# Selling Hay on FB Marketplace?



## circlehfarms (Aug 20, 2012)

I’ve been selling hay and farm equipment for 15 years. I started with small square bales and then went to round bales. I also have bought equipment to resell. I have been busy with my main business, which is commercial concrete construction, the last few years so I have only been making enough hay for my cows. This year I made more hay than the last few years and sold more cows and calves than I planned. Obviously, this lead to a hay surplus on my end. I contacted my usual buyers and sold a majority of it. I also put an ad on Facebook marketplace. My experience with FB buyers is half are on point and show up on time and are very decent. The other half, well it’s always something. Flat tire on trailer, had to work late, blah blah blah. Today I had a customer, who had contacted me on Facebook yesterday, call and set up a time to pick up hay. After waiting at the barn for an hour after meeting time, I call and get no answer. I call again and it goes to voicemail. I’m done with everything I need to do at the farm so I pack it up and head home. About the time I lock the gate, I get a nasty txt message in all caps, saying that he followed the gps to the address and it lead him through the woods and over the rainbow, whatever. When I talked to him on the phone earlier in the day I gave hime directions which was one turn from a landmark he knew of. Evidently he turned on the wrong dirt road and it’s going to take him a week to clean the mud off his truck….and he still has no hay. Where do these people come from. I’ve probably sold to 300-400 different people over the years and this is the first who couldn’t even find the place. Even the horsey ppl can do that.


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## FCF (Apr 23, 2010)

There are all kinds of people. I had a regular customer that knew where the drive was and needed hay right after a big snow. Moved the hay from a back barn up to beside the road leading in. They had been texting me from their work a couple of times that day and I told them where the hay was. They drive in right past the hay headed to the back barn and get stuck. After pulling them out and before loading the hay I asked "Why didn't you stop where I told you the hay was? You drove right past where I texted you it was." Their reply " I've been working, don't have time to check my phone."

Needless to say, neither one of us was happy. They remained a customer until moving out of the area.


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## Ox76 (Oct 22, 2018)

There's a lot of real jerks when using computers and phones to communicate. They don't act that way in real life but over the airwaves? Yeah. Totally different. Just downright rude and nasty sometimes. Non thinking, selfish and arrogant. I've made it so they need to contact me a half hour before arriving just to stop the time wasting for me. I've lost hours and hours that I could've been doing something somewhere else instead of waiting around the barns for an ass-hat that doesn't show and doesn't bother to tell me he ain't coming. Miss me off, pister!


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## RockyHill (Apr 24, 2013)

Few years back had a customer call me and hatefully ask where I was, she was at the barn to get hay. I'm standing in the yard and can see all but one barn and she didn't even know about that one. I ask if she was at the barn where she had gotten the hay before and she basically screamed YES AND WHY WASN'T I THERE. I ask her how she got to the barn and she said like she always had and gave the road name. I ask if she would like directions from there to our farm.  Somehow it was still my fault she was at the wrong farm. Since she couldn't get hay from that farmer she came back to us to get hay that day. What made it even more amusing was she had her poor husband with her and he couldn't do anything right in loading the trailer.


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## Ox76 (Oct 22, 2018)

Reckon maybe he shoulda stacked a bunch of bales around with her there in the middle somewhere? Hay makes great sound insulation. In fact I've heard rumors it's great at muffling screaming Karens of all genders (which I guess there's something north of 100 genders or so by now, right?).


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## Markpnw (Dec 27, 2019)

Well everyone knows FB is a city slicker platform so don’t expect great customers. Then you get those people after you load there 2 small bales the “forget to pay you” and almost take off. And then they ask if you accept card Venmo cashapp checks everything besides cash Because they “forgot” to bring cash.


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## Hayjosh (Mar 24, 2016)

I'm pretty blessed to have good consistent customers each year every year. I haven't advertised for several years and my people want the same amount of hay every year. I have customers on a waiting list waiting to get into the regular rotation for years when I pick up additional acreage or have extra hay. All of 2022's hay is spoken for just like all of 2023's hay will be spoken for too. They show up on time, offer me their kids when I need help, and one has even paid me $1 extra/bale because he thought I was too low. I've developed good friendships with all of them.


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## RockyHill (Apr 24, 2013)

Markpnw said:


> Well everyone knows FB is a city slicker platform so don’t expect great customers. Then you get those people after you load there 2 small bales the “forget to pay you” and almost take off. And then they ask if you accept card Venmo cashapp checks everything besides cash Because they “forgot” to bring cash.





Ox76 said:


> Reckon maybe he shoulda stacked a bunch of bales around with her there in the middle somewhere? Hay makes great sound insulation. In fact I've heard rumors it's great at muffling screaming Karens of all genders (which I guess there's something north of 100 genders or so by now, right?).


So far we've had customers loading a few bales in the back of an SUV with kids in carseats but haven't had the "almost take off" people. We do have some that will message along the way that they forgot cash and ask about checks or paypal. No one that has ask has given bad check . . . yet.


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

When we had those idiot bricks we sold to a few horse people. Most of the time we were lucky; dad did get a rubber check one year, and another he was given a horse for the hay. Now we feed most of what we produce. I am going to have some left over hay, but I don't think I am going to sell it.


