How much do you negotiate on price?

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Tangaroo

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I just wondered really, when buying a horse, how much below the asking price would you offer?
If for example it was advertised at £5500 ono. Would you start at £5000 or would you be cheeky and start lower?
Have you ever rang back a few weeks later to see if the horse is still available?
 
I start cheeky! You can often be surprised by how much under the asking price you can get a horse. I paid £850 for a horse advertised at £1500 (offered £700 initially, then negotiated to £850). I also paid £4500 for a horse advertised at £5500 (offered £4000 initially). I always pay cash and can usually pick the horse up the same/following day and don't have it vetted so I hope I am making it as easy as possible for the vendor.

You can always increase your offer, but you can never drop it!
 
My TB was up for £4750, he's 15 years old and used to event. He'd only been shown in the last few years and the previous six months had done nothing but a light hack once a week!! After a lot of phone calls we said the highest we could possibly go was £3500 including tack etc. We nearly had to walk away, but I think the main reason we successfully got the price down so much was because we live in the same village as the horse's old owner, so woman knew he was going to a fab home! It was very stressful, but as my dad always says: To get a good deal, you have to be willing to walk away- which i think is very true!! :D xx
 
Thats worth knowing, thankyou. I dont think horses are selling too well at the moment so that should help too i suppose:p
 
Gamebird said:
I start cheeky! You can often be surprised by how much under the asking price you can get a horse. I paid £850 for a horse advertised at £1500 (offered £700 initially, then negotiated to £850). I also paid £4500 for a horse advertised at £5500 (offered £4000 initially). I always pay cash and can usually pick the horse up the same/following day and don't have it vetted so I hope I am making it as easy as possible for the vendor.

You can always increase your offer, but you can never drop it!
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That's what we do. Best was advertised at £5000 and we offered £2500. Got him for £2750. Paid cash and picked him up following weekend, did not have him vetted. He is a star.:)
 
We always haggle. We always talk about what a super home the horse will have as well and how loved it will be! Also explain how quickly the deal can be done. Do not be embarrased by it.
 
thats where we went wrong....horse advertised at 2k... we paid 2k :D


so if a horse was advertised at say £900? how much would that be haggled down?
 
Don't want to hijack but.....

I am going for a final look at a 4yo i really like on monday. he is on at £4250 - has potential but not done anything, only backed in march - where should i start?!?!
 
am going to look at 2 this weekend. one is up for £3995 - was gonna be cheeky and start at 3k. other is on for £2995 so was gonna try starting at 2k. hoping to end up somewhere in the middle. bla bla bla about great home, home for life etc etc.

cant decide about getting an official vetting. i am a vet, but i haven't done horse work for ages, i spend my days with small fluffy things. my last one i had fully vetted and they missed a sarcoid though, so i'm kind of sceptical. however, dont want to miss a lameness and end up with another lame donkey as already got 2 of them!
 
im alway cheeky. the nicest way of putting it i found is to explain to the owner that a horse is only worth a certain amount depending on what they want it for.
we bought a mare last year out of Sjing to event. explained to the owner that although a good mare she needed alot of work for what we anted therefore was not worth the asking price to us. advertised for £3000, we paid £2000.

sales are my favorite, i offer really cheeky prices, offered £500 for one of my eventers, seller wouldnt except so i walked away, she literally came running after me and excepted.

illy89, i would definatley try £3500, if not maybe even a bit lower??? the horse has no milage under his belt.
 
star said:
am going to look at 2 this weekend. one is up for £3995 - was gonna be cheeky and start at 3k. other is on for £2995 so was gonna try starting at 2k. hoping to end up somewhere in the middle. bla bla bla about great home, home for life etc etc.

cant decide about getting an official vetting. i am a vet, but i haven't done horse work for ages, i spend my days with small fluffy things. my last one i had fully vetted and they missed a sarcoid though, so i'm kind of sceptical. however, dont want to miss a lameness and end up with another lame donkey as already got 2 of them!
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id get them vetted - especially like you said with the other 2 you have ... :)

good luck :)
 
I was thinking that if i could get him for £3500 i would be happy, so should probably start lower!!

