How to read a good or bad buyer

[Rocket's mom]

I have a yearling for sale and received an e-mail about her. No questions were asked about her at all, just wanted to know if I was willing to trade her for something else. I replied back with a no thank you. Received a 2nd e-mail, wanting to know what my "bottom line" price is. That was all that was said. Well, it really hit a nerve with me and turned me off big time. Is this how normal people buy horses, or am I getting a horse flipper or trader, whichever way you say it, same thing. I would really appreciate some input because I'm getting red flags about this person and am thinking of not responding at all. What you would do? Or am I being too emotional about it or reading something into it?

 

Thanks for any advice!!

 

[Katiean]

I would send an email and ask for their phone number to discuss the horse. Since they asked for the bottom line price before they even saw the horse I would tell them the asking price is the bottom line price. When you call them ask them lots of questions. Ask about their horse experience. Ask how the horse will be kept. Also keep track of the kinds of questions the person asks. If money is the only thing they are interested in, I would think it may be a scam.

 

[Sunny]

Perhaps the person has very limited typing skills and therefore can't ask a lot of questions...... or maybe you've provided so much information in your ad that all their questions have been answered already..... (just trying to be kind). However, if I get "red flags" from someone, I follow my gut feelings and don't deal with that person. I think selling a horse often is a very emotional thing and I need to feel good about the transaction right from the start, even if it's just an inquiry.

 

[lil hoofbeats]

Anyone who ever buys or sells horses are traders, or "flippers" people buy and sell for various reasons.

I bought 5 horses from a lady in Wi one time. The horses arrived and i called and thanked her, and told her they arrived in good condition. I sold 3 of them because they were not the quality that i liked. She told other people that i bought horses by the truckloads and resold them.

Maybe what i should have done is, complained to her that they had heads half the size of Arizona, and also complained about the fact that she forgot to mention the stifle on the filly, maybe she would have understood a little better why i sold them!

The point is if you are not comfortable selling your horse to a "flipper," then dont "flip" it yourself. Just my thoughts

 

[hobbyhorse23]

I would send a polite email explaining that you are not comfortable dealing with someone who does not appear to have any interest in the horse herself and invite them to call you if they are serious and would like to discuss her further. I bet you won't hear from them again!

It might also be a youth of some kind trying to do things behind their parents' backs. Either way I would not put any time and effort into dealing with this person. Trust your instincts.

I bought 5 horses from a lady in Wi one time. The horses arrived and i called and thanked her, and told her they arrived in good condition. I sold 3 of them because they were not the quality that i liked. She told other people that i bought horses by the truckloads and resold them.Maybe what i should have done is, complained to her that they had heads half the size of Arizona, and also complained about the fact that she forgot to mention the stifle on the filly, maybe she would have understood a little better why i sold them!

You probably got the reputation as a flipper because most of us would have contacted the original seller and tried to work something out if we weren't happy with the horses or they weren't as advertised. Simply selling them on immediately without a word ignores all the care their former owner hopefully put into finding them a good home and constitutes one of the major reasons I hope I never have to sell a horse.

Leia

 

[Molly's Run Minis]

i have asked about a bottom line price in emails, but that was after i asked the buyer a lot of questions and saw pics/videos of the horse. i was selling a riding horse once and someone emailed me just asking if i would trade and if not what my bottom price was. never asked me a thing about the horse itself. come to find out from some ads on horseville/unclehenrys that this person is a horse dealer with about 20-30 skinny horses in the pasture and only 2 round bales of hay for food, ponys and horses were seperated but studs and mares weren't seperated and almost everyone was pregnant from what i could gather. i said no way in heck and called ac on the person. i'd say that this sounds like a potential horse dealer and to ask for current pictures of their horses and references from their vet and any person they bought a horse from and do a site check if possible. you can never be to cautious!!

 

[txminipinto]

IMO, it's not proper to ask what the bottom line price is on a horse. If you don't like the asking price then you need to negotiate. Negotiating isn't "what's the least you'll take?" Negotiating is offering what you want to pay for the horse and then meeting in the middle with the seller.

 

[alphahorses]

Perhaps the person has very limited typing skills and therefore can't ask a lot of questions...... or maybe you've provided so much information in your ad that all their questions have been answered already..... (just trying to be kind). However, if I get "red flags" from someone, I follow my gut feelings and don't deal with that person. I think selling a horse often is a very emotional thing and I need to feel good about the transaction right from the start, even if it's just an inquiry.

I agree. Sometime there is a good reason .. but I do always get a "red flag" when I get that type of email. I'm not selling a car .. I'm selling an animal and I want someone who cares about more than just how much they cost. I feel better even if they just tell me a little about what they are looking for and then ask about price.

IMO, it's not proper to ask what the bottom line price is on a horse. If you don't like the asking price then you need to negotiate. Negotiating isn't "what's the least you'll take?" Negotiating is offering what you want to pay for the horse and then meeting in the middle with the seller.

