you advertise a horse to sell then don't reply ....why?

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hollyandivy123

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just as it says really, starting the horse hunting search, i would say only 50% respond to contact, start email then work up to phone admittedly i haven't tried smoke rings yet but..............if it is sold why don't they pull the add or put sold or something. it must be really annoying for you to have all these phone calls, emails, messages etc

also i know its a bit like a tinder profile, there is always a slight grey area of embellishment..................but one was nearly a hand smaller! or the splint which must have come up over night....................

sorry its been a while and i had forgot what it was like
 
Having sold a competition horse in a matter of days last year I still receive the odd call or email about him. You can't entirely remove adverts from many sites - and to be brutally honest I didn't really try. I marked him as sold on the paid for ones - but didn't go back over the free ones. The most likely reason for not replying is that the animal is sold or withdrawn from sale. As you get further into the hunting process you'll start to recognize which adverts are new and which out of date. On some sites it is really hard to tell - I did my fair share of calling or trying to contact out of date adverts. If they don't reply just let it go and move on.

Inaccurate descriptions are a different matter - but that's the nature of life.
 
hollyandivy123 said:
just as it says really, starting the horse hunting search, i would say only 50% respond to contact, start email then work up to phone admittedly i haven't tried smoke rings yet but..............if it is sold why don't they pull the add or put sold or something. it must be really annoying for you to have all these phone calls, emails, messages etc

also i know its a bit like a tinder profile, there is always a slight grey area of embellishment..................but one was nearly a hand smaller! or the splint which must have come up over night....................

sorry its been a while and i had forgot what it was like
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That is why I will only arrange viewings within an hour's travel, at the very most. Before the days of internet advertising, I spent hours traveling to see completely unsuitable, mis-described horses only to find THE one, by w-o-m, within hacking distance of home. I learned my lesson then.

Good luck in your search, the right one will find you eventually!
 
The horse is sold, its an old advert, they have changed their minds, something has happened, someone has died, any number of reasons that have little to do with buyers. If you don't get an answer move on its not personal.
 
i know what you mean about old adverts, but these are only up to a couple of days or week according to the advert date.............it was more a of a case of me whinging and completely forgetting what the buying and selling lark was like than taking it personal. i have been in my cocoon for to long!

last time i was looking i rang up for an ID x, chatted to the person on the phone, asked if i could come and see it and was told only if i was going to buy it. i tried to point out that until i had met in person then i wouldn't commit, got called a time waster and they put the phone down........
 
In my experience, the really serious buyers pick up the telephone.
So if you are keen on the horse do just that.
 
ihatework said:
In my experience, the really serious buyers pick up the telephone.
So if you are keen on the horse do just that.
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Absolutely this. I'm quite suspicious of texts from somebody who won't give their name. In this digital age, if you have a long way to go and view, ask them to send you a phone video of its confo, and movement. Comes over instantly on whatsapp. I've bought several from Ireland this way when I can't get over.
 
Ring first. I never answer emails about adverts. Serious buyers ring and arrange to view immediately. Messers email then want photo after photo.
 
but the point is i have been trying, no answer on the phone.............. this was meant to be a slightly rhetorical post more about forgetting what this side was like both on a buyer and seller............
 
hollyandivy123 said:
but the point is i have been trying, no answer on the phone.............. this was meant to be a slightly rhetorical post more about forgetting what this side was like both on a buyer and seller............
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But you have put 'start email then work up to phone' - do you mean you eventually phone if no answer from email? Maybe try phoning as soon as you see the advert.
 
stormox said:
Ring first. I never answer emails about adverts. Serious buyers ring and arrange to view immediately. Messers email then want photo after photo.
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Well if the horse is at the other end of the country, I want plenty of photos first AND a video before I'm going to waste my time and diesel going to see something not as described!
 
