquiring about a horse, I try to remember to list out my questions, each on a separate line, so that it's easy for the seller to not forget to answer something ... just in case that helps others who read this thread.

 

[backwoodsnanny]

I agree I agree. It definitely depends on the horse and asking a price range in my opinion is rude. JMO I may have a range in mind when I am looking but if the right horse came along thats what the credit card is for LOL. Also two pet peeves with websites one is when they are not updated and two when there are no prices to give you an idea what the owner feels his /her horses are worth. I do almost all of my purchases out of state so it is very hard to find horses on websites that are two sometimes three years old and have no prices. I too will not price another person's horse for them. I might try to dicker on the price but in the past have almost always paid the asking price.

 

[user 488]

I put an ad on the LB saleboard searching for a certain thing, asking specific questions for the seller to send info on...the first being a picture. Guess what I got among the replies......

3 emails that had NO info on them at all but only ask what my price range

is!! My answer to that is...it's different in every case depending on the HORSE (whom no one sent any pictures of!!) Now, when I go to these people's websites to look at Possible horses they might have....I see the horses are not priced. Okay, so the owner wants me to price their horses for them. NOT.

I give a seller two chances. I ask and if they do not give me what I want I move on. I don't want to hear excuses. I don't want to hear about their personal problems, or camera troubles, etc. I want what I want and I want it now. I do the same for my buyers. You cannot believe how many people I contact that have a horse for sale and they have absolutely NO photos to send! What the HECK is that all about? If you have a horse for sale, you best have your stuff together. POOR MARKETING SKILLS! People out there have no idea how much business they lose by not being prepared.

And ML.......I agree with the doctored photo thing. Don't care about leadropes, lighting, etc. I also will not buy from professional photos alone.

There are just too many horses out there for sale to screw around. It's just ridiculous and my time is too precious to waste on "slackers"!

And as a seller.......I am perfectly aware that there are 90% tire kickers and 10% buyers. Yes people can drive you nuts, but it is all part of SALES! I give everyone the same consideration. It's just part of what makes up GOOD BUSINESS PRACTICES. I have my pictures all together......lots of them. Good pictures of a clean, well groomed horse without "garbage" in the background. Teeth, legs, head, feet, you name it. Why go out 10 times when you can do it all at once. So it's no skin off my nose to send them to people. And if the person wants more......I go out and do it. If I sell, great......if not tomorrow is another day!

 

[Charlotte]

Ditto Ditto ditto everyone! If the price isn't listed on a site or an advertisement I don't bother going farther and I WILL NOT buy from a 'retouched' photo only! Those pretty prof pics are great to show what the horse can look like at his best, but I want to see and will show a buyer some casual pics too.

The photos that I REALLY don't like are those where the horse has been removed from the background and put on another background......who knows what he really looks like.

I also won't look or buy where I know the electric accupuncture is in use. I want to see a natural neck so I know what is genetic, not man made.

Oh boy, don't get me started :bgrin

Charlotte

 

[sfmini]

As a seller one thing I hate is that generic 'tell me more about him/her'. Everyone has different pieces of info that they want, and I want to know that so I can give them a detailed answer that tells them what they want to know. I don't usually focus on ease of handling, or eye color, but on conformation. Then, on conformation, there are detailed parts that people are more focused on than others. Meanwhile, maybe all they wanted to know is how is the horse to clip......

 

[Becky]

I agree with all the above!

Price is foremost important to me as a buyer! If the horse isn't priced in an ad, I likely won't look further.

Pictures are very important! I'm more than accomodating to a buyer who wants more pics. They may just see the horse in it's heavy winter coat out in the pasture, but I'll take whatever pics they want to see.

I recently put out a 'wanted' ad on the LB saleboard. I had a list of specific requirements. From the surprisingly few responses I got, most didn't meet my requirements. I heard, "I have this horse and it's everything you want, except for this, this and this!"

: Then why did you respond?? Thanks, but no thanks. One that I might have been interested in, never responded when I asked for more info. Forget that one!