I agree with this too. Make a reasonable offer. Otherwise, the advertised price IS the bottom price.

 

[~Lisa~]

The point is if you are not comfortable selling your horse to a "flipper," then dont "flip" it yourself. Just my thoughts

I couldnt say it better myself. Of course a seller has every right to go with their gut but I have never understood why if you buy a horse and sell it you are considered a bad person- a horse trader- a flipper yet when the person you bought it from decided to sell somehow whatever their reasoning was is perfectly acceptable

Not meaning the OP but why is a buyer any more or less obligated then you were as a seller to keep a horse for a lifetime?

Now most of my horses I have had a long time and I have sold some over the years it is all part of the horse business. Thankfully I am no longer in the business and just an owner so I do not need to make those tough choices a breeding farm does and I can keep my horses

I do not see anything wrong with asking a bottom line price on a horse- negotiating is really anything that ends in a final sale . OF course I think they should ask about said horse first a little bit get some basic info and then if someone asks me the bottom line well we all seem to have one on a horse be it the asking price or something we decide we can live with. I appreciate that more then someone I spend quite a bit of time with only to find out their budget and there best price is no where at all where my bottom line might be.

 

[Songcatcher]

As many have stated, there are all kinds of reasons why a person might not ask many questions. I've not seen the ad, so can't address specifics, but if it was a really well written ad, it may not leave much to ask. Some ads want "serious inquiries only" and get aggravated if some one wants a lot of information and pictures and then the horse is beyond their means. The seller is then mad that they have wasted their time. Sometimes a person may be familiar with the horse through another source or with its bloodlines.

I had a suspicious inquiry one time. I really thought it was a hoax. Statements and questions were very short and choppy. I followed through on it and found out the person was already familiar with my horses as they were related to someone who had previously purchased from me. The person wound up buying three horses from me.

And, I agree totally with Lisa. EVERY breeder who sells horses is a horse trader. I have a standard in mind that I am trying to breed for. That means I buy horses to try to breed to that standard and I sell horses that are either not producing what I want or when I simply have too many. When you (meaning anyone placing an ad) say "looking for a permanent home" you have automatically eliminated me as a potential buyer. Even if my intentions are to keep it forever, I am not going to make a promise I may not be able to keep.

 

[HGFarm]

The ones asking about the 'bottom line price' COULD be a scam. I had one before and it was a scam. However these type of emails from buyers do turn me off totally. In my opinion, there is no such thing as 'too many questions' and while chatting with a perpective buyer, it kind of lets you get to know them a little bit as well and you can see if your sale horse will even be a good match for them. Sometimes they turn out not to be and I will recommend something at someone else's farm that might work instead.

I dont like it either when I get a short email and they dont introduce themselves, dont sign their name- you have NO idea who you are talking to, where they are or anything about them. I will not just send my horses anywhere to anyone......... I like to be able to sleep at night!

 

[Songcatcher]

The ones asking about the 'bottom line price' COULD be a scam. I had one before and it was a scam. However these type of emails from buyers do turn me off totally. In my opinion, there is no such thing as 'too many questions' and while chatting with a perpective buyer, it kind of lets you get to know them a little bit as well and you can see if your sale horse will even be a good match for them. Sometimes they turn out not to be and I will recommend something at someone else's farm that might work instead.

I dont like it either when I get a short email and they dont introduce themselves, dont sign their name- you have NO idea who you are talking to, where they are or anything about them. I will not just send my horses anywhere to anyone......... I like to be able to sleep at night!

What works for one certainly will not work for everyone. When I see an ad that says "serious inquiries only" it says to me that they do not want to chat.

 

[Carolyn R]

I have been guilty of cutting to the chase when looking for a horse, HOWEVER, I always appologize first and for most for being short and to the point. When I have reached the level of frustration of going through site after site and photo after photo, only to ask the same questions over and over, I simply state that my search efforts have been a grueling attempt to find my ideal horse and please excuse the fact that I am skipping the niceties and am proceeding to listing my questions.

With that said, if someone's first words are whats your final asking price (hate that term, it always seems to be used in all the scams) and they don't even attempt to say love the horse, you gave a bunch of info, but are you negotiable at all, then they can move on IMHO.

I also point out that I hate the term of horse flipper. I do not buy or sell groups at a time, I do not purchase horses for the foal they are carrying just to toss the dam aside when the foal is born, I do not frequent low end sales just to find an empty uterus in hope of breeding the mare and selling for a profit. Sorry, I take a ton of time finding perspective horses to add to my small program, and if i decide to sell one, I put great effort into placing them. It does not mean the new owner to be will keep them forever, but I do my best to find a home that will be able to adequetly provide for that animal.

