Why is semen on online sales so high?

[Cow Chaser]

I was looking at the results on Top Sires semen sale on Breeders World and they sold I Believe semen for $70 when it is listed in their catalogue for $30, and the same goes for Man Amongst Boys it always seems to bring in the mid $40's and you buy it for $35.  It baffles me why people over pay on these online sales,  I can see why most all of the distributors have online sales with the premium price they get.  But don't people shop around a little and get a better price, it's like going to a gun sale around here, you can go buy the same gun new for less than you can buy a used one on a auction.

 

[rtmcc]

Because people will pay it!

 

[chambero]

You are assuming the online sales are real.  Pretty sure their purpose is to generate buzz.

 

[MCC]

I buy semen from time to time on these sales. I will give a couple of dollars more a unit on a bull simply because I have other semen bought and it is cheaper to do that and have it shipped together instead of having to buy it from another place and pay an extra shipping charge.

 

[Limiman12]

What he said, might be a convenience factor for many......  I know when I order semen, I end up ordering more then I need, and maybe some bulls that I am not going to use right away just to save shipping costs and for convenience....

 

[Tallcool1]

You are assuming the online sales are real.  Pretty sure their purpose is to generate buzz.

EXACTLY!!!

There is another thing that I have noticed when there are a few Lots of semen being offered in conjunction with calves.  When the sale starts winding down, and it is in "extended bidding time" mode, the semen starts getting bids.  I believe that is done to buy time, and the actual bids are coming from the SELLER.  That will certainly inflate the price.

 

[Till-Hill]

I sat and watched and almost laughed and wondered what the heck are people thinking on the last few I paid attention to. Firewater is a $20 bull can buy him for $17 and delivered by Genex! Why pay $30? ??

I've advertised my BC Lookout semen for 2 years now and nobody will even call at $125. Selling for $140+ every online sale I seen so what's it really worth??!!

 

[RobertS]

Sometimes you have to read in the description. It might be sexed semen. That could be the reason for higher price.

 

[bryan6807]

Watch on several of the more popular bulls. some average joe will start the bidding off, and next thing you know, its the same 2 buyer numbers bumping the price hoping the avg. joe will take the bait and stay on the unit. they create a artificial bidding war hoping their is some poor sucker out there thinking this is his opportunity to get in on a hot bull. same goes with the heifer and bull sales. 

 

[GoWyo]

Pretty sure this happens in most sales at least on some lots that the seller wants to protect on price.  Seems to really happen at places like NWSS sales where I watched a couple of heifers with feet pointing in all different directions and sorry EPDs bring $14,000, while there were a couple of decent deals in the same sale with better cattle at less than half the price.  Figure out what the lot is worth to you and make sure you stop bidding if you get there.

 

[Cow Chaser]

I like watching the ring men at sales pulling bids, some of them don't hid it very well.  I was at a supposed reputable sale once and bid on a cow, I was the second person to bid and next thing you know the bid past me buy a $1000 and they sold and looked at me for my number and I told them I didn't bid that much and they asked how much did you bid, I told they a $1000 less than they had they started the bid again and nobody else bid so I took her home at my price. 

 

[firesweepranch]

Yep, I thought the same thing last night. Paying more than what you can get it for direct. I also noticed how high Steel Force went. They just sold some of his semen at Griswold sale and the low end was $150 (I should have jumped on that!) with the higher end being $250. Now, mind you, it was bigger lots (I think they were in 10, and Top Sires was only 3) but really to pay over $300 for it (one lot was $360 and one was $340 a straw) seems silly. Maybe it was a lot of hype...
I have found a neat trick. For registered cattle, if you really want to know if an animal sold for what they claimed, go look at the registration papers a few months later. Who owns the animal now, the seller or the new buyer???  <cowboy>

 

[knabe]

Low Fat Sealect Tuna

 

[Gargan]

Low Fat Sealect Tuna

(lol)