Texting when selling a horse?

I will email if possible, but text if there's no email address. I know it's odd, but I really panic about talking on the phone and turn into a shaky mess who cannot string a coherent sentence together. I mix words up and pronounce things wrong, and forget what I want to say....it makes me sound very dim :o
 
I send emails asking whether the horse is still available or not. I also ask a few questions as I dont like to assume that the seller has time to stand about and chat to me for ten minutes. Emailing also gives me the opportunity to make sure that I can get all my questions asked. Its a pain when you put the phone down and remember you have forgotten to ask something.

I don't text though. Are emails allowed or will they cause offence?
 
I always text or email first to see if horse still available, and then call later to discuss. from recent experience though, every seller continued the conversation from their own initiative via text or email anyway! So I don't think all sellers are negative on texts.

I do think it's important to speak on phone but in today's society (look how we're communicating here) a lot of people rely on text / email / Im when they do not have time to stop and make calls.
 
I would text to ask if a horse was still available but wouldn't ask questions in that text. However, if I was selling and people texted me with questions in wouldn't bother me at all, could be people also want a record of what has been said.

Lot's of people are nervous on the phone and also if they are from a different area there can be the accent problem:D.
 
So many seem to have confidence issues with using the telephone for it original purpose, it occurs to me that texting may actually be contributing to this particular problem.

It's too easy to hide behind a keyboard (says she, anonymously).
 
Flummoxed said:
So many seem to have confidence issues with using the telephone for it original purpose, it occurs to me that texting may actually be contributing to this particular problem.

It's too easy to hide behind a keyboard (says she, anonymously).
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I had no idea that so many people had a problem dealing with strangers over the phone, how do they cope with life?

Have to agree, all this texting is not helping.

As for those saying 'you won't sell your horse if you won't take texts', well I managed rather well, thanks. And as for sellers being too busy to answer the phone, then why do they bother to advertise their horse? I personally took a week off when my ads went in H&H so I was free for phone calls and viewings. Most of the texts I recieved were from people asking if I would loan rather than sell.

As a buyer, if a horse is a good buy I want to get in there quick before anyone else does and a phone call is the only instant oppotunity to arrange a viewing. I also want to speak to the seller in person to get a feel for them, I have spoken to sellers on the phone and decided within a minuet or two that I wouldn't buy from them regardless of what they were selling.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a confident, out going person, but dealing with strangers is a part of life and something we must all learn to deal with.
 
I prefer to send a text or email for anything, because I tend to stutter on the phone ESPECIALLY if it's the first time I've spoken to someone - It's not always easy for people to understand what I'm saying and not everyone has the patience to wait for me to finish getting a sentence out!
 
I really don't see why texting is rude :confused: when I was buying I would often text to see if the horse was still for sale and when would be a good time to call. I am nervous talking on the phone to people I don't know and knowing I was calling at a convenient time made it easier :)

A lot of people ignored my texts, and I was a serious buyer. Just remember not everyone is confident enough to just pick up the phone, of course if an advert said no text I wouldn't.
 
I absolutely detest text inquiries :o. I was loaning out a horse a few years ago and I got bombarded with text messages to the extent where I couldn't actually reply to them all! A lot of them started off as general "Is the horse still available" inquiries but then I would get more questions by text, even after suggesting they gave me a ring if interested. I personally think that the best way to find out if the horse is still available is to ring up - the owner is hardly going to think you're rude for ringing if they haven't specified to phone at a certain time. It also saves time in the long run, for both owner and the person interested.
Also, as the owner, I tended to assume that people who rang straight away were more interested than those who texted. Perhaps not a fair assumption, but that was how it seemed to me. More to the point, think of it from the owner's point of view - they may well have received a LOT of texts because people are often nervous about speaking on the phone, and it can get very frustrating, trust me! In fact, next time I'm advertising a horse I will not be putting my mobile number on the advert.
 
Gosh how can so many people be unconfident on the phone? Its one of those things where you just have to bite the bullet and do it! You can always explain at the start of the conversation that you're not very good on the phone, but you tend to find you relax the more you do it! Out of interest how old are the people who don't like talking on the phone? Teenagers or middle aged or what? In exceptional circumstances, say if you were deaf I understand, but people who text don't help themselves by not putting a name on the text and typing in text speak!
 
I think texting anyone about that you do not know on a personal level comes across very unprofessional.

I would ring first then email if had no response.

If I was selling I would not respond to a text, I personally think it is lazy.

Maybe I am a bit old fashioned.
 
In general I find serial texters to be complete and utter timewasters.
I can live with an 'is your horse still available' or a 'what time is it convenient to call' but other than that anyone that needs to text more than once I tend to ignore.

When selling I usually put in the advert 'please contact via email or phone rather than text'
 
When I place an ad I just have an email address for contact. I hate speaking on the phone (middle aged, for the poster who asked how old phone phobics are!) and would rather weed people out via email first.

I have bought horses via text and email, the first time I have spoken to the seller is normally face to face when I have been to view.

As others have said, just because someone uses email/texts it doesn't mean the buyer isn't serious. You may well limiting your market by ingnoring texts, and in the current climate can people really afford to do that?
 
I am looking for a pony to buy at the moment and am initially contacting sellers via email. I would generally be asking if it still for sale, whereabouts they are based (North Yorkshire is very large!) and any other questions about things that they haven't mentioned in their adverts. I don't have a huge amount of money to spend, so need to make sure it at least sounds good on paper. If not, then I reply saying that it doesn't sound suitable. If it does, then I email back asking the seller when would be the most convenient time to call for a chat and possibly organise a viewing during said phone call.

I have a baby, so finding the time to call is difficult as I can't predict how long he is going to stay asleep. Also I'm well aware that people don't all work during "office hours", so I would rather speak to them on the phone at a time that is convenient to them.
 
horserider said:
Also, how do people manage calling vets and other horse professionals ? You can't text a vet when a horse has colic.
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i know my vet , farrier etc so don't have a worry about phoning them, plus 'professionals' are usually easier to talk to on the phone than some random person selling a horse;)
 
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