Steerplanet Online Sale

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ZNT

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 25, 2007
Messages
1,006
Location
Rhome, TX
I pulled the post below from another post that was going about Sullivan's Sale.  I thought it deserved it's own post to get everyones ideas and opinions.

I know this may be a crazy idea, but months ago, there had been a lot of talk about doing a steerplanet sale.  What if an online sale was put together that allowed members to consign calves to an online auction (similar to the format used by Sullivan's)?  Members would be able to keep the calves at their farm or maybe at centrally located sites scattered throughout the midwest.  The consigners would be responsible for pictures, videos, etc.  If the cattle were at their farm,  they would also have the responsibility of showing people their calves if they come to their farm.

Logistically, it would be a lot easier for both the sellers and the buyers, and cattle could be in one sale from breeders all the way from Ohio to California and North Dakota all the way to Texas.

Let's hear your thoughts!
 

ZNT

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 25, 2007
Messages
1,006
Location
Rhome, TX
So I have done a little more thinking on the sale idea, and here are some ideas I have to make a sale feasible and beneficial to many members on this board.

I have been kicking around the idea of having a consignment sale next spring already, but the main roadblock I have run into is the space to have enough cattle to justify all the advertising that goes with it.  My proposal to having a Steerplanet On line Sale would be to have 3-5 satelite locations where the cattle would be for the sale.  My idea would be to have a fall born sale in the spring, with satellite locations located in South Texas, North Texas, Southern Oklahoma and Northern Oklahoma, each with approximately 10-20 head in the sale.  Our location, just 20 minutes outside the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex and just 30 minutes from a major International Airport, would make a great location for one of these satellite locations.  We can comfortably handle 12-16 head for a sale.  Our service would provide clipping, picturing, possibly videoing, along with feeding, rinsing, some halter breaking, and cattle housed in showbarn w/ fans during the daytime.  Services and cost could very between locations.

Limiting the sale to approximately 60 head would provide enough numbers to justify the advertising cost, yet keep from overwhelming our market on the first year.  Consigners would have a $50-75 consignment fee to cover advertising costs.  Consignors would also have the expense of the services provided by each satellite location.  Lastly, the consignor would be obligated to pay whatever fees incurred by the on line auction service.  Each consignor would be liable for any guarantees given on the animals.

By formatting a sale as described above, a sale could benefit many members on this board.  I know we have several members that are doing ad and promotion work, some are involved in the on line marketing applications, and many of you are small operations that need an outlet to sell 1 or 2 calves.  This format would allow the small breeders to be involved in something bigger, yet have the cattle a little closer to home.  More traffic will be able to be achieved by having several cattle at one facility vs. trying to get every buyer to travel to every farm to look at one calf at a time.

I still need to do some research on costs associated with the on line sales, so if anyone out there has some estimates, pm email, or call me.  Any of you out there that might be interested in being a satellite sale facility for a spring sale, contact me.

1st Annual Steerplanet.com On line Sale (Spring Edition)  Kind of has a ring to it.

 
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