Help with making an offer on a horse for sale...

[fredflop]

Would anyone like to help me via PM? Need some thoughts on an offer to make on a horse I want to buy

 

[Antw23uk]

Have you seen the horse, ridden the horse, had the horse vetted with a successful outcome? If you have and you want the horse just explain (on phone or face to face ideally) you want it and you have this much cash ready to part with for said horse and can collect in xyz blah blah blah

What are you struggling with?

 

[eggs]

As Ant above said. FWIW I think making an offer by text is very poor form.

 

[Antw23uk]

As Ant above said. FWIW I think making an offer by text is very poor form.

If I received an offer by text it would be a flat no, if i even bothered to reply. Incredibly rude IMHO!

 

[Lintel]

Where did anyone say about making an offer via text?
I think OP is asking for some PM advice from other forum users?

Sorry I have little knowledge regarding buying and selling but good luck OP!

 

[eggs]

Where did anyone say about making an offer via text?
I think OP is asking for some PM advice from other forum users?

Sorry I have little knowledge regarding buying and selling but good luck OP!

The OP is asking for help on making an offer and I was just commenting that it would not be a good idea to do this by text.

 

[Antw23uk]

Where did anyone say about making an offer via text?
I think OP is asking for some PM advice from other forum users?

Sorry I have little knowledge regarding buying and selling but good luck OP!

Just chatting between ourselves to pass the time, keep ya weave on

 

[Cortez]

More info needed, but generally if you like the horse think of how much you would like to pay for it. Phone (or meet, or write on vellum with a quill (whatever) an offer of slightly below this number. See what happens.

 

[SpringArising]

Why would you have a problem giving or accepting an offer by text? I've sold and bought loads of horses like this. I find people calling me annoying as you generally have to drop whatever you're doing at that time or go and find a quiet place.

It's also way easier to negotiate over text when you have more time to think.

 

[Hollychops]

Offer what you can afford and what you feel the horse is worth. Start off lower than your final amount and see what happens. I'm a great believer in fate and if its meant to be it will happen.

 

[Red-1]

If you have way below the asking price then I would be OK with emailing as long as it is BEFORE you go and visit. I have done this before when a horse has looked like it really suits. I have said something like...

"I really like the look of your horse and think he would be happy here with me, however, my maximum budget is XXXXX. I am sure you will sell your horse at the asking price as he looks well work that, which will be my loss, but if he does not sell and you would ever consider an offer such as XXXXX then please do contact me."

I don't expect people to contact me back, but on two occasions they have, as I have also included some information about myself, and when I had a website I gave that too so people could see what I was about. On two occasions people did contact me back, the horses did not, in fact, suit, but if they had I would have paid the XXXXX amount and certainly not tried to mess around offering anything different.

I would not go and view a horse if I was not able to be within 10% of the asking price. I think most people expect that much movement and would not be insulted.

If I went to view a horse, intending to offer around the asking price, then wanted to offer less, then I would have to have a good reason why. That could be an issue flagged on the visit, such as greener than expected, or refusing fences, or undeclared scarring, whatever.... I would generally go home and telephone my offer, with my reasoning.

If the horse had an issue on vetting again I would feel free to phone them and offer whatever I thought right, and then it is up to the owner weather they accept or refuse.

I find people are actually more likely to accept if you are not pushy, just make the offer and leave them to think about it. My first event horse was bats when I tried him (bucking) and only had 1 1/2 shoes on, with feet that were not good. I made my offer and it was 6 weeks before they came back to me (I guess he was bucking with other people too as they did come back to me in the end .

I never tell people that their horse is not worth XXXXX as that is simply insulting. Just that for me the horse is worth YYYYY. With me it is not an idle offer either, as in if they don't choose to accept then that is fine and I will look elsewhere. I may negotiate a little higher, but not go up to silly money. I guess you have to be prepared to lose them to another purchaser.

With my last horse, Jay, it was love at first sight, and I would have re-mortgaged the house and paid double if I had needed to. I would not have offered less than his asking price as I thought it was cheap! I could not have risked losing him.

 

[JanetGeorge]

One has to say - as a seller - buyers can be downright ignorant. I am always VERY honest about any horse I have fopr sale - and as they are horses bred by me, I know them well. AND I have a fair idea of value (or at least I know how much I am going to lose on the cost of production, lol.) Finding out what people actually WANT can be hard enough and whether the horse might suit, even harder. Then you waste two hours of time showin a horse, let them see it ridden, let them ride it - and thn WAIT for them to bother to say yes, no, or maybe! Or to make an offer. IF they think there's a reason for an offer below my price, then I'l consider it, But if they say - after wasting hours of my time - 'gee, I like her but she's above my budget' then frankly, I'll tell them to sod off. You should NOT go and see a horse that is above yourbudget without at least saying, on first enquiry, would you take a little less.

