Selling What I Don't Need
Have you ever tried to sell fence from 1,000 miles away? Let's just say it's more difficult than you think. And it's difficult because it's way EASIER than you think!
When I purchased the property, I received oodles and oodles of fence already installed on the pasture. I didn't need all of the fence (it's cattle gates tied together), so I decided to try and list the fence and take the money and put it back into the pasture and barn.
Keep it simple: If you don't need it, GET RID OF IT!!!
Well, I received an overwhelming response from interested buyers. I mean, OVERWHELMING. I literally had so much interest that it became quite confusing this morning with buyers coming and going. My very gracious mother agreed to be the coordinator while I was out in Colorado on business, and the gates were just flying off the property. So much so that I think I committed to too many buyers.
I had one person come in and take 20 of the 30 panels! I wasn't really planning on that!!! And it put me behind the proverbial 8-ball. I had agreed to sell 10 to someone else this weekend, and that negated that rather quickly. I felt terrible. Like...sickening. I immediately let her know the situation, but I just feel terrible about it. I always want to honor my word. I found out that doing so 1000 miles away from home with a couple of unexpected buyers made that rather difficult.
Ugh.
The good news is that the gates are selling. I love that someone else can use them. I just had NO IDEA just how many people wanted to use them. I guess I priced them right at $60. I was able to sell a walk-thru horse gate for $200 (he was ecstatic!), ALL of the 10-foot gates for $60 each, ALL of the 12-footers for $70-75 each, and I'm hoping for a buyer tomorrow on at least two of the 18-footers at $100 each.
All in all, 32 gates sold today alone, and that brought in $2120 for the mini farm endeavor. I get rid of what I don't need and can put that money into what I do need. And the other farmers are happy with what they need, too! That's the best type of transaction. Two happy parties.
Of course, it's quite easy to burn through $2120! I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it in the pasture (barn re-siding, for example), or fund a garage door for my machine shed. I suppose it's good to have options. I WOULD like to keep it outside, though, on farm stuff...not house stuff.
The removal of 32 gates/fence panels should also clean up the property quite a bit, too. I am eager to see all of the gates removed from the middle of the pasture. It should make that pasture look huge now!!! Some buyers also wanted to take the cinder blocks that the fences were mounted on. Uh, sure! Less for me to pick up around the property!
When I get back home, I plan to finish the last row of fence and get that pasture filled up with some piggies!
So all in all, a good day far away from home. MOM, YOU ARE THE BEST!!! I simply couldn't have done it without you!!!
I also received word that the metal scrapper guy wants to come by tomorrow afternoon to dismantle the little grain bin. I never thought the property would clean up this quickly, but I'm not complaining one bit!
Now that the cattle gates are gone, too, it gives me the ability to quickly erect hog panel along the south side of the property. I will just need to set them against the T-posts and tie them on. Because of that, I plan to take the pasture fence all the way down to the south end of my property now. No more cutting across it in the middle like I had planned until the fence sold. What an early blessing!
Now if I could just destroy that plastic poly tank in the middle...it's driving me nuts.
IN OTHER NEWS...
I'm sitting at a coffee shop in Colorado, so I have time to think about the economics of pigs. And the price of fencing is just HUGE. I made the comment to Dad earlier in the week, "I don't think I would have spent $2000 on fencing for pigs if it wasn't already here." And that's probably true. I like the idea of pigs (and the upcoming family memories!), but $2000?! Ouch! I would have had a HARD time buying $2000 worth of fence when the house needs so much in repair. I am blessed that it came with the farm.
Not only am I selling $2000 in fencing, but I am KEEPING probably $2000 of current fencing (hog panels, T-posts, and wooden posts, a couple of gates). Starting with nothing would have made pigs absolutely unprofitable!
The good news is that having fence makes my pig economics actually more viable! So I will try to tally up my current pig costs for the time being. I have not done this yet, so I am curious to see how this list adds up!
Current Costs
Automatic Pig Feeder--$225
Second Automatic Pig Feeder--$100 + $25 in repairs=$125
Four 55-Gallon Drums for Pig Waterers--$20
10 Pig Waterer Nipples--$22
Homemade Wooden Livestock Rack--$6
Metal Livestock Rack--$150
Gasoline/Truck Wear--$100
Upcoming Costs
20 50-pound Bags of Feed--$140
10 Feeder Pigs--$400-600
So my current costs are already $648. Upcoming expected costs bring that total to $1188-1388, depending upon how much I pay for the feeder pigs.
So the question is, in six months, "Can I get more than $1400 for 10 pigs"? Obviously, that puts the needed sale price at $140/pig. At 220 pounds, that means charging $0.64/pound to a customer. At 250 pounds, that means charging $0.56/pound. Anything above that is in theory profit! Profit. ha! Riiiiiiiiiiiiight. Could it be?!
But if I am creative, use the power of social media, show pictures of pasture pigs, use a niece or three for photos, tug on some happy-pig-heart-strings, could I perhaps get $2.00/pound...???!!! And if so...wowzers!
Of course, fence repair, barn maintenance, medicine, wear-and-tear on feeders, waterers, and other unknowns all add to the costs and take away from the profits.