One question that is frequently asked, but I can't answer is 'How is he/she around children'? Well, considering that my only child is 22 yrs old, the horse acts fine around her. But I can't tell you about other children! LOL!

 

[ChrystalPaths]

Yup. I'm with you.

As a seller I go out of my way to provide each and everything a buyer asks for and then some. Sometimes even too much but I like to present the horse in all it's many ways. Lovely to look at, wonderful to love, potential for show or breeding. You want dam and sire pics and peds..no problem. Siblings? Sure thing.

As for the "what's your price range?" thing, I hate it too. It totally depends on the horse. I have the nicest filly for sale but no takers. I've been told her price is too high. Well....I'm not giving her away. She is the best I've produced in 5 yrs and rather than drop her price to ridiculous I'll hang on to her.

There are lots of lookeys and I admit at times I have been one but I always try to explain my intent and what I am looking for. Half the fun of shopping for a new horse is the inquiry. Many times I've sighed to Marnie and others over a horse for sale but no money. As sellers, tire kickers, or folks with hard cash, they deserve all the time and respect I can give them, even if they never buy from me. I'm a member of the miniature horse community and I'd rather they went off saying thanks but not this time as I refer them to another breeder who may have what they need or want. That is doing good business for the miniature itself. I am not in the market for anything more. I am all done. But I love to talk minis to anyone who is an interested buyer or just the curious.

BUT as a seller and a buyer, a good picture is worth it all, back it up with a price and say if it is concrete or workable to the right home. The home is most important to me not the almighty $$$. JMHO.

Also those with such nice web sites and those great horses for sale with no price on them...I always just pass on by.

 

[Jean_B]

Now first of all, I do put prices on my sales list....but from a seller's perspective...when I get a phone call that is a "cold call" asking if I have anything for sale (and yes, buyers often call and say "anything"....not "do you have a bred mare for sale", or "do you have a breeding age stallion for sale") I don't want to waste my time telling them about the $5,000 animal when in fact they are looking for a $300 pet!!

So yes, I will ask, "what are you looking for?" "What is your price range?" "What is it you intend to use the horse for?" Because my time is JUST as valuable as the caller's. And you know what? I've had very entertaining, LONG conversations with these folks...I didn't have anything that they were looking for at the moment, but I think they'll be calling me again in the future.

So maybe it depends on how you are phrasing your request. If you want a specific answer, you have to give a specific question.

If I get a "cold call email" that is extremely vague on what the person is looking for and if there isn't any contact information on who the sender is, I think they are just a "tire-kicker" and tell them that all of my horses available are on my sales page, along with their prices, and give them the address.

 

[Lauralee]

I'm with Jean on this one.

I also tend to blow off inquiries where the buyer doesn't bother to sign their email or they use no punctuation or grammatical skills in their writing.

 

[user 488]

Now first of all, I do put prices on my sales list....but from a seller's perspective...when I get a phone call that is a "cold call" asking if I have anything for sale (and yes, buyers often call and say "anything"....not "do you have a bred mare for sale", or "do you have a breeding age stallion for sale") I don't want to waste my time telling them about the $5,000 animal when in fact they are looking for a $300 pet!!

So yes, I will ask, "what are you looking for?" "What is your price range?" Because my time is JUST as valuable as the caller's.

So maybe it depends on how you are phrasing your request. If you want a specific answer, you have to give a specific question.

Yes, Jean I do agree. If someone does not inquire about a "specific" horse you have to have some point at which to start. To me that is totally different than evading a buyers questions. And well put...."if you want a specific answer, you have to ask a specific question" Sellers are not mind readers!

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[remington]

Just to point out....I placed an ad on the sale board. It stated exactly what I was looking for and specific questions to start out with.

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[Sterling]

Here's another tip.........when they advertise a horse for sale....why not post a picture of THE horse...not it's dam and sire and "their" accomplishments .....I want to know about the horse thats for sale.....THEN I'll want to know the other stuff. But initially please why not post a picture of the horse being sold??