 

[oldie48]

Hi I usually work on a 10% discount on the price unless I think the horse is completely overpriced. I think it also depends on how the horse is being sold, on sales livery, by the owner or by a dealer also the time of year (sorry but I do bargain quite hard but I am very straight forward to deal with and don't mess people around)I never go to see a horse I can't afford but that doesn't mean I'll pay the asking price. A horse on sales livery is costing the owner money, a dealer needs to turn his/her horse around fairly quickly to maximise their profit and tbh a lot of owners over price their horses. however, good horses usually sell quickly. I always agree a price subject to vetting and if something I am happy to accept is found, I will renegotiate the price (but I do make this clear before I book the vetting). I've sold horses and like to deal with straightforward people who make their minds up and don't dither, I try to do the same.

 

[gallopingby]

Janet George I so agree. Far too many people these days think they can make an offer just because they happen to want the horse you're selling. Unfortunately they don't factor in the amount of time/expense etc that has gone into producing a horse to a standard. The trend to ask for photos/videos/price etc just out of nosiness / research is extremely time wasting. IF you genuinely want to buy by all means do your homework first but have it in mind that you are actually prepared to go and view the horse that you have funds to buy even if it means travelling 4 hours plus and if necessary staying somewhere overnight so you can have a second look the next day. People phoning asking the price and then suggesting they could make an offer which would 'offend' obviously haven't done sufficient research into the price of the animal they hope to buy and are time wasters often after a cheap horse which they think they can sell on after a few months and have no regard to the genuine breeders.

 

[blitznbobs]

I almost offer the asking price but I won’t make any offer at all if I think the horse is over priced... horses are expensive to produce and if the seller is honest they deserve the right price for their time and effort

 

[ycbm]

If I received an offer by text it would be a flat no, if i even bothered to reply. Incredibly rude IMHO!

If you were selling a horse at five thousand, say, and an offer of £4750 was made by text you'd turn it down? Why?


I have no problem with offers by text. There's a wonderful range of laughing emojis now if the offer is stupid. I used them when I sold my old lorry a while ago.

 

[Cortez]

Far too many people these days think they can make an offer just because they happen to want the horse you're selling.

Why else would they make an offer?

 

[Inda]

I would also agree with Janet George. I had been planning a trip down to buy one of her Irish draughts, until I went Spanish for still undetermined reasons, I blame hypnosis.

I think some sellers can be deluded about what their horse is worth, I wouldn't go and see it. However if the horse is decent and the seller knowledgable I would expect to pay the asking price.

I love to haggle, I've been accused of overzealous haggling. I assume if they're prepared to haggle there's something wrong with it. It, I hate calling a living breathing animal it.

 

[oldie48]

I would also agree with Janet George. I had been planning a trip down to buy one of her Irish draughts, until I went Spanish for still undetermined reasons, I blame hypnosis.

I think some sellers can be deluded about what their horse is worth, I wouldn't go and see it. However if the horse is decent and the seller knowledgable I would expect to pay the asking price.

I love to haggle, I've been accused of overzealous haggling. I assume if they're prepared to haggle there's something wrong with it. It, I hate calling a living breathing animal it.

Haggle is a word that I wouldn't use, I negotiate and if the sales ad says NO offers, then I'd assume that is the seller's position. I certainly wouldn't assume that if the seller was willing to negotiate that there was somethng wrong with the horse, I assume that anyway! There's always something you haven't been told, but I am quite cynical.

 

[Ambers Echo]

I can't see any problem with text or email. I dislike phones generally, finding them intrusive - and you have a chance to consider a response at leisure with texting. Having said that when I am wanting to buy I phone as I am generally very excited by that point and want to secure the sale asap.

Way below asking price offers AFTER viewing drive me nuts. A family once came to ride my fell pony. They ALL rode - 2 daughters, mum and Aunt. In the school, out hacking, over XC fences. Then said she was way over budget and would I take X? Grrrr

Queries around specific lower offers before viewing are fine though the question 'what's the lowest you'd take' in response to an ad is always ignored. 'I don't know, it depends' would be the honest answer to that!

 

[Cortez]

I can't see any problem with text or email. I dislike phones generally, finding them intrusive - and you have a chance to consider a response at leisure with texting. Having said that when I am wanting to buy I phone as I am generally very excited by that point and want to secure the sale asap.

Way below asking price offers AFTER viewing drive me nuts. A family once came to ride my fell pony. They ALL rode - 2 daughters, mum and Aunt. In the school, out hacking, over XC fences. Then said she was way over budget and would I take X? Grrrr

Queries around specific lower offers before viewing are fine though the question 'what's the lowest you'd take' in response to an ad is always ignored. 'I don't know, it depends' would be the honest answer to that!

I understand that it is not a very English thing to do, but almost everywhere else (and particularly here in Ireland) you'd be considered mad not to haggle! And as for your family of riders offering less after having a sit on, perhaps their offer was based on how they felt the horse went for them? That's how I would evaluate a horse, and I wouldn't start to negotiate until after considering all aspects. I certainly wouldn't take offense at a low offer, after all you can always say no (that's how haggling works).

 

[gallopingby]

Why else would they make an offer?

Not clever to take things out of context!!

So you would offer less than half the price for a £8000 horse? and you wonder why there are so few quality horses on the market and breed numbers have dropped significantly in many areas? Quite simply its not worth the time/effort/expense breeding and producing at the moment. Hopefully the situation will improve over the time a it has in the past but unlikely to anytime soon!

