horse sale inquiries

[lesgarcons]

One of our clients recently went into the local tack store to buy a bridle. My boss had told her to expect to pay at least $400 for something high quality. The sales person kept showing her bridles in the 100-200 dollar range, so finally she said, “what about those bridles over there?”. “Oh,” the saleslady replied, “I think those are out of your price range.”

The saleslady did not know that the client in question has a very prestigious job in the medical field, or that her husband is one of the top specialty doctors in the entire region. But she shouldn’t have needed to know. Her assumption lost her our business, and most likely her job.

Never assume people can’t afford what you’re selling. Deal with every inquiry professionally and treat everyone the same. You never know who can afford what by their appearances or their emails.

[RubyTuesday]

[QUOTE=lesgarcons;7088771]
One of our clients recently went into the local tack store to buy a bridle. My boss had told her to expect to pay at least $400 for something high quality. The sales person kept showing her bridles in the 100-200 dollar range, so finally she said, “what about those bridles over there?”. “Oh,” the saleslady replied, “I think those are out of your price range.”

The saleslady did not know that the client in question has a very prestigious job in the medical field, or that her husband is one of the top specialty doctors in the entire region. But she shouldn’t have needed to know. Her assumption lost her our business, and most likely her job.

Never assume people can’t afford what you’re selling. Deal with every inquiry professionally and treat everyone the same. You never know who can afford what by their appearances or their emails. :)[/QUOTE]

Absolutely. I guarantee you that you would never know by my appearance what I can and can’t afford. I dress to do hard physical work every day and I don’t dress up for ANYTHING unless I am showing. That is my preference and my way; I’m my own person and that salesperson would have gotten a mouthful of snark out of me, as would her boss. One should never “assume”, as we all have probably heard, though I’d say she’d probably be safe in the assumption of having at least a naughty note in her personnel file after I was done with her.

[bM1]

I have never understood the ‘hush, hush’ pricing thing the horse world has going on.

If you have to advertise to sell, put a price tag on it!

I over look ads all the time that do not list a price. I usually assume they are in the $500k ++ region. And, IMO, usually horses worth that much are talent galore do not need internet sale ads to sell.

[Sansena]

BlueRibbon…

If it annoys you to disclose price on the first email, when DO you disclose price?

After the potential buyer has made arrangements to visit? After the first inspection? Second? How much time are you willing to waste in the hopes you’re keeping your horse sale prices ‘confidential’ to the general public?

I agree the best way to keep your price ‘confidential’ is to go through an agent, dealer or broker. Then again… that may mean you’re losing some cash to a steep commission…

But I’d really like to know WHEN price is discussed, if not early on in communications.

[Cannonball]

[QUOTE=bM;7088855]
I have never understood the ‘hush, hush’ pricing thing the horse world has going on.

If you have to advertise to sell, put a price tag on it!

I over look ads all the time that do not list a price. I usually assume they are in the $500k ++ region. And, IMO, usually horses worth that much are talent galore do not need internet sale ads to sell.[/QUOTE]

Exactly!! And if you aren’t advertising then ask who referred them to you and give at least a price range. In our barn that does predominantly “AA” shows “an expensive horse” is anywhere from $50,000 to $500,000. It depends on which client you are talking with…

Just because you quote a price doesn’t mean you have to sell them the horse. You can ask $100,000 and they can offer $125,000 but if you don’t like the situation you don’t have to sell it.

[dags]

[QUOTE=Sansena;7088884]
BlueRibbon…

If it annoys you to disclose price on the first email, when DO you disclose price?

After the potential buyer has made arrangements to visit? After the first inspection? Second? How much time are you willing to waste in the hopes you’re keeping your horse sale prices ‘confidential’ to the general public?

I agree the best way to keep your price ‘confidential’ is to go through an agent, dealer or broker. Then again… that may mean you’re losing some cash to a steep commission…

But I’d really like to know WHEN price is discussed, if not early on in communications.[/QUOTE]

If I understand the OP’s OP, it’s less about disclosing price in a first email and more about getting an email that says nothing other than “How Much?” And half the time there’s not even a name signed to it. I will admit, those irk me too. No way of telling if it’s genuine interest, the local busy-body trying to find out what Susie’s selling her horse for, or a starry-eyed 13 y.o. who’s shopping way beyond her experience or means.

A little, “I’m looking for XYZ, have been riding X amount of years, and have goals of doing 3’, 3’6”, International Derbies, etc. with my next horse" will go a long way to assure a seller your interest is serious and appropriate. If the person is not even remotely suitable for the animal to begin with then the price tag is a non-issue.

[trubandloki]

[QUOTE=dags;7089409]
If I understand the OP’s OP, it’s less about disclosing price in a first email and more about getting an email that says nothing other than “How Much?” [/QUOTE]
So both you and the OP would rather waste more time by reading a long story about the email sender and answer a bunch of other questions about Dobbin before you find out that this horse is priced way out of the purchasing range of the person sending the email?

