I officially call BS

[BroncoFan]

Both the seller and the organization that runs the online auctions can do phony bids.  One of the reasons they do it is because the seller has decided on a floor price for each animal.  Sometimes the bids are them trying to get their animals to the floor price.  I agree with the others that a person must know what they are looking at and figure out the maximum amount they would pay for a calf and don't get sucked into a bidding war.  If a particular calf gets north of your price range move on to another calf or another sale.  If a seller calls later asking if you would buy a calf "because someone backed out of buying the calf" then see if the seller will sell the calf to you for what you thought the calf was worth.  If not no harm or foul or not your problem.

A point I made earlier is I think some people put Monopoly or Heatwave as the sire to try to get more for the calf even if Monopoly or Heatwave didn't sire the said calf.  I know of people out there that will pay more if they see that Monopoly was the sire no matter how good or bad the calf looks.

 

[cpubarn]

The more this cattle market drops, the more some people are going to push things both ways.

I have gotten the panicked call from formerly confident sellers with phone bids, online sales, private treaty and conventional auctions.

I guess that probably means I'm old and cheap, I've walked away quite a few times....  it's all part of the "negotiation " process in my book.  All of Ag has a reality check coming.  Grain bin guy knocked $25k off his first bid last week...  You just have to be careful out there.

 

[Hilltop Genetics]

i called about a heifer last night that nobody bid on in a sale and the opening bid was $2000, the seller told me she had a reserve of $2500 and he would not seller her for any less. then I asked about a heifer that sold in the sale, and he said she is still for sale because I bought her back.... I just don't get the games these sellers want to play!

 

[BroncoFan]

i called about a heifer last night that nobody bid on in a sale and the opening bid was $2000, the seller told me she had a reserve of $2500 and he would not seller her for any less. then I asked about a heifer that sold in the sale, and he said she is still for sale because I bought her back.... I just don't get the games these sellers want to play!

I can't say about the one he bought back but the one that was floored at 2500 might have been one that he wasn't sure if he wanted to sell. Maybe her genetics were worth a lot to him

We had a heifer that we kept because she didn't get any interest. We always think the world of her dam. Well the heifer calved this year and the calf was our high seller.
(I'm just speculating)

 

[Hilltop Genetics]

I can't say about the one he bought back but the one that was floored at 2500 might have been one that he wasn't sure if he wanted to sell. Maybe her genetics were worth a lot to her.

We had a heifer that we kept because she didn't get any interest. We always think the world of her dam. Well the heifer calved this year and the calf was our high seller.
(I'm just speculating)

its hard for me to buy just looking at a picture, so I do look very closely at genetics and the EPD.on that note I would say the heifer might be worth $2500. im a angus guy, so if I looked at express ranch, gardiner, 44 farms, and conneally to value what a heifer genetics and EPD is worth, then every time I sell a heifer im selling steak at hamburger price... (lol) sometimes its hard to look at the big picture as a buyer and seller both!

 

[cowboy_nyk]

These same issues have plagued the purebred industry as long as it has existed.  Live sales or online, the same things are happening.  The issue with online is the lack of transparency.  In a live sale you can "get a feel" for how bidding is happening and make a judgement call.  Online sales don't allow that use of your "spidey sense" so you're best bet is bid to what you think the animal is worth, no more, no less.

 

[Chuck Wagon]

I've bought several online but only because there was someone I trusted that had looked at them in person.  Pictures make them look like world beaters till you play the video and even then but it's hard to get a good look on soundness and structure from a 20 to 30 second profile walking in tall grass.  On the other hand, it's buyer beware.  Sellers can ask what they want but the market determines the price.  If a seller wants to continue to raise his bid during the auction, that's his right to do so.  It's the buyers responsibility to know the value and be disciplined to stop and not get carried away because you can input in a Max just like the seller can input a Min.

 

[ZNT]

Transparency and integrity are key I believe to a successful sale, not the sale average that gets published in the magazines.  When I was putting together the online sales for the Texas Maine Association here on Steerplanet, I would have each consigner set their base bids for their own consignments, and I told them that the price they set was the price they were willing to sell the animal for.  I know it looked a little funny having cattle of similar qualities with different starting bids, but it was real, and the buyer knew if they had the first bid, they owned the animal if nobody outbid them.  Our sale average may not have been something to brag about, but at the end of the day, we had a lot of happy buyers.

And thank you Jason for providing the service.  I hope to see more people take advantage of this very economical and functional service here on Steerplanet.

 

[JTM]

Transparency and integrity are key I believe to a successful sale, not the sale average that gets published in the magazines.  When I was putting together the online sales for the Texas Maine Association here on Steerplanet, I would have each consigner set their base bids for their own consignments, and I told them that the price they set was the price they were willing to sell the animal for.  I know it looked a little funny having cattle of similar qualities with different starting bids, but it was real, and the buyer knew if they had the first bid, they owned the animal if nobody outbid them.  Our sale average may not have been something to brag about, but at the end of the day, we had a lot of happy buyers.

And thank you Jason for providing the service.  I hope to see more people take advantage of this very economical and functional service here on Steerplanet.

Now that's the way to do business. Great job sir! (thumbsup)

 

[bryan6807]

The biggest problem the online sales have is that it provides an illiusion that these cattle actually hold more value. young people see opportunity, decide to start a small herd and raise show prospects, then find out it is very difficult to market and actually sell the animal. we have personally been down this road. we watch what better heifer, steer, and bred females bring and try to price ours accordingly. We do not try to get stupid money out of them, just what the market deems as "fair." we tried to sell a solid female this summer for a friend. she was good, just needed time. priced her to some families that wanted to be competitive, put a $3500 price on her, no bites. a trader ended up coming in, gave the asking price, and she was 3rd overall at our winter beef show. I do not think the money is there like everyone thinks. people brag about $5000 breds, we cant even get $2800

 

[Jive Turkey]

The $55,000 yellow calf that is being shown by the Boersen's in Michigan is marketed as being sold by James Williams.  So did he buy it for $55,000 and then mark it up even more to the Boersen's?

 

[bryan6807]

he did not mark up the calf. his job is to find the calves, prep them for show. he is credited with locating and placing the calf. he is on their payroll

 

[Jive Turkey]

he did not mark up the calf. his job is to find the calves, prep them for show. he is credited with locating and placing the calf. he is on their payroll

Gotcha!

Thank you for the clarification.