I need some help. Selling my horse but the buyer is sort of wierd.?

Question

Hello,

I am selling my horse to this guy for 3800$.

He says he can't come up and see him. He didn't ask any question just said "I want to buy your horse, i will pay with a certified bank check."

I have never sold a horse before. I don't know whether or not I should sell my horse to him, there is other people who have contacted me about Syrus.

Some advice would be appreciated.

thank you.

Answer 1

If he is buying a horse used for riding and he doesn't even want to try it out, then I would be very suspicious.

God knows what he is really buying your horse for.  Maybe he's a dealer, in which case your horse would not be getting a fixed home and could be sold off within a few weeks.

I think you should tell him you need to meet him or no deal.  Or just refuse to sell to him, and look elsewhere for a better home for your horse.

EDIT why a thumbs down? What did I say?! :P

Answer 2

Don't do it! Trust your gut instinct,and besides something sounds very fishy about him not asking any questions or even wanting to see the horse he's buying.To put this another way,the welfare and concern over who your horse is going to should be top priority...not for how much.Better to turn his offer down and find another buyer who will give your horse a good home and care for them as you would expct,than to realise you just made a horrible mistake and never know the outcome.I could never live ith that guilt.Consider the other buyers,avoid this one better safe than regret it later.

Answer 3

Mabey he's going to eat it mmmmmm horsey.

Answer 4

Google certified check fraud and you can read about it for yourself...he asks nothing about the horse and wants to buy???  Every Red Flag in the universe is waving at this one.

Answer 5

I agree with 1crossmare, definitely sounds like a Nigerian scam, decline and go with one of the other interested people or you could end up with no horse and no money.

Answer 6

Yup, it's one of those "internet" scams!  I had my late hubby's jeep Cheyene pick up on Craig's List and boy did I get a LOT of those offers!

I generally responded with "Sorry, this is a CASH only sale!" and they normally would leave it at that.

I had one I was messin' with for about 5 e-mails she kept asking me WHY I wouldn't take a certified check and I kept telling her that the check was only worth the paper her ink jet printer in Dubai would print it on.

I would e-mail your "wannabe buyer" back and tell him you've changed your mind, you need CASH and watch how fast he'll RUN.  Come to think of it, I had one respond to a custom saddle I had on Craig's List about 4 mos ago and I told them CASH only and never heard back from them.

Answer 7

don't sell to him, sounds like a killbuyer to me. sell to someone who will use him and love him. remember, you can turn down an offer.

Answer 8

Tell him you will only accept cash.

This sounds like a scam.

Answer 9

Ask the buyer what he plans to do with the horse and ask some more questions. If you are not comfortable do not sell him the horse. You could get some body else that will be a little more interest in him.

Answer 10

If you don't like the owner, don't sell the horse. Tell him he must see and ride the horse, and you want to see where he plans on keeping your horse. Ask what he plans on doing with your horse, and why he doesn't want to see him. If he refuses to let you see where the horse will stay or he won't answer your questions, say no. You wouldn't give a cat or dog to someone you don't trust

Answer 11

I agree with Hanna; If you don't like the person wanting to buy your horse, don't sell Syrus to him. Ask what he plans on doing with your horse, see him ride your horse, go to his place and look at where he plans on keeping him. Also ask why he doesn't want to see your horse first.

It does sound a little bit fishy. You want to make sure you aren't selling him to a creep lol. Try googling him, or asking some questions. You have a right to know how your horse will be living.

Best of luck!

Answer 12

i agree with hanna

Answer 13

he seems suspicious to me. don't sell your horse to anyone you haven't met. as far as you know, he could be some shady guy who'll go sell it at an auction. if i were you, i would seriously consider all possible owners and try to place your horse in the best home possible with someone you can trust. meet perspective buyers so you can choose the best place for your horse to be.

