You must be kidding?

[WhiteTailsMinis]

Don't you just love it? LOL

We haven't had much time to enjoy LB lately so tried to find time yesterday and today to post on forum and saleboard just to let folks know we are truly still alive and breathing over here (barely maybe but breathing none the less). LOL

So, within a couple hours of my new saleboard ad - - I get this - you know the feeling - you see the topic and your heart pounds and you get excited and eager because you think - really think - just maybe - there's somebody out there actually interested - you haven't done all this for nothing afterall -- maybe they are gutsy enough to actually consider making an offer - maybe this person will put me to the test to see if I really am open to negotiations and just how far I'll go down - - so the palms sweat and your smiling and you're ready to read all the good stuff about your horse they just have to have and you're gonna do everything you can NOT to loose a sale ---- but wait - maybe this is someone that makes you work your butt off to send dozens of photos and details and pedigrees and umpteen emails of info and then they disappear without even so much as a thank you or screw you reply .... no - give them the benefit of the doubt - this is a good sign just 2 hours after posting an ad - wow Lil Beginnings is the way to advertise alright - man - so here we go.............. and ..................... and ................ you freakin get this email:

 

Hello,

I Am Valentine Benson , i saw your advert on the internet for sale.Please kindly get back to me with all this details below if still avaliable for sale such as :-, :

 

What is the present condition?

What is the Recent location/Features ?

Why do you want to sell ?

What is the last asking price?

 

Would like to see a recent picture if available okay ? Also I will be responsible for the shipping /pick-up from your location..

Kindly get back to me ASAP.

Thanks

 

Valentine Benson

 

HA HA LOL OKAY, this ol' gal has been around the block a time or two and while some emails can "raise an eyebrow" and make me suspicious - those like this are truly scams because the ad clearly says pictures are from Saturday 5/1 and it is a living breathing animal. When they are replying to an animal advertisement and want to know its present condition and features - this is an animal not a piece of furniture. condition? Well, it's breathing at least. LOL In the event they also contact you - this is the header from which the email came:

 

Tue, May 4, 2010 3:21:39 PM

Your HORSE

From:VALENTINA BENSON <[email protected]> Add to ContactsTo:[email protected]

 

Okay, thanks for letting me get all that off my chest all at once. whew! LOL Too funny!

 

[LC Farm]

I just posted one today and got the exact same message from the same person. Why do people even do that?

 

[palsminihorses]

I didn't get the same one as you did, but I got one a couple of days after posting my ad. I had listed more than one horse, and the email didn't even list which horse they were inquiring about! Geez! Mine happened to be, supposedly, from Canada.

Pam

 

[mydaddysjag]

I would have to mess with them, and reply as follows:

What is the present condition? Well, lets say it could be better. Pretty to look at, but sure does cost me a lot of money to upkeep, and time to clean up after.

What is the Recent location/Features ? Its taking up prime real estate in my yard. It has many features, it can break your new fencing, crap all over your yard, it has the ability to eat things it shouldn't then cost thousands in vet bills, the list goes on!

Why do you want to sell? Quite frankly, Im tired of all this work and money to have a pretty piece of "lawn furniture".

What is the last asking price? You know its such a PITA you can HAVE IT FOR FREE, please just come take this off my hands.

I can about bet they would never email back

 

[Genie]

These people don't mind sending hundreds of these mails out because there is always one person every day or two that will fall for it.

The old saying "there's a sucker born every minute" is right and for these scammers, this is their 9 to 5 job.

Most people worked legitimately for a living but these guys just want an easy buck and getting a sucker for a few thousand a couple of times a week makes a pretty good living and there's no tax to pay either.

Very sad. I worked in a financial institution till I retired at 66 years of age. The last several years of my career saw a couple of these things a year, so how many financial institutions are there and if they all had a couple a year??????

 

[GrandmaC]

We've sold things on Craig's List and you would be shocked ( or maybe not) at the scam chit we get. (Am I allowed to say chit?)

If these people would spend half their energy making an honest living rather than spending their time trying to scam, they'd be quite well off.

 

[ruffian]

If you answer them, they have your email to sell. If they get the info from something like Craig's list, they don't have your "live" e-mail unless you reply, and then bammo - they've got something to sell to other junk mail idiots and scammers.

 

[Maple Hollow Farm]

I posted today also and got the exact same email, I always feel like it is a scammer when it says the "name" of the person in all caps, normally it just shows email address or normally typed name as the sender but all caps is my first warning so i didnt get too excited about it.

 

[wingnut]

Isn't it amazing? We're trying to find a reasonably priced car as a 3rd vehicle for our 16 yr old. It's a good thing we have certain resources at our disposal because it's insane how people flat out lie about things. It's definitely not a fun world at times when you're trying to make an honest sale or purchase!

