Make Me an Offer

[Megan]

As a seller I set prices, but I normally say if you don't like the asking price, make an offer and it would be considered. I don't mind going $25 or so less on a chin here and there. If I feel my price is already on the low end, I simply tell them I will not go any lower.

As a buyer I like to see animals placed at a specific price.

 

[RDZCRanch]

I actually find it entertaining when ranchers ask me to make an offer. Most of the time, they use it to try to gauge how much you are willing to pay and to see what you think their animals are worth. Sure, you might upset them with a low offer, but then they usually tell you the lowest price they are willing to let the animal go for. With a particular rancher, I always offer $0 and tell him to just name the price because I know he has set prices for all of his animals before he gets to the shows and there is no haggling with him.

To me, if you're asked to name a price, it gives you an opportunity. If you REALLY want that animal, you offer as high as you can. If it happens to be higher than the price the rancher had in mind, but that's what that animal is worth to YOU then that's how it goes. I'm speaking mostly for buying/selling breeding animals though.

For pet chinchillas, or chinchillas someone is looking at for a pet, the price should be set in advance. Pet people don't need to play price games for animals because for them it's not about how the animal can benefit their herd.

 

[Brittany]

In the words of the Spice Girls,

"Tell me what you want, what you really, really want..."

:rofl:

I know that haggling is an art in some cultures, but I absolutely hate it. As a buyer I'd much rather have someone give me a set price.

 

[starleomach]

I have picked up animal cheaper when I have had cash like they are asking 150 and I have 125 in my hands now...

On a funny note I just got an email asking if I would take 90 for a chin I had listed at 100 I said sure, then they replied with a email saying well I may not be able to get it until next year so don't hold her for me.... why ask if I am willing to deal on a particular animal if you aren't actually interested?

 

[Brittany]

Why ask if I am willing to deal on a particular animal if you aren't actually interested?

Several months ago I had someone looking to get cheap hammocks. I talked with them and made them an offer that I felt was fair considering the cost of materials and the time I invest in sewing. I never heard back from them, then several weeks later they contacted me again. They had old fleece that they wanted to mail me, and have me sew up. We agreed on a price and I calculated all the shipping for them. It's been over a month and I haven't heard back. I recently saw them making inquiries about trying to get cheap hammocks. So on the flip side of this debate it frustrates me as the seller when potential customers give me the run around. I have no problem answering inquiries about prices and shipping costs, even if the person doesn't end up buying. But don't engage me in a long string of communications and then just drop off the face of the planet. I'm not a huge corporation, I'm a human being. Atleast have the courtesy to say thanks but no thanks.

 

[Sycamore Chins]

I've had one "make me an offer" and nearly wet myself. I so badly didn't want to insult them and yet I'm not made of money. I thought about it for a bit and I think I came up with a fair price. Turns out she is a little baby making machine so is well worth what I paid!

On the flip side I think the prices I set on my animals are cheap. I would be very hesitant to haggle on the price unless they want to take more than one chin off my hands!

 

[AZChins]

I've done this before. I very rarely tell people to tell me what they want to pay. It's when I don't want to charge people too much and I want to undercut the price that they give me! For example, I had someone come for some rescues for the second time. She already had two of my chins and I told her that I wanted to give her the other chins but she wouldn't let me! So, I said, "What do you want to pay for them?" She gave me some outrageously high number and I cut it down to about 1/3rd of what she said. She reluctantly paid...LOL

That's the only time that I ask for someone to make an offer, in a case that I don't want someone to pay much for an animal. All other times the prices are set and I don't negotiate.

Megan, if you are asking prices that you know are low, you should get what you ask for! I know that your chins are worth what you ask and you deserve to get that.

 

[Amphy64]

I can understand why a seller would say 'Make me an offer', but it'd definitely make me really nervous, I'd be terrified of accidentally offering too low and offending them, or worse, making them think again about letting me buy the animal. The price of an animal is not something I'd want to haggle over (of course, for breeders with larger herds it can make sense to, that's different), so I'm quite happy having a set price. I figure that keeping the animal will likely cost more in the long run than the initial price, and chins are long-lived animals (could easily outlive a dog yet may well cost less) so the initial price is not something I'm too worried about, I'd rather the seller ask what they thought the animal was worth, even if it was on the higher side.