I've never rung to buy a horse - always discussed it over text or email first. It's fairly obvious who is serious over text / email - people who ask a few relevant questions / for specific videos (or confo photos) and ask about coming to view are very different to the teenager-type responses asking for lots of photos but clearly without any real hope of buying the horse.
 
ester said:
I hate that you are apparently more serious about things if you phone first.
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Why Ester?
I’m not insinuating that people who send a quick email/text aren’t serious buyers (or at least think they are at any rate!) but in my experience both as a seller & as a buyer, the ones that sell quickly are the ones where the parties are discussing things on the phone that day.
As a recent buyer, the ones I/we have hopped in the car for pronto we have seen the advert, called and arranged to view. If we have seen the advert and it kind of seems it might be what we want but there is something about it not quite calling out I’ve often emailed wanting more info, photos, video. They sometimes arrive, sometimes don’t, but if they do they didn’t result in me viewing.
The last one I sold I literally must have had 50 emails over the space of a week. Often asking questions that were covered in the advert. Of those 50 I’d say maybe 10 were genuine but cautious buyers. The rest IMO weren’t serious buyers. In the first 48h I probably had 5 phone calls, I put 2 off as unsuitable and had 3 viewings lined up. As it was the horse was sold, vetted and gone in 4 days.
The last one I bought personally, I had viewed and paid for within 24h of the advert going live. There was a queue of viewings.
It’s generally pretty easy to sift out the genuine from the not so – but my stock response when selling horses when people enquire by text/email is to respond to their specific question and then give them my phone number to call if they want to discuss further. They either call (yey) or they come back with another, often inane, question and I then don’t respond.
 
Because a whole section of anxious society struggle with phone anxiety. I am/can be relatively good with the phone, I used to spend most of the day on it for work but I am much much better if I have already had an interaction with the person first so that I know that they are expecting the call from me and that doesn't make me or all those other people less serious purchasers or less suitable for the horse.

I obviously wouldn't be sending masses of emails either, and I'd partly be asking when was a good time to call as I agree that a phone call often makes for an easier exchange of lots of info in one go. I force myself to phone when I have to, but I just think using it as an indication of seriousness as a purchaser isn't right.
 
I hate an loath speaking to people on the phone so tend to text or email first. I know that people prefer phones but to be honest I'm so rubbish at it then even if I do ring I'm sure I come across as a numpty.
 
ester said:
Because a whole section of anxious society struggle with phone anxiety. I am/can be relatively good with the phone, I used to spend most of the day on it for work but I am much much better if I have already had an interaction with the person first so that I know that they are expecting the call from me and that doesn't make me or all those other people less serious purchasers or less suitable for the horse.

I obviously wouldn't be sending masses of emails either, and I'd partly be asking when was a good time to call as I agree that a phone call often makes for an easier exchange of lots of info in one go. I force myself to phone when I have to, but I just think using it as an indication of seriousness as a purchaser isn't right.
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Of course, and I do accept what you are saying. Ironically I don’t like speaking on the phone either, but force myself to when the situation is necessary.
It is good to be aware though that good horses go fast, and often that phone call may be the difference between getting a viewing or not
 
ihatework said:
Of course, and I do accept what you are saying. Ironically I don’t like speaking on the phone either, but force myself to when the situation is necessary.
It is good to be aware though that good horses go fast, and often that phone call may be the difference between getting a viewing or not
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Exactly! First come first served. And the person who rings is likely to get in first! Good horses sell very quickly - only rubbish and overpriced ones hang about for a long while.
 
I carry my phone with me and will answer it to callers when I'm out and about. I look at emails on the computer in the evenings, often its hard to read them in the sun, and they take a lot more time to answer than a phone call, so I dont bother looking at them on phone.
If I am selling something I make sure I am available to answer the phone - and surely if someone wants to buy something enough they can find the time make a phone call?
 
stormox said:
But you have put 'start email then work up to phone' - do you mean you eventually phone if no answer from email? Maybe try phoning as soon as you see the advert.
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sometimes stormox you might also want to consider that people jobs sometimes they can't drop everything long enough for a quick call, but you do have time to write a quick email/text, which i try to follow up by phone but if the other person doesn't answer there is not a lot i can do about this.

I have set up on quite a few website for notifications to come through as a message, so it might seem reasonable to the buyer that if you have set up for contact off an advert to be through messenger, email or text then the person would respond. these are for new adverts not old adverts by the way.

some how i seem to have opened a can of worms.............!
 
stormox said:
Exactly! First come first served. And the person who rings is likely to get in first! Good horses sell very quickly - only rubbish and overpriced ones hang about for a long while.
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I totally understand that but it still doesn't make the following a very accurate statement for all buyers as it isn't a measure of seriousness, though it may be one of speed.

stormox said:
Ring first. I never answer emails about adverts. Serious buyers ring and arrange to view immediately. Messers email then want photo after photo.
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It is one of those things though where I am not going to be able to ring until evening, I am not going to be able to view until an evening/weekend/I book time off so you know you are going to miss out on some that others can get to.

