>> I do a straw poll among other breeders to keep up to date with the going price as give or take £50 we like to stick to the same price as often you need to pass enquiries on to another breeder.
> I think that is the best way

That's called price fixing in any other competitive market!

I don't mind seeing differences in pricing

> That's called price fixing in any other competitive market!
>

Not sure that responsible breeding can be classed as a competitive market :)

I think it is better to have standard pricing as litter expenses can vary hugely but all the puppies surplus to the breeders needs deserve to be found good life long homes which could be difficult if some were very much more expensive, or just as difficult, if some were coming out cheap as chips.

> That's called price fixing in any other competitive market!

They key word being 'competetive market' which is precisely what Brainless has stated the breeders are trying to avoid, so they can pass each other enquiries and know that the price will usually be between a and b.  In my breed the average is usually (note I say usually, you can find them both cheaper and more expensive) between £450 and £550.  And certainly when you're talking about a breed average price, no one's price fixing - they're just making sure they're all selling within the same range so it's more fair - almost more for the buyer's sake than the breeders' sake.

So when I get an enquiry when I don't have a litter (which is usually the situation) I actually do freely chat to people in general about whippets, will pass them on and will work into the conversation myself that they should be expect the price to be somewhere between those two figures, so they don't have to run the risk of offending someone else by asking.

@Cornishmals - I realise you weren't saying you would actually say that to someone (ie 'have to ask/can't afford') but that's a prevalent mindset among breeders of many breeds that while they would never say that to a member of the public, they *think* it and I apologise, but I really find that type of attitude offensive having been on BOTH sides.

Some people are just not good on the phone, or in an email, or in a text.  Some could use some brushing up on their social skills, but don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. 

I had an email enquiry the other day that was a bit short and raised a yellow flag.  From what a few people have said on here they would have dismissed it and not even replied.  I actually did reply politely and gave them my phone number figuring if they were truly interested they'd call.  They did and it sounds like a lovely home so far.  And in the course of conversation I found the reason they'd written such a short note was because of how they'd been treated by other breeders who didn't want to know as much as you or I would.  They were just interested in how quick they could get him round and get a dog into his hands.  So he stopped putting a 'book' into his contact emails.

Anyway, babbled on enough.  I guess for me I won't dismiss anything out of hand as not everyone is as 'verbal' as I am.

> That's called price fixing in any other competitive market!
>
>

but it's not (or shouldn't be) a competitive market, we aim as breeders to co-operate, not compete to maintain the breed, the only competition should be in the canine events we choose to take part in.

> but it's not (or shouldn't be) a competitive market, we aim as breeders to co-operate, not compete to maintain the breed, the only competition should be in the canine events we choose to take part in.

10 thumbs up!!

> Not sure that responsible breeding can be classed as a competitive market

No, but a puppy buyer on the other hand might view it as exactly that.  Price differentiation can be an important tool when assessing quality; selling puppies too cheaply is just as much of a concern for some buyers as selling them for very inflated prices.  You cannot assess true quality simply based on price but a discussion about why one breeder might sell for £200 more than another might help a buyer to understand just exactly what is involved in raising puppies.

I don't agree with Fixed Pricing on principle (I'd be really annoyed to discover that insurance companies were price fixing to inflate prices for instance) but I appreciate that in this market (puppies) most breeders who meet on a regular basis, at shows for instance, will have had conversations about pricing at some point and may naturally fall into line with each other.  For that reason I could defend both sides of the debate equally well.  However from an academic perspective you'd have to wonder, if the practise of price fixing became commonplace whether breeders could artificially inflate prices, or hold them too low for others to join in.  An interesting debate in itself!

However we've drifted a bit!  Poor Drover was aghast at her puppy enquirer yelling "How much?" down her lughole when she was told the price of a puppy. As a puppy buyer I would think it beholden upon me to impress my potential puppy breeder with my abilities as a a dog owner.  Yelling at her seems counterproductive don't you think?! As in life, it's often not what you say, but the way in which you say it that carries the weight.  How different the outcome if the puppy buyer had simply asked why Drover's prices were higher than she had expected, or hoped :)

>> Not sure that responsible breeding can be classed as a competitive market
> No, but a puppy buyer on the other hand might view it as exactly that.  Price differentiation can be an important tool when assessing quality; selling puppies too cheaply is just as much of a concern for some buyers as selling them for very inflated prices.

I think I mentioned that :) 
I think it is helpful though if responsible breeders are in the same price range for the reasons I gave.

