Shipping goats overseas

[Doug Hodges]

I've had several contact me about shipping goats overseas. One guy wanted all my black goats. Another wants to buy a few. This last guy even went as far to send me a link for shipping to Romania. It's $550 to shop a goat there. The first thing I think is con or scam so I try to blow them off. I priced a couple goats for 3800 bucks and the guy wants them. What the ? Thoughts? Anyone else get these requests? The last guy said we would need paperwork from vet or somewhere. He wasn't sure and wanted me to find out what needed to be done. He said he would arrange all transport. Scam? Or legit?

[StarofHearts]

Ask specific questions about what he wants them for, his experience with goats, his current lines and where they are registered, testing his herd for diseases, ability to find a livestock vet (and contact info), verification (photos) of his stalls and pastures where they would be living, and payment method, that is important. Tell him you need a half down deposit to a paypal account, or a mailed money order and that it is non refundable, you will only ship such a distance upon recieving both halves of the payment.

It seems to me that goats would be far less expensive to find near him, unless you show and have grand champion lines I would expect this to be a scam.

[jcatblum]

Think there was a post a month or so ago about being contact to ship. I had a friend ship about a dz mini horses to Venezuela. The guy worked out a shipping company. She did have to get all their vet stuff handled, took her a few hours to do paperwork if I recall. His shippers showed up loaded them & transported them to Texas where they shipped out. She would not go through the headache to make a single sale, but for the amount he was buying it was worth it to her.
I believe he sent her a large deposit before she began any of the vet checks.

[Doug Hodges]

I did ask a few questions. I was told I would be paid in advance. It just doesn't seem real.

The first guy lives in Kuwait and has a very large herd of black goats. They are all long haired. His Facebook page is full of goats and he says he loves his goats. He's a little goofy. He has selfies of himself all over his page. He wears a turban.

I may check onto it. Heck, they could be eccentric oil tycoons or something.

[Alice In TX/MO]

Take any check to the bank and allow TWO WEEKS for it to clear. I know someone who got one of those checks for puppies, spent the money after the bank deposited it, and got a call from the bank a week later saying, "Give the money back."

[TeenyTinyFarm]

Goats are a big deal in the Middle East. I would walk into you bank first and talk to you banker for advice about the safest way to handle the transfer of money. And honestly, I would want to be paid in full up front. But that is just me.

[Doug Hodges]

Originally Posted by Alice In TX/MO

Take any check to the bank and allow TWO WEEKS for it to clear. I know someone who got one of those checks for puppies, spent the money after the bank deposited it, and got a call from the bank a week later saying, "Give the money back."

I'll only do PayPal, cashiers check or money order.

[Doug Hodges]

Originally Posted by TeenyTinyFarm

Goats are a big deal in the Middle East. I would walk into you bank first and talk to you banker for advice about the safest way to handle the transfer of money. And honestly, I would want to be paid in full up front. But that is just me.

Definitely paid in full up front. Plus I told him he would have to arrange all the shipping.

[yarrow]

I get guys inquiring all the time... and it's ALWAYS men! must admit I prefer to sell to women buyers.. ...male buyers also seem to be more work (need a lot more time invested in them)....(like they thing they are the ONLY buyer you have LOL).. okay end of my rant LOL)... for me it's just easier to connect with another woman... however not a single over seas potential buyer has ever been female???.. goats must be more of a guy thing outside the US.

I had a really nice man from Greece last week (we chatted back and forth about bloodlines ect for 30 minutes or so).. he wants 8 kids.. (I told him I just don't have the time (or unspoken for/reserved kids to fill that type of order) during kidding season to mess with learning the ins & outs of international shipping.. I get contacts (again.. the emails that I get that are just general want to buy goats.. will pay blah, blah, blah.. those I just delete) if it's a person asking specific questions.. answering specific questions.. I'll chat with them.. have had 5 different guys from Brazil this year contact me.. 2 or them knew each other.. several from the phillipines (I figure they have enough contacts and enough imports.. they don't need me or my goats LOL).. Have a nice man from Turkey that would like some.. again.. too much work. (sadly the one I'd like to ship to is in the UK.. but again.. I'm not sure of all the regulations ect... if they even allow live imports?... he understands and is also a newbie on international buys.. so we to just talk goats/care/health ect).... there are a lot of scams.. but a lot of real buyers too..

