Thoughts on buying,,,,,,sight unseen

[ChrystalPaths]

Ummm Caro..where's the question? and yes I have bought many a horse with pics only but did establish a good phone/email relationship before closing the deal.

 

[Frankie]

I think the forum hick-upped!!!!!

Just wondering who does, your experience,,,,,,if it isn't so good,,,,,,,,what are options, if any.

Do you think internet has contributed to buying sight unseen, and is that good for the buyer?

What are red flags when talking to sellers, what to look for.

Even if you do your homework on a person, buying sight unseen, they can tell you just about anything.

Can't remember the rest.

 

[Magic]

I've done this many, many times, buying from just a few pictures (sometimes even from just ONE pic!) and I've been very happy with the horses when I've gotten them.

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[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

I can honestly say yes I have done this several times and all but maybe one or two in 10 + years has been a great experience.

I bought my stallion from one picture and knew I had to have him in fact when i called the Scotts I dont think I even asked anything like how tall he is now ect I just knew I had to have him made the deal and then called back a day or so later with a bunch of questions LOL

I think the only horse I have seen in person and bought was our mare Dancer and even then I didnt ask much about her just saw her before her youth class and knew that was the horse I had to have. I tried to play it cool and act like I didnt think I would not survive without her and Russ was great he pretended he didnt know I was going to buy her no matter what and pretended I was playing the game well.

I have been very lucky- had great sellers, made great friends and mentors as well.I love that the internet gives me the opportunity to purchase from sellers all over the country and to get horses I would have never seen in my local area. It is a wonderful thing IMO and has been great for the market. I can say at this point every horse I have sold in the past 5 years has been sold "online" and even when I was in CA the internet was a huge part of my marketing

Bad sellers are found out pretty quick maybe not stopped but at least "outed"- with everything from outright lies, bad paperwork, or misrepresentation- wild unhandled horses, unhealthy horses whatever it is badword spreads quickly and equally does good word and when you hve a seller who has many happy clients they are more then willing to share that as well.

When selling I try to be the exact same way I would want a seller to be with me I do my best to be honest, fair and make things go as smooth as possible. . Over 90 percent of my business is either repeat clients or there friends -there is nothing better then having repeat clients and when they refer to there friends that really means alot to me and at least lets me know I am on the right track with the customer service end of it

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[HGFarm]

I can say I have been happy with buying from pics and some from a very long distance. I stick with folks that have a good reputation, or ask for references from other breeders, buyers from them, sellers to them, etc....

One flag for me is when they just dont answer your direct questions. Most folks are happy to answer any and all questions (especially if they are concerned about their horse going to a good home), so it concerns me when you can't get answers, or that the pics they send you are 3 years old and they wont take any more current ones at all (or dont send any) I have also asked about pics of the sire and dams... and when I dont get any- never mind. Especially when they own both of them. I dont expect them show shape and clipped, but want to at least get an idea of what is behind what I am considering buying.

 

[CKC]

I have done this with pretty much every horse I've bought except a few that I bought from local breeders.

I've done well with most. I just put a deposit on a new foal last week and I will say that I'm sold on this seller. I think that's got to be the main thing. They have to be ready to answer every question I have... take pictures and love to see a video. This particular seller I trusted by word of mouth and I can say has been the best..... I get pictures of my new boy frequently and that's such a great feeling not having to ask.

Some potential sales have fallen flat with other sellers because they just didn't act like I mattered. You just have to go with your gut feeling.

For those QH owners that may know these bloodlines... I bought a QH yearling colt last year off of one picture from dreamhorse.

I only bought him because my dream has been to own a colt by The Last Captive(by Last Detail) and out of a Mr. Moxie Man mare. The Last Captive was gelded due to health reasons so there are not that many foals and I knew my chance to get one at a good price was going to be rare. Well, I found him. I did my research and found that he had been sold at the AQHA World Sale dirt cheap. This guy bought him and was selling him still dirt cheap... so of course, the red flags were flying. I just couldn't help it.... I made my decision the moment I saw the one picture. I had to have him. Within minutes it seemed he was on a trailer heading my way. It happend so fast. SO he gets here after traveling half the country... he was the biggest sweetheart always so quiet... All I kept thinking was that he was drugged for sure. Every day I waited for the "drugs" to wear off. LOL He is still my big teddy bear. He's now 2 and getting ready to go to a trainer for ground work and to start under saddle. He's almost 16 hands. Never once has he looked gawky. He's just been level and filled out since the day he came. The guy I bought him from was a dealer and told me everything about this horse. Even told me that he kicks out when you throw hay in... he's never done it to me. Which is funny. Moxie is 100% my horse. So yes the right horse can come along through pictures. (If anyone needs a large horse I would give out this dealers name in a heartbeat).

