Is it rude to question a seller's pricing?

arizonahoney

arizonahoney

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Horse X looks good in advert, but seems a bit overpriced IMO. When I queried the owner on pricing during the initial call, she said it was worth its weight in gold...but bizarrely, the words 'green', 'bolshy' and 'just a baby came up', 'very cheap to keep' repeatedly. I don't think she realized that she was undermining her agument about why it was worth her asking price...

Whaddya reckon?
 
its not rude,

most owners are deluded, i am currently looking for a 16.2hh plus genuine allrounder for my friend, he has been thrown off ( tossed around like a rag doll) this one was £3.5k, he has seen a lovely mare who previously ( five months earlier) passed a veting only to get her vetted and fail in five mins she was £4.5, we drove for 2 hours ( each way) to see a well schooled hunter, that refused to jump and went round the school with its head in the clounds she wanted £5k for this one, a lame gelding ( for £2.5k) that apparently, jumped , hunted and was great in traffic, but we had no way of telling if any of this was true.
if you think the horse is over priced, tel the owner your thoughts, if you are given the brush off, they will see for themselves when it is still for sale in 6 months.

i am not suggesting you start trawling adverts just to tell people that there horses are to expensive, but if you are interested at a lower price , let them know
 
arizonahoney said:
It's also a very practical colour apparently - that adds another 10% to the price, right?
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Definitely!! I'm currently selling a lovely 3 year old who is GOLDEN in every way except ....

jolene.jpg


Buyer resistance to this colour in a 3 year old is quite high - and I've dropped her price by £750 because of it! Thankfully I've found a buyer who LIKES white horses!:D Her mother is going to a bay son of Raj next year - I'm not risking ANOTHER that colour (this year's foal is also going to be white by the time he's 2:rolleyes:)
 
Nope not rude, if you are interested just say what you would be willing to pay - no harm in that. If the buyer chooses to be offended that is their problem, as long as you have been polite in dealing with them. You never know you might find that the seller is willing to accept less, one of the instructors on our yard was saying to us the other day that it is always worth asking as one of her client's got £2k off the asking price recently!!!


Oh and JG your mare is LOVELY I can't imagine her colour putting anyone off! Sadly I have a feeling she is over my budget at the moment..........

Robert Oliver reckons that greys are worth more when you are selling them, as they are eye catching. He said he's very partial to a grey. This was when he was judging Search for a Star, and he said it about my instructor's very smart white grey ID.
 
I'd say never rude to question a sellers price if you know what your on about and your sensible. I once sent a photo to someone who told me she though the horse was over-priced by looking at this.....I sold it to the States as a jumper shortly after, (which it was advertised as) said woman wanted a safe riding club alrounder - which it also would have done - but how can you value a riding horse off a photo....I remember thinking 'what an idiot.'
 
KristmasKatt said:
Oh and JG your mare is LOVELY I can't imagine her colour putting anyone off! Sadly I have a feeling she is over my budget at the moment..........

Robert Oliver reckons that greys are worth more when you are selling them, as they are eye catching. He said he's very partial to a grey. This was when he was judging Search for a Star, and he said it about my instructor's very smart white grey ID.
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Depends on the 'purpose' of the horse. A top show prospect who is grey, maybe - they DO look fantastic when immaculate - and top level showing people have a bottle of shampoo welded to their left hand and a chalk block to their right! :D

But for a great all-rounder for a Riding Club person - which she'd be fantastic for - white is definitely unpopular. A nice dark - tending to dapple - grey - at 3 - is no problem. People KNOW they'll eventually be white - but they also know they have time to get used to the idea of a white horse!

And yes - she's a beautiful girl - and her main strength is NOT her appearance but the facts that she's bombproof in traffic, lovely and forward, great movement, will have a HUGE jump if her full sister a year older is anything to go by, and is an absolute poppet in EVERY way!

The lady who is buying her (assuming Jolene doesn't dump her in the next week as she's coming to ride her every day - weather permitting - to make absolutely sure!!) has been looking for MONTHS, has tried more than 30 horses and been dumped by several of them!! She can't believe how 'safe' she felt on a 3 year old!

But at least 6 people - who she would have suited perfectly - wouldn't even TRY her because of her colour! :rolleyes:
 
Well as someone looking for a RC allrounder I'd much rather have a pretty white horse than a boring brown one - even if it does mean taking out shares in horse shampoo companies!

If your sale doesn't work out let me know and I'll fish down the back of the sofa for extra horse buying money! ;)
 
It's quite normal to make an offer below the asking price.
When I was looking at horses recently (I was looking for 3 and half months before I found the *one*
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I went to view lots, and quite a few horses were IMO really over priced, but their owners were totally deluded about their worth. I saw several very plain, bad tempered, poorley schooled, horses without great conformation at very high prices. I think sometimes a private seller can get their ideas of what their horse is worth completely wrong and not realise.
If they are overpriced, they wont sell. Most buyers aren't silly.
 
Out of interest OP, why is 'cheap to keep' a bad thing?! I'd think that's great news when buying a new horse, surely thats better than something which costs a fortune in feed to keep weight on for example?

I personally would find it offensive if someone told me the horse I was selling was overpriced. Some people might be deluded I imagine, but then a horse is only worth what someone is willing to pay. Its all down to opinion at the end of the day. You might pay £10k for a horse I'd only pay £2k for!
 
No, I don't think it's rude to question price-I kind of expect it when I'm selling mine. I would suggest suggesting an offer though, so negotiations (sp?) can start.

