"No Tire Kickers"...?

Sadly, you aren't in the majority.

In the car industry, we call tire kickers "time wasters." They aren't really interested in buying anything, they're just looking to kill some time. They ask a lot of questions, might even want to take a test drive and will look at numbers with you, and then way "Thanks for your time, but we're really not looking to buy right now." They just wasted hours of your time, leading you to believe you had a car deal, while your coworkers are actually selling cars and making money.

Then there's the people who are truly looking for a vehicle and are exploring all their options. They will ask the questions and take the test drive. The difference is, they will tell you why the vehicle(s) you showed them won't work for them before they leave.

And then there's the people that all car salespeople hate. The "unicorn chasers." They come in either with a laundry list of wants and unwants and a ridiculously low budget for what they're looking for (ex.-newer, low-mileage 4x4 SUV for under $10,000 out the door...not going to happen, especially at a car dealership)...or they have nothing but a ridiculously low budget (under $5000) and want you to pull a nice car out of your arse. Or they come in, tell you what they want, but don't tell you what their price range is (either out the door or payments), then get upset with you for "letting" them fall in love with something they can't afford.

You fall into the second category. You know what you want and what will work for you and what won't. You have a specific price point that you won't go over and know better than to look at horses outside your price point. You'll be honest with yourself if a horse doesn't work for you. Sellers appreciate buyers like you, even if you don't buy their horse.
Posted via Mobile Device

This ^^^^.

I had one person e-mail me repeatedly wanting "all the pictures you can send of your mare with as many views as possible" and asking all kinds of questions. BUT... she led into all these requests by telling me in her very first e-mail, "I must sell my pony in order to buy a Peruvian". It was obvious she had no intention of buying and was a classic "tire kicker".

I guess I would be a tire kicker then.

Right now I logically do not have the money or place to own a horse-- but this is pretty much all just based on money.

My ideal horse purchase would be months after the initial inquiry, namely because I don't want just pictures, a visit/ride and call it good. I want to spend time with the horse I want to buy before purchasing so that way I get the actual full picture. I would have spent enough time with them to have a well rounded idea of a personality, habits, bad and good alike.

Maybe its unrealistic, but, being a new potential owner, I don't want to take any chances.

I actually encourage shopping the way you do. I will turn off a sale on someone who is looking for a horse who asks for a couple of pics, a video on YouTube and then wants to send the vet out for the vet check without ever meeting the horse.

In some cases, I've spent years breeding, raising, showing, training and riding the horse to get him to where he is, I sure as Hades don't want just anyone buying him and then finding out it's not a good fit. That's how really good horses end up at auction.

Right. It just seems everyone wants to sell "now". Or so it seems anyway... But then again, I blame the economy. I'm thinking of working with a shelter and maybe in the future adopting from there.
Posted via Mobile Device

If you are genuinely looking for a horse to buy then you arent in the tire kicker/time waster bracket as such
What promotes you to that league is going to see a horse without first asking loads of questions that you need clear answers too and having a very firm picture in your head of what you want in terms of size, type, age, price, experience etc. If the horse doesnt tick enough boxes on your list then don't waste the sellers time as you might talk yourself into buying something because 'it looks so cute'
I had no problem with people who have all the ticks in the right place and then for some genuine reason walked away because the horse simply didnt click with them - this is a long term thing they are getting into
Sellers can be just as much at fault sometimes. I've been to see 16.2 horses that were barely 15hh, horses that were still in the field and uncatchable, several that have had broncing fits with the owner - don't even bother trying them, potential jumpers that couldnt deal with a 1 foot pole, forward going horses that needed dynamite to get them going.....

What throws me off is the whole "not in the market" phrase. I'm not in the market, as I have financial duties that need to be solved first, but in that time while I am waiting, I like to "shop" for a horse to work with so that come time (before or after) I have the money, I can clearly say yay or nay.
I'm just worried about my own abilities as a new owner, so I try to make sure my first time isn't a complete wash out.
Posted via Mobile Device

I think what's throwing you off is, "not in the market" and taking it in its most literal sense. No, you're not in a position to buy today but yes, you are in the market for a horse. You're doing the "due diligence" part of trying to find just the right horse for you.

I think for most sellers, "not in the market" means the 13 year old kid who writes and asks for pics and videos of every horse that is their favorite pattern or color.

There are some people out there who will actually do an entire deal and when it comes time to hand over the cash, pick up the horse and take it home, they disappear. After they do it to enough people their name gets passed around.

Those are the hoof kickers, they aren't in the market, have no intention of being in the market, couldn't legally make a horse deal, but they all want attention. And while I won't spend a whole lot of time on them, I will still be nice because you never know who will be the next person who buys a horse from or where they'll hear about you.

Oh, I see. Thank you for explaining.