Re: [Alpacasite] Farm visitorsay they "would not pay for the F&R Guide"

How much does the Ranch guide weigh? I ship quite frequently and
1 lb costs $3.85, 2 lbs, $6.85... Now that's just the POSTAGE and
doesn't include shipping materials and time.

Kathryn & Robert Coursey
kathryn@coursey.org
Chipola Alpacas
in the Panhandle of Florida
www.chipolaalpacas.com
(850) 639-6809
I am a source for weeping willow trees
and white mulberry trees.

Some folks are like Slinkies,
Not good for much,
But ya just can't help but smile
When you see one tumble down the
stairs.

-------Original Message-------

From: Sharon or Jim Dear
Date: 12/08/05 19:57:21
To: Alpacasite@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Alpacasite] Farm visitorsay they "would not pay for the F&R
Guide"

I think this cost of shipping thing is not right.

Dream Chaser Alpacas <hufford@dreamchaseralpacas.com> wrote: I know this
has been discussed on the site previously, but I have
recently had a complaint from someone interested in alpacas about AOBA
requiring interested parties to "pay for AOBA's advertising". This
person has informed me that they would not ever pay to have someone
elses advertising sent to them....and the price of nearly $10 to
receive the advertising material is outrageous. One farm visitor
stated there were only 5 farms listed in their area they would be
visiting and if they had had to pay for the guide, they wouldn't be
visiting them unless they had learned about them another way. As his
wife said, "I wouldn't pay 2 bucks a farm just for names!"

This is of high concern to us as a small alpaca farm. Four of the six
contacts made by us with prospective buyers this past year was through
our ad in the guide (including one from Canada) and one was from the
online farm site listing. And although we are not actively pursuing
sales currently, we have tried to show our visitors that even a small
farm venture can succeed, as we have grown from 5 to 11 alpacas in
just over a year, built our outbuildings, and begun agisting animals.
We try to help them understand what is entailed and what they can
realistically expect. Then we refer them to farms we believe
are "reliable" to purchase animals or research further, and we refer
them to a couple of alpaca sites to learn the "good, bad, and the
ugly".

Most of our visitors are not looking for a get rich scheme, they are
researching a possible change in lifestyle for their families and a
future income - which will at least allow them to live comfortably and
as some have said, spend more time with their families.

Since the anouncement of the changes in policy, we have also asked our
visitors if they received the guide or just accessed us on line, and
if they would have paid for it if necessary. ALL have said they would
not have paid for the guide. At least two have bought into alpacas,
one a dispersal herd. The others are continuing their research, three
of them are on this site. This is at least four people who might not
have found our farm if they had to pay for the guide.

Since our ad in the guide is paid for by us with the intention and
understanding that our listing be made available to possible future
buyers and those researching alpacas as a business, we have become
even more concerned with AOBA charging $9.95 for the guide under the
ruse of shipping. I ship packages to Alaska, and sometimes that
doesn't even cost me $9.95.

Does anyone else share these concerns? If what our farm visitors have
said are true, I don't see a reason to use the farm guide as part of
our advertising plan.

Janet Hufford

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---------------------------------

Jim and Sharon Dear
St. Lawrence County
Potsdam, New York
Alpacas came home 9-11-04
THE DEAR ALPACA FARM
www.dearalpacafarm.com

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