[Tapsmom]

Obviously not the human ones This is our first batch of kids. We have 2 more due within the next 2 weeks. So far I have setup a Facebook page, a website and posted on a few goat forums. How do you market your babies? I was going to try Craigslist next but I am looking for guidance and Caveats that any of you can offer. We are also a small farm and I have young children so I am hesitant to post too much on Craigslist..or is there a way to do so safely?

 

[HerdQueen]

I don't blame you for being hesitant with posting on CL. There are a lot of weirdos in this world. I do post on CL. They have to reply to my e-mail, I do have a link to my website. This year CL was a flop. There were a ton of very, very cheap goats. Most of my goat sales travel through word of mouth, and my children show goats for 4-H. By the end of the fair season I have a waiting list for spring kids. Another thing that has helped is if I'm going somewhere like a festival, flea market or to TSC, I take a goat. Educate the public about your goats. You have to keep your eye out for dogs.

 

[Frosty1]

I always use CL to market mine, and this year it was a great success! Rules that I always remember:

Don't post your phone number on your ad. You can if you want to, but I just let them respond by email.
DON'T give out your address until you have spoken with the potential buyer on the phone and have set up an appointment.

Typically, the people who are scammers will never go any further than to email you something like, "I am interested in your item. Is it still available?" Lol

 

[Sensible]

I hate craigslist too, but find it to be a necessary evil. It is convenient. I don't like marketing, and I find that either I have to devote the time to developing a following or a network, or I just bite the bullet and come to the realization that I have the goats that I have for their intended purposes, and the kids that are produced are a necessary result, and they just go to the auction for whatever I can get for them. The time, money and work needed to manage them is the real issue, not how much I can get for them. When I had a larger herd it was an advantage to take the time to develop an outlet. Now with only a few animals, it's not worth it to me.
My state has a market bulletin with classified ads put out by the Department of Agriculture that is by subscription. You still get some whackos, but at least they are agricultural minded whackos, and a lot of them are filtered out by the subscription cost and the fact that it's not just as easy as replying to an email. It's not that expensive, and I find the peace of mind in not dealing with the entire internet world to be well worth it.
If you can deal with it, the ethnic community has a demand for goat kids. It's not without it's frustrations dealing with them either, but at least their interest in wanting goat kids is usually sincere, and they are focused on that alone, in my experience.

 

[Little-Bits-N-Pieces]

The best way to sell them is to show your goats, if they place well, people will be " Oooh, she has nice goats, I want some of hers" and then you build your market from that.
I STILL have people that call me and ask "are you still raising goats? I haven't seen you in over 10 years!"
I haven't shown in a long time, but people still remembered me. Every now and then I get a 4-H kid who wants my goats, then they show them and they win, and it reminds people I'm still around, still got goats.

 

[Sensible]

The best way to sell them is to show your goats,

Good point. Another reason to give to people who think that exhibiting is nothing more than a "fancy smancy" beauty contest.

 

[Epona142]

I use everything - CL, Ebay Classifieds, word of mouth, Facebook, local forum boards.

No doubt showing really helps as well, which is why we'll be starting that this fall hopefully.

 

[katie]

Craigslist works pretty well though I don't preticullarily like it, it works.

 

[ZiggyNC]

It all depends on your market. For unregistered kids or goats for meat Craigslist is fine and efficient but you are not going to get top dollar there - most are looking for bargains and typically won't be looking to pay much more than auction prices.

If you are raising quality stock a better place is forums like this, yahoo lists and Facebook groups.

 

[FarmerJen]

I have only posted on CL so far and have 4 of my 5 available kids reserved - they're just over a month old. Basically sold one pair with each of my two postings. I got several inquiries, most flaked out. But all it takes is one person to follow through and you've got one more pair sold.

I agree to never give address until someone is on their way or ready to mail the deposit check. I dont post my number either. Email is fine for initial contact.

CL has it's drawbacks... but truth is, there's weirdos everywhere and you're probably just as likely to find one advertising on a local bulletin board or in the paper. You just have to be careful what info you're giving out. Unfortunately, since none of my friends are into farming, and these are my first kids, word of mouth wont do me any good yet.

 

[MrKamir]

I have used craigslist for many years. And yes, there are alot of wierdos. This year I posted some pictures of my goats but instead of posting my phone number, I posted my website in the ad. This way people can go to the website and see what I have for sale and their pedigrees and prices and other comments that may help answer common questions. I found serious buyers this way. My contact information was on the website and they used it.