> My advert had said POA

I know it's going to be something really obvious but I'm completely at a loss for what this might stand for.  To me POA means 'Payment on Account', but I can't figure how that could be it. I looked up acronyms for POA but none of them seemed to fit this type of situation.

POA = price on application.............ironic really :)

> ironic really :-)

Ok, that makes sense, but yes, ironic...

Why is it ironic?

Because the thread is about people asking the price (well actually being unhappy/shocked by the price).  POA is inviting people to ask ;)

In common with a lot of people I am uncomfortable about talking money as I am involved in an expensive hobby, and the sale of puppies at most defrays some of this, thereby allowing me to continue in it.

The price I set is what I and others feel is reasonable toward some of our care, time and expenses.

For this reason in any direct advertising I prefer to state the price, then it won't need discussing.  the only thing I will not countenance is someone trying to haggle.

I (as the OP ;) ) have absolutely no problem with people asking the price of my puppies, its the rude response I didnt like :)

Quite agree, but if they had known the price beforehand it woudln't have happened.

With my very first litter, I advertised and had a few such callers, so next time I advertised I stated the price and only got people calling who thought the price was rappropriate/easonable and they also seemed a better more informed type of potential owner.

The ad was actually put up not long after mating, I wasnt 100% sure on the asking price.

I was ringing round a list of breeders I'd got from a breed club, one chap was quite impatient with me, wanted to know where I had got his number from, we continued talking about when he was likely to have pups etc., then I asked the price £2000 male or £2500 for a female, I said I only wanted one pup not the whole litter at which point the call came to an abrupt end. I have never seen his affix on a pedigree, his website you need a password to access and no one I have asked has heard of him yet he told me he had been showing his dogs for years.

The quotes I had received before talking to him were £500-£900 and both sexes were the same.

I get really annoyed if the first thing they ask is price either on the phone or an email, I reply by asking them about their history with my breed and to tell me a bit about themselves etc.[ which is the info I include when approaching a breeder for the first time] many don't bother getting back to me.

Over the years I have had calls from people looking for a puppy or a stud dog, I have never advertised either - now I don't mind and am happy to help if I can but it does get my goat when the first thing you hear is "how much are your puppies" or "what you charge for your stud dog". Now these people do not bother to tell you their name or ask if you have pups or a dog at stud, yes it is bad manners, and had I got the commodity they wanted they would not get it at any price.

I'm a breeder of a minority breed and have no idea what the 'going rate' is for our breed and wouldn't stand a chance of finding out from breed club sec or any other breeder - we're not in any cliche's lol  Plus we're one of only 2 breeders who actually do health tests for diseases that occassionally affect the breed so an even smaller minority.

I don't have a problem with someone asking the price but if I get have you got and how much?  I'm afraid I haven't got end of I think thats how a lot of breeders work.

> then I asked the price £2000 male or £2500 for a female.....The quotes I had received before talking to him were £500-£900

With prices so drastically different, is not undertsandable that a person wanting a pup may ask the price before waffling on for 4 hours about the breed?

When looking for a Mastiff pup, the price was the first thing I asked about. I was happy to talk for hours on end regarding my research/knowledge of the breed and about my own cicumstances, but I wasn't going to waste my time if the pups were priced drastically different to the 'going rate'.
I most defianlety would not have done a 200 mile round trip to see the breeder without knowing the price, I could have been traveling to somebody that prices thier pups for a quick sale (seen mastiff pups from £300 - £1500)
As a potential puppy buyer, I had plenty of time on my hands to raise a puppy, but no spare time to waste on people that were trying to make a quick buck out of selling cheap puppies.

Wanting to know the price does not mean the person needs to know if they can afford the price, it can mean they want to know what you charge.

wouldn't stand a chance of finding out from breed club sec or any other breeder - we're not in any cliche's lol

Schip, it is not cliché in our breed the whole breed share their plans, costs, prospective byers and health problems. Find it disappointing that members of a breed of small numbers are not prepared to work together for the sake of the breed.

>>wouldn't stand a chance of finding out from breed club sec or any other breeder - we're not in any cliche's lol
>Schip, it is not cliché in our breed

Clique (pronounced cleek, not click), not cliché.

Just sayin' (and expecting sneers for liking accuracy) ;-) ;-)

Just sayin' (and expecting sneers for liking accuracy) ;-) ;-)
Quote selected text

Not from me I have had people correcting me all my life - used to it. :-(

I thought the purpose of a breed club was to share information and to work to common aims.

Lol I always have to try and stop myself correcting spelling. I don't always succeed.... :-)