Selling to a pet store vs dropping prices

[ladysown]

rescues do adoptions through pet stores.

I seriously have no problem with doing both.

I rescue buns that need help. Leaving them to languish in uncaring places doesn't set well with me so if I can help out, I help out.

BUT people also like to purchase baby rabbits, so why shouldn't I give them a hand with that? Helps my bottom dollar and gives them an animal to raise and teaches them about animals, how to provide care, how they are different from people and so on and so forth.

I figure that's a good thing all round.

 

[Deer Heart]

some people just don't feel comfortable buying from a private person. I think it's odd but I sorta understand it.

For instance.. I can go to value village and buy a pair pants knowing if it doesn't fit right I can bring it back. I can't do that with a private sale.. even for the exact same pair of pants.

If I sell a bunny, I sell it. I'll take it back free and call the rest a rental...a store on the other hand.. they'll take it back or even exchange it. and you get the week to see how well it fits.

So what does it bother me to honour what some people prefer to do? I get my bottom dollar (which is more than anyone else gets even the dealer) and the person gets an animal that they have to pay more for. They KNOW they can come to me, but they prefer to buy from a store. It's their risk and their money...it's no never mind to me.

I know that mentality well. Part of it is you don't feel as shitty returning whatever to a store vs. an individual. What does the store care? They have no emotional attachment to the products. An individual however... they invested their blood sweat and tears into that product (in this circumstance, an animal, which is even more emotional). Not only that, but almost everyone says they will accept animals back, almost always with the guarantee of "no questions asked". Very few actually will follow that.

Either you can never find them again after the sale or if they will take it back you are put under a microscope as to the reason. There seems to be at least a subconscious blame game where no one feels at fault, even when someone clearly is. :roll: Not to say some pet stores aren't guilty of this. (I used to have a ferret named Lily whom I adored. I went to the pet store to get her a companion after I started a full time job. that sucker did not liked being touched - would bite the living daylights out of ya and bullied Lily to the point she stopped eating. I brought the new ferret back to the pet store and told them why, even SHOWED them the bite and scratch marks all over both of my hands and wrists from me just trying to put them into the carrier to come back. They said "well they're not trying to bite or scratch you right NOW" and had the gall to insinuate that I was doing something, possibly abusive, that made the animal act like that back at home... >>) It's hard enough bringing an animal back to the source, you feel like all shades of failure, but it's even harder when the source is that emotionally invested. Some people feel the seller would never want to do any business at all with them again, even if it's just a problem with THAT rabbit and not the buyer or the seller. It's very personal and it's no surprise most buyers/adopters will not even try to return animals to their original source if they can help it.

And to be perfectly honest, I'd get extremely suspicious extremely fast of anyone bringing back more than one animal... but it's happened to me. I had rats at a time and struggled to get my small breeding group started. One store sold males, the other females. The male I got was bomb proof but every single female died within the month and clearly passed away from something that effected their breathing severely. Every time, they were returned to the pet store. After the third one, they asked me if I would help them by filling out a special document, basically launching a proper complaint against the breeder in question. Apparently, corporate chose the breeders who supplied stock and without a proper complaint from buyers they couldn't drop their supplier to get a new one. I was never blamed for these rat deaths, I didn't have to face the breeder who created such diseased rats either, the pet store was a third party who was not invested in the animals enough to take returns as an affront - they even wanted to punish the breeder and switch to another one so the problem stopped happening. Not only that, but they got me in touch with a supply of healthy females which were brought in because someone's pet rat had a surprise pregnancy. They even were at a severely discounted price as they were "adopted" and not "sold". This is not the result I would have gotten had I dealt with a breeder directly.

 

[Prisma]

I ask questions on returns, don't care why you are bur I need to know if I need to treat or care for that animal any different, watch for aggressive behavior, etc. I have seen that, but I've not seen the other, could that be considered what you are talking about Sali with guilt/unable to confront and return to breeder?

 

[AprilW]

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[Deer Heart]

I ask questions on returns, don't care why you are bur I need to know if I need to treat or care for that animal any different, watch for aggressive behavior, etc. I have seen that, but I've not seen the other, could that be considered what you are talking about Sali with guilt/unable to confront and return to breeder?

I'm not saying questions are bad. I'm saying some (pretty much everyone I've dealt with) will go beyond just asking why and well into the realm, of asking again - and again - and again because they don't like your answer and want a new one. I keep running into breeders who live in fantasy land...

I can understand your perspective, Sali. A good breeder, however, will supply you with contact information so that if you have questions or need to return the animal in the future, you can reach them. Questions about a returned animal are important so that the breeder can know if there are health or temperament issues. It isn't about blaming someone (in my rabbitry, anyway), it's trying to figure out why the animal wasn't a good match and re-evaluating my breeding program if necessary. I'm sorry you've had experience with the types of breeders that you have.

It's very easy for breeders to block your calls and e-mails in this day and age. I can't tell you how many times a breeder supplies me with all manner of contact information (I always have at least phone # and e-mail before ever making a purchase) and then the second I have a question, they disappear and suddenly all options I had for contact "fail". Calls, texts, e-mails all ignored. In some cases I even get error messages ("Not in service" plays when I call).

I'm not saying all breeders are unreliable. I'm saying there are enough of them that aren't that I could see exactly why someone would choose a brick-and-mortar option versus a breeder. The guilt is one, the unreliability of our competitors is another.