Understanding Both Sides of Private Treaty
As an Equine Marketing Agent or Broker we often see the battle on Private Treaty. A lot of people feel it is unnecessary to list a horse and keep the price hidden while others feel like doing this protects the buyers and the sellers. No matter what side you are on it’s important to understand the other sides point of view as well.
As someone that markets other people’s horses for a living I stay pretty neutral on the subject. I have clients that have no problems just posting the price and I have clients that do private treaty for every horse they list wether it’s a high dollar horse or not. I understand both sides of the spectrum which makes it easy for me not to get heated when it comes to this topic.
A lot of people will just continue to scroll past if they see a horse that is private treaty they won’t bother to look at it. Some look at this as weeding out tire kickers while others feel that this kills potential sales. I am here to tell you that no matter which way you choose to market your horse you will deal with tire kickers. It’s a guarantee! While others have no problem messaging or asking the price. Then you get the people who have to leave rude comments or their opinion on the marketing method you are using.
Those that market the horse as private treaty may do so for several reasons. The horse could be young and price may change several times during training and showing process this allows them to change the price without offending people. There could be several people involved in the sale leaving the price at private treaty allows room for commissions, etc. They may have bought the horse for a cheaper price and are selling it at a higher price believe it or not there are people out there that would turn this into a VERY big deal that it doesn’t need to be. It protects the buyer or seller from everyone knowing how much they spent. Not everyone wants their mom, aunt, uncle, brother or three times removed cousin knowing they spent 60k plus on a horse. While other people strongly feel if someone is interested in a horse they will call or message to get the information.
While the people that don't like the private treaty method feel that no price listed causes more tire kickers because no one knows if the horse is in their budget. A lot of people feel listing the price allows them to not bother someone when they know they can't afford the horse. They also feel it takes up too much time to have to message or call about every horse they are interested in.
There is negativity for both methods. I have had people get mad about a horse’s price that is posted on an ad because they don’t feel said horse is worth that price. Just like I have had people get mad that they have had to message to get a price. Then I have people that still message about info that is already posted in the ad. Not everyone even fully reads an ad.
Moral of the story is there is no wrong way to market your horse. No matter which method you may choose dealing with tire kickers and negativity is always a reality of marketing horses. Posting the price or not posting the price doesn’t guarantee a sale just like it doesn’t mean the horse won’t sell because of the method you have chosen.
As a buyer if you aren’t comfortable messaging or calling for a price then don’t. But avoid being negative on someone’s ad just because you may not agree with the method they are using. We all have the right to have a different opinion but be polite and keep your opinion to yourself when it comes to someone else’s ads. It doesn’t cost a thing to be kind and respectful! Happy selling and shopping!
As an Equine Marketing Agent or Broker we often see the battle on Private Treaty. A lot of people feel it is unnecessary to list a horse and keep the price hidden while others feel like doing this protects the buyers and the sellers. No matter what side you are on it’s important to understand the other sides point of view as well.
As someone that markets other people’s horses for a living I stay pretty neutral on the subject. I have clients that have no problems just posting the price and I have clients that do private treaty for every horse they list wether it’s a high dollar horse or not. I understand both sides of the spectrum which makes it easy for me not to get heated when it comes to this topic.
A lot of people will just continue to scroll past if they see a horse that is private treaty they won’t bother to look at it. Some look at this as weeding out tire kickers while others feel that this kills potential sales. I am here to tell you that no matter which way you choose to market your horse you will deal with tire kickers. It’s a guarantee! While others have no problem messaging or asking the price. Then you get the people who have to leave rude comments or their opinion on the marketing method you are using.
Those that market the horse as private treaty may do so for several reasons. The horse could be young and price may change several times during training and showing process this allows them to change the price without offending people. There could be several people involved in the sale leaving the price at private treaty allows room for commissions, etc. They may have bought the horse for a cheaper price and are selling it at a higher price believe it or not there are people out there that would turn this into a VERY big deal that it doesn’t need to be. It protects the buyer or seller from everyone knowing how much they spent. Not everyone wants their mom, aunt, uncle, brother or three times removed cousin knowing they spent 60k plus on a horse. While other people strongly feel if someone is interested in a horse they will call or message to get the information.
While the people that don't like the private treaty method feel that no price listed causes more tire kickers because no one knows if the horse is in their budget. A lot of people feel listing the price allows them to not bother someone when they know they can't afford the horse. They also feel it takes up too much time to have to message or call about every horse they are interested in.
There is negativity for both methods. I have had people get mad about a horse’s price that is posted on an ad because they don’t feel said horse is worth that price. Just like I have had people get mad that they have had to message to get a price. Then I have people that still message about info that is already posted in the ad. Not everyone even fully reads an ad.
Moral of the story is there is no wrong way to market your horse. No matter which method you may choose dealing with tire kickers and negativity is always a reality of marketing horses. Posting the price or not posting the price doesn’t guarantee a sale just like it doesn’t mean the horse won’t sell because of the method you have chosen.
As a buyer if you aren’t comfortable messaging or calling for a price then don’t. But avoid being negative on someone’s ad just because you may not agree with the method they are using. We all have the right to have a different opinion but be polite and keep your opinion to yourself when it comes to someone else’s ads. It doesn’t cost a thing to be kind and respectful! Happy selling and shopping!