Buying and Selling Goats Via the Internet

Bill Gates had a vision when he and his friends thought up what we now know as the World Wide Web, more commonly referred to as the Internet. Imagine being the creator of such wonderful technology, and watching it evolve into what it is today.

The Internet can be your best friend, linking individuals all across the world that never would have had the opportunity to communicate before these modern advances. It used to take many weeks if not months for postal letters to make it across the oceans. Now, with the age of the Internet, it takes a second to send a message to someone a continent away.

The Internet does also have a down side whereby opening doors for people to defraud others without a moment's hesitation. Every day the media is filled with reports about unsuspecting people being victimized by non-legitimate companies on the Internet.

The goat world has also been plagued by the famous wormer scams, foreign buyers attempting to purchase animals with cashiers checks for double the amount that you were asking in attempt to get cash back, foreign buyers who want you to deliver your animals with the promise of a check at the airport, to name a few.

Scam artists purposely prey on the ignorant person. They seek out a market place where there are individuals who are either not Internet savvy, or there is a good possibility that the individuals won't seek action against them out of embarrassment or frustration.

When it comes to selling any type of livestock over the Internet, precautions need to be taken not only because they are living beings, but also because there is a very large black market for stolen animals. Livestock in particular can be moved quickly, altered to avoid proper identification, and sold off or slaughtered without the ability to trace it back to the legitimate owners without great difficulty and expense.

The Internet can be a great way to market your animals. The Internet is an affective way to show your animals to a broader audience. You have the ability to show pictures of the animals, and network amongst other goat breeders all across the country within a few clicks of a mouse. It is inexpensive in most cases to advertise your animals online, and there are a few websites where you can post advertisements for a small fee.

You can protect yourself and your animals by establishing clearly written policies both in written form, and also posted on your website. If you deviate from your written policies, you will be opening yourself up for something to go wrong. The policies that you enforce should include details for any services that you may offer, semen, animals, and any animal bi-products such as milk, cheese, or goat meat.

Many goat breeders that I have been in contact with have designed printable brochures that introduce prospective buyers to their farm, animals, policies, and animal husbandry. This is an excellent advertising tool, but it also spells out your professionalism in the way you conduct your business. This in itself will detract the scam artist from even getting their foot in your door.

You would be amazed how something so simple as a typed up policy will change the way your farm is viewed. Being ethically responsible also will speak volumes to would-be scam artists.

There are simple things that you can do to prevent yourself from being taken advantage of when selling or buying online. It doesn't matter if you are the buyer or the seller, the same principles would be applicable.

1) Ask questions! The only dumb question is the one never asked! If a buyer or seller is reluctant to answer your questions, that should be a red flag to you that something is not right.

2) If you are selling a product, make sure that you include as much pertinent information in your advertisement as possible. Include current photos, contact information, price, and terms of sale.

If you are considering buying a product advertised, don't settle for sight unseen animals. Ask for current photos if they are not provided. If the advertisement is not inclusive of details, go back to #1 and ask questions. You always want to know what the terms of sale are prior to handing over the money.

3) Keep all documentation regarding the transaction or potential sale in a folder. Emails where terms are negotiated or agreed upon should be printed and kept in hard copy format as well as saved in your email in case you need it at a later date.

4) Be specific about the terms both as seller and buyer prior to completing the transaction. Make sure that before money or animals exchange, each party to the sale fully understands what the sale terms are. For example, if you sell a buck to another breeder, and the terms of sale include giving back 20 straws of semen, then those terms should be put in writing and signed for by all parties involved. Having this information in writing constitutes a legally binding contract, and can be upheld if the matter ever would have to be taken to court.

5) When transporting or delivering animals (this is very important for papered animals especially), make sure that you go over tattoos matching them with paperwork, health records, pedigree/papers, and have whomever you release the animal to sign an date the documentation. This way you are protected from someone saying later that they did not get the proper animal, or that anything was wrong with the animal. This also is a good record to keep in case of incident during the transportation process itself.

Some transport companies have a document that they fill out upon pick up and delivery. This is very common practice in horse transport especially. It removes liability from the transport company to have documentation as well.

6) What is that song, "Money changes everything?" Let's face it, money is something that most people never have enough of and we all know how things can happen. How many of you have been stuck with a bad check that you cannot collect on? They have the animal, and the papers and you have an NSF check and bank charges.

The day when a handshake was as good as a man's word is long since gone unfortunately. If you accept checks, you may wish to have information in your policies to request Driver's License numbers, and contact information. You may also wish to hold the animal's papers until the check clears the bank. Sometimes you can call the bank that the check is drawn on and verify funds. If it is a local bank, it would be fairly simple to go cash the check and then deposit the funds.

There are a couple methods of payment that can be done over the Internet. Paypal is one of the most popular methods. You also may consider electronic transfers from the Buyer's bank to yours.

Payment plans are great if you don't mind waiting for your money, and if you trust the person you are making the arrangements with There should be some sort of written agreement regarding a payment plan that specifies the dollar amounts to be paid, time frame for payment, default terms in case someone does not make a payment or is late, and whether the funds are nonrefundable or not. Keep in mind that if you do not enforce your written agreement, it can keep you from being awarded a judgment in court.

7) Checking references is something that can really save you a lot of time and hassle. There is a discreet way to check references without embarrassing someone or causing hurt feelings. In most cases, if you are considering buying animals from reputable breeders, you can simply ask for references. If you do not feel comfortable doing so, then you can ask a few people that may have had business dealings with the breeder.

Trust your gut instinct! There is a reason why we were all given the gut feeling to begin with. If you think that something is too good to be true, it probably is.

8) Following up is a great way to conclude the business transaction. After the sale is complete, money is good, everyone is seemingly happy, it is a great idea to follow up. This would apply to both the buyer and the seller. This is a super way to demonstrate professionalism as the seller. You would be showing the buyer that he/she is important, and chances are he/she will either become a repeat customer or he/she will refer you to friends.

It is good for a seller to touch base with the buyer after the purchase is completed, knowing many goat breeders, animals are like family and it is always nice to hear how the animals are getting on.

Keeping your wits about you, asking pertinent questions, and keeping proper documentation will work to your advantage in any business arrangement. It is perfectly ok to say no to a potential sale too. Even when times are tough, no amount of money is worth losing your integrity. Pushing for a sale just to make a dollar is bad business in the long run.

If you present yourself and your farm (and your animals too!) in a professional manner, buyers will seek you out. You will build your positive reputation based upon the quality of your animals, and the manner in which you conduct your business.

© 2004 Danielle Westvang All Rights Reserved

Permission was granted to Goat Biz Magazine to publish this article.