We all know that the internet can be a scary place, but it’s also the easiest place to find buyers when we need to sell some animals. I’ll be honest, this isn’t really a post I expected to write, but we had a creepy experience last week, and I’ve decided it’s best just to talk through it so we can all be more prepared in the future. In light of that, I’ve made a list of 5 tips for staying safe when selling animals online.
Selling Online
Whenever you list an animal online, you are really putting yourself out there. I know lots of people who sell birds and rabbits who always insist on meeting buyers in public parking lots rather than at their homes. This practice makes great sense for smaller animals. No one has to know exactly where you live or how to find your house. They don’t ask to use your restroom, which of course let’s them see all the cool stuff you have to steal. They don’t know exactly what cool animals you have or how much or little security you have. They don’t show up at your house and stay and stay and stay. This is the safest exchange in my opinion.
This becomes less practical as you venture into buying and selling larger animals. While I could meet you in a parking lot to sell a goat, I would certainly worry about her getting spooked and somehow getting away from me and running into the street. (I had a bad experience getting my dogs into the vet’s office once, so this concerns me!) With something larger like a horse or cow, this would be nearly impossible unless you meet at your local riding arena or somewhere that won’t mind chaos and poop in their parking lot!
The Creepy Guy
Goodness, I do believe I have gotten ahead of myself. You probably want to hear about the creepy guy who prompted this post! I had listed some of my beloved goats for sale on a local Facebook group. A man called to ask about some of the goats, but he seemed like he really hadn’t bothered to read the ad or look at the pictures before calling. I asked him several times what his intentions were for the goats to see if I had a match. All I could get out of him is that he planned to “turn them out.”
Huh? I asked if he meant that he wanted goats to clear land. He responded that he wanted to “turn them out.” He was looking for males and females. He didn’t seem to care if they were related. He seemed VERY confused when I said that one of the does was currently in milk. He kept saying it was a long drive and he wished I had more goats to sell him. He told me he would think about it and call me back.
After thinking it over, I decided that I was not comfortable selling this man any of my goats (not even the obnoxious one!)
We had discussed my location only in extremely general terms. He asked where he would need to get off the interstate to get to my town and I told him, but seeing as the exit is still a good 15 miles from my house, that seemed like no big deal.
Several hours passed before he called back. I was cooking dinner, so I didn’t answer. He called back during dinner. Repeatedly. Then he started texting to say he was ON HIS WAY and needed more directions!
He left his house to drive 2 hours without so much as an address and without even checking that I would be home! It was a Friday night and he would have arrived just at dark. Um, no. I’m so glad that Eric was home. He handled the situation and told the guy he was NOT to show up here.
Looking back, I honestly don’t know what I could have done or said to make this guy think it was OK to come to my house that evening. Maybe some people are just creepy.
I was pretty spooked by this, so I’ve been making a list of rules to keep myself safe when selling. Maybe they will help you too!
5 Tips for Staying Safe When Selling Animals Online
- Meet in a public place whenever possible.
- Carry a weapon. I have a pistol permit and I’m not afraid to use it. When strangers show up to buy animals, you can bet this mama is packing. (This tips will probably rub someone the wrong way, but it would take a good 20 minutes for the police to get to my house. My children’s safety is my first priority.)
- Don’t be home alone when the people come to pick up. Call a neighbor, phone a friend, ask your mom to come over. Don’t be the only one there.
- Don’t let them in your house unless you know them well! If you need to pee, you are welcome to pee in the yard like my hooligan children do, or I can direct you to the Dollar General down the road.
- Ask for references from the buyer or for pictures of their farm before agreeing to sell to them. Yes this is a pain, but long-haired creepy people probably won’t be willing to jump through this hoop for you.
So, dear readers, that’s my list of safety rules when selling animals, but I would truly appreciate your input. Please leave comments letting me know what you do to keep yourself safe from creeps!
In other news, if you are local to me and NOT creepy, I have a few goats for sale…
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I am somewhat local you and I am interested in a female Nubian goat. You don’t happen to have one, do you? My email is
clarksrfun at gmail dot com.
I don’t have a Nubian, but I’ll email you anyway and let you know what I do have…
Also if you do let them know your address, make sure you say something like “let me know when you are coming or my guard dog may not let you out of your car”
even though my dog is a big marshmallow, people think twice when he’s there, huge and barking.