Just out of interest does it make a difference if you are buying from a private seller or a dealer? He is from a dealer (well more of a young horse producer - local well known people) but i am guessing the 'good home for life' line may not have as much effect as they don't have as much of an emotional bond with the horse?!
 
Not sure i would have the nerve to offer £1000 less than asking price. I went to look at one a few years ago and was trying to make an offer when my mother said out loud.'Just pay the asking price cos we have got the money!!' Thats what i ended up doing and said horse was a total disaster and i made a huge loss on it!
Mother is now allowed to come with me but has to keep her mouth tightly shut when the subject of money comes up:eek:
 
Gamebird said:
I start cheeky! You can often be surprised by how much under the asking price you can get a horse. I paid £850 for a horse advertised at £1500 (offered £700 initially, then negotiated to £850). I also paid £4500 for a horse advertised at £5500 (offered £4000 initially). I always pay cash and can usually pick the horse up the same/following day and don't have it vetted so I hope I am making it as easy as possible for the vendor.

You can always increase your offer, but you can never drop it!
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Obviously the boot is very firmly on the other foot when I'm selling ;)
 
i tend to only buy bargain basement horses anyway so there is never much room for negotation in the first place!

i have only bought one horse where the owners refused to drop at all- horse was a bargain anyway so i wasn't too miffed! :)

last horse i got was a weanling and i paid full price but got them to pay for his castration and look after him for an extra month while i went on holiday.
 
It's very easy to say 'be cheeky' (sorry GB :p) but it very much depends on the horse, who's selling it, what it's done, etc, etc.

Yes of course there is usually some room for manoeuvre, however in some cases the horse really is worth just about what's being asked for it!

I always make sure I've got a good understanding of the current market, then go and look at the horse (and then go again if possible) and take it from there.
 
I will try and get as much money as possible knocked off unless as millitiger said they are already a bargain!

I am careful not to be cheeky or rude with it though as sometimes this will put sellers on a back foot.
 
I've rarely negotiated (not got the nerve) I pay what i think it's worth to me, same when selling I always think what would I pay for this. Hence I'll never be rich!!
 
can i ask - those at £900///1,000........ would you go in at offers?



we always paid asking price but felt ripped off after lol.
 
On the other hand, if someone offered £1000 less than the asking price for my horse there would be no way in hell that I would even consider it!
But then again, that could be because I don't want to sell her anyway..! :p
 
If I had a decent horse that I thought was at the right money I wouldnt let it go much less than asking price, on the other hand if I needed to sell I would def consider any offer.
 
some people are down right rude and insulting
maybe knock a couple of hundred off here or there

but, how anyone can have the nerve to offer just over half of what it was advertised, i will never understand.
 
showjumperxo said:
some people are down right rude and insulting
maybe knock a couple of hundred off here or there

but, how anyone can have the nerve to offer just over half of what it was advertised, i will never understand.
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Maybe a lot of sellers have an over inflated view of what their horse is worth.If sellers are sensible and the buyer knows what their buying you dont usually have to haggle a lot.However having spent so much on wasted vettings I now insist that the vendor pays for the vetting and I use their vets as legally they have to tell you of any condition the horse has suffered from.Obviously this is taken into account when negotiating the price you will pay if the vendor wont do this I just walk away .I am afraid to get the best deals you need to be able to walk away.
 
The person I bought my horse from was selling him for 6k less than what she paid for him 6 months before, I tried to knock £200 off as his vaccinations had lapsed, but they wouldn't budge. I still got myself a bargain :)

If I wanted a particular horse that badly (which I did in my case) and you know you're getting a good deal and have the cash, I would still pay the asking price
 
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