Anyone who keeps farm animals is going to need to sell some occasionally. Whether you’re getting rid of your entire stock, culling your herd, or just need to make some room for new livestock, making sales is just a fact of life. There’s no denying that it can be difficult, but these days, online classifieds like Bikroy.com can make the process a whole lot easier. Posting adverts online can help you reach the maximum amount of buyers, which is especially important if you have more specialized animals that will need a wider market. In addition, the large number of buyers means that you can make a sale quickly. Let’s take a look at how you can make the most out of the online selling process.
Animal Health
Before you start, make sure all of your farm animals for sale are in good condition. Maintaining good animal welfare is not only humane but also good business practice. Healthy stock will sell faster and for more money than sick or malnourished ones, and you’ll have a lot less risk of a dissatisfied buyer coming back when the pigeons or goats you sold him turn out to be diseased. To keep everything healthy, maintain clean, dry living conditions at all times, and be sure that there is plenty of fresh water available. Keep an eye out for dull or cloudy eyes, diarrhea, missing patches of fur or feathers, and other signs of poor health. Try to quarantine ill specimens so that they do not infect the rest of your herd or flock, and don’t try to sell until it is healthy again.
Things to Consider
There’s a lot to consider when you’re starting out, but the very first thing is to know exactly what you’re selling. It sounds obvious, but there’s a big difference between “chickens” and “purebred laying hens,” so make a quick list of the characteristics of your animals. Take some time to browse adverts to see how much they typically sell for. You’ll need to make your price similar. If it’s too high, people will scroll right past it, and if it’s too low, they may think that there is a problem such as disease or infertility.
Making a Good Listing
Once you’ve got a good idea of your competition and your price, it’s time to start making the advert. Start by writing the headline. You’ll want to put the primary information right up front, so include the type of animal, the gender, the age, and one special characteristic to get attention. For example, “Year-old Laying Hens for Sale – Purebred” or “3-year-old Female Goat – Good Milker” are better headlines than just “Chickens for Sale” or “Milk Goat” because they give more information and a good reason for the buyer to click the ad.
Most of the information should go inside the listing. Repeat what you said in the title and also list anything relevant, such as your farm animal’s breed, what it can be used for, if it has been bred, and so on. Make sure to highlight anything that will make it more valuable than others. For example, a sheep that always has twin lambs may be more valuable than others without those attributes.
Try to also highlight species-specific information. With poultry, for example, mention if it’s an laying type or a meat type. For dairy animals, you’ll want to mention if all sections of the udder are healthy and functional. With working breeds like horses, oxen, and some dogs, you’ll need to mention the type of training it has, what it is useful for, and what kind of working personality it has. You should also note if they can also be kept as pets.
Pictures are a great help if you are able to add them. Try to get at least one well-lit photo so that buyers can see the color, conformation, and condition before contacting you. Additional photos may be helpful to show the size and color of eggs, the quality of any offspring, or the condition of easily-damaged parts like hooves or udders.
Getting It Seen
Make sure you’re placing the advert in the correct category so that it reaches interested buyers. Also try to use relevant keywords in the headline and body of the listing so that you may reach additional buyers from search engines. Try to think outside the box a little, too. Your rabbits might be used primarily for meat, for example, but some people might be more interested in them as pets, so mention that so as to reach your maximum market.
The Transaction
The first conversation with the buyer is usually done by phone or by email. Ideally, they’ll accept the price you set in your listing. Otherwise you’ll need to decide whether their offer is good enough. You’ll also want to find out how they plan on paying you, when they would like to meet to make the transaction, and what method of transportation you’ll be using for the stock. In general, cash is the easiest payment, and you’ll want to meet and make the transaction as quickly as possible so that no one backs out.
When you meet, the buyer will want to inspect your farm animals for sale before handing over the money. If you’re dealing with sturdy creatures like cows or horses, it’s fine to let the buyer do a hands-on inspection, but if you have more fragile stock like poultry, you may wish to insist on a visual inspection to avoid diseases.
The final question is transportation. Small farm animals like birds will not be a problem, but larger ones like cattle can be a challenge. If you have a vehicle capable of transporting it, consider making a delivery for a small fee in order to have the transaction go more easily.
Conclusion
As you see, selling farm animals doesn’t have to be a hassle. Using online classifieds like Bikroy.com, you can connect with buyers quickly and easily to make a transaction that leaves everybody happy.