 

[Cortez]

Not clever to take things out of context!!

So you would offer less than half the price for a £8000 horse? and you wonder why there are so few quality horses on the market and breed numbers have dropped significantly in many areas? Quite simply its not worth the time/effort/expense breeding and producing at the moment. Hopefully the situation will improve over the time a it has in the past but unlikely to anytime soon!

I have no idea what I would offer on any particular horse until I see it, and I would offer what I thought it was worth to me. I don't in the slightest wonder that there are not that many good horses on the market (actually there are, you just have to know where to look and be prepared to pay what they are worth), and I don't breed any more because I've been there, done that and learned that there is not enough of a market to make the expense and effort worth it for me. People offer horses for sale for any number of reasons, and very often they are completely unreasonable in their expectation of value.

 

[Leo Walker]

I always haggle. Usually in person as I view the horse and if I like it I buy it then and there, I dont mess about and I think that alone is worth dropping the price a little bit. Although saying that I didnt haggle with the current one and I'm not even sure why now. She was fairly priced for what she was I suppose and I needed to move money about so couldnt actually pay for her for a few days.

I would never ever be offended at someone making an offer in person or via text etc. I have no issue saying no or going back to negotiate if its not right either.

 

[ihatework]

If I go to view a horse then I will do so in the full knowledge that if I liked the horse enough I have and would pay the asking price.

That doesn’t mean I don’t make offers, sometimes cheeky ones, but it depends on a variety of things that a gauge at the time of viewing.

If I saw a horse advertised that really sounded to fit the bill but was over budget I would do exactly as someone else above has said - email my position and maximum budget and ask they hold my details and if they would consider that sort of offer now/future to let me know.

I clearly remember selling an ex racehorse I had done some work on a few years back. I advertised him for sale and got quite an aggressive caller wanting to buy him for 1K. They kept telling me they could pick up similar at Ascot sales for 1K. Eventually I just said, I suggest you get yourself down to Ascot and stop peeing me off then (and hung up the phone)

 

[Orangehorse]

I once wanted to go and see a horse that was for sale for £4000 which was way over what I could afford (this is years ago) so I didn't even make an enquiry. I learned later that it went for £2,000 and I was furious as I would probably have offered more than that anyway, if it had been what I hoped.

 

[sollimum]

When I have made an offer, I have emailed to give the seller time to think it through. When I have offered the full price I have telephoned. I once made an offer on a very green cob, that had a scab on his face and had been on the market for a while and the dealer was quite rude in return. I would have increased the offer if she gave me the chance but she didn't and we paid the full asking price on a nicer one in the end.

 

[Ambers Echo]

I understand that it is not a very English thing to do, but almost everywhere else (and particularly here in Ireland) you'd be considered mad not to haggle! And as for your family of riders offering less after having a sit on, perhaps their offer was based on how they felt the horse went for them? That's how I would evaluate a horse, and I wouldn't start to negotiate until after considering all aspects. I certainly wouldn't take offense at a low offer, after all you can always say no (that's how haggling works).

Yes I can see how haggling/offering lower might be reasonable under some circumstances. I once viewed a horse priced at £4000. He was very challeging in the viewing (and the owner would not ride him!). I said I felt he had potential but was in my view significantly over-priced given he had been out of work and was not behaving very well and needed a bit of sorting out. I did not make an offer but later saw the price had dropped on Horsemart ro £2000 and he was being described as a 'project'.

This family wound me up because they said they loved her but she was well over budget for them. I was not prepared accept what they could afford to pay so it just wasted my time.

 

[oldie48]

The value of something is what someone is prepared to pay, when a seller asks a price, he/she is estimating the value. I'm frankly amazed that some people wouldn't negotiate. I've only ever paid the full wack for a horse once but it came from a known source whom I trusted implicitly, was for my daughter, who is more valuable than any horse, and came with a money back guarantee and the opportunity for my daughter to move from her pony onto said horse with training/support at no additional cost. The horse, although only 5, was everything we were told he was and it was money well spent. Although the horse was quite pricey he had a fabulous temperament and enough talent for what we wanted so was worth every penny and the after sales service was excellent!

 

[SOS]

I would ring up about a horse ~10% over my budget, IF they ad states open to offers. I probably would mention on the phone (before viewing) the horse is slightly more than I have to pay, but I am XYZ home. Owners have always said ‘that’s fine for the right home we can negotiate’.

I would never go see a horse that was truly over budget if the ad says ‘no offers’. It’s like trying on a dress that’s way over price, of course you are going to love it so best walk away.

If I really liked the look of a horse that was recommended to me or perhaps a local dealer but it was way over my budget then I would say ‘I have ££££, I am XYZ home, if you are at all interested let me know’. I have viewed a couple this way, one I ended up buying. For context was up for top ££££ I had mid, but a mutual friend put us in contact. I would not approach random sellers off the internet as feel it could come across insulting.

I think this stems from going into the viewing both sides should have an idea of the expectations of the buyer (home, trial expectations, whether vetting or not, price) and seller (willingness to be flexible on the previous). That way everything should happen more smoothly.