Did you activate some kind of translaton app?
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Not that I’m aware of Scribbler. I simply went to check my profile and it changed back.
There is really good advice here. I, too, get the insult but try to consider the source. I have an acquaintance who low balls everything. She’s an embarrassment. Years ago, we were lowballed on a horse by someone who listed the very stupid reasons for the offer, including “not my favorite color”.
We said no- horse went to someone else who consistently tromped the low ball person in the ring. It was a great deal of fun to watch.
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I wouldn’t be insulted, but I would get some other advice on pricing.
Someone I know had a horse for sale, trainer said it would be worth 30 grand. Trainer then used it in a lesson program for a year and didn’t advertise it, person went and got it.
I rode it, said it was worth about $4500. Had a couple people lined up to see it. Then trainer two said it was worth 10k. It’s been with that trainer for a year in their lesson program with a few nibbles but zero offers. Still too green.
I don’t think you should take a lowball, but make sure you’re getting the right advice.
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Great advice and also brings up a good point for buyers: be aware that you can insult the seller by lowballing just to lowball, because it’s your style, b/c you want room to negotiate, etc.
I am currently looking at property and want to make an offer of X. Friend says I should offer less than X. She has solid experience buying in this country (and it’s not a bargaining culture country) and I trust her, but I also want to tread carefully. I don’t want to insult the seller. I have seen sellers (of property and horses) get put off by a super low offer and that buyer is simply frozen out of the process. The seller will even settle near the lowball eventually but not for that lowballer.
So, it’s worth remembering that it’s not always “just business.” Especially with things people may have a sentimental attachment to like homes and horses. If you could take it or leave it and want to make a super lowball just in case, go ahead. But if you think you’d really like the thing you’re bidding on, remember that sellers are people. While it may be business, you still have deal with the seller and if you really insult them you may find your opportunity to buy at any price evaporates.
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And sometimes that lowball offer is truthfully the buyer’s budget. When sellers don’t disclose prices upfront and say they are willing to entertain offers, they shouldn’t be insulted when someone makes an offer. I understand why it can be in the seller’s and even the buyer’s interest to not post prices publicly, but I have also been in the position of having a modest budget, being upfront about it, and then having sellers try to show me horses outside my budget in the hopes that I will magically find more money somewhere to pay for Dobbin, then get miffed when I can’t.
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Agreed. My cousins sold a home and took an offer that was a bit low. The buyer wrote a letter saying this is really the top of our budget/what we qualify for, but we have a growing family and we will love the house and fix it up and my cousins liked that so much and liked the family when they met that they took the lower offer for a good reason for the right people.
I think the difference is, they didn’t do a less than 1/3 lowball with no explanation. They knew they couldn’t offer asking price and they did their best AND wrote to say why they couldn’t do more and it worked. If they were just a flipper lowballing with no real reason they would not have been successful.
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This ^^^^^.
If I price is not advertised, and if I ask the seller the price, and the answer is “What is your budget?” My answer is to walk away.
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Thank you for all the very excellent advice!! I have been mulling it over and over. I guess maybe insulted may be
too strong a word, and yes, for some it is just business. I have had contacts (who are much more experienced than me) and a pro rider who know the horse, and some believe my asking price is fair, some say it is a little high. But the potential buyer knew what my asking price was going in to negotiations. And shouldn’t you price a little high, so that there is room to negotiate? I also don’t ‘need’ to sell, so if I don’t get what I want, then I keep my lovely horse and continue to enjoy him. I don’t really mind just keeping him so there is no reason for me to accept an offer that doesn’t match my expectations.
So again, thank you ever one for the great advice!
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First, if you like the horse, don’t worry about him not reaching his ‘potential’. He doesn’t know if he’s reached it, exceeded it, or has languished. If you give your horse a good home that’s all he needs. If you enjoy him, keep him!
As for the low ball offer? People have all kinds of reasons for making them. As you said in your post, this would be a good landing place for him and maybe they thought you’d be swayed by that. If you do want to sell him tell them he’s worth more than that to you, but that you thought they’d be a good fit and you’d be happy to entertain a more realistic offer.
If you won’t go below a certain price, tell them. I once called someone who had a horse that I really liked. I told her up front that her horse was out of my budget (I think she was asking 12 and my budget was 9, but I can’t remember). She said, no problem, a good home is more important than the price. I rode the horse, liked the horse, and she offered to come down to 11.5. She called me for weeks after asking if I was still interested. Wasted my time and hers.
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You’ve gotten excellent advice. I also would not be offended by a low-ball offer and politely respond with a counter deal. For that matter, I know of at least two people who bought their horses for a steal by offering to buy at a lower price over some condition. Ironically, both were expensive and well bred warmbloods, one in particular very fancy. I could see how some people may be drawn to low-ball under the contingency that they may get the horse at a really good bargain, even if they may otherwise be turned away completely, so I don’t think that any are really doing so under the impression that your horse is not worth what you are asking. If you don’t like the offer, then politely decline, re-evaluate and either move on or provide a counter offer.
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This is a perfect response. I don’t need to sell him but I think he’s a good fit would you and I’d be happy to entertain a more realistic offer. “More realistic offer” is a great way to say it.
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Say “Thank you for your interest but that price is below the value of this horse”. Leave it open for this person to explain why it is not below value for this horse or raise their price. Consider realistically why this person is offering a low-ball price. Has the horse done very little and would need training to get up to speed? It’s not known if soundness would hold up to training or regular riding? A horse “behind the curve” for it’s age, especially if you’re talking QHs, is behind the curve in price. Is that person looking for a bargain resale candidate?
AT the end of the day, don’t be offended! Just say pleasantly “no” if the price is lower than you expect. And then move on!!!
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The words “No Thank You” are all you need to respond with if you feel an offer is insufficient. If you have a hard and fast number, tell the potential buyer and leave it at that. No need to worry about it otherwise.
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This is an excellent point, isn’t it? Attitude can be everything.😀
I’ve seen lots of horses advertised at prices that I thought were way too high, and then found out that they were sold for way too little when the owner didn’t get any interest in their original ad. People aren’t always good at marketing their horses, nor are some of them very good at figuring out that it’s costing them more to keep the horse than the price they’re holding out for. 
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and I find that often times people who aren’t paying to maintain or are in fact being paid to maintain a horse might tend to overestimate the value for the market.
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I would just say no thanks, no explanation. It probably would not be a good home with people that have that attitude.
And while they might be a good home, the question is for how long. They may be looking for a nice horse that they can get cheap and then flip for something closer to what you were asking for the horse. Once you don’t own the horse, you have zero control. A forever home is only forever as long as the person owns them. It could be a month, could be a year, could be 30 years. You never know.
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I bought my first horse ~38 years ago for about 1/3 the advertised price. He lived with me until he died of a lipoma that strangulated his bowel. At his age, vets recommended surgery was not an option and he was put down.
The horse was an experienced, advanced eventer that had competed successfully at Chesterland. He was advertised for $13k…which is ~$40,000 in today’s dollars.
This was my first horse. I discussed the horse’s experience and his age (13) with a professor I knew in the equine section of the ag department of a state university. She suggested he was worth $5k (~$15k in 2020 dollars).
Since I was willing to pay $5k, a colleague at work suggested I offer below what I was willing to pay. So I offered the seller $3,500 (~$10,700 in 2020 dollars).
The seller gulped…then decided to sell the horse.
I went into the negotiation as a naive noob…and got a great horse…and the seller got rid of a horse she did not want to keep.
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