My aplologies if I have put this in the wrong board, this is my first post.

We are on a waiting list with a breeder, and this is going to sound stupid now that I say it, but we haven't discussed price yet.  We talked on email and over the phone after seeing them at a show, and were invited to meet them and their dogs at home.  We had a wonderful visit, were extremely happy, and were delighted to be told they would be happy for us to have a pup.  Now, at the time of the visit the bitch they planned to breed wasn't in season, and we knew they had a waiting list, so we were a long way off talking about contracts etc.

A few weeks ago we were told that mating went well, so I would think we'll know soonish if mum to be is pregnant.  Anyway, I know the average price for a pup in the breed, so We have an idea, and I felt it was too soon to ask about price before.  How do I politely ask?  I feel I'm being a bit rude, she doesn't even know if her girl is pregnant yet, and I'm pestering her about how much a puppy will cost!

I'd be very grateful for some advice.
Thank you.

I would put in an email or however you normally contact asking how things are going and whether she has a copy of the contract as you'd like to have a read through or whenever she is likely to have them typed up.  Also say you'd like to be prepared and would like to know how much the puppies will cost so you have everything sorted for when the time comes and in case you have any questions on the contract so it makes full sense to you.
The question has to be asked at some point and as you've been in contact and met her girl and now on the waiting list it's a genuine question to ask Re contract and price of the puppy.

I would speak with breeder and as you have spoken already I'm sure you could ask re purchase price... Just curious if your aware of average price re puppies why do you wish to know now?  Would a higher price be off putting?

>How do I politely ask?  I feel I'm being a bit rude, she doesn't even know if her girl is pregnant yet, and I'm pestering her about how much a puppy will cost!

You could just call the breeder and tell him or her how lovely the visit was and how much you are hoping to have a puppy from them, BUT:
that you were so impressed and having such a good time that you realised only afterwards that you had never thought to ask how much a puppy would cost!

I have taken recently to asking the people who inquire about my puppies and are interested in making an appointment to visit if they know what such a puppy costs.  If they say "yes", then I ask them what they have assumed the price would be.  Then I can correct and soften the blow if necessary, explaining that I ask people so that they do not make the effort to come and then get a shock.  I get all kinds of reactions from "no problem" to "oh, no way!"  But many people come to terms with the price quite quickly, others knew in advance what to expect.

Suejaw - thank you for the advice.  I suppose I just felt like I was being a bit presumptions asking about price when we didn't know if their were any pups yet, and I didn't want them to think me a pushy so-and-so!

We've had this breed for 6 years, but our dog is a rescue and so I've been looking at online adverts and seeing what the average price is.  The difference between the lowest  price and highest is £500.   A higher price is not off putting, and we have been planning this for about a year and a half, but I'd rather know sooner than be surprised if it's higher than I expect, especially when the price difference might be £500 or more!

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say the actual prices and breed?

I didn't ask the price of the last puppy I bought till I was making arrangements to collect him. Like you, I knew roughly what this breed cost so I just expected to pay the high end. My puppy came from the top kennel, breeder has the KC ABS Accolade of Excellence and in the end he cost almost exactly what I had expected. Unless you think you might duck out, just hang in till the last minute when you literally need to know how much cash to take with you.

Thank you to Nimue and Nursey too for your advice.

I think because it's all still up in the air at the moment I will wait to ask about price until the pups are born.  We may get a pup from this litter, but we may not, all depends on the size of the litter, and whether pups have show potential, and sex of the litter.  We are not looking to show (or breed) but we do want a  male pup.  I've done lots of reading on here, so I understand a lot can change on a waiting list, I'm trying not to get too excited, but I do want to be prepared. 

We have at least another 3 months, so plenty of time to put a bit extra aside, when the pups are born and we know that all being well there is a pup for us I can ask then, and that still gives us a couple of months .  I have a thought that price might be at the higher end, and if not, well I'm sure there will be lots of extra puppy things I can spend the left over on.

Thank you again

A lot depends on the breed but I would say on average most breeds you can look at starting around £750 upwards. Some breeds will start at around £1000, a lot does depend on the breed, the quality of the dogs, health tests completed and what exactly the breeder puts into the pups as well. £500 difference is a huge amount,is that between byb and reputable breeder prices?

