Question About Making An Offer

[JewelsOK]

When the time comes to make the purchase of a mini, is the price set by the seller firm or do they usually ask a bit more than they are willing to take? The person we are thinking about buying from is so nice and I would not want to offend him, but also don't want to pay more than expected to either.

Thanks,

Julie

 

[RobinRTrueJoy]

Hi Julie,

There may be other opinions, but I set a price at what I would like to get for the horse, that said I am always open to offers, my feelings don't get hurt easily. If a seller is firm on the price, he will tell you that.

I find that it is good to have a sale price on a horse because at least you know what is in the sellers mind and can make an offer. Certainly wouldn't offer $500 for a listed $3000 horse. I think most people will entertain offers.

Also sometimes sellers circumstances change suddenly and might consider a much lower offer. It never hurts to ask.

I prefer sellers to list a price. I hate it when the seller doesn't have a price listed and says make me an offer. Where do I start? I never really know.

I have made offers and been turned down but liked the horse enough to pay the asking price many times. I have also sold horses at a lot lower than my listed price on my web site depending on my situation. Bills come in and need to be paid. People lose jobs, health fails and barn work becomes overwhelming etc.

Asking doesn't hurt. On the other hand don't ask to buy a world champion stallion for $500 unless he is suddenly gelded,40 years old and missing 2 legs! LOL!

Robin

 

[Minimor]

Sometimes prices are firm, other times the seller is negotiable. If it were me I wouldn't just out & out make a lower offer, I would ask the seller if the price is at all negotiable. If she says no, then you know there is no point offering less; if the answer is yes, then you can either make an offer, or ask for more specifics on how much less she would be willing to accept. For myself, I consider if the horse is worth the asking price--is that horse worth that particular price to me? If I am willing to pay $500 less than the asking price, how likely is it that the seller will find a buyer at full price...if the horse is just perfect & the price is right, but you want to wait until the seller will take $500 less, if someone else comes along tomorrow & pays full price, will you be kicking yourself for not just buying, rather than waiting to have an offer accepted when the horse doesn't sell? Or will you be happy to walk away saying oh well, the horse really wasn't worth that much money & I'll just buy something else? All things to consider when dickering on a horse!

There's no rule that says the set price is always high and the buyer is expected to offer less.

 

[Songcatcher]

I think every situation is different and good advise has been given.

Some horses I have listed for sale are negotiable and others are not. Circumstances of a sale may also allow negotiation, such as showing, gelding, or package deals.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

I agree with Robin on the no price thing. I was always taught if the price isn't listed and you need to ask you can't afford it.

When there is no price listed I just move on to the next ad. As to how negotiable people are, well most people will say right out if they are firm but if you are concerned about insulting someone ask if they are firm on the price then consider carefully what you are willing to pay if they aren't.

 

[Miniv]

Good advice from everyone, in my opinion. If a seller is smart, they will state up front that the price is firm. If they don't say, then I would assume they are leaving themselves open for an offer.

And if you see the phrase "private treaty".......don't let that scare you. It could mean that the sellers want to include some stipulations to a sale........ie, a colt -- perhaps they would like to have the right to a breeding or two to.

 

[Keri]

I always list my horses about $500 higher than I expect to get (granted I've only sold very few). But to me, a good home is more important than a profit. So just ask if the price is firm. If not, offer a price and then do the negotiations from there. Just like buying a house or a car. You don't ever pay the full price unless you really want it or its stated as that.

 

[Charlene]

my first mini was advertised as "show quality" and listed for $800. because i had no desire to show and the woman was simply looking for a good home, i offered her $600 and she accepted.

my second mini's previous owner was a little old lady (literally

) who, again, simply wanted to find a loving home for him. she asked $250 and i did not even consider offering her less. he was/is adorable, already broke to drive and to me, worth his weight in gold.

i'm fairly new to minis but have bought/sold biggies for 30+ years. if i saw something i wanted, i was lucky enough to be in a position to be able to just buy it if the seller would not negotiate. however, i can only think of one horse in all those years that i paid the full asking price for. that was 21 years ago, he is still going strong and if you offered me a million dollars for him, i'd tell you to scoot on down the road.

 

[JWC sr.]

I agree with the poster above that said that some are firm, some are not. But even on the horses that are firm at times we have taken a cheaper price.

It happened just last week when a family came out and looked. They then explanined they were on a budget and liked a filly we had that was listed for 5,000.00. But only had $3,400.00 to spend. OH!

The little girl who the horse was for then proceeded to tell Cindy & I about her stall, research she had done on conformation, intentions of showing the filly and a trainer she had contacted for lessons about how to show and fit the filly.

Needless to say we sold her the filly for 3,000.00 (so she would have the money to pay for show halter, lessons etc) and wrote up a contract where she must exhibit the filly at least three times this coming year. Which will be great for everyone involved.

So I guess what I am saying is to make an honest but reasonable offer along with other pertinent information does have an effect on us anyway.

Good Luck in your search.

 

[wpsellwood]

It happened just last week when a family came out and looked. They then explanined they were on a budget and liked a filly we had that was listed for 5,000.00. But only had $3,400.00 to spend.
The little girl who the horse was for then proceeded to tell Cindy & I about her stall, research she had done on conformation, intentions of showing the filly and a trainer she had contacted for lessons about how to show and fit the filly.

Needless to say we sold her the filly for 3,000.00 (so she would have the money to pay for show halter, lessons etc) and wrote up a contract where she must exhibit the filly at least three times this coming year. Which will be great for everyone involved.

gotta love the kid card

Im a sucker for it every time

 

[Witts Mini Horse Ranch]

I agree with everyone, I prefer to list mine for what I actually have to have BUT then you get the less desirable buyers...horse traders aka swinging door people. A good home is number one and a promised show home, a huge plus! And from experience......always have a contract...don't learn the hard way. Actually I learned that from the selling end...but very wise for the buyer as while.

Selling my horses is the thing I get the least pleasure out of, and it is so very important I know they are going to a good home and it is hard to find out for sure. I tend to scare off the buyers with all my questions

I know an old timer that should have been a used car salesman, she could sale you a 3 legged horse for top dollar and make you think you got a heck of a deal cause your horse could run on 3 and your farrier only had to trim 3 feet. LOL yep she got me too

I know I am no help....I am no good at haggling...I prefer to be told bottom dollar without asking and that's just not going to happen.

 

[Miniv]

YES to a contract! The purchase needs to be in writing to protect BOTH the buyer and seller.......even if the buyer is paying the full amount.

I would suggest that if you get down to puting a deposit down on your mini (expect that the deposit may not be refundable, so a 10 to 20 percent amount is fair.) then work out a sales agreement with the seller that is fair to BOTH of you.....This is even if you are paying off the the balance OR making payments.

Another thread on this subject with people throwing out ideas may help, although I know we've discussed this before. You might be able to do a Search and locate the thread too.........