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## circlehfarms (Aug 20, 2012)

CowboyRam said:


> When we had those idiot bricks we sold to a few horse people. Most of the time we were lucky; dad did get a rubber check one year, and another he was given a horse for the hay. Now we feed most of what we produce. I am going to have some left over hay, but I don't think I am going to sell it.


I’ve received rubber checks in the past as well. I’m let the lady get $4-500 behind and the check that was supposed to settle up bounced. Never heard a word until recently when I put up the ad on Facebook. Sure enough she messaged me wanting some hay. I guess she thought I forgot or maybe it’s just how she operates.


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## Ox76 (Oct 22, 2018)

Facebook marketplace is not where I thought I'd be, for sure, but it has generated more sales than anything else...ever. In fact I never used Facebook EVER until this year. It's a shame really but it's the only option that is selling any hay. The big sign I have at the end of the road has gotten me less than 10 customers this year. Lots and lots of people use Marketplace and if I didn't use it I'd be sitting on several thousand bales still wondering where this year's hay is going to be put up. Right now I'm around 700 left to go. Gotta run with the crowd sometimes and just grimace your way through it.


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## ttazzman (Sep 29, 2019)

Lol.....I had a lady last year ask 20 questions about the hay cause her horse just needed special hay....I finally told her if her to come get a few if her horse didn't eat it I would refund her money....then she had trouble with her truck etc....no matter I was out of hay anyway she would been into my personal stock.....she never showed up.....well this year same thing bunch of questions...I just sent back and asked her if she got her truck fixed yet...she yessed me and stopped contact...lol we got quite a kick out of it....its always something with marketplace and Craigslist people just gotta expect it....everyone wants hay 15min before snow is supposed to start too....lol....and 2 bales in the back of a prius...I have a 20$ minimum...lol...


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## Curious (May 26, 2020)

Most exotic excuse I was ever given was from a first time buyer who kept postponing the set pick-up date. 

I think he was reluctant to tell me what was going on for personal reasons and maybe instructions from court officials?

Thought he was messing with me and finally he said he really wanted the hay but to forget about it since it had dragged out so long. He had been detained due to having witnessed a murder and having to be deposed, testify at trial etc. 

I "googled" some of what he told me and it was legit, so I told him since he was doing his civic duty I would hold the hay, the check was good.

He was working construction with a friend when he heard "pops", looked up at his friend and he looked terrified. They were in the cross-fire of a shoot-em-up that they had no part in. Some stray rounds buzzed past them and when it was over one of the intentional participants didn't make it.


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## Ox76 (Oct 22, 2018)

I've had the horsey folks saying how their horses were spoiled and wouldn't touch $10 alfalfa hay. They tried my mixed grass hay. Apparently they eat just about all of it. I guess the horse is smarter than the owner and knows that eating high protein racing fuel isn't a good idea if they're a lawn ornament and not doing anything besides eating and standing around. Can't tell the owners that though. They just say, "I don't know why, but they're eating your hay!". OK. Good. I still have some to sell, so tell your friends and neighbors. lol


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## RockyHill (Apr 24, 2013)

Ox76 said:


> I've had the *horsey folks* saying how their horses were spoiled and wouldn't touch $10 alfalfa hay. They tried my mixed grass hay. Apparently they eat just about all of it. I guess the *horse is smarter than the owner* and knows that eating high protein racing fuel isn't a good idea if they're a lawn ornament and not doing anything besides eating and standing around. Can't tell the owners that though. They just say, "I don't know why, but they're eating your hay!". OK. Good. I still have some to sell, so tell your friends and neighbors. lol


I know there is another old thread on that, but this gave me a good chuckle today.

Shelia


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## ACDII (Oct 1, 2021)

Well

facebook

enough said. 

I haven't been on it for a year now, and the only reason I have not deleted my account is because I started a page for a B-17E restoration project and although there are a couple admins, if I remove my account, the page goes with it. I deleted everything on my phones and laptop associated with FB.


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## Ox76 (Oct 22, 2018)

What really sucks is most of my customers this year was from Facebook Marketplace. It's like I have to hold hands with something terrible in order to move hay. Last season was word of mouth and a big sign I painted up at the end of the road. Had less than 10 calls from the sign this year. Last year was many dozens. Problem is, I think, the people selling $3 hay when everyone else is at $5 or more. People flock to the cheap stuff even if their critters don't eat it. "They'll eat it if they get hungry enough!" is the common theme here. Yeah - and you'll boil and eat your leather boots if YOU get hungry enough is what I always say. Truly fascinating (and infuriating) studying human nature sometimes.


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## ACDII (Oct 1, 2021)

Eh, yeah, no they wont eat the cheap stuff if hungry enough. At least none of the horses I had or had would, they churn it into their shavings instead. I still have at leas a couple dozen bales of cheap stuff my last horse wont eat. It is several years old now. In fact we haven't bought any hay for a couple years now since he wont touch it. 2 flakes of hay at night became 1 1/2 flakes of ground in bedding.


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