With the enquiries I've been having, the only thing that would put me off would be the sort of email which goes "do you have any puppies available and how much are they?" as almost the first sentence in it and first point of contact.

If I've had a few emails back and forth, and they ask about price alongside other things, that's absolutely fine - of course they should ask, to be sure I'm not crazily tripling what it should be to profit(!). 

So you'd only score any bad points with me, if it's the first thing you ask.

There was a recent litter of byb on a well known Internet site for £1000, no health testing.  And this is a large breed that needs hip and elbow scored.  There was another litter around £1250, again, no hips or elbows.

Magsmo - It is perfectly reasonable for you to ask the price at this stage. The suggestion of emailing and asking to see a copy of the contract as well as saying that you've realised you haven't asked the price yet would be completely acceptable.

I am happy for a first time phone conversation to cover price as I think people should know before they visit and fall in love that they have the funds available, yes there are families who don't worry about the money but that doesn't necessarily make them good owners. I would not turn someone away because they have to take price into consideration as long as they meet all the other criteria, the only possible red flag for me is if they ask to pay in installments before they pick the puppy up. This would make me wonder if the budget is so tight that they wouldn't be able to afford sudden expenses.

Didn't realise installment payments would be on offer for buyers re puppies. I've usually asked price question after a few conversations. Mainly puppy price has been on the seller's page.

Although it used to put me off if one of the first questions from an enquiry was 'how much' but this is something you do need to ask and now would be a good time if she is pregnant.   Just say something like you don't want to be pushy, but you do need a ballpark figure.   I'm sure they'll expect to be asked at some point!!!    And I'd be more inclined to do it over the phone or face to face (perhaps when you go see the puppies even?) as it's easier to guage the reaction that way, rather than by what could be 'blunt' in an email?   And you could approach it on the basis of how do they prefer to be paid - cash, cheque etc.

On the odd occasion, if I felt the home was too good to rule out, I'd take a big percentage of the purchase price, and then the balance later.   But that rarely happened and it's always better if you get the full amount at the time the puppy leaves you.

There's a big difference between an email which says:

"do u have puppies ATM and how much?"

Which probably won't even get a response from me(!)...

And an email which says:

"I really admire your dogs and I'm very interested in a puppy for XYZ reason/purpose.  We have 2 kids over the age of 10 and live in a detached house and we've always taken our dogs through training classes [insert more info here].  We were wondering if you'd consider us for a puppy, and if you could let us know how much?"

That would definitely get a response from me.... they would get emailed a questionnaire to fill out, to start with.

I think it's fine to ask at this stage. When I was searching for my first puppy I found some numbers off the KC puppy list, phoned one and had a lovely long chat of over an hour and got asked loads of questions etc. When I rang off hubby said 'how much where they then' and I'd completely failed to ask, so I just rang back and said I'd completely forgotten to check the price haha.

Magsmo, TBF I don't think it is right that anyone should be in the awkward position of having to ask, it is embarrassing..........

When my potential puppy owners have come to visit my girl and talked about waiting lists etc, as well as the gazillion questions we ask whilst getting to know each other, I always mention the price, I wouldn't leave anyone to have to pluck up the courage to have to ask, that's my job.

My pet hate is when people don't volunteer a price, this silly notion of   'If you have to ask you can't afford it' is IMO utter rubbish, I really dislike it.

I've often walked passed a jewellers, seen something I like...............but no price? They automatically lose my custom because no way would I go in and ask.............. who doesn't want to know what something costs, no matter how much money you have?

Poor you now in the position of saying "Oh sorry I forgot to ask the price of your pups?"

Just ask, nothing more you can do, and try not to feel too embarrassed, it's not your fault you don't know.

> the only possible red flag for me is if they ask to pay in installments before they pick the puppy up.

That is interesting as that is what I did with my very first dog (not the breed I now own).

As the price of the pup was not far short of my monthly salary I paid in three instalments.

I suppose I could simply have put the first two in the bank to pay on the day of collection but I preferred to have the money not sitting there, we were just moving into this house at the time with finalising the buy etc.

Just to add re pricing, although there is a 'norm' for a specific breed, a lot of breeders won't put a price of their puppies until they see what they have, and what they look like!    So for me, it was always a ball-park figure.   And again I know things have moved on since we were breeding, but I prefer to have a phone conversation, or even have the people come visit.   I had a lovely couple who came to see us long before we had puppies on the ground.   By the time their puppy was ready to go home, we knew them well and had become good friends.   I have never had to fill out a questionnaire, not even with our first!   But I guess by the time we bought-in a few to enhance our bloodlines, we were 'known'!