 

[ionafarm]

I, too, agreee with Jean. We try to provide as much information as a prospective buyer wants, including multiple photos, videos, etc. However we may have several horses in different price ranges which fit the buyer's criteria in other ways. If the buyer has a price range, or limit, it saves me a lot of time and effort if I send them only information on horses they can afford. An advantage to the buyer to quote a maximun price is that I may come down to that max in order to make the sale. If nothing I have is even in the ballpark pricewise, then we've both saved a lot of time and effort, and perhaps I can direct the buyer to someone who has horses in their range.

Since so many people (me, too) believe that the sellers should make their prices available, I think it should be mutual. It is very frustrating to have someone call or write about a horse whose price is published, tell you that they couldn't possibly afford the horse after you've spent a lot of time with them. If the horse is out of their range, I'll still talk to them, but I'd reallly like to know where they're coming from up front.

Specific questions are also greatly appreciated. We don't know what a buyer wants to know unless you ask.

Gordon

 

[wwminis]

I, too, agreee with Jean. We try to provide as much information as a prospective buyer wants, including multiple photos, videos, etc. However we may have several horses in different price ranges which fit the buyer's criteria in other ways. If the buyer has a price range, or limit, it saves me a lot of time and effort if I send them only information on horses they can afford. An advantage to the buyer to quote a maximun price is that I may come down to that max in order to make the sale. If nothing I have is even in the ballpark pricewise, then we've both saved a lot of time and effort, and perhaps I can direct the buyer to someone who has horses in their range.

Since so many people (me, too) believe that the sellers should make their prices available, I think it should be mutual. It is very frustrating to have someone call or write about a horse whose price is published, tell you that they couldn't possibly afford the horse after you've spent a lot of time with them. If the horse is out of their range, I'll still talk to them, but I'd reallly like to know where they're coming from up front.

Specific questions are also greatly appreciated. We don't know what a buyer wants to know unless you ask.

Gordon

[SIZE=18pt]I agree with Gordon amd Jean on this one![/SIZE]

Bill

 

[zacharyfarms]

Hmmmmm I guess I'm one of the few that shops for what I like and then ask the price in hopes it meets my budget..Kind of like shopping for just the right dress...I always look for what I like first and then look at the price tag..If I can't afford that dress then at least I know what I want and can look for something similar in my price range...I can't imagine just passing on a horse or dress simply because the price tags missing..

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[small herd]

I'm with Judy on this one ! I am not shy to e-mail and ask the price. If they don't answer me, I'll e-mail again or maybe call them.

 

[RJRMINIS]

I have to agree, I hate to look at websites, on the for sale page and not have any prices listed.......Or for that matter someone that advertises something for sale..... with no price, and you inquire and they don't have a price yet.......In my opinion don't advertise it is for sale if you don't have your asking price yet!!!! But If it is something I really like I will hang in there till I get the price so I know if I can afford it or not!

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[esty]

its Important for a seller to find out the buyers price range, who wants to spend tons of time to find out they are looking for a pet and you only have a show horse or the other way around. I have inquired about several horses and have that question asked of me, which i gave them my price range and what i wanted in a horse and got the info i needed on only the horses i could afford.

 

[Margaret]

Being in sales most of my life, I can appreciate the sellers position to "some" degree.. ( but not the way it was handled) "Price" seperates the tire kickers from the buyers, that are serious. Many people that are selling horses dont have "ready to go current pictures", so they need to "clean up the horse and reshoot" if the potential buyer is requesting them. This takes considerable time and effort, -but for a serious inquiry is well worth it. If this situtation had happened to me, I would have gladly first given the price of the horse in question, and made mention of any flexability in that price, as well. Then "if" I did not have a ready current photo of the horse, I would have asked in that same e-mail, if he or she was still intrested in getting a photo, as I would need to get one. This step assures the buyer that his time and effort is not wasted, in still pursuing the sale.

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