What price should I ask for my Runner Ducks at the Fair?

[Sunny Side Up]

I will be entering some Runner Ducks in our county Fair. Two drakes and 7 hens. Hatched last summer, about 6 months old. I would like to sell them all, together or separately. What would be a fair price to ask? Or should I ask people to make offers & take the highest?

This is not a big fancy professional poultry show, but a LOT of people come through looking to buy birds. I've been able to sell POL purebred pullets for $25-$30. But I've never shown or sold ducks here. Of course, I'd like to get the best price I can for them, to help pay for everyone else's feed back home.

Thank you for your imput.

 

[FenDruadin]

Well, pricing is such a difficult question to answer. But I definitely suggest you set a price and, if it's negotiable, add "OBO." People are simply more likely to buy something if they know up front how much it will cost, or at least a ballpark figure so they can decide if they can afford it.

Back to "how much": If you can, why not take a few minutes before setting up to walk the displays and see what other people are asking? Place your price somewhere in the mid-range, because people are going to buy based on emotion, not purely on price, so if they're going to buy a duck, they're going to buy the one they like assuming it's reasonably priced, not necessarily the cheapest (which is why I wouldn't price them below market). If there are not other ducks, then I would price fairly comparable to the chickens, and go from there.

Once the fair gets going, you can judge peoples's reactions and go from there--if they sell out in the first 15 minutes, you probably weren't asking enough. If people are interested & like to look at them & appear to be in a buying mood, but keep walking, then you can lower your price.

If you get toward the end of the day and still have birds, lower the prices even more & start offering discounts to your fellow displayers (ha ha--they already have facilities, so they're more likely to buy, right?).

Good luck, and have fun!