A word to buyers.....

[stormox]

I posted a pony I needed to sell on a horse selling FB site.
Within a minute of ad going on I had 30 messages! And another 30 comments "pm price and location" even though it was in ad.
After a couple of minutes of this barrage I removed ad, found a nearby buyer I liked the sound of and they bought the pony unseen and unvetted.
It was totally impossible to reply to everyone. It was manic!!
So to all the people who say sellers are rude not replying, they aren't!! It was just impossible to read messages the speed they came at let alone reply!!
And anyone who says I sold her too cheaply, I asked a fair price for what she was and one I didn't feel guilty asking.

 

[Bernster]

Wowzers. Congrats on finding a buyer so quickly. I bought last year and sent a text to check still for sale and then called. I do think a call will always be quicker and better, if the seller is open to being inundated with calls!

 

[stormox]

Wowzers. Congrats on finding a buyer so quickly. I bought last year and sent a text to check still for sale and then called. I do think a call will always be quicker and better, if the seller is open to being inundated with calls!

I didnt put my phone number, all the messages were on FB. I would really have been in a pickle with phone calls and texts as well!!!

 

[asmp]

I don’t really do FB but couldn’t you just post a general post saying many thanks for all the interest but the pony has now been sold and that you are unable to reply to all the queries individually due to the number of them?

 

[Lady Jane]

I don’t really do FB but couldn’t you just post a general post saying many thanks for all the interest but the pony has now been sold and that you are unable to reply to all the queries individually due to the number of them?

I would do exactly as suggested

 

[stormox]

I am assuming that if the potential buyers didn't get a reply within a couple of days they have the sense to assume the pony got sold to someone else.

 

[MuddyMonster]

I'm not judging at all (I appreciate people sell for various reasons in various circumstances - including unseen), just genuinely curious, were you able to vet the owners over FB messenger?

Having never sold one I've owned before, I can't decide whether I'd rather do it unseen (less emotional) or if I'd feel like I had to meet & vet all perspective owners (but probably find it very emotionally challenging)?

 

[stormox]

I was able to look at their profiles, photos etc. This told me most of what I needed to know.

 

[Flicker]

I follow a couple of horse selling pages on FB and I am always surprised to see people just put ‘Price?’ in the comments under an advert. It seems so rude. If I see a horse I like, I will PM the seller with a short note to say that I like the look of the horse, would like to view, and to enquire about the price. Maybe I’m an anomaly (which probably explains why I’ve still not found another horse)…

 

[milliepops]

i haven't sold a horse since i was 17 and now i remember why... people sending 1 liner messages do my head in! I think social media has eroded social niceties somewhat.

 

[Poingsettia]

It’s the comments like “how much” or just “price” that really annoy me. So impolite to not even say please or thanks. How busy is their life that they can’t even compose a polite sentence?

Sometimes I want to comment “all details are in the advert!” when I see the same questions repeatedly.

 

[KittenInTheTree]

I follow a couple of horse selling pages on FB and I am always surprised to see people just put ‘Price?’ in the comments under an advert. It seems so rude. If I see a horse I like, I will PM the seller with a short note to say that I like the look of the horse, would like to view, and to enquire about the price. Maybe I’m an anomaly (which probably explains why I’ve still not found another horse)…

That's how I do things too.

 

[Bonnie Allie]

I put every detail possible in the advert and then if you are interested you will need to phone me to discuss. Texts, messenger or comments will not be responded to.

Only those genuinely interested will call. I do it for saddlery, horses and horse trailers and recently had great success this way selling an expensive ski boat.

The d***heads still message, text and comment but I just ignore them.

 

[lannerch]

I put every detail possible in the advert and then if you are interested you will need to phone me to discuss. Texts, messenger or comments will not be responded to.

Only those genuinely interested will call. I do it for saddlery, horses and horse trailers and recently had great success this way selling an expensive ski boat.

The d***heads still message, text and comment but I just ignore them.

