Craiglist Beef Contract

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Lawson Farms

Lawson Farms

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 17, 2010
Messages
106
City & State/Province
South Carolina
I've got 1/2 of a steer that I need to sale on Craigslist so I can have it harvested for a customer. I've already got a buyer for the 1st half. My customers have always been family and friends. Now I feel that I need a contract for the ramdom person to sign b/c I don't have room to store it if they were to back out. Does anyone have one that they have used before?

BL
 
Heck, just talk to your friends. I've got several now looking and asking.

Seems like I am always coming up with an odd number too. 11 people looking for a half steer. Word gets out and then you get 4 more people and you still have an odd number.
 
Make them give a deposit, or line up two or three potential customers in case some back out, which some will.
 
We actually sell half of our beef on craigslist. Its easy to get new customers of craigslist believe it or not. We dont really do deposits as some people are not comfortable with giving a deposit to someone they dont know. If someone wants a custom cut we get the money before they tell the butcher their cuts. We sell boxes, quarters, and halves and have found it helps to have a waiting list so you always have a backup or just have a chest freezer that holds a whole steer. We have found it works better when selling freezer beef that we bring 3 at a time to the butcher and do that 5 times a winter to make sure we always have customers that are ready to fill the freezer again and have backups on a waiting list. Hey Sirlion where u at in delaware? I'm in salem county new jersey.
 
backhoeboogie":fjacv5zs said:
Heck, just talk to your friends. I've got several now looking and asking.

Seems like I am always coming up with an odd number too. 11 people looking for a half steer. Word gets out and then you get 4 more people and you still have an odd number.
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I agree. Word will spread quickly. If you do have to go with unknown customers, I don't think a contract, per se, is necessary, that can be rather intimidating to people. But a non-refundable $100-$200 deposit is very reasonable. If someone isn't willing to do that, keep looking, because they're probably not really committed to the purchase. However, do stipulate on the receipt that the deposit is non-refundable unless you can't fulfill your obligation to them. :2cents:
 
In the beginning, we didn't insist on a deposit. Then a friend/co-worker backed out on a half just before butcher, so there we sat . . . . couldn't put half of it back out on pasture! Our cutter wants to take at least 2 at a time (we had 2), and we didn't have freezer storage for that extra half. So there we sat, as did our other customers, fed for an extra month, until we found another buyer. For us, that deposit means the buyer is serious. If we were unable to perform at our end (like if the steer got struck by lightning), I'd be happy to refund.
 
I sell beef using craigslist. I don't require a deposit but I have had people voluntarily send me one. I always call just before hauling them in to the butcher confirm that they still want it. Most of the beef I sell on the rail is grass fat. I do that when grass is in its prime. Here that is June to Mid August. That time of year my butcher is pretty slow and is happy with what ever I bring in. This time of year (mid August to early Dec) I would have to make reservations months in advance. I have never had anyone back out but if they did I have a bunch of adult kids and between us we have more then enough space in the freezer and on the grill to take care of a half a beef.
 
shadyhollownj":2ghniy42 said:
We actually sell half of our beef on craigslist. Its easy to get new customers of craigslist believe it or not. We dont really do deposits as some people are not comfortable with giving a deposit to someone they dont know. If someone wants a custom cut we get the money before they tell the butcher their cuts. We sell boxes, quarters, and halves and have found it helps to have a waiting list so you always have a backup or just have a chest freezer that holds a whole steer. We have found it works better when selling freezer beef that we bring 3 at a time to the butcher and do that 5 times a winter to make sure we always have customers that are ready to fill the freezer again and have backups on a waiting list. Hey Sirlion where u at in delaware? I'm in salem county new jersey.
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Shady,

I'm west of Dover almost out to the Md. line. I also like to keep a waiting list. Sometimes my regular customers don't want theirs for one reason or another. I'd say about half of my regular customers came from Craigslist, and the other half from word of mouth.
 
$200.00 on beef, $75.00 on hogs, non-refundable (unless I can't deliver from my end). It has eliminated the worry and the problem of people backing out/forgetting. They know where their money is. Plus, you can buy feed from the deposits.
 

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