I have always asked during early conversations and had no problems  with anyone.certainly wouldnt wait until on a waiting list .none of   those i have spoken to  been  have been unhappy to tell me or  add me to their waiting list if they are in the position at that point to have one. So asking can't be offending anyone.  I need to know I haven't found someone who has unusual prices long before I am waiting for a pup from them .some breeds for example pomeranians can vary considerably in  price if you are looking for show quality pups from champion's . I would need to know  what I was looking at so as not to waste everyone's time as some prices would be way above my means .I agree Carrington it's very helpful of thr breeder gives that information though

One of my pet peeves is when breeders advertise fully health tested and registered pups on social media and then when people ask 'how much?', respond with 'pm me' or 'pm sent'. 75 different people will ask the same question and get the same response...why all the secrecy?

Quite frankly if you advertise price imo it cam be an alert if a reasonable price for thieves.

Simply looking online will tell any theif the general ball park price. Everyone breeding a litter, be it registered or byb, could be victims of theives.

The postman delivering your whelping items will know you have pups by the return address on parcels, anyone visiting your neighbours will know by noise, your friends and relatives might share your good news, people visiting your address will know of your set up and where you live - all of these things put the litter at risk. Stating price doesn't make matters any worse in my opinion.

Because people interject and derail on social media/forums.
A: How much are your puppies?
B: £900
C: mine was only £650!
B: well mine will be £900.
D: but £700 is the going rate up north.
B: I am in the south west.
E: geography shouldn't come into it, you are paying for the quality if the puppy!
B: the quality of the puppies may be freely assessed by the buyer, the price is £900
A: who is your breeder C?
C: Lady Dogly McDogbreeder in uddingstron
F: oh not lady dogly, I heard hers have bad elbows!

etc. etc.

Just avoid it all by discussing price privately.

Fair enough.

Because people interject and derail on social media/forums.

But, why should any reputable breeder care about that nonsense?

You just have a bog standard copy and paste reply explaining............. the health tests the dam and sire have had, the genetic breeding line compatibility you sought for a good quality pup and good temperament, the KC registration showing proof of that pedigree, the cost of showing/working your dog to be judged of breeding quality or derived from that lineage, the aftercare provided etc, etc..........good breeders need to stop hiding, show your prices up front and yes, let people ask why, let them see in black and white the difference between a £650 pup and a £900...............they won't know if they don't ask.

Also let them see the scammers, charging the same and often more with none of the above.

Good reputable breeders have nothing to hide.......it makes me suspicious when there is secrecy, so goodness knows what other people must think.

I like everything to be clear from the start so won't even bother asking if the response is 'pm me hun'. We haven't sold many pups as I am not an experienced breeder and the majority of the pups we have produced have gone in to the husband's training program.

My other peeve is 'pick of the litter' how can you tell so soon? surely you have carried out this mating with the hopes that each pup will be as good as it's siblings. Some adds have a 2nd pick and even a 3rd pic too and these are priced higher accordingly. My pups have gone at the same price regardless of sex, coat length, coat colour and size.

I have experienced a lot of haggling over the price of my puppies so now, with the rest of the paperwork, i have added a sheet detailing the costs of everything that has gone into the breeding of my litters, including health tests, cost of using the sire, vet checks microchips and my time making sure that the puppies and Mum are happy and healthy.
I like to keep my puppies for about 10 weeks so if you divide the price by 24/7 for ten weeks and ask if they would work around the clock for that paltry sum!!  Some people just need to have their eyes opened to the actual costs of breeding a litter of good quality dogs.

I am like you GSDowner, I sell my puppies principally as family pets, if people want a show dog then I tell them that 2 experienced show people picked both my current breed dogs and I am not capable of saying which one if any will be a show dog. I can tell you about their characters and which one I think will fit your family. Mine are all the same price regardless of sex, coat or anything else and I am very upfront about not doing deals, reductions if they haven't had vaccinations or if you have 2 (never going to happen). I will try to match puppies with the people I think are the best fit and remain happy to be in touch for the rest of the dogs life, as people have come back for second and third dogs over the years it seems to work.  My experience has taught me that first impressions are sometimes wrong and gut feelings almost never!

