Sale etiquette

[jusdeb]

Pretty nice situation to be in but as its a first Id like to know what I should do ....

I have had 4 people contact me in regards to buying hand reared birds from me ( 5 birds all up ) .
One is a good friend the others are people who know other people that I have sold birds to.

So Ive told them that the birds will be of unknown sex and that I dont know what colours I will have but they still want to wait for them .

Because some of my birds are breeding for the first time I want them to raise the clutch by themselves I will be taking only 1 or 2 out early to hand rear from each nest .

So how does this work ? Apart from my friend who I know is fair dinkum how do I ensure they really want the birds and are not just wasting my time ?

Do I ask for a deposit ? And how much is fair (%)?

Do I take the youngins out and hand rear them in good faith ? Bit of a iffy one I think but I know there is some type of protocal here as I see ads for birds all the time with " deposits taken " written under the ads .

Thanks Deb

[Diane]

I would think something like maybe 20% or 30% deposit would be fair. As long as they are fully understanding that if difficulties arise the birds welfare comes first and they may have to wait longer than first anticipated. It would be up to you if you make the deposit refundable and under what circumstances.
As I buyer I would want a healthy, happy bird and to ensure that I would want to buy from a breeder that is concerned about the birds welfare. So given that I would happily follow any rules set by the breeder.

You could always check with the buyer prior to taking the chicks out of the nest to hand rear, and those who front up with the full purchase amount first get to choose which one they want.

[gomer]

Personally I would not take a deposit on a bird not hatched. But after that if it was a easy bird to find a home for after all your effort,I still would not ask for a deposit.But if it was a bird that would be difficult to sell hand reared i would ask for a deposit. But thats just me, And it may vary from a major city to a small country town where I live.

[E Orix]

Firstly
You are not holding a gun to their head,
They buy on your terms, the longer you as an experienced hand rearer have them the better off the birds will be.
If I am not mistaken weaning is the danger time. Remember few buyers will take responsibility for accidents etc.
so take your time to protect yourself.
The buyers must understand they are buying at their own risk,if the bird is healthy at hand over then thats the deal done.
Stress to them if they are having trouble to contact you quickly and you will endevour to assist but not take the bird back.
Value, don't undersell your time,check Petlink and other places to get an idea of their value.
It is called value added so people must understand they pay a huge premium 4,5 or 6+ times the normal cost, the cheaper the bird the bigger
percentage margin.
This all sounds like money based, well believe me not alot of people could be bothered or even know how to hand rear a Parrot so
if you are willing you deserve all you can aquire.
The deposit is a two sided action,it gets a commitment from the buyer and the seller is also putting a sold tag on it to save for the buyer.
As mentioned before don't pre sell birds that have not even hatched,I have seen several people get themselves in real trouble doing that.

[jusdeb]

Yes Ive explained that my birds dont go to their new homes at a set age but rather when I think they are robust and cheeky enough to go .
This is what has me worried is the pressure of people waiting , I tend to do things at my own pace and that works for me .

So no deposit , no verbal contracts I will ring them when I have healthy happy birds and give them the first pick ...best thing I think .

Already wasted too much time worrying about it and they are not even hatched yet ...sheesh . Thanks folks .

[Simba]

The fact that you have 4 buyers for birds that haven't even hatched yet means there must be a shortage of supply, so I don't think you are wasting your time, even if one of the buyers goes elsewhere there is likley to be other buyers closer to the time they are available.

[Diane]

Probably should have my post a bit clearer. I was meaning a deposit taken on a bird that was hatched and well on its way via the hand rearing process.

[jusdeb]

Knew that BB