I don’t think that you can find anybody that markets their goats online that will argue with me with the following statement–Today’s online buyer is getting dumber!
For starters, as a whole, prospective buyers do not call the breeders and discuss the individual animals. It used to be that people would call, cuss & discuss. I have always advised to go look at the stock or talk to somebody that you trust and that has seen them. As a seller, I’ve been accused of being too honest. No animal is perfect and I will gladly tell you the good and the bad.
Next comes the dependence on pictures and video. There used to be a thing called Glamour Shots. You could tell who the person was in the picture but that wasn’t exactly how you thought that they looked in everyday life. Livestock photos can be the same. And this doesn’t mean photoshopped. It simply means that good lighting and proper angles can make an animal look as good as possible. We all have a good side, animals are the same.
The next part is a combination of the first two. The buyers don’t call and talk. And they have a dependence on pictures. So for the past couple of years they TEXT and ask for more pics. I have always wanted to respond with “No, you dumbass nameless sack of monkey crap. If I had more pics then I would have posted them.” But I have refrained.
But now, just to prove that I am right, several bidders tried to buy a dead goat online. Yes, dead. The wether had died after the sale was posted. Lot 1–DECEASED The first word of the description was DECEASED. Yet, several people still bid AND then realized that the goat was dead. What the hell? Did they think it’s name was DECEASED?
The modern online goat buyer mentality–Name Brand seller, Good pic & in the budget—click that mouse! Now, they will deal with delivery, payment (some struggle with this) and then if the goat is good enough.
It’s raining here in paradise. We’ll take it.