WeeLassie I'm the opposite, I can't answer the phone during the day but can answer emails whenever, it so depends on people's set ups.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
That is why I will only arrange viewings within an hour's travel, at the very most. Before the days of internet advertising, I spent hours traveling to see completely unsuitable, mis-described horses only to find THE one, by w-o-m, within hacking distance of home. I learned my lesson then.

Good luck in your search, the right one will find you eventually!
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Grant you I was looking for something specific on a not massive budget, but I saw my last purchase advertised. With competition record, video, and full details. Was first horse I physically looked at. But I had been looking and following up horses and sending my trainer and friend videos. This was the first we all liked!

Rang within day or so of advert appearing, and arranged to visit next weekend. Rode Saturday (horse wasn't very fit so by time owner ridden, my experienced friend and I had a sit was short rides). Was 3-4 hour drive, so stayed over night in Air B&B and rode again Sunday morning. Put deposit down on Monday (I beat the people that viewed Friday). Booked vet for week on Monday. Went back next Sunday with my instructor in tow, both rode. Hacked that afternoon. Vet 9am Monday, horse on lorry to come home by 12pm Monday.

Can be worth travelling.
 
One thing that has not really been mentioned is how many ads have missing bits of info, if the ad and photos tick some boxes but fail to mention something important then I want that answered before I pick up the phone and waste my time and money viewing, some ads are well written and detailed but many do miss out relevant facts, I used to always phone but get fed up with an owner gushing for ages about their "perfect" horse, failing to answer what I really need to know or trying to change the subject so now I will often send an email or text to get the answers in writing before making a call, I also look into the late evening so it may be too late to call so send an email which can be picked up at any time.

I recently sent 2 emails and have not had a reply to either, they may have sold but a quick reply would be courteous, I think one was asking where they were, very relevant and should have been in the ad, the other for a video which they stated on the ad could be sent so hardly wasting anyone's time to reply.
 
I messaged someone about a horse at the weekend via Facebook Messenger (the advert was on fb)and haven't had a reply. I can see that the message has been read.

I just asked if the horse was still available as I had noted a few people had asked about viewing and I don't want to waste my time asking questions for them to say sorry he's sold.

It's probably just as well as I could be a time waster as I haven't decided about buying a second horse. More that this horse sounded perfect and could have persuaded me that getting another one was the way to go. I'm almost relieved they didn't reply!
 
JulesRules said:
I messaged someone about a horse at the weekend via Facebook Messenger (the advert was on fb)and haven't had a reply. I can see that the message has been read.

I just asked if the horse was still available as I had noted a few people had asked about viewing and I don't want to waste my time asking questions for them to say sorry he's sold.

It's probably just as well as I could be a time waster as I haven't decided about buying a second horse. More that this horse sounded perfect and could have persuaded me that getting another one was the way to go. I'm almost relieved they didn't reply!
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Which sort of reinforces the idea that people who are serious phone.
 
flying_high said:
Which sort of reinforces the idea that people who are serious phone.
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For balance, I've messaged / emailed four people about horses over the last 10 years. I went on to buy 3 of them - one unseen, one we bought on the spot, the last one, I committed to her that day and picked her up within a week.

The fourth horse I asked for videos, and wasn't convinced about its movement / soundness.
 
JFTD said:
For balance, I've messaged / emailed four people about horses over the last 10 years. I went on to buy 3 of them - one unseen, one we bought on the spot, the last one, I committed to her that day and picked her up within a week.

The fourth horse I asked for videos, and wasn't convinced about its movement / soundness.
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Yes, but when you messaged, presumably you had decided you were in the market for a horse? The above poster has actually stated they hadn’t decided yet if they really wanted a second. This demonstrates the point to the letter!
 
I suppose the moral of this story is its down to luck, fate or whatever- the first buyer to connect with the seller has best chance of buying!! And I still think, as Im an older person maybe, that a phone call is more likely to get a reply.
 
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