Answer 14

Scam alert, same thing happened to me first time I was trying to sell one of mine, the guy lived in Cali, said a few realistic things, and when it came down to shipping he was gonna send me the money for the shippers, which added to the alerts going off in my head, then I got an email from the shippers who wanted me to wire them the money to an address in the uk.  They also refered to the Horse as an "Item" I told the all deal was cancelled.

Answer 15

1crossmare his absolutely correct.!!!!!

This is a Nigerian Scam...no question.

Protect your self and cease all communication with this person.

You should report him.

Answer 16

Sounds a little fishy to me! I think you should get some more info about him.... ask some questions? Anytime I have ever sold a horse my main concern has been that the horse found a wonderful home so you have every right to know a little more about this man.

I would try googling him!

Answer 17

Don't sell! He might be trying to cover something up! Talk to all of the prospective buyers and see who you think would be the best person for your horse. (Not this guy)

Answer 18

you should meet the person before you sell the horse to him. do not sell the horse if you think the person is going to abuse it.

Answer 19

I smell scam...

bad spelling

bad grammer...not always a give away

want to arrange for a 3rd party to transport horse

send certified check with an over amount that they are 'paying for the transport' and need you to give to the transporter...

Ask for your 'bottom' price or something similar

Have had them sign off with 'God Bless, Thank you so much, and other 'touching' conclusions...

They do continue to send emails...but really don't 'answer' your email questions...ASK QUESTIONS

Don't do it...report the email.  most sale sites have lists of people who have been reported for scamming.  Check your sale site.

You will get MANY of these.  I've sold through the net, and out of 20 hits and emails...only 2 were legit.  The rest are BAD!!

Answer 20

If you're not getting "good vibes" off this guy, then don't sell your horse to him....trust your "gut" on this one...your intuition is warning you off about him and I'd pay attention.  There'll be another buyer along the way.  Strange he can't come up and see him; that would warn me off in a heartbeat.   You have a right to know where your horse is going and who will be taking care of him.

What should you tell him?....., "You've changed your mind about selling your horse", or, "You have your doubts that he's a good match for your horse", (nothing like a little honesty).  Or, "Another buyer just left a check with you for the horse"....Be creative...

If he were truly serious, he'd be up to see your horse, he'd want him vetted, he'd ride him and probably bring another person with him to get his impression of your horse, he'd have a million questions for you about what you've done with your horse, who is your vet and farrier, who is your trainer, etc.  He'd want to know everything about your horse's background.....I do smell a skunk in the woodpile.

One of the last horses that I purchased out of state I did a wire transfer of monies directly into the sellers account.  Very rapid and went off with out a hitch.  The seller was a well known and reputable breeder.

This smells of a  Nigerian Scam...see the attached links for information on their various scams..one of which involves horses.   You can report a suspicious person attempting to purchase a horse with a "certified" (no doubt forged, cashier's check) cashiers check to the authorities listed on the links below.  

http://allafrica.com/stories/20080505111...

http://www.horseweb.com/faqs_fraud.htm

Where to report it...............................

http://www.crimes-of-persuasion.com/Nige...

http://www.state.gov/www/regions/africa/...

http://www.fraud.org/tips/internet/niger...

Answer 21

Is this the guy online here...he lives in Canada ??? If it is then its a scam. Ignore it he will send a few more emails but if you do sell you will lose your horse. He tried it on me a few years back and I reported him.

Answer 22

Fallow your gut!!!! & Listen to most on here!!!! Just skip!! If you don't you'll feel sooo bad because you'll never know what will happen to your horse!!! By asking this question, I think you already knew you were getting bad vibes! I wouldn't sell if mine!!!!!!!

Answer 23

I also agree with hanna

Answer 24

Scam

Answer 25

There is no way I would sell my horse to someone who does not even care enough to come out & see it.

There IS something odd about that.  I would also not take a certified bank check, those can be faked.

If he doesn't even care enough to come out & see the horse, how do you know he will care enough to take care of it when he does buy it or if he will care what happens to it after he gets it or resells it????