You really can not have it both ways.
If you do not want to be asked the price then put something in there that gives an idea of the price range.
If buyers that are way below the range are an issue to you then filter them out by putting the price in the ad.

[ParadoxFarm]

Personally, I don’t even respond to ads that do not list a price. Sure, I may miss out on my perfect horse, but I don’t want to deal with it. I always think that no price either means it is too high, or the price may be “X” for me, and “Y” for someone else, and maybe “Z” for a third person. I don’t like games. Tell me in black and white. If you’re firm, great. Put firm in the ad. If you are not, put something like negotiable if you want. Either way, I know what the price is or a close proximity!

[dags]

[QUOTE=trubandloki;7089462]
So both you and the OP would rather waste more time by reading a long story about the email sender and answer a bunch of other questions about Dobbin before you find out that this horse is priced way out of the purchasing range of the person sending the email?

You really can not have it both ways.
If you do not want to be asked the price then put something in there that gives an idea of the price range.
If buyers that are way below the range are an issue to you then filter them out by putting the price in the ad.[/QUOTE]

I’m not sure where you got all that? I do use price ranges, so I assume we are already in the proper ballpark when the email arrives. And I said nothing about not wanting to quote a price or needing to relate your life story. Just a little something other than:

From:xocheckers93@yahoo.com
Subject: Horse for sale
Body: How much is your horse?

Heck, even a Hello and a Thank You would improve that inquiry! (as would specifying which horse)

I cannot speak to the OP’s feelings on the subject as I am not the OP. Was merely providing a potentially correlating point of view.

[tinah]

@dags;7089409

No way of telling if it’s genuine interest, the local busy-body trying to find out what Susie’s selling her horse for, or a starry-eyed 13 y.o. who’s shopping way beyond her experience or means.

And?

Can you believe the other day when i went shopping i wandered into the candle store and looked at prices on things? And didn’t even tell the salesperson if i was looking for the bathroom or the kitchen?

[BeeHoney]

Add me to the list that says put a price on the horse. Secrecy around pricing is a red flag to me that the seller might be either 1) not serious about selling, or 2) not realistic about their pricing, or 3) planning to change the price based on the potential buyer and/or any commissions. I understand that some buyers may not want other people to know exactly what they paid (perhaps for privacy reasons, perhaps for resale reasons) and it is hard to remove information from the internet, so if you feel this is the case and you have not listed sale price then you need to quickly disclose the sale price when people do inquire. Price is a critical piece of information that buyers require. I think that listing a price range in an ad and then quickly disclosing sale prices upon inquiry is fine.

[dags]

I understand I’m a little old school on this (as has been pointed out on here many times before) but I don’t think every kid at the barn needs to know how much every other kid’s horse cost. These aren’t candles, these are extremely expensive luxury items with prices that fluctuate for any number of reasons. If the buyers want to tell everyone what they paid for the horse, fine by me, but I try to leave that choice in their hands by not just blurting out prices to anyone that can hit a send button yet can’t be bothered to sign their name.

And I like manners. Things you used to get when people used telephones. Hello, thank you, and an actual interest in purchasing the horse. I get a lot of inquiries that are 0 for 3 in that regard. Similarly, I disclose a lot of prices to first-time inquiries that have expressed some, nay - any - regard for being serious shoppers. Heck, as you can see from these posts, obviously you could just lie to me, but I do what I can to weed out tire-kickers for our clients, and in my experience, those one-liner inquiries are quite often children.

To the OP, I typically reply to the one-liners by restating the price range and perhaps adding “low end” or “high end” to help clarify it, and then with some questions about what their goals & needs are. This has opened up many conversations and gotten many horses into appropriate homes.

[Cindyg]

So how about when you get the e-mail, “How much?” you respond with, “Tell me a little about your situation and experience.” Then if they answer that e-mail satisfactorily, you tell them the price. ??

When a house in my neighborhood is for sale and I’m curious what it’s worth, I call the realtor and ask, “How much?” They may ask me a few questions about myself; but they tell me every time.

ETA: Count me in with the ones who say put the price in the ad.

[Lori]

[QUOTE=tua37516;7088287]

I think it is respectful to the buyer (and a whole lot easier) to at least post a price range![/QUOTE]

I agree. I personally just pass on by the ads with no price listed. At least listing a price range will help prospective buyers.

[Beam_Me_Up]

Not having some sort of price range on an ad just creates awkwardness for both sides.

The awkwardness that the OP feels, with all these hard-to-assess “how much?” inquiries, is the same awkwardness those emailers felt in deciding whether to bother contacting a horse that might be way too $$, whether to include their life story or just ask the question upfront so as not to waste the seller’s time, etc.