But already having the fencing on property (a $2000 savings), is it possible that these pigs might actually bring back the namesake "Mortgage Lifters"?! I would love to think so!!!
Time will tell.
When I purchased the property, I received oodles and oodles of fence already installed on the pasture. I didn't need all of the fence (it's cattle gates tied together), so I decided to try and list the fence and take the money and put it back into the pasture and barn.
Keep it simple: If you don't need it, GET RID OF IT!!!
 |
| Look at all of those panels on the south side of the property! I just don't need them! |
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| I have four or five of these 18-foot gates. I am asking $100 each. And I have interested buyers! |
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| Everywhere you turned you found gates! This one is in a mess! But it sold for $60. |
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| Here a gate, there a gate, everywhere a gate, gate!!! I plan to keep just two gates out of the more than 30 that came with the property. WOW!!! |
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| I am selling off all of these swinging gates tied together to make fence. Little pigs will run right through those! |
Ugh.
The good news is that the gates are selling. I love that someone else can use them. I just had NO IDEA just how many people wanted to use them. I guess I priced them right at $60. I was able to sell a walk-thru horse gate for $200 (he was ecstatic!), ALL of the 10-foot gates for $60 each, ALL of the 12-footers for $70-75 each, and I'm hoping for a buyer tomorrow on at least two of the 18-footers at $100 each.
 |
| I didn't even have a clue what this was before a farmer told me. It's a gate that you walk through on a horse. Notice the latch way up high. It's so you don't have to get off your high horse to open it! I sold this for $200. |
Of course, it's quite easy to burn through $2120! I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it in the pasture (barn re-siding, for example), or fund a garage door for my machine shed. I suppose it's good to have options. I WOULD like to keep it outside, though, on farm stuff...not house stuff.
The removal of 32 gates/fence panels should also clean up the property quite a bit, too. I am eager to see all of the gates removed from the middle of the pasture. It should make that pasture look huge now!!! Some buyers also wanted to take the cinder blocks that the fences were mounted on. Uh, sure! Less for me to pick up around the property!
 |
| These gates were all tied together to form a fence in the middle of my pasture. Nope. I sold them all! |
 |
| A clever way to make gates turn into fences. |
 |
| A gate that no longer serves a purpose. This was now outside my pasture as I squared off the lop-sided pasture. Sold for $60! |
 |
| The pasture won't look like this anymore when I get back! All that cattle fence on the right is gone! |
I also received word that the metal scrapper guy wants to come by tomorrow afternoon to dismantle the little grain bin. I never thought the property would clean up this quickly, but I'm not complaining one bit!
Now that the cattle gates are gone, too, it gives me the ability to quickly erect hog panel along the south side of the property. I will just need to set them against the T-posts and tie them on. Because of that, I plan to take the pasture fence all the way down to the south end of my property now. No more cutting across it in the middle like I had planned until the fence sold. What an early blessing!
Now if I could just destroy that plastic poly tank in the middle...it's driving me nuts.
IN OTHER NEWS...
I'm sitting at a coffee shop in Colorado, so I have time to think about the economics of pigs. And the price of fencing is just HUGE. I made the comment to Dad earlier in the week, "I don't think I would have spent $2000 on fencing for pigs if it wasn't already here." And that's probably true. I like the idea of pigs (and the upcoming family memories!), but $2000?! Ouch! I would have had a HARD time buying $2000 worth of fence when the house needs so much in repair. I am blessed that it came with the farm.
Not only am I selling $2000 in fencing, but I am KEEPING probably $2000 of current fencing (hog panels, T-posts, and wooden posts, a couple of gates). Starting with nothing would have made pigs absolutely unprofitable!
The good news is that having fence makes my pig economics actually more viable! So I will try to tally up my current pig costs for the time being. I have not done this yet, so I am curious to see how this list adds up!
Current Costs
Automatic Pig Feeder--$225
Second Automatic Pig Feeder--$100 + $25 in repairs=$125
Four 55-Gallon Drums for Pig Waterers--$20
10 Pig Waterer Nipples--$22
Homemade Wooden Livestock Rack--$6
Metal Livestock Rack--$150
Gasoline/Truck Wear--$100
Upcoming Costs
20 50-pound Bags of Feed--$140
10 Feeder Pigs--$400-600
So my current costs are already $648. Upcoming expected costs bring that total to $1188-1388, depending upon how much I pay for the feeder pigs.
So the question is, in six months, "Can I get more than $1400 for 10 pigs"? Obviously, that puts the needed sale price at $140/pig. At 220 pounds, that means charging $0.64/pound to a customer. At 250 pounds, that means charging $0.56/pound. Anything above that is in theory profit! Profit. ha! Riiiiiiiiiiiiight. Could it be?!
But if I am creative, use the power of social media, show pictures of pasture pigs, use a niece or three for photos, tug on some happy-pig-heart-strings, could I perhaps get $2.00/pound...???!!! And if so...wowzers!
Of course, fence repair, barn maintenance, medicine, wear-and-tear on feeders, waterers, and other unknowns all add to the costs and take away from the profits.
But already having the fencing on property (a $2000 savings), is it possible that these pigs might actually bring back the namesake "Mortgage Lifters"?! I would love to think so!!!
Time will tell.
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