I have bought all my horses by messaging first , two horses and trailer and other items and pets by only messaging, before I viewed not all buyers that message are d***heads.

 

[Auslander]

The one thing that makes me not want to sell whatever I'm selling is people who comment "PM me". I don't know why it enrages me so much, but My God.......

 

[KittenInTheTree]

I have bought all my horses by messaging first , two horses and trailer and other items and pets by only messaging, before I viewed not all buyers that message are d***heads.

Yes - some of us have hearing difficulties, or short term memory issues that make following a verbal conversation difficult, or are just plain fed up with dodgy sellers.

 

[stangs]

Only those genuinely interested will call. I do it for saddlery, horses and horse trailers and recently had great success this way selling an expensive ski boat.

The d***heads still message, text and comment but I just ignore them.

I never call since a) these ads never put good times to call, b) I ask my most important questions in my first message and I want the answers in writing (e.g. any vices), c) (perhaps childishly) I find calling a complete stranger very unpleasant.

I’m happy to call if the seller then says “let’s discuss this over the phone more at ——“. That way, both sides are prepared with questions/answers and it’s arranged at a time that works for both of us.

 

[Bonnie Allie]

I never call since a) these ads never put good times to call, b) I ask my most important questions in my first message and I want the answers in writing (e.g. any vices), c) (perhaps childishly) I find calling a complete stranger very unpleasant.

I’m happy to call if the seller then says “let’s discuss this over the phone more at ——“. That way, both sides are prepared with questions/answers and it’s arranged at a time that works for both of us.

Im sorry you find calling strangers unpleasant but often leaving someone a simple and cheerful voicemail will get them calling you back quickly.

I could have sold our boat 10x over but my decision on who we sold to was based on a phone conversation with the buyer. Whilst I talked to a number of buyers this chap was just easy to deal with, asked intelligent clarifying questions and was just pleasant and personable.

 

[rowan666]

I recently sold my pony through word of mouth in about 5 minutes and she was collected the next morning (she was the hens teeth sort everybody wants), I couldn't deal with the hassle of advertising and day trippers as it was a heartbreaking enough to let her go.
The horse I bought as a replacement I spotted as soon as the ad went live, inboxed seller to ask for contact number, rang and set off to view immediately as the ad had already racked up over 100 comments before we arrived at the viewing and we weren't even the first ones there! Although I suspect had seller not told a string of lies there wouldn't have been so much interest but that's another story.

 

[sbloom]

The one thing that makes me not want to sell whatever I'm selling is people who comment "PM me". I don't know why it enrages me so much, but My God.......

Yep, wtf can't they send the pm? I don't get it. Then there's the "???" after about an hour, or at 8 in the morning after sending a message the previous evening, the stupid questions that could be answered in about 60 seconds if they read my profile, looked at my website or, God forbid, actually read the post in some cases. Or asking a completely unrelated question in a comment because your post reminded them they needed to talk to you.

It makes running a business quite wearing at times.

 

[welshcobabe]

I have to say as a buyer and on the hunt for my next horse my experience over the last 6months has been one of utter amazement on how people behave. Because I want to view any horse I buy would seem to be fraught with problems. Let us take my latest I saw an advert on a well know horse site and it was just what I wanted, I arranged to view as soon as the seller could see me. Rang the day before to check and was told it had three viewings that day despite the seller saying I would be first to see it. The viewings must not have gone well so the seller called me again this time I found out that the horse was not 15.1 but a tad under 14.2 ! so prior to me asking the questions I would have travelled 70 miles. I am a genuine buyer who lost my horse of 22 years up to this point I have always bred my own horses so this is my first look at buying and some days I am just so demoralised I feel like giving up, I am a glass half full type of a person so I shall keep hoping.

 

[irishdraft]

As I am in the buyers market atm I can report that sellers are just as rude . Unfortunately it seems to be the way much of society behaves. I also think if you advertise on Facebook and I understand why people do, then you have to expect hundreds of ridiculous messages it goes with the territory.