The part I dislike about having a bunch of little goats for sale is actually selling them. If you set aside the fact that you really never know what folks are going to do with your animals (you have to trust your instincts here), that is not the hardest part of selling your little creatures.
I don’t know if any of you have ever had to do this. I’m going to tell you a little about how it goes on down here & although I’m going to keep my stories to those of selling animals, the same thing happens no matter what you’ve got for sale.
I put a lot of work in putting up accurate descriptions of what I have for sale. I list everything I possibly can about each individual animal. I also put up pictures & videos & links to more pictures & more videos. I also indicate what I’ll do for them in the price I list. Vaccines, worming, hoof trimming…. I’m also very honest about their level of “tameness/friendliness”.
If you compare my animals to any other offered online either via craigslist, my local LSN website or any other out there, you’ll see that my animals look much better than most available. My prices are very fair & there’s a reason why some doelings are $100 while others are $75. If you read the description, you’ll clearly see why.
In any case, the reason I’m writing all this is that once you’ve seen my listing, you’ve learned enough for you to make a decision if you want one of my goats or someone else’s. At this point all you need to do is email me or pick up the phone to make an appointment. Easy, right? Too bad that’s not how it works.
Here’s a scenario… Mrs So & So calls and talks my ear off for 10 minutes about how she’s always wanted a goat for a pet. Then she says she’s been on my website and want’s to know what I have for sale… duh? They’re all there lady… After I spend another 10 minutes asking her what she wants (adult, doeling, buckling, etc.), she asks me if she can come now. Seeing that I want to be accommodating and that I do want to sell my goats, I rearrange my schedule and make sure I’m going to be here when she & hubby arrives.. after all, it’s an hour drive and I wouldn’t want her to show up and I not be there. Well, do you think she shows up? Nope. Do you think she calls? Nope. Not only did I waste half an hou
r on the phone with her but I changed my schedule to accommodate her. You would think she would have the decency to call to say she’s changed her mind.
Then there are the people that start off right and I send them a Paypal invoice for a deposit. Lady gets the requests and emails me to ask if I can wait until the end of the week for her to send the payment. She really, really, really wants these 2 goats but she doesn’t deposit her paycheck until Friday. Okay. I understand. I’ll wait. And I turn down a sale because this nice lady has dibs on 2 goats. Friday comes & goes & I have to resend an invoice reminder. The next day I get an “I’m sorry” email… “I’ve changed my mind”, says the nice lady.
Here’s the best story (& probably the one I understand the least). Lady calls from Ashville, NC., around 3 pm on a rainy Sunday afternoon. She really, really, really wants 2 of my goats and asks if she can come that day. I tell her that she’s at least 3 if not 4 hours away.. wouldn’t she like to wait to start in the morning? Oh no she says… I really want them & my husband doesn’t mind driving at all. They don’t have a GPS so I tell her which exit to get off and call me at that point & I’ll give her further directions. I even hear her say, “Honey, they’re off exit 347 on I40 East!” She’s so excited she says, she can hardly stand to wait! Twenty minutes I spend on the phone with this lady while she’s on my website asking me about each goat listed!
At 7pm no one is here and I’m at the barn for evening feed… I call her up and I’m so sure she’s on her way that I just ask her which exit she’s at. She asks me to hold & I hear her say, “She want’s to know what exit we’re at?”. The husband comes on and says, “Huh? We’re not making a 6 hour trip at this time, what are you talking about?”. At this I say, “What?” YOUR wife said you were on your way, what da heck?” He has the nerve to say that he didn’t know his wife said they were coming and by the way, they don’t have any money right now any way. I kid you not. This is the truth.
What is wrong with people? I actually posted about this a few years ago – you might want to read about that experience.
People don’t understand that when you reluctantly hand me $100 for a goat that I’ve kept & nurtured for a year, the value of that purchase is more like $300. All the time & money that I’ve invested in that little creature (not to mention the TLC), adds up to a lot more than $100. Especially if you’re the person that kept me on the phone for 20 minutes, had me reschedule my day and then spend 45 minutes “shootin’ the sh**” when you pick up your animal. And that’s if you buy a $100 goat!
Most folks are truly oblivious of this when they buy from private sellers, whether it be animals or anything else you find online.
Don’t get me wrong… I love talking about my pets & I want to be sure you know what you’re getting into when you buy one of my animals but for crying out loud, don’t waste my time. You know who you are. I cannot believe that people who don’t have the money can call in the first place!
I did have one wonderful experience earlier this week. A very nice young lady called – she pretty much knew what she wanted & she also had over an hour drive to come here. We made an appointment & she said she’d call when she was about 30 minutes away. And she did! Then she got here with her adorable little girl and her mom (Gramma). I almost had a heart attack… this young woman & her little girl pretty much knew all of my goats by name! You could tell that these 2 had done their homework! It was such a joy spending time with them! I hope they read this post… Thank you ladies for being so informed & knowing what you want!
A man once told me something very wise & profound that I’ll never forget. He said, “If you want to make a small fortune with goats…. start with a large one!”.