I don't disagree about being upfront, i just think the social media effect is part of the reason people don't post it publicly.  And yes, it would be ideal if breeders just had a standard copy/paste of why their price was as it was BUT you might still have to scroll through 100 posts on Facebook to FIND the breeder amongst all the dissenters.

Also some BUYERS might not want people to know.  People can be funny about that sort of thing, not wanting others to know, or think they know, how much disposable income they have.  There's probably room in the world for all the different approaches to this issue i think.  If a breeder only breeds from dogs with great temperaments, great health and all relevant tests done, and is caring for the bitch and pups and socialising the puppies in the optimal way then i don't give two hoots if they are funny about how they tell/decide their prices.

I think I would like a gander at this detailed costing sheet - one of my neighbour's thinks I must be raking it in!

I do that for each litter for my own and potentially the Tax mans interest, and it still doesn't' include my time the extra heating washing etc etc.

Currently costs for a litter (currently average just under 6 pups) run around £18000 - £2000 for me, and that's with rarely needing vet assistance.

Thank you all so much for the replies, it's been really interesting to read the different opinions.  We've decided to wait until the pups are born, no point getting ahead of ourselves, when we already know roughly what the price may be, but we will be planning for the higher end of the scale, and it will be worth it.  The amount of time,travelling, money, that our breeder has put into showing their dogs, health testing them, finding a suited stud, not to mention raising the puppies and socialising them, there is no way that their is a profit!

> .why all the secrecy?

It's not that, but as suggested, there could be a good security reason for withholding such information on an open forum/social media.   It's not possible to know who anybody is dealing with and usually if the enquiry is a genuine one, and not time-wasters or even a rival breeder trying to find out what you are charging for your puppies, it's better to do this on a more one on one basis.

Some of the places I've advertised (ChampDogs) have a section where you can include the price - so I do, when there is somewhere to put it. 

Other places, let you 'free write' an ad - I don't include the price there. 

When people contact me, they don't often say which ad they've seen and where they're contacting me via, so I then don't know if they already know the price and have seen one of the ads with it on - or if they haven't seen it yet. 

So I do wait for them to ask...

It's not that, but as suggested, there could be a good security reason for withholding such information on an open forum/social media.

Ummmmmm......... Don't get that.

Fully understand security risks, per se............

I'm very wary.............wouldn't put my name, address or anything but a mobile on a social media site........... here's what I think........... a puppy advert with it's price? Surely the risk is you've advertised PUPS?, thieves can target anyone with pups or adult dogs, they can't sell a stolen pup/dog with it's KC papers,  so they don't get that price anyway......... price doesn't matter to them, do you think they care if they have a £350 stolen pup or a £600 advertised one? They can still only sell it for £350, the risk is the advert itself. (Do the breeders advertising more expensive pups leave cookies on the table for thieves, so they target them first? )  

It's giving your address and not talking to people properly on the phone, that puts you at risk, not the price, so sorry just doesn't wash with me.

Also people advertising anywhere but their Breed Clubs, CD, or The KC are asking for so many time wasters, the free ad sites/Facebook/Twitter wherever people advertise these days, welcome and invite the worst of the worst,

A POA always makes me think expensive anyway, sure everyone else also thinks the same, even though it may not be......... You pay for what you get as always, most of us know that, a thief can ask the price just like everyone else, how did hiding it protect anyone? Hidden prices, sorry don't get it and never will, it makes me think people are embarrassed or worse, then that makes me think why?............

But ce la vie, guess POA will continue though........... much to my disdain.

I didnt put the price on my advert on here. No address either or ohone number, just email.
It helped weed out the i want a male and how much. I jusy deleted and found it easier to try and work out the more genuine peoplw

Also people advertising anywhere but their Breed Clubs, CD, or The KC are asking for so many time wasters, the free ad sites/Facebook/Twitter wherever people advertise these days, welcome and invite the worst of the worst,

Well in my limited one litter sold experience give me breed specific social media over annoying kc time wasters anyday.

Evil facebook users have kept in touch far better than the one kc sale. KC sale didn't even ring to say home safe, I had to ring them.

Lots of foreign enquires as well from kc. Thankfully it was free or I would have been really cheesed off.