Sales Livery

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lostmymarbles

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Thinking about selling my girl, but haven't the time to put in all the work needed, pictures videos and I am limited to when I am available for viewings, so musing about sales livery.

What should I look for in the person and what should I ask before I decide who to send my horse too, as in the services they offer, what sort of pics and vids they are willing to do and price etc. I am based in the East Midlands.

Thanks
 
Depending on the value of your horse & the quality of the sales livery you could end up selling your horse & after deducting the livery, advertising, photos, videos etc you could end up with very little.

Have you really considered what you need to do. There is so much you can do yourself to save money & it doesn't take much time really. I take numerous videos of my daughter competing her horses & you could get a friend to video you & post it & link it to the advert. You can word the advert & place it on the sites you consider would suit your horse best. You can take a few photos, take selling photos, don't use 'snaps' as they don't show what buyers want. Take some shots showing conformation & leave the rugs off. Above all be honest in your advert. All this takes very little time to do & will save you plenty of money.

Depending on the response to your advert you can then arrange viewings to suit you. At this time of year most will be at weekends due to dark nights. Put in a little time, surely your horse deserves that after the service & fun she's given you.
 
A lady who was on our yard did it she ended up worse off. The horse was a very nice horse but due to lack of time Had just been left and needed reminding of its manners and schooling. She put it on sales livery with her old instructor thinking she was doing the best for the horse, She paid a weekly fee for it to be there plus a % of the sale price. As with everything you never know how long it will take to sell and you're trusting they are going to put effort into selling it, you have to remember each week it's there it's more money in that persons pocket and you endup with less than it would have worth if she has sold in its original state.
I would recommend advertising being honest about her and see how it goes or paying someone to ride at your yard so you still keep the control.
 
I have found sales livery is only worth it for very high value horses on a % commission basis.
For anything under £10,000 I wouldn't bother as better to take an offer and be done with it all.
The only one we sold on sales livery we did precisely because the sales livery rider could get the mare out and seen at events, had the connections to make sure she was noticed (and that he for sale status was announced on the tannoy etc), and also had the facilities for a decent trial which we don't. We agreed 30% commission based on us not paying any livery at all so the onus was on the dealer to get the mare prepped and sold. In the end, she kept her for 2 months as she was placing nicely at affiliated competition and upping her value, and then she was off to her new home and we were all happy with the profit.
 
I sold a comparatively cheap horse on sales livery. One of the best choices I made! Was completely hassle free. Yes I got less than if I would have sold him myself. I did try myself but as I couldn't ride him it was no use.
 
I have sold a fair amount on sales livery, I charge a sensible weekly livery and 10% usually the owner gets a better price than they would have achieved if they had sold from the field or with limited facilities, I prepare them, write the ad after I have assessed the horse, take a video and photos if they don't already have suitable ones, deal with all the enquiries, show the horse, do the negotiating, deal with vetting and collection.
As long as the horse is sound so it passes the vet and has no hidden quirks, if declared I can decide whether to take it or not, and the owners are not expecting a silly price then they will usually sell fairly quickly, for a £3k horse they should get around £2.4k after expenses which is more than they would probably get selling from a field, no messing with people not turning up, changing their minds, dealing with vets, more often than not if they want £3k and the horse is really nice I will ask a bit more so they come out nearly even, obviously a few fail to sell or fail the vet but I try and keep the owners fully in the loop and at any time they can reassess where we go.
I don't take many, they are nearly always through contacts so I know what I am taking on is straight which makes selling so much easier when you know they are genuine and the reason for selling is genuine.

I think it is a good option for many people but they do need to check out the yard, be very clear on the expectations and be very realistic about the money involved, if you are too ambitious it can backfire badly especially if a vet failure is involved.
 
What type of horse do you have to sell?

In other words, what discipline does it specialise in, what level is it performing at, what niche market are you aiming at and what is the age of the horse plus performance record? Also, do you have a walk away figure in mind that you need in your pocket at the end of the day. Answers to all those questions will determine both whether it is appropriate to place on sales livery and, more importantly, with whom.
 
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