I’m sure most breeders in the country benefited from the elevated price of puppies due to the pandemic. Right now we’re back to price points we were seeing in early 2020 but this time buyers searching the Internet find hundreds of cute puppies of the same breed! So, how do I get my puppies to sell?
Quality Photos
Not all photographers are equal. Learn which photographer you like to work with and schedule him/her two to four weeks in advance. Bathing the puppies during the eight hours leading up to the photo shoot is not a good idea as moisture in light colored puppy hair can make it look yellow. The puppy may seem perfectly dry and the photos are still affected.
Excellent Lighting and Back Drops
Be selective with the backgrounds for photos shoots. Select a nice flower bed or special place that creates nice photos. Avoid shadows and direct sunlight. A
knowledgeable photographer will have valuable advice.
Pricing
Pricing is not the most important factor in puppy sales but it is an important piece of the puzzle. Ask your website agent what price the breed is selling for. It’s not a good idea to start high and drop back slowly. You can command a higher price if you are a licensed kennel with an established on-line presence including breeder profile pages and customer reviews.
The best time to make a puppy sale is between eight and eleven weeks old. If your puppies are ten weeks old and you only sold two in a litter of ten you either have poor quality photos or are priced to high! When lowering the price, consider dropping at intervals of one to two hundred. If your puppies are twelve to sixteen weeks old, consider dropping the price to two to four hundred. This is rarely necessary if your price is correct when the puppies are eight weeks old.
Name Recognition
Customers rarely buy the first puppy they see. The majority spend hours scanning the Internet, researching breeds and researching breeders. (more on this subject in our next article) Updating your listing is very effective and necessary depending on which website you are using. Buyers expect a quick response, pay attention to all incoming phone calls or check your messages four to six times a day.
