Selling eggs- people not paying for eggs

[HenryNHenrietta]

Was just wondering if anyone was having the same problem I’ve been having selling eggs.

Ive been selling eggs by the side of the road last year and this year. Last year was going great, selling dozens every week. I have a small container for the customers to put the money in. My sign was clearly marked $4 for eggs. One day I go out and see someone has taken the eggs but put no money… I try again the next day, same result. Someone was taking the eggs without paying. I had to stop putting the eggs out by the road.

A new year comes and the chickens are back into laying. I try again to sell by the road. My sign clearly says $5/dozen. I put 4 dozen out to sell… see 2 dozen have sold and I go get the money. There was only $5 instead of $10. I’ve put the eggs out to sell again… I’m not sure what to do at this point if someone keeps taking the eggs without paying for them. If this happens the next few times I put them out to sell I’ll have to stop selling by the road again.

Has anyone come across a problem like this? It’s very discouraging

 

[Iluveggers]

Was just wondering if anyone was having the same problem I’ve been having selling eggs.

Ive been selling eggs by the side of the road last year and this year. Last year was going great, selling dozens every week. I have a small container for the customers to put the money in. My sign was clearly marked $4 for eggs. One day I go out and see someone has taken the eggs but put no money… I try again the next day, same result. Someone was taking the eggs without paying. I had to stop putting the eggs out by the road.

A new year comes and the chickens are back into laying. I try again to sell by the road. My sign clearly says $5/dozen. I put 4 dozen out to sell… see 2 dozen have sold and I go get the money. There was only $5 instead of $10. I’ve put the eggs out to sell again… I’m not sure what to do at this point if someone keeps taking the eggs without paying for them. If this happens the next few times I put them out to sell I’ll have to stop selling by the road again.

Has anyone come across a problem like this? It’s very discouraging

Might have to have them knock if they want eggs and give you money. That sucks.

Luckily we mostly sell to coworkers and friends. We deliver and collect money right away. Roadside sales can be risky and people are desperate now.

 

[sdm111]

Thank the economy

 

[MildlyOffensiveChicken]

If you want to spend the time and potential anguish you could put up a game camera or 2. See if it’s the same person(s) or if it is a rotating cast. Do they come by the same time each day, etc. Then decide if you confront the person or call LEO or ?

A few years ago a couple kids were taking eggs from a roadside honesty box and throwing them at cars over a couple weeks. They nailed my window and I chased them into a creek area. Said some things adults probably shouldn’t to kids, but they stopped.

Edit - “kids” were 15-18 year old boys.

 

[Cackel Shack]

Was just wondering if anyone was having the same problem I’ve been having selling eggs.

Ive been selling eggs by the side of the road last year and this year. Last year was going great, selling dozens every week. I have a small container for the customers to put the money in. My sign was clearly marked $4 for eggs. One day I go out and see someone has taken the eggs but put no money… I try again the next day, same result. Someone was taking the eggs without paying. I had to stop putting the eggs out by the road.

A new year comes and the chickens are back into laying. I try again to sell by the road. My sign clearly says $5/dozen. I put 4 dozen out to sell… see 2 dozen have sold and I go get the money. There was only $5 instead of $10. I’ve put the eggs out to sell again… I’m not sure what to do at this point if someone keeps taking the eggs without paying for them. If this happens the next few times I put them out to sell I’ll have to stop selling by the road again.

Has anyone come across a problem like this? It’s very discouraging

I made an egg-selling sign and left it at the end of my driveway. It's visible by passersby going in both directions. When people come to your door encourage them to become regular customers by promising to hold eggs every week or whatever. That way in a short period of time you won't need the sign, and you'll get paid for all of your hard work and expense in being a chicken keeper.

 

[MildlyOffensiveChicken]

I made an egg-selling sign and left it at the end of my driveway. It's visible by passersby going in both directions. When people come to your door encourage them to become regular customers by promising to hold eggs every week or whatever. That way in a short period of time you won't need the sign, and you'll get paid for all of your hard work and expense in being a chicken keeper.

An alternative is to put the stand closer to the house. A sign directing them to the sign. Depends on how your property is configured, for sure. I would guess that fewer people would steal if they were in sight of the house.

 

[WthrLady]

Stupid question, but what does your sign say?
The only time I've heard this was a problem was when a neighbor up the road put a sign out that said "free range eggs $3"
Local campers thought the eggs where free.
My signage says FARM EGGS-Open Range Available to avoid that confusion.
Other than that, I'd think putting out a fake security camera and sign that says due to XX, theft, site is now monitored.

 

[WthrLady]

Might have to have them knock if they want eggs and give you money. That sucks.

Luckily we mostly sell to coworkers and friends. We deliver and collect money right away. Roadside sales can be risky and people are desperate now.

My regulars-and neighbors, I just let run a tab and I bill twice a year, June and December.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Maybe install a camera, and a sign "Smile! You're on camera! Thank you for being honest." or something to that effect. Or if you have a Ring camera on your porch, put the eggs there with a sign by the road pointing the way. Just my ideas. We've always just had a sign by the road and have a regular series of customers, plus I sell them at work or donate to the church bishop for distribution.

 

[artbykarenehaley]

Sounds like an honesty box will not work for your area. You are being taken advantage of.

Our neighbor sold eggs roadside. We sold our eggs to her at a wholesale price because she had a better location than we did (she was on a main road with a nice big space for cars, we lived up a dead end gravel road that wrapped around her property to ours). We had more chickens than her, and she had a high demand, being the closest local farm to town that had eggs for sale.

Anyway I'm rambling. Her sales were done from a locked room attached to her garage. Customers rang the doorbell and she would sell the eggs in person.