Buying & Making Offers

I have done a mixture.
Made offers, maybe £200 off down to £15 off (well, it was for a shetland foal in the early 90's) Right through to paying the asking price and not even making an offer.

With my old loan mare, i offered to buy her... was told a stupid amount (my parents would have paid over her value for her as i was emotionally attached etc), it was really annoying as i had taken on a pretty much nackered driving mare, got her being ridden, jumping, qualifing for lots of Ponies(UK) workers etc and she then threw on a massive price tag, saying she was the 'last of her lines etc.....'
I tootled off and got another horse - a few months later she called us to offer her to me at a more realistic price, well i already have my 2 so wasnt allowed a 3rd. What happened in the end...... i was GIVEN her for free as a wedding pressie.... mind you... this was some 8 years or so later when she was now in her early 20's!

I'd say its always worth asking but dont be too cheeky.
 
Ditto the others, always paid less then the asking price, but really goes on the horse itself. I can be cheeky when it comes to making offers, but the worst they can say is no.

When I was looking last year we went to look at this mare lovely horse, but very very green no where near worth the asking price, but she had potential, we offered £1k less than asking price & lady said she understands why we offered that, but she needed back what she paid for her so refused & she has still got her. :)
 
I would have paid the asking price if he was fit & ready to go but he wasn't so needed a lot of work & just wasn't worth what he was up for. I offered £1500 less & got him for £1000 less than asking price. I think it depends on what the asking price is whether to offer less or not xx
 
Paying what a horse is worth to you is good advice but you should check with the vendor before viewing if the price is open to negotiation. I had someone not too long ago try three times a horse I had for sale and she stated that the horse was perfect for her. Despite my saying at the outset that the price was not negotiable she, after the three viewings, offered significantly less. I refused to sell the horse to her, sold her to another client a week later, and the original lady (who would have suited the horse and vice versa) was upset that she had missed out.
 
When phoning I have always asked whether the price is negotiable or not. My current one was an ex-race horse on permanent loan so free!
 
I would always check if the vendor is open to offers before the first viewing- you don't have to get into figures but best not to waste everyone's time if you don't have the asking price!

I have bought horses from 30-100% of their asking price- usually depends on how honestly they have been described!

I usually price with a 10% leeway in mind but occasionally I have sold and not accepted any offers- hence best to check first! :)
 
When I bought my 1st horse the lady I bought from was selling on behalf of friends and we felt her knowledge, advice and support (she was very local to me) were worth the asking price. Turned out to be true when shortly after buying the horse I found out I was pregnant and she took him back and sold him for me for free!

When I sold my 2nd horse (had outgrown him potential wise) they didn't barter at all paid full wack and didn't even try and get his tack etc included as they wanted to buy it all new!
 
I paid asking price for my first one, £1500, well worth every penny and more, got £500 off the second, paid £1500, not worth what I pai for her in the end, third I gave £200, original asking price £350 (Shetland pony) fourth I gave asking price £700 (welsh pony) and gave it back to the breeder after two years as it was the best thing to do for the pony (!!) Gunner was a stud fee... Well worth it! ;) and I paid the full £3500 for Ru- after spending four days with him and going round a driving trial grooming and backstepping for him with his old owner... I did ask if shed let him go for less and she said no- and there was a lady all booked in to see him the week after who was flying in... So I snapped him up.

I'm currently in my wagon on my way to collect my new boy- the lovely lady selling him has dropped his price to dealer money- I have no idea what he was originally up for! But I'm paying half the price he was last week :)
 
I think sometimes it will depend if the vendor thinks you would be a good person to buy the particular horse. I made an offer significantly under his asking price and the lady said a flat 'no offers'. So I said 'ok'. But she phoned me back after a while and made a sensible counter offer, which I agreed to. I think it's because she realised we were right for each other ;) (and I think she had been messed about by someone else)

I was prepared to go up to the full asking price, if she hadn't phoned me back! :D
 
I do ask if they are open to offers but generally I've paid the asking price. Once I've decided to buy, I've already decided the price is reasonable, otherwise I wouldn't have got far enough to make a decision. I did once phone about a horse out of my price range and asked if they would accept £2000 less and surprisingly, they were happy for me to view. Unfortunately, I heard on the grapevine that the horse had several issues, so never did go to see it.

Incidentally, when selling, no one has ever offered anything but the full asking price. I wouldn't mind a small reduction but a cheeky offer would stop me selling to them. I wouldn't want my horse to go to someone tight, as I'd be worried that they might skimp on its care.
 
Always pay or offer less. When I've put my horses up for sale I always add about £100 on asking price simply because I know that the buyer will knock it off or offer less. :)
 
Sometimes I make an offer, sometimes I don't, depends how much I want the horse and how much they want rid of it.

If they won't drop the price I often get them to throw in free delivery that evens it up.

On the other hand, hypocrite that I am, I do not haggle when I sell, either you pay the price stated or you don't, simple. My ads all say 'Price is firm' so anyone enquiring knows where they stand from the word go.

Prices are not inflated to allow for haggling, if I want $1000 then that's what I will take, unless of course you have something to barter...I've had fencing, hay, firewood, gates, done straight swaps, even had a lawn tractor once. I like bartering! :D
 
I pay what the horse is worth to me .
I am not at all embrasssed to say I like your horse but he is not as described because xyz so my best offer is I don't haggle just walk away if they won't move I usually get them
On the other hand if the horse is great value for money I will always pay the asking price I did this with my last purchase he was so well priced it would have been an insult to offer less.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top