IMO it is just simpler and more efficient to list a price, or at least range, but if not, the trade-off is that any interested parties will want to ask the price early on so as not to waste anyone’s time

[Linny]

Dags, wat iz price of ur gran prix hrs? Lol

[dags]

@Cindyg;7090065

So how about when you get the e-mail, “How much?” you respond with, “Tell me a little about your situation and experience.” Then if they answer that e-mail satisfactorily, you tell them the price. ??

Correct. Or, I steer them towards a horse that will actually fit their needs and tell them its price.

It’s been recommended sellers keep a doc with a brief rundown on the horse which they can copy & paste in response to the many inquiries asking similar questions over and over. I think a similar concept works just as well for buyers, a brief rundown of their experience, goals, and any other specific needs to copy, paste and send out to sellers.

“Hi, I’m looking for a horse to eventually do the AO Hunters on. I have been showing in the Low Adults and recently moved up to the 3’ Adults, but my horse is a bit maxed out at that level and has started stopping. My eye is not perfect and the stopping has done some damage to my confidence, so my top priority is that my next horse be scopey enough to handle my mistakes and dead honest to the fences. He will be in full training that includes lessons and rides, but we are limited on turnout in our area. Does your horse sound like he would be suitable and, if so, what is he priced at?
Sincerely,
Ms. Equine Shoppper”

Any one of those criteria could eliminate the horse’s suitability for the buyer, not just the price tag, so my point here is that they should be given equal importance. Price can be (and often is) negotiable, but a horse that needs a perfect distance to jump is not. For many sellers finding the right match is far more important than getting every penny out of their asking price. For that reason (as long as a ballpark range is stated and it is in or near the buyer’s budget), I think it does buyers a disservice to focus solely on the price (I mean, you’re sending out a communique anyway, you might as well list the other things that are potential deal killers).

[dags]

[QUOTE=Linny;7090479]
Dags, wat iz price of ur gran prix hrs? Lol[/QUOTE]

Ah you jest, you jest, but that is not far from some truths!

[M_Owen]

First, as a response to the OP when I have had horses for sale, I responded to all emails (no matter how ridiculous) with the price/ price range and some brief details about the horse, such as Dobbin has competed at X, Y, Z, has such and such training, has been successful in X type of program, and something about the horse’s qualities including both pros and cons. For example, Dobbin is bomb proof in most circumstances, but has been most successful with a pro tune up every few weeks, or in a regular lesson program, etc.

I understand your frustration, but at the same time, when I am on the buying end I don’t want to spend time on a horse that is outside my price range. When I have sent inquiry emails, I do usually provide some information about what I am looking for and my price range right up front and I sign the emails with my full name and a contact phone number as well. I even include a greeting such as Hello, or Hello Jane Doe, if the contact name is included in the ad- call me old school.

I am not currently horse shopping, but I have purchased and sold horses in the past few years and have experienced what people here are mentioning from both ends. IMO, no matter what my price range, I would be very reluctant to call on a horse whose ad said Inquire in the price, or private treaty. When I see that, I have a few thoughts right off the bat 1) the seller/ agent may be likely to play games with commissions, 2) the horse will be priced outside my range, or 3) if the horse seems somewhat average to me, the sellers don’t have a realistic view of the horse in question.

For example, I know of horses currently for sale that I know are priced in the low-mid 5 figure range (I know the owners and trainers personally) that are listed as inquire or private treaty. IMO, I don’t think a 20-40k horse warrants inquire or private treaty. In that scenario, I would suspect not putting a price range may discourage some serious buyers. Given that these same horses have been on the market for quite a while, I think it suggests that 1) the current marketing tactic is not working, and 2) possibly the horses are not priced appropriately.

[redcowpony]

When I was horse shopping, I really disliked ads that did not have a price listed - or even a price range. Sure, it had some of the horse’s experience and skills, but that did not tell me if the buyer was realistic about the price or whether I might even be able to entertain the possibility that I might buy the horse.

Pricing varies so much by region that I wouldn’t bother with ads that did not list a price or price range. I automatically assumed it would be more than I could afford. I did not have the time or energy to jump through hoops to get a price out of a seller that may or may not be the same price he just told another person. I truly prefer to have something published that states a price so the seller can’t just throw a random number out there.

If you don’t want people just inquiring about the price, list something. People ask about the price because they don’t want to take time and energy and start to really like the horse on paper, only to find that it is thousands of dollars above their budget. They could have spent that time furthering their search for a horse they could afford, and they would probably never have contacted you in the first place.

That being said, I agree wholeheartedly about people not even saying hello or thank you. I always treat email as a type of letter that requires some small sort of introduction and a thank you at the end. It is a pity more and more people - even mature adults - do not treat it as such.