Online thoroughbred bloodstock trading is becoming increasingly popular in both New Zealand and Australia.
Buyers have the convenience of fortnightly trading opportunities and vendors have a cost-effective selling option to move bloodstock on.
Buyers and sellers alike are embracing the concept and with gavelhouse.com’s rapid growth we have seen in just over one year it is set to continue growing.
As always there is a risk in buying bloodstock whether you’re bidding ringside at traditional sales or from an online space behind your computer screen. So what can you do to mitigate the risk?
Do your due diligence, and do your homework. With gavelhouse.com fortnightly catalogues online for six days before bidding closes and vendor contact information available on each listing page we encourage prospective buyers to make contact with the vendors and do their research before placing a bid.
Finding out more information and inspecting the horse in person will ensure you know what you are really buying and can help you make a decision on your budget.
- If you can’t make it yourself to inspect the horse, get someone whose judgement you trust to inspect it for you.
- Ask a member of the New Zealand Bloodstock Agents Federation or the Federation of Bloodstock Agents Australia to inspect the horse for you. Members of these federations are experts in their fields and are bound by a code of ethics.
- Ask the farm for more photos and a video of the horse if you feel what they have provided isn’t sufficient for you to feel comfortable bidding on the horse.
- Contact people who will have dealt with the horse whether it be a former trainer, the breaker, or even a jockey that may have ridden it at the trials or races.
As a vendor it is in your best interest to represent the horse you are selling fairly and honestly. Be upfront about any health or soundness issues, and where possible supply pregnancy certificates for in foal mares and breeding certificates for maiden mares. If you would like to cut down on enquiries make sure you provide a detailed description, quality photos, and video footage of your horse from the outset.
Should you be interested in buying and selling online the friendly and helpful gavelhouse.com team are available to assist with any queries and can be contacted in New Zealand on +64 9 296 4436 and in Australia on +61 3 9614 4882.
Fortnightly online bloodstock auctions 