selling birds and eggs on internet.

[Fowl Menagerie]

I am wondering if I am alone in this situation. I have sold birds and eggs on the net for several years, but can still not get over how inconsiderate some chicken people are. I cannot count the number of times I have sat at home all day waiting for buyers to show up and get a no show. No phone call, e-mail or anything. My stock are free ranged, so this means that I have had to catch, separate, and pen the supposed sale birds. I attempt to raise birds that seem to be in demand, that are healthy and competitively priced. I advertise my stock as pet quality, although some are indeed better than pet quality. I have birds that I am giving away or asking maybe $1. per bird and had people critique them like I was asking $20 per bird. And then there are the endless e-mails and phone calls etc. only to have a no show who called when they were leaving home but never arrived. On a more positive note, I have sold birds to some very nice people who often repeat buy and let me know how their birds are doing. I was just wondering if some of you experience similar situations?

 

[GaryDean26]

Last year I posted an add for advanced sale of day-old chicks early in the year. I set my prices at what I wanted to get for them which was a little higher than what some were asking and a little less than others. I required 50% payment to be added to the wait list and at the peak of the season I having to tell people the wait list was 6 weeks long, but they were still sending money so they could get on the list. I never had anyone canceled or not show up. I did have people say they were going to pay for 2-3 weeks in a row and never pay and never show-up, but I was not left waiting for them because they never were put on the list.

I think the key to have people pay upfront. If they want the birds they will understand that some people are no shows and that for you to make stock available you have to do things that way.

 

[EricMd01]

Works both ways too. I had a seller have me wait 2 weeks and told me to call at a specific date and time. Well when I called on the day the seller told me to they had sold the chicks I was waiting on the day before. Frustrating but what can you do?

 

[GaryDean26]

Ya...I made a hour and a half drive to get breeding cockerel once. I had made arrangements 2 weeks in advance and likewise found when I arrived that what I wanted was sold a few days earlier. They tried to sell me cockerel from other breeding lines, but I wasn't interested in any of them and left empty handed. By paying in advance you don't have to worry about someone else buying what you want before you get there either.

 

[DeGarmom]

Honestly, it's not just chicken people. I have had people stand me up for appointments to buy puppies, horses, chickens, rabbits, turkeys, and cars from me and "no show" an appointments to look at apartments (rentals, multiple times ) I know it sounds trite, but don't let it get you down. Be honest and fair, and the rest of it will take care of itself.

There is one thing that I do is that deters some of the tire kickers: get a contact phone number preferably their cell. I have often found that most folks will do a great deal to avoid uncomfortable conversations..

 

[donrae]

There was a whole thread about folks responding to CL, etc ads and flaking.....it's not just you.

I recently sold several layers. I simply told the sellers they had to come in the pm after everyone was on the roost. No way I'm chasing chickens around trying to catch one during the day. No one batted an eye about coming out at 8 pm.

I also told them they had to bring boxes to transport. One guy told me on the phone he had some rubbermaid totes and asked if those would work. I said sure, no problem. He showed up in a hatchback with 3 nice sized totes with hay in the bottom for bedding......and no lids

bless his heart. We improvised some lids from trash bags and I guess he made it home.....

 

[Fowl Menagerie]

I sold some muscovies to a lady at a flea market one time. She had no boxes or cages. She said just throw them in back of the van with the kids. I said, you know these birds can fly and scratch like crazy, not to mention their loose bowels when they are scared or excited. She said she wasn't going far and drove off.........braver than me!