And JanetGeorge-A good horse was never a bad colour!
 
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JanetGeorge said:
Definitely!! I'm currently selling a lovely 3 year old who is GOLDEN in every way except ....

jolene.jpg


Buyer resistance to this colour in a 3 year old is quite high - and I've dropped her price by £750 because of it! Thankfully I've found a buyer who LIKES white horses!:D Her mother is going to a bay son of Raj next year - I'm not risking ANOTHER that colour (this year's foal is also going to be white by the time he's 2:rolleyes:)
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And there`s me thinking there isnt enough "white" horses out there...... I love them!
 
I would think it was a tad rude if you had not actually been to view the horse first and you questioned the value of someone's horse on the first phone call yes.

But if you had seen the horse then no I don't think it's cheeky to make an offer obviously, who doesn't, however I would not comment on how much they had priced their horse, as in lecture them that it's over priced for what it is, I just couldn't be bothered, if they accept an a much lower offer great, if not walk away.
 
Kenzo said:
I would think it was a tad rude if you had not actually been to view the horse first and you questioned the value of someone's horse on the first phone call yes.

But if you had seen the horse then no I don't think it's cheeky to make an offer obviously, who doesn't, however I would not comment on how much they had priced their horse, as in lecture them that it's over priced for what it is, I just couldn't be bothered, if they accept an a much lower offer great, if not walk away.
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I think it is all in the way you do it.

Phoning up and saying, "Ireally like the look of your horse, and he sounds just what I am looking for but I am on a tight budget, would you be open to an offer?" is not rude. It is honest and gives the seller the option to see you knowing you are unlikely to pay the asking price or wait for someone else.

Likewise turning up trying the horse and saying, "I like him very much but I think he needs more work than the advert implied and therefore I am only prepared to pay £xx" is also not rude, it is making an offer and giving the seller the opportunity to take it or leave it.

On the otherhand saying "Bloody hell your horse is never worth that! What were you thinking? Do you think i'm stupid? I'd offer you £xx tops" is rude.

I think if your budget is significantly below the asking price it is probably only fair to make this clear to the seller on the phone so that you aren't wasting their time, but most sellers expect to get offers a bit below the price in the advert.
 
I wouldn't query a price without seeing and sitting on the horse


I did go and view a beautiful TB some time ago, up for 2200. He was advertised as bombproof but was the opposite, very spooky. Wouldn't come off the leg, wouldn't accept the bit and didn't know many 'basic' aids. He was also lame.

For an 11yo TB in this climate in that state I wouldn't pay more than £500. Owner wouldn't budge.

On the other hand...

Viewed a downright lazy, green, bolshy cob (very nice ride as long as you've got strong legs to keep nudging him with!) up for £3000 and he actually sold for over £4k!!!!!!!!!!!

So, it depends on what breed the horse is really :D

Go and try it, you may be able to barter down - and if tack is included, that may be why the price is higher
 
kaylouise67 said:
He was advertised as bombproof but was the opposite, very spooky. Wouldn't come off the leg, wouldn't accept the bit and didn't know many 'basic' aids. He was also lame.
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.....had three legs and only had one eye.



lol sorry, your description cracked me up when you got the last line

''He was also lame''

my sense of humour, ignore me :D
 
MagicMelon said:
Out of interest OP, why is 'cheap to keep' a bad thing?!
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Cheap to keep is a great thing...but should not put a premium on the buying price.

Essentially said horse was a hacker with no competition record, who the seller described as green (ridden) and bolshy (on the ground) who was being offered at competition cob pricing.
 
Kenzo said:
.....had three legs and only had one eye.



lol sorry, your description cracked me up when you got the last line

''He was also lame''

my sense of humour, ignore me :D
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In all seriousness, when I was looking, one of the horses I went to view, who sounded fab in the advert and the owner said all the right things over the phone. When I arrived it appeared lame to me, but was reassured; 'no, no, it's just his way of going'. I reluctantly sat on him, but I was riding a lame horse. I advised them to have him checked by a vet before I left!
That was the weirdest, but there were several who sounded marvellous in their adverts and who's owners said all the right things, but in the flesh, the horse didn't bear much resemblance to the description. I suppose the following description wouldn’t really have persuaded me to go and view would it :D :

Grumpy, 16hh, 10 year old gelding who doesn’t like to be groomed or clipped. Difficult to catch. Cold backed. Will only be happy to do ridden work if he has the company of another horse. Doesn't load or travel very easily, lots of bumps & scars on legs. Strained a suspensory ligament a couple of years ago, but we wont mention that. Schooling this horse feels like a chore. He does not enjoy it and is lazy and nappy. Often puts in a nasty, unpredictable stop when jumping, but hopefully he wont on the day you try him! Has done dressage, but horse is very nappy and unable to concentrate on rider when at any busy event, and only got something like 38% in a prelim. Can't hunt, it blows his mind. Has been known to buck and rear.
Heartbreaking sale due to personal circumstances. £8,500 Bargain price for a quick sale!
 
Kenzo said:
I do, I'd rather have a light grey like this than a bay any day long, you can't beat a lovely clean grey, however I'm not a fan of flea bitten greys.
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Snap!!! I`m not a fan of them either...everytime I went riding as a kid I`d always pick the "white" (who later became its not white its light grey!!!) pony and rode one twice a week from the age of 4 until i was 10 :D
I think Milton may have something to do with my obsession! :D
 
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