It's something I've wondered about, as I'd like a breeding female one day, and I'm really not sure what kind of figure I'd be looking at (not that this is my main consideration at this point, need to learn more first). I've seen a young, good quality Deutsch violet girl go for about £100 (which I thought was very reasonable as she was a nice chin from good lines, don't know if it may be harder to get breeders interested in buying a relatively less common colour like the Deutsch Violet, since maybe they might want to concentrate on the colours they already breed), iirc, so I imagine a nice quality proven female might be worth considerably more (breeders always tell me that a good female is 'like goldust', but not whether that means they're literally worth their weight in gold! ), but if I was ever told 'Make me an offer' I wouldn't really know, I'm sure it can vary quite a bit of course.

 

[jags]

I like the make me an offer deal. I use it to gauge how bad someone really wants the animal and how much they can afford or are willing to pay. I have sold many an animal this way for less than what people offered depending on what they wanted and what their plans for the animal was. As a seller you can also offend buyers by pricing what you think the animals worth to you and it may not be worth near as much to them. I have no problem making offers on animals to others I buy from. I like to work with people to help them out if I can and sometimes I have no plans for certain animals in my breeding. The only ones that may offend me are the ones who want my very best and offer a low price when I know they are paying big bucks to other breeders. In my opinion if you make a reasonable offer you will get a reasonable response back.

 

[chinsNdobermans]

I like the make me an offer deal. I use it to gauge how bad someone really wants the animal and how much they can afford or are willing to pay. I have sold many an animal this way for less than what people offered depending on what they wanted and what their plans for the animal was. As a seller you can also offend buyers by pricing what you think the animals worth to you and it may not be worth near as much to them. I have no problem making offers on animals to others I buy from. I like to work with people to help them out if I can and sometimes I have no plans for certain animals in my breeding. The only ones that may offend me are the ones who want my very best and offer a low price when I know they are paying big bucks to other breeders. In my opinion if you make a reasonable offer you will get a reasonable response back.

This.

I consider my prices to be fairly low already, but they're almost never set in stone. If they are, I'll tell the interested party that. I've never had an offensively low offer (to date).

I don't generally question price on an animal I really want, and have never been told to make an offer, so I don't have a buyer's perspective.

 

[Godins Chinchillas]

I really don't like the make me an offer. I'm not good on judging what things are worth. Just tell me the price and I will pay it...well I shouldn't say that. I asked for $2000 off from a 2009 Toyota Sienna but I had done research. They laughed at me at first-especially since they were doing business with Steve but the vehicle was for me...so I did the talking. Like I said they laughed until I got up to leave. Got halfway to the door and they pulled me back in. I got what I wanted.

But in regards to chins. I feel like it is a slap in the face if someone asks me to go alot lower on an animal. I put alot of care in them and feel my prices are fair.

Jessica

 

[mishalaa]

I think I'm starting to change my mind about this. I was thinking it was a ridiculous way to go about selling an animal, but I can see now it has its place depending of course on who the buyer and seller are, i.e. if they were "in the business" and were reasonable.

However, given my experiences I have little faith in the abundance of reasonable people. I would think the majority of these offers involve price-gouging and low-balling.

 

[Whimsy]

And then there's always the person who, when asked how much a certain chin is, always responds, "one million dollars"!
*cough* I bet a large number of you know who that is.

 

[PIKA]

# do talk

"Make me an offer" is very confusing.... this shows
The seller either is lazy, do not want to do their homework, so they don't know what is the # they should mark....or, do not have intention to sell it, but Hey! "throw me a number, that I can not refused!"
For buyers, it's a sign of "there is a chance for freebie, or at lease close to one"
See the gap right there? so I won't even try...
But I can understand why people still do that. coz, that been well said, # shows how serious the buyer is!!! No wast time! A person is willing to offer a decent number won't screw around! They mean it! Although I have other way to scan serious buyers, but that is other story.

 

[PIKA]

Very important point

The other important note that I forgot to mention is:
By "make me an offer" You sure you are dealing with THE "BOSS". So~
After a long time negotiations, once price settled, something like the following won't happen:
1. I have to discuss with my other half...
2. My parents say I need a good grade....could you hold him/her for me?
3. I need a ride, do you delivery?
4. I'll get back to you 3 month later....
5. I'm waiting for my next paycheck...
6. Dose it come with a cage?
...etc.
There are a lot of "window shoppers" out there.