Haggling a horse price

M

mtj

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 December 2002
Messages
1,321
Visit site
At what percentage of the advertised price, does an offer become offensive?

Are sellers currently expecting to accept a discount on the advertised amount?

I realise the expectations of private sellers and dealers will vary, but trying to get a feel for the current market.

Thanks
 
I'm normally prepared to knock off 10%, will consider an offer 15% lower than asking price, 25% less becomes fairly offensive to me.
But it also depends on the value of the horse/pony I'm selling.
 
Depends how competitively priced the horse is. If it is already "priced to sell" then there probably isn't the negotiation room to make low offers there is with something that is priced a little less keenly.

I recently got a discount of about 12% having made an initial offer that included a discount of about 23%. The horse was realistically priced but not cheap for what she was.
 
Katt said:
Depends how competitively priced the horse is. If it is already "priced to sell" then there probably isn't the negotiation room to make low offers there is with something that is priced a little less keenly.
Click to expand...

Exactly! If a seller has set a very realistic price - and isn't DESPERATE to sell - then 10% off is about the best you'll get! If the horse is priced above a realistic value, then how much you'll get off depends on whether the seller is KEEN - and how many prospective buyers have passed on it.

I'm currently hoping to buy a horse at half the advertised price - which WOULD have been a realistic price if the owner wasn't scared witless of the horse and hadn't left it in the field getting fat for the past year. AND if it hadn't been passed on by at least 3 people to my knowledge - one after it 'failed' the vet! :rolleyes:
 
Arggggg... Im going to pop back and keep reading this thread, as im about to place an offer on a horse. I think im being tooo british, I hate haggling, I think it boils down to really liking the horse too much also.

ARG!!!!! how do you decide and then say? do you pretend your not that keen?
 
dany said:
Arggggg... Im going to pop back and keep reading this thread, as im about to place an offer on a horse. I think im being tooo british, I hate haggling, I think it boils down to really liking the horse too much also.

ARG!!!!! how do you decide and then say? do you pretend your not that keen?
Click to expand...

Try with "I really like the horse and with a bit of work/weight/schooling/handling (whatever) he will be perfect but I have seen an awful lot of horses similar for a little less. I haven't clicked with them as much but wondered if you would accept an offer of..."

What price are they asking and what do you want to offer?
 
Farrierlover said:
Try with "I really like the horse and with a bit of work/weight/schooling/handling (whatever) he will be perfect but I have seen an awful lot of horses similar for a little less. I haven't clicked with them as much but wondered if you would accept an offer of..."

What price are they asking and what do you want to offer?
Click to expand...

The horse is up for 7500, but they have already said they would do something on the price and maybe help with transportation (he is in Spain)
The only bargaining tool I have is that its currently in a pelham due to their rider not coping with a snaffle, so he was argueing....alot, cant say Im that worried about it though.

As for price id like to pay, well, what my budget was really @ £5000. But I do think thats unreasonable.
 
Oh dog, please tell me you've seen and ridden it? I'd go with £5k as an initial offer, maybe you could just say that you think it's a more appropriate figure given the state of the market?
 
Farrierlover said:
Oh dog, please tell me you've seen and ridden it? I'd go with £5k as an initial offer, maybe you could just say that you think it's a more appropriate figure given the state of the market?
Click to expand...

LOL! yes ive just got back from there, spent 2 days riding, tacking up, lunging and a little hack x
 
I've just sold my mare for the asking price.......I'd dropped it this week quite substantially and said that was the price!
 
Just sold my mare for £200 over asking price :o Ended up with two people wanting her, both good homes, so they offered more to secure her. Know I was very lucky though (it's certainly a first for me!)

Realisitically, I'd have taken 10-12% less than the asking price.

The mare I just bought, I offered 10% less than asking price & ended up negotiating around 8%. She was realistically priced & worth it to me.

Best of luck with your new horse, keep us posted! :)
 
I offer what I personally think the horse is worth to me, and I make that clear to the vendor, i.e. I do like your horse but for me he is worth £XXXX so that is my offer. I don't feel embarrassed to offer less than the asking price if I don't think the horse is worth it, although I would never go and view a horse that is over my budget, and I am always prepared to pay full price should I think it is the correct value for the horse.
 
dany said:
The horse is up for 7500, but they have already said they would do something on the price and maybe help with transportation (he is in Spain)
The only bargaining tool I have is that its currently in a pelham due to their rider not coping with a snaffle, so he was argueing....alot, cant say Im that worried about it though.

As for price id like to pay, well, what my budget was really @ £5000. But I do think thats unreasonable.
Click to expand...

EVERYTHING is negotiable in Spain! I think £5000 is a good starting point :)
 
I wouldn't accept and offer less that 15% off the price. Also i constantly see horses that are so average, have a low level of schooling and don't have great conformation up for sale for way more then they are worth, and these horses are usually no spring chickens being over 10 years old. its a bit mad, if the owner loves the horse and thinks the world of it, that's great but they really need to be realistic. If your price is realistic then don't accept low offers, if its priced for a quick sale and is a bargain, don't budge on the price.
And by the way im not trying to say horses over 10 are old, they certainly aren't, but if the horse your looking at doesn't have correct schooling its best if there younger and you will only have a year or two of bad training to put right :)
 
I have just bought a 14.2, 12yo allrounder who was genuinely outgrown. He was advertised for £3000 ono and I thought I would take a chance and offer £2500 ( about 16% under the asking price?). The sellers didn't try to drive me up but instead went off for a chat. I couldn't believe it when they came back and accepted my offer, especially as there was another lady due to come for a second try the following day! :eek: I had taken a cash deposit with me, which may have helped.

I am delighted with my purchase so far, there has been no nasty surprises and I think he was very good value.

So, I think making an offer is always worth a try - you never know! :D
 
As my YO told me when I was last looking to buy a horse and was being overly British about offering less than half of what someone wanted for an unfit been in the field for 2 years, fat , badly trained (you get the picture) horse that would need significant money spent on a re-train.

" there is only one true worth of a horse and that depends on how much it weighs, the rest is emotion, how much you want it and how much they think it is worth, and how much they think you are the right person for the horse"

My offer was accepted but due to circumstances I had to back out of the purchase.....owner then came back and knocked another few hundred off.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top