Great idea! My dog is too old to pose much of a threat, but they don’t have to know that!
Great post! It’s sad, but there is no such thing as being too careful. We never go outside without being armed. There are all kinds of predators in the world. The LAST thing we would ever want to do is draw on a person, but like you said, you have kiddos to protect! We were so very very fortunate to buy our cows revemtly from someone we know well and trust completely! This can be a delicate topic, but you tackled it well!
Thank you! Of course, drawing on a person is a very last resort, just as you said!
I think some people are clueless and have no social etiquette.
When we had horses for sale it was the worst, I don’t think they even read the full ad before they call.
Good tips!
Great tips. I have never had this happen to me, but now that I am thinking about it, I think I will put some safeguards in place.
Thank you for this post.
Janolyn
I’m glad you liked it! Thanks for reading!
You could also turn these around for when you are buying an animal. The creepy guy could own a goat that you want to buy. Just be careful when dealing with anybody you don’t know.
That is an extremely good point! Thanks!
Wow, that interaction sounds super creepy! So glad your hubby was home to deal with the situation. Thanks for the great tips!
You’re welcome! Thanks for stopping by!
Timely post for me, we’ve got little goats to sell, too. We’ve been blessed to have recommendations for buyers in the past, but this set will go on Craigslist. I like the recommendation to ask for a picture of where they’ll live. Your post is going to bug me in one way, though – we’ll never know what on earth he meant by, “turn them out”!! (Mental picture of him taking a herd of goats to a national park and crying, “I set you free! I set you free!”)
LOL! Freedom!! 🙂
I recently blogged about the same thing – I raise rabbits. I am unfamiliar with the practices in goats, but purebred rabbits are often sold with pedigree papers. Many breeders write their full name, address, and phone number on the pedigree. This can be dangerous because even if you know the person who initially buys the animal, you have no idea if they will resell it to someone with unsavory intentions.
As you said, with larger livestock it would be nearly impossible to sell in a public place. I always take my rabbits to a public place and always during daylight hours. I come armed, have a cell phone, and someone (my spouse, a sibling, my dog, or my mom) comes with me.
Your experience is one of the creepiest I’ve heard. Who would drive that far without a confirmation you would even be home?
I hadn’t even thought about papers! Yes, many goats are sold that way, and that’s a big privacy issue. I don’t personally raise registered goats, so it isn’t an issue here at the moment, but definitely something to consider for the future!
No doubt! I recently sold my goats. I used Craig’s List and got a reply from a guy who wanted to buy my goats immediately. He mumbled a lot while we were on the phone and I had a hard time understanding him. He said he was willing to pay the $700 I was asking for my Boer herd but didn’t care that they were registered at all. He seemed primarily concerned with how quickly he could get the goats, but said he didn’t have a trailer/truck- even though he supposedly had a good size her of goats already. He at first said he couldn’t come and get them but would I bring them to him even though it was an hour and 1/2 away. I said no, not unless I was paid also to deliver them. Long story short he was just plain weird about the whole thing. Thankfully I had another buyer lined up and told him he would have to wait until she had a look at them. When I told him that she was fairly certain she wanted them ( she had seen pics and had her own transportation plus she lived locally and was a 4-h kid who had shown goats and cattle for years at our county fair and since I knew oodles of people in our county I knew I could get the scoop on her I felt WAY more comfortable with her) he eventually backed out. My husband was fairly certain the guy planned to hold me at gunpoint had I delivered them and I would not doubt it!
WOW! That is totally scary! I’m so glad your other buyer worked out!!
You were right to go by your gut. I have done the same when buying as well. It is very important to always be on guard.
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I did not understand how long hair has anything to do with being creepy but something I like to do is look up a name or email on Facebook or ask them to email you a picture so you can know who to expect.
It’s an old song. The lyric says “long-haired creepy people need not apply.” That’s what I was referring to. As someone with a big purple streak in her hair, I don’t discriminate on the basis on personal appearance. 🙂
Oh, and good idea on looking up the person on Facebook! Thanks for reading!
I’m so glad I read this post, Heather. It’s kidding season here and I have a tendency to be too trusting of people. Thank you.
I also only try and meet during the day or have my husband present.
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