As for the internet... I know my husband would probably be happy if I had not found Lil Beginnings.. LOL or any of the other sites.. . Before then I just had a couple of local breeders that I knew about. Now my horizons have been broaden... so to speak.

 

[targetsmom]

We bought half of our herd (3 of 6) more or less this way, and had very good experiences. We either picked the horses up, or in one case had her delivered to our door, before the deal was sealed though. In each case we at least knew someone who knew the breeder, saw photos, asked a ton of questions, and had seen a video. Movement is very important to us, so I would not buy a horse without a video and indeed rejected a couple based just on the video. In the case of the mare that was delivered, that was because they couldn't make a video but were going to be in the area and said how about if we just let you see her instead? (in January, mind you). We asked even more questions than usual as we didn't want them bringing her a long way for nothing, and of course we bought her!

 

[backwoodsnanny]

The bulk of our herd also has been bought online and we are currently working on two more purchases the same way but we get to know the sellers first as well as one can get to know someone through e-mail and pictures. We like the seller first in most instances and buy a horse after. OUr tastes and direction is changing this year and we are hoping to up grade our herd with the purchases we are making while still keeping some of our reliable brood mares. I can honestly say with one exception I would return to any of the sellers we have bought from or are buying from now. We have made lifetime friends through this and are very pleased with the horses when they have arrived. HOwever let me just say that local breeders can be even more dishonest. We bought from one local who outright lied to us in the beginning so disreputable breeders are everywhere and I would say its easier to find someone reputable on the internet than locally sometimes.

 

[disneyhorse]

I have no hesitations from buying sight unseen. The more pictures the better, but I have bought a few horses with just one or two (really really BAD!) pictures and taken a chance, and have been VERY pleased with what I got!

Lots of times, I have to have a price that is "worth the gamble" that I know I can resell the horse for if it turns out to be "generic quality" versus top quality that I"m looking for.

I've bought a couple horses that come off the trailer and I'm like WOW!~ A steal!

Andrea

 

[Filipowicz Farm]

We have bought several horses from just pictures and have been very pleased with the horses. We also talked to the people selling them and have asked questions.

 

[Buckskin gal]

I have bought several from just pictures that I have been very happy with but also bought two that I was very unhappy with the way the sellers handled things. Paperwork is very important to me and have learned if it is not up to date and correct then pass that seller up. I have found that you can run across people who are just plain dishonest and make a sale a nightmare. Honest sellers make buying a joy. We all have to be cautious because as much as we want to believe all sellers are great, some just aren't. Mary

 

[Little Wee Horse Farm]

We've sold MANY online but as a seller, you need to be as careful as you can be in selling your precious little ones to a, shall we say, sight unseen, buyer. Yes, I do try to get to establish a good repoire with the buyer (or seller) both online & on the phone. A very few times, I've sold with just talking online, but it worked out fine.

I would say the thing that scares me off either way is: Sellers who are hard to get information from. Having to ask the same questions several times & maybe still not getting an answer. I don't like having to pull teeth and can go somewhere else. I've only come across, in all my years, two stallions that I HAD to have. But they both came from good sellers, so there was no problem. They were great horses & yeah, I HAD to have them.

As for buyers, it worries me a little when they seem to know everything. Granted, some people DO know just about everything & know what they like when they see it & why. But, I always ask the buyer's level of experience with minis. That at least tells me where I can start to tell them about the horse & then I can gauge it from there. If we talk & it really does add up that this person knows what they say they do, hey, that's great.

Just the other day, I turned someone away because they wanted a baby horse for an inexperienced kid. Not an inherently bad situation, but the kid didn't know anything & the yearling doesn't know anything so, to me, that equals disaster waiting to happen. The parent didn't know anything either! SOMEONE has to know SOMETHING. No deal. The horse probably would have been looking for a new home soon.

It's a whole lot of instinct. We've been lucky in almost all cases with long-distance sales or buys. Once tho, two mares came together from the same place & trust me, these girls weren't mares...........they were NIGHTMARES!! Big mistake but we got them to come around after TWO years. Wouldn't dare sell them to anyone the way they were -- it would have ruined OUR reputation, not the person we bought them from. We ended up loving them & keeping them.

Good luck to you in your ventures. :saludando:

 

[love_casper]

i've actually only met ONE horse before buying it!!!

with Ghost, i had 3 pics. Charm, about the same. Princess 1. Sugar....nada!!! yup....i confess, i have agreed to get a horsey without pics.

: (i got plenty of pics eventually though, but at the time i sent the money, it was only that many!)

I saw those 3 pics of Ghost, and i KNEW i had to have her.