The term horse flipper has some horrible connotations that go with it, low end care, no hoof trims, no vaccines,no dental care or worming, little to no vet care at all even when it is desperately needed. It carries the lowest of low regard for an animal and reeks of the poor intent that some one has put no time, thought, or effort for the horse's well being and the only concern is trying to cut some corners and unload an animal as quickly as possible for a profit. Some of these people will scour free ads to try to find something worthy of fetching a few bucks, feed an owner a line of poo just to turn around flip the horse.

 

Sorry this is not a term I care to be lumped into, okay, time to put the soap box away now.

 

[Marty]

I do use the term flipper and when I do this is what I mean:

Say for instance I am told the horse will be in a family and used for yadda yadda yadda. Then come to find out, no such thing or not even a family. The person on the receiving end of the horse had someone waiting in the wings and flipped the horse right over and made an extra buck or two on it. To me, that is flipping. At least, that is what I call it.

Edited to add: Its not that an extra buck was made on the other end, its the fact that horse did not end up in the home that was promised.

 

[HGFarm]

I agree Marty in regards to horse flippers... we have a couple of those here locally!! One advertises a lot, the other not much.

Songcatcher, I agree with you there to a point, but have you ever had people have you take video (these can take a LOT of time to put together), tons more pics from every angle- even UNDERNEATH, ask all kinds of questions... As the seller, you jump through hoops, answer every question and then some... and then you never hear from them again. Many people put you through all this that had no intention of buying anyhow. They are Lookie Lous who just want to see pretty pictures of a horse.

I myself LOVE to chat about my favorite subject (equines) as some of you have been personally subjected to in the past, LOL. I have tons of email buddies all over, not even people that have purchased horses from me or visa versa, but just that we have struck up wonderful friendships. But I will admit that some folks have a very full plate and when you get folks that inquire about your sale horse and spend a ton of your time and effort to just then drop off the face of the earth, it can be annoying.

A simple 'thank you but the horse is not exactly what I am looking for', or 'we have decided on another horse' or SOMEthing at least is good etiquette. Maybe I am being too picky, but.......... I think the 'serious inquiries only' are geared towards this type of thing.

 

[mizbeth]

Hello

I have found or rather "learned" that when you sell a horse - you must let them go, even though it is hard to do sometimes. It seems like nobody cares for them like we do..........But in short, we have no control over them when they are sold.

Flippers - well again we cannot control that, what is a flipper anyways?

Best of luck to you.

 

[Songcatcher]

Songcatcher, I agree with you there to a point, but have you ever had people have you take video (these can take a LOT of time to put together), tons more pics from every angle- even UNDERNEATH, ask all kinds of questions... As the seller, you jump through hoops, answer every question and then some... and then you never hear from them again. Many people put you through all this that had no intention of buying anyhow. They are Lookie Lous who just want to see pretty pictures of a horse.

Yes.

A simple 'thank you but the horse is not exactly what I am looking for', or 'we have decided on another horse' or SOMEthing at least is good etiquette. ... I couldn't agree more.

 

[Rocket's mom]

Thank you Marty, this is exactly what I meant. I didn't mean all people that sell horses are traders or flippers. No one would have a horse period if it weren't for sellers. I would never put anyone here on the forum in the same category as a flipper. Just wanted to clear up any misunderstanding. Thank you all for your replies. It's nice to know that others have the same worries or concerns when one decides to sell some of their "babies".

 

[lil hoofbeats]

"I have been guilty of cutting to the chase when looking for a horse,"

I for one as a seller appreciate this in a buyer.

Mizbeth, as for a "flipper", have you ever seen the show, Flip This House? Its kinda like that. You buy the horse, spruce it up a little(or not)with a new clip job ,pics,feed and wormer and resell it for a higher price. Hence the term "Flipper" or horse trader. When you do this however, and are able to make money that the last person who owned it could not.... well, you know the rest

I for one feel elated when people make money off my horses!!!!! I ALWAYS give them a "High Five" I know they are coming back for more, and ya gotta love that

!!!!!

 

[Shari]

Personally I ask a lot of detailed questions. Then if I get the answers I am looking for, I will either go see the horse or request a video if the horse is too far away to see in person. I find most of the horse's I have looked at in the past either had issues the seller did not tell me about or wasn't trained to the level they said it was.

I expect buyers to ask questions.

But If the first thing they ask is, what your "bottom" line/price is. There is a good chance it is a scam or someone wanting a free horse.

Those kind of emails get chucked in the trash.

Seems like now a days, some people think they are special and you should hand them a horse for free.. you know because they are doing you a favor taking it off your hands and oh.. can you deliver for free too. Like gee.. how about I just write out a blank check and let you rip me off.

I have had a few good buyers, they ask the right questions, we meet in person and they really do know what they are doing. Once you get a couple of those, it helps to weed out the time wasters wanting a free animal.