Warning to all foreign and US buyers in Europe - how the market works!
What warning?
[QUOTE=oc-cal;8067389]
Warning to all foreign and US buyers in Europe - how the market works![/QUOTE]
If you are going to be accusing, you need to have details and hopefully proof of what you are accusing them of.
If not, your thread will go over, rightfully so, as trolling.
I don’t believe it!!
There are no dishonest horse people in Europe. :eek:
Horse people trying to pull the wool over other horse people’s eyes when it comes to buying? Say it ain’t so!
Is this a gypsy vanner thread?!
Well known fact that the price is often, but not always, raised (some times significantly) for a foreign buyer. The buyer is not forced to buy. If the price is unfair, then they can make an offer or move on to the next horse.
When buying in Europe I confirm the price (by email if I can) in the seller’s local language. They find out later I’m American and it’s never caused me any issues. I was a bit worried with a stallion I purchased last year that they wouldn’t honor the price once they discovered I was American (and the horse would easily go for 4x the price on American soil), but they were super to work with and the breeder/seller was delighted to have sold a stallion to the US.
Another horse was well under 10k. I was honest with my budget and still came home with a very very nice green broke horse that I could have never found in the US for his price plus import.
We buy horses in Holland sometimes. Last year I found a super yearling so I emailed the seller and asked for the asking price. She must have googled my name because when she replied she asked if I wanted to know the price incl. or excl. import to USA…
Since I didnt want to buy sight unseen, a family member went to go see yearling. She didnt inform seller we were related. Funny enough, price was several thousand less 
She told my SIL that there were buyers from USA so she needed to decide quickly, because otherwise horse would get sold…
So relative paid, took horse home and got her ready to ship here. At that point she needed a signature from the seller for some of the paperwork, seller found out yearling sold to USA after all and refused to sign papers, haha! Soooo childish
I bought my stallion anonymously through a 3rd party cause the seller was trying to rip me off.
Well it appears that cryptic post has started an interesting discussion. Especially on how to circumvent these scrupulous European breeders.
Anytime, anyplace you buy a horse there is a chance you will run into a “horse trader”. Even sellers can have issues with middle men taking unknown commission.
Europe is no different then anywhere else. But the Verbands/Registries are usually very helpful for buyers.
BS…buying in Europe is no different than anywhere else. You need to forge a relationship with the people. Doing business with the Germans is a pleasure.
You folks trying to buy sight unseen online and from people you don’t know are just asking for it.
[QUOTE=flyracing;8067571]
Well known fact that the price is often, but not always, raised (some times significantly) for a foreign buyer. [/QUOTE]
And raised again by the importer/trainer once the horse is on U.S. soil and the clients are ready to buy.
[QUOTE=Mardi;8075051]
And raised again by the importer/trainer once the horse is on U.S. soil and the clients are ready to buy.[/QUOTE]
This is true to but it is their business so to be expected.
It’s always buyer beware no matter which country you are shopping in. My experiences buying in Germany have always been good in fact, I have found the people to place a very high regard on integrity and honour when doing business.
Sometimes hard to find these days…
I found the same thing when traveling in certain asian countries, not for horse related purchases though. I had people who spoke chinese do the negotiating because the locals would admit they had two prices, the chinese price and the American price.
“Fair Market Value” definition:
“A price at which buyers and sellers with a reasonable knowledge of pertinent facts, and not acting under any compulsion, are willing to do business”.
Just because a US buyer is willing to do business at a higher price, does not mean that he/she is being gouged. The FMV for a non-US buyer might well be lower because such a buyer is not willing to do business at the higher price.
I do not see anything wrong or underhanded if a seller quotes a higher price to a US buyer. The buyer is always free to offer a lower amount or to walk away. If the buyer agrees to purchase the horse at the quoted price then, by definition, that price becomes the FMV.
Hmmmm… I know quite a few American “trainers” that go to Germany/Holland and buy horses there that they then sell in the US for sometimes twice the amount. I guess that’s alright??
[QUOTE=siegi b.;8076346]
Hmmmm… I know quite a few American “trainers” that go to Germany/Holland and buy horses there that they then sell in the US for sometimes twice the amount. I guess that’s alright??[/QUOTE]
This definitely happens quite a bit…
If that trainer’s “stamp of approval” makes the horse appealing to a buyer at double the price, why not? Retailers routinely double the price of wholesale. If the pro buys a horse, they take on a degree of risk. Now, what I DON’T condone is a pro shopping as an agent for a client, being quoted a price, then telling the buyer that the horse costs double and pocketing the difference. Notable, in such cases, the pro has the audacity of also charge a commission and other fees above the quoted price.
Americans are known for over paying and for not being interested in haggling on price. As such, dealers in Europe put higher prices on their stock because they can.
Easy advice: Know the people you’re buying from. Doesn’t matter where they are.