: she stayed at previous owners place for a while, and i got pic updates several times, so i had seen a lot of her by the time she arrived, but when i gave the money, it was only 3 pics.

then I HAD to get Charm, he was adorable, and looked just like Capser (who i had just lost, not to mention who shared a B-day with him). i saw a few pics of him before i sent the money. BUT........well, he was just a baby. so to get him any time soon, i had to get him & mama. i had seen 1 pic of her, and i agreed to get mommy and baby. BUT...... :bgrin mommy was still attatched to HER mom! so of course, i wanted my charm, i agreed to get the 3, without even seeing pics of the gramma.

I thought at first i may just keep baby once he's weaned, and not keep mommy/grammy. well, after the first down payment, i got pics of all 3. Mommy was even more beautiful in person. then i saw Grammy's and i was like :new_shocked: :risa8: :new_multi: :488: :cheeky-smiley-006:

:

so i was keepin her! actually, the gramma who i got without pics, turned out to be the most downright perfect mare i could ever dream of! she was everything i had ever wanted in a horse! stunning color, beautiful conformation, personality to die for......

:

yup sight unseens perfectly fine with me! i've gotten some GREAT horseys from it!!

:

 

[love_casper]

i've actually only met ONE horse before buying it!!!

with Ghost, i had 3 pics. Charm, about the same. Princess 1. Sugar....nada!!! yup....i confess, i have agreed to get a horsey without pics.

: (i got plenty of pics eventually though, but at the time i sent the money, it was only that many!)

I saw those 3 pics of Ghost, and i KNEW i had to have her.

: she stayed at previous owners place for a while, and i got pic updates several times, so i had seen a lot of her by the time she arrived, but when i gave the money, it was only 3 pics.

then I HAD to get Charm, he was adorable, and looked just like Capser (who i had just lost, not to mention who shared a B-day with him). i saw a few pics of him before i sent the money. BUT........well, he was just a baby. so to get him any time soon, i had to get him & mama. i had seen 1 pic of her, and i agreed to get mommy and baby. BUT...... :bgrin mommy was still attatched to HER mom! so of course, i wanted my charm, i agreed to get the 3, without even seeing pics of the gramma.

I thought at first i may just keep baby once he's weaned, and not keep mommy/grammy. well, after the first down payment, i got pics of all 3. Mommy was even more beautiful in person. then i saw Grammy's and i was like :new_shocked: :risa8: :new_multi: :488: :cheeky-smiley-006:

:

so i was keepin her! actually, the gramma who i got without pics, turned out to be the most downright perfect mare i could ever dream of! she was everything i had ever wanted in a horse! stunning color, beautiful conformation, personality to die for......

:

yup sight unseens perfectly fine with me! i've gotten some GREAT horseys from it!!

:

guess the forum hiccuped again! repeat post sorry!!!!!!!!!

 

[Viki]

I have bought and sold several horses over the Internet. Sometimes, just one picture to go on. All but ONE was a good deal for me buying! When she arrived, I was dissapointed. But, I made the deal. So, I just resold her to a good home. I'm sure I'll do more buying on the Internet in the future.

Most of my sales are threw the Internet. No complaints from buyers yet. I do supply more pictures than they probably want! LOL And if they dont ask the right questions, I supply the answers to questions I think they should have asked, if they are inexperienced. The Internet has been GREAT for me!

Viki

 

[keely2682]

i have bought most of my horses sight unseen and been very happy with them

most of them have been seen by a trainer that i am friends with, however

if you don't have someone on the other end to look out for you- be careful of height

i know many people who have purchased sight unseen horses who have turned out to be much taller than advertized

 

[shalamara minis]

We have bought sveral horses from just pictures. Only had one bad one. Although we like the mare it turned out she had not been handled very much and was very afraid of people and very jumpy.

 

[Flyin G Farm]

I have also bought numerous horses via the internet. I have to be sold on the seller...if they won't answer my questions or get me the pictures I want to see...then sorry. If the paperwork isn't in order...sorry. And me personally...I like the Seller to ask me questions about what we expect and what we're looking for...a good seller will tell you if they think the horse is right for you...and I do the same as a seller...if I don't think the horse will be a good match then I will lead them in the direction that they may find "the perfect" horse for them. So for me...while I might see a horse I'm interested in...a big part of my decision is my gut feeling about the Seller....and I've been very fortunate to find some very nice horses and have been pleased with what I've purchased online :bgrin

Tracy

 

[Mona]

I have bought almost every horse I have ever owned through photos onoly. I ask questions, and learned to ask even more questions, and then learned that sometimes no matter how many questions you ask, to make sure you have all bases covered, some people will still outright lie to you! Most of my buying experiences have been good, however, I have also had a number of bad experiences. I agree, when you inquire on a horse and they don't want to answer direct questions, pass them by.

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[HGFarm]

I would have to say that I dont think I have ever really truly been disappointed in what I have purchased on line- and most were even better than expected! However I will add that I am wary of some buyers too! I would not deal with some due to reputations and things I had heard from what I would consider other farms with good reputations. So, I guess it could go both ways.