On a side note, I'd be suprised if you have trouble getting any of your gorgeous new kids sold! If I could afford 'em, I'd be down at your place with a trailer the first minute possible. I've already fell head over heals in love with a couple of them beauties!

 

[~Lisa~]

I got one today as well

here was my reply

What is the present condition? broken and used up

What is the Recent location/Features ? installed alarm, robotic chip so they can cook your breakfast- clean your house and bear your children

Why do you want to sell ? I have enough children now and a very clean house

What is the last asking price? 1 million dollars

And guess what.. I made a sale

just need to cash their certifed check with of course extra for the shipping included...

:arg!

 

[georgiegirl]

These scam people make it very hard for those of us that are really looking for a horse.

We ask some of the same questions to try to get a feeling whether we want to pursue the purchase of a particular horse.

Isnt it a shame that it makes it so hard for all of us.

I dont blame the sellers for being very wary, but you never know who is for real, and who is not. I would suggest answering a few simple questions and see where it goes from there. It wouldnt take long to sort out who is who.

 

[~Lisa~]

These scam people make it very hard for those of us that are really looking for a horse.

We ask some of the same questions to try to get a feeling whether we want to pursue the purchase of a particular horse.

Isnt it a shame that it makes it so hard for all of us.

I dont blame the sellers for being very wary, but you never know who is for real, and who is not. I would suggest answering a few simple questions and see where it goes from there. It wouldnt take long to sort out who is who.

I do agree especially with many overseas buyers but when the person doesnt even ask about a specific horse ( I advertised a fundraiser for the ASPC/AMHR youth program not even a horse) and doesnt seem to flinch at the fact my horse for sale can clean your house and bear your children LOL it becomes pretty obvious although I do try and give the benefit of the doubt

 

[WhiteTailsMinis]

I agree it must make it tough on others but while I always give the benefit of the doubt and return a curteous reply - it is normally only done for those that I can get some feel that they are actually asking about the horse and not an object. This is one that is too generic, is being sent to hundreds of people and even those with other livestock so I simply didn't reply at all.

I figure rather than be wrong in my assumption and scare off a real prospective buyer - - I'm curteous in those I answer. In those I just can't get past the gut feeling - no response and if they are truly legit, they'll email again (and not with a duplicarte word for word copy of the first).

I do however love some of the responses you've all listed here - pretty funny!

I do have to share the very best incident here that resulted in the most wonderful long distance relationship and best of friends. Last summer we got an email out of the blue. I couldn't believe someone from England would actually contact us - out of all those other breeders out there - no way - but there was something about that initial contact that just told me - - I'd be a fool not to take this one seriously.

Hence Sarah-Jane of Dandy Farm in Cheshire England. She purchased two of our '09 fillies who's now winning champion titles - most recently her first AMHA show under John Eberth as Judge! All the way over there in England no less! LOL We provided her with her first mini and like the rest of us - she's been hooked ever sense.

She conditioned and trained them herself and shows herself - first time out the gate with a miniature - one of our miniatures no less - and got 6th out of 15 horses in her very first AMHA show. She's also won Reserve Grand Champion in their circuit to qualify for what she calls the largest show there.

Sarah-Jane and I email and text daily - and boy do I mean daily! Multiple times a day. We share pictures and family and life styles (can you imagine they have 3,000 sheep!! and a B&B and now minis too). She sends wonderful care packages here to the grandbabies - and we laugh about eachothers phrases and slang terms - learning from eachother - and yes this is for real. Best thing we ever did was respond to that email the moment it arrived.

My point here was that her initial contact didn't seem like a scam as she asked the right questions you'd expect in an initial contact. She wasn't asking about an object but about a horse - not what its condition was or what features it had or when it was last used, complimented the website and horses and actually sounded human on the other end.

All of us are so very glad she chose us - and more importantly - so glad we acted on that initial contact to become long time friends.

She plans her first visit to "America" in 2011 and I can't wait to see her in person! We've already got a tour of DC planned, and lots of local things unique to our area.

On another note - - hey Joy! Come back for a visit again this year - lots of new stuff to see and plenty of babies to love on again. Might just uncover another blue roan during your visit - wasn't that a trip to get that surprise? LOL

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Maybe you could arrange a black hole instead of a portal?

Then the scammers would all fall through it into a galaxy far, far way.

We could make a movie......

"Scam Wars"

*OK...I'll go now...*

 

[Sandee]

Maybe you could arrange a black hole instead of a portal?

Then the scammers would all fall through it into a galaxy far, far way.

We could make a movie......

"Scam Wars"

*OK...I'll go now...*

Good one, Jane.