"pre-selling" chins

[Riven]

How do you guys handle "pre-selling" chins? I have several animals available that I will be showing, I figure I just as well advertise and allow people to put deposits, but what if something happens to the chin? What if it gets sick or injured?

Do you handle it just like any other sale? I've been working on getting some updated photos and information on my site and wasn't sure how to best handle "pre-selling" when you want to hold the animal for show.

Can't wait to hear some thoughts!

 

[Encantadora]

I suggest taking a deposit until the animal is shown or weaned. If something happens to the chin, they get their money back. If they just change their mind, you keep the deposit.

 

[starleomach]

I will accept deposits when an animal is 2 weeks from weaning. I have had a case where the kit did die. I contacted the people and offered a return of the deposit or replacement. they selected another kit. I also have had one injured (torn ear) I offered to bring a second female in case it was a problem but happily it was not. I always take a non-refundable deposit though. If something happens I will refund but otherwise like said above if they change their mind you keep it.

I didn't used to but after several times putting off pick up dates for a month etc then changing their minds...I had to do it.

As for ones i want to show. I hold them back and if they don't do well or don't grow the way I want I sell them a bit older

 

[bchins]

I accept a 50% down non-refundable deposit. And I tell all my buyers that it would be refundable if the chin got sick or died before pick up. I also occasionally have people who ask if I guarantee my animals, and the real answer is that I don't, but if something would actually happen to the chin right away (and the chin was obviously in a good home, being cared for properly), I would definitely replace the chin.

 

[danilinn]

I'll fess up to being the new chin-mom who fell even more in love with Kristy's one-eared little girl.
Everyone is making good points here--when I kept emailing and calling Kristy with questions, she suggested this site to me. That gave me two (more) weeks to learn about fleece and good hay and cages and a hundred other things.
Any responsible human who wants to bring an animal into the family needs to know this kind of stuff, especially with an exotic, even more so with a vegan, highly intelligent exotic.
bchins makes an important point about a good home with proper care being her criteria for offering a new chin.
From a buyer perspective, I think you should offer the resources necessary (like this site) to potential buyers. Then you have an idea of the buyer's knowledge base before you sell to them, and you can know if they are prepared.
And I wouldn't expect a deposit to be refunded on a living creature when it wouldn't be on a new bathtub you're having installed or even electronics.
(not that you asked for MY two cents on that, but you don't want your little ones to end up on craigslist or worse.)

 

[Spoof]

I generally don't pre-sell. I kind of figure in Murphy's Law and the fact that I may want to keep the animal after show or after weaning. Babies change a lot. I don't do a waiting list for that reason.

 

[Amphy64]

As a buyer, I think it's pretty much the same as normal, just of course making sure it's clear in the advert that the chin will be held for show, and what the terms are if something should happen. I think if it's at all possible if an animal becomes sick or is injured the buyer should still be given the option to have that particular chinchilla once they're recovered, if they still wish - chinchillas.com for instance I think requires the selection of a replacement, but I know if I buy an animal, I do want that one (I'm with danilinn and her decision on her girl with the torn ear), not a different one no matter how similar-looking! A deposit is probably a good idea, that way you have something concrete that suggests they will follow through and buy the chin, and they also have the assurance that they do partly own the animal.

The one thing that always worries me, although I'm sure most chin breeders wouldn't do this (have known cat and dog breeders do it though), is if they're wanting to show the animal, will they end up changing their mind? What happens if the animal does better than expected? So just a bit of reassurance that they're definitely going to be able to take their chosen chin home would help, from a buyers perspective. Even if the breeder only asks if they can keep the animal after all, it can be pretty difficult for a prospective pet owner to be placed in that position of either having to say yes and lose their pet, or say no and take the animal from the now-reluctant seller, so it's obviously best to be sure.

 

[Cuddlebug]

I do deposits at 6 weeks, wean at 8 weeks, and ready to go at 10 weeks. Before 6 weeks of age, I do not take deposits, but I do put people on my waiting list. When a deposit is paid for a kit, I have an agreement that I and the buyer sign and date. The agreement states that if I back out on the deal, the buyer gets their money back or can choose to put the deposit towards another chinchilla. If the buyer backs out, no refund. Before I started doing deposits, I had a LOT of people arrange a time to purchase an animal, and then not show up. No emails, nothing. Just dropped off the face of the earth.

 

[Riven]

Mostly what I'm "pre-selling" is stuff I know I won't keep no matter how it does, I have an extreme marked pw, I simply have no room for another white male, I'm selling all of my white males I'm showing. Same with standard males, or I've got several beige males, like one set of trips, I don't have room for 3 beige females with all of the same lines no matter how well they do.

The reason I do want to pre-sell, I don't sell kits prior to weaning though, is I live in the middle of nowhere, I understand it's easier for people to get a chin at a show they're already attending than to have to ship it. And for animals I have no room for to use in breeding, it's silly to take them back home then market them to people who would have to pay shipping and probably just bought something at the show anyway.

 

[chinsNdobermans]

I am not really a kit seller myself, because I have so few kits born each year and want to have as many as possible to show.

But, the occasional kit does come up who is pretty obviously not destined for the show table (like if I have an ebc born with a very dirty belly, etc) - I offer the kit for sale at 6 weeks and take a $50 deposit. If something happened, I'd offer to let them choose another kit (if I had any available) or refund the money. If the seller backs out, I keep the money (same policy as my adults).

If I am going to be taking the kit to a show for delivery, that changes things a bit, because I require full payment (due to being burned by people not showing up at the show and therefore causing unnecessary stress on the chins) but that's my only real exception to the above method.

 

[chechinchillas]

I require a 50% non refundable deposit. I have a terms page that the customer has to check a box that they have read and agree to the terms of my site, requires their name, address and contact info, comments section. After they hit submit the info goes into my email and I start a file on them. They can't purchase from me until I received the submission. If the animal becomes unavailable due to injury, death, etc. the customer gets a full refund or replacement, their choice. If they change their mind, no refund.

 

[Riven]

I agree somewhat Dee, it's hard to know what a kit will be like when it is grown. If a kit won't be ready for show at all, or be something I don't want to show, say it's older siblings have flaws, I'll sell it young. A white male weaned a month before shows start.. I'll sell as a kit, etc. I don't post anything until it's weaned because I've had too many that something happens, be it get out of the cage and injured or mom freaks out, well as we all know that only happens to the ones we really want to see grow out anyway...