Me? I don't feel my herd is at the point where I'd be comfortable selling over seas.. But.. I also am not comfortable .. blubberring BS to folks online.. just to make sales (be it local, out of state OR international) LOL... BUT.. I see a lot of it everyday online. esp. on face book)...I'm a bad business person, I guess...haven't updated the breeding page on my website in since 2012.. haven't advertised anywhere but on my fb page... (If they sale, they sale.. if not.. MORE babies for me LOL).. I'm afraid I'd always wonder about the level of care & love they'd get in an international type sale. (heck, I worry about that now.. with them still in the U.S)...

BUT.. since I'm not on every goat site/group trying to peddle my goats.. I don't update the website ect... that brings me to what I always ask myself and wonder about...

HOW and WHY this far away person picked ME to contact??? while we've had this herd and worked with our bloodlines for 10years, website ect... we are just now to the quality point of starting to La and show some.. I would think someone going to the expense of importing would want top KNOWN show type goats (registered purebred stock at the very least??? just seems like the logical move to me, if it were my money).. not offense Doug.. but why are they contacting you?? have you not wondered that too?

So, we'll just sit here on our rocktop in the ozarks.. and slowly WORK/BREED (our way up to the point where we have what I feel, is as nice of a herd as I can make) then maybe, just maybe.. then we will think about over sea sales. (or maybe not )

susie

[Doug Hodges]

That's why I'm asking. I've actually blocked most of them thinking it was a scam. I assume they contact me just like all the others do. I've sold goats to Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas people this week.

I told you,Susie, I need to be your salesman. It's what I do. I'm honest and don't blow smoke.

Edit. Oklahoma said it was to far when they map quested and it was 8 hours. Lol

[Doug Hodges]

Also Susie, you underestimate your herd. You should be more proud and put it out there. My wife wants me to buy 3 doelings from you this year. She likes your goats the best

[Doug Hodges]

I also got an email saying I won 14 gazillion dollars in a lottery. All they need is all my bank account information to send it to me.

[coso]

I would say 99.5 % are scams. Some probably inquire not knowing what the regulations are, to get an animal into or out of another country. Cashier Checks and Money Orders can be faked also. We have trouble with bad Cashier checks all the time. I know that some are exported to Mexico and the Phillipines, but it is usually somebody in the US that puts the order together and they don't just want seven or eight head of goats they want two or three hundred. Those have to stay in quarantine for so long both here and there, the way I understand it. I wouldn't waste my time with it.

[Doug Hodges]

I bought a hand carved tombstone for my son 4 years ago from China. It had to sit in customs for 2 months before I was allowed to pick it up. I can only imagine how long a live animal would have to be there. Who would feed it?

[Squeaky McMurdo]

Some people get their rocks off with wasting other people's time. Why that would turn anyone on, I have no idea, but "international buyers" are a prime culprit. They just browse websites doing searches.

[Frosted Mini's]

Originally Posted by Doug Hodges

I bought a hand carved tombstone for my son 4 years ago from China. It had to sit in customs for 2 months before I was allowed to pick it up. I can only imagine how long a live animal would have to be there. Who would feed it?

I'm sorry about your son; how old was he?

[Doug Hodges]

Originally Posted by Frosted Mini's

I'm sorry about your son; how old was he?

3. It was an accident. My mom was watching him. He got away from her and drowned. It touched so many lives. Cousins, friends, aunts, uncles, grandpas, grandma's. Etcetera. His name is Mikael. He was daddy's boy. My x wife had him in prison. (Drug addict) I was mommy and daddy to him. It about killed me.

[Doug Hodges]

More of him since I'm sharing. I wrote the inscription.

[Doug Hodges]

You know how I take pictures. I have thousands of pictures of him.

[myheaven]

Now I sit and sob!