I would pass....

Also, If any person pays with a check of any kind, do not allow them to take posession of the horse until the check is cashed & you have the cash in your hand.  There are too many ways to fake checks, money orders, certified bank checks, etc.

Answer 26

It's a scam.  Any offer to pay with certified check is one to look at closely, especially when the buyer isn't really interested in the item.

What the scam involves is, the buyer usually sends a cashier's check that is written for an amount of maybe $5000 or so...since your asking price is $3800.  So he requests that you mail him a cashier's check for the remainder of the money, which would be $2200.  You receive the check, cash it at your bank, get a check for $2200 to mail back.  The buyer never picks up the horse, his check is fake, yours is real, he escapes with $2200, no strings attached.

Don't do it.  Only sell to a buyer who you are CONVINCED will give your horse a better home than you can give him.

Answer 27

What a scam! Don't take anything from this person and stop communicating with them.

First and foremost I would want to meet the person buying my horse in person and get to know them. I would also want to know more what they wanted the horse for, the living conditons, if they had other horses, and I would also like them to come and see the horse and how they handle the horse.

If their pitch is "they will send someone to pick the  horse up and give you a certified check over the amount and use their own shipper" RUN!  It is soooo fake.

I raise dogs and I delete those emails and don't even read them.

Answer 28

This sounds like a scam.  Do NOT sell your horse to this person.  Usually these scams work like this.  A buyer says he wants to buy your horse and will send you a "certified" check for an amount over and above the asking price.  Then the buyer says it's a mistake and to subtract your sale price from the check and send the balance back to him.  But, the check is a fake.  So you send the "balance" in good faith and he pockets the money.  You end up with a worthless check.  In that case, you've just been scammed.  So, do NOT fall for this old con game.  Wait and sell your horse to a legitimate buyer.

Answer 29

That is an example of the classic Nigerian Scam.

Tell him the deal is off. Otherwise you will be out a horse and you will find that the "certified " bank check is a fake.

Report the incident to the local authorities and cease all communication with this person.

http://www.priveye.com/Nigeria.htm

Don't be fooled if your "buyer" isn't from Nigeria either. It is called a Nigerian scam because that is where it originated.

It happens around the world, in all types of markets.

I own and run a country Inn. I had a group booking through a legitimate travel agency who wanted to pay for their reservations with a certified bank check. I was suspicious but told them to send it 2 weeks prior to their arrival.

It is absolutely authentic looking with dual watermarks and everything you would expect a certified check to have..

Of course, my suspicions were right and it was a fake.

I still have it on my office wall as a memento. I've shown it to many people who would never have thought it was counterfeit.

That is why these people are called scam ARTISTS, because they have raised forgery to an art form.

Answer 30

I agree with all who have mentioned it being a nigerian scam. Don't fall for it!!!! Your horse is waaaayyy more important than the money, and in the end you will lose both your horse and the money.

Also, the person "buying" the horse doesn't want it, so they will just sell it for the money and they won't care where it goes.

Also, After depositing the "check" your bank will make it available to you within THREE business days, (this is a regulation that banks must adhere to, even though it isn't wise. Sometimes the governement is a little too consumer friendly.)  but it could take many more days than that for the check to actually clear the bank it's drawn on, and since it IS a scam, the check is drawn on a ficticious account so it WILL bounce and you will be liable for EVERY penny you have spent. Your bank won't pay for your mistake.

In the end, DON'T make that sale!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 31

Sounds like a scam to me.

Selling through the Internet is never a safe bet. You don't know whose real and whose a fake. people can pretend to be anyone they want and you wouldn't know the difference between a good loving home and a kill buyer.

If someone is not willing to come by and and see the horse in person even if it isn't a scam, you can pretty much bet they aren't going to give your horse a great home.

My advice is to stay away from anymore e-mails like that one and only sell to someone that is willing to take the time to visit the horse and try him out.