A nuc in July is worth a ....?

[rober]

I get a $50.00 non-refundable deposit on nucs. without some cash up front too many buyers back out. I only sell a set number & I like to pre-sell them. one buyer this spring whined when after waiting over a month for his deposit I moved to the next person on the list. he then signed on for a late may nuc.I also have gone to the white corrugated nuc boxes. even when I got a deposit on my wooden nuc boxes it was often a pain getting my boxes back. a friend sold some nucs & one woman threw 3 of his boxes away & then refused to compensate him. some people play games with checks. one woman put for deposit only at the signature space on her check. she obviously was slowing down the process which kinda' ticked me off. if you want me to hold the check a few days tell me but don't play check floating games. I also now require cash when the nucs are picked up. too many people have bounced checks on me. it's a 2 way street when selling nucs. sellers have their problems too. it sounds like your seller had problems with his bees this spring. it also sounds like you need to go knock on his door if you want a refund.
as far as bookkeeping.........I I make a list on a sheet of letter sized paper with names & contact info how many nucs & how much in deposits was paid & put that in an envelope with the deposit money. that way if things go south on my end I have the cash in hand for refunds ( which fortunately has never come up )

[Acebird]

Don't put all your faith in cash!  When you go to deposit it in the bank and the bank finds out it is counterfeit they confiscate the bill and you are out the money.  Make sure you know who gave you what bills.  Even credit / debit cards are not guaranteed for the vendor.  About the only thing that is guaranteed is to go into a bank or post office with the buyer have them cash their own check or buy a money order.  Now no matter what happens to the check at the bank or the cash at the post office your money is yours.
Not the most convenient way to do business.

[little john]

In any contract, as many variables as possible need to be fixed, else the contract becomes too vague and meaningless. Price and date can be easily fixed - the size of nucs is far more difficult to define - and their size changes with each passing day.

So - say you contract to supply 6 nucs for collection by (say ) 1st April for a deposit of $x, with the balance to be paid on collection.  With that you then have something definite around which to work.
Ok - so let's say it's a late year, and the nucs are not quite up to an adequate size - and the agreed contract has therefore not been met. What can then be done ?  I would suggest that the customer could be offered 3 alternatives:
a) an immediate refund of deposit.
b) a modest reduction in price (for the reduction in quality), with the nucs being accepted 'as is'.
c) an appropriate reduction in price (for the delay), with a new agreed date for collection.

Whatever choice the customer makes, the supplier will be taking the financial hit - which I think is only right and proper, as goodwill and protection of reputation are vital if a business is to prosper.
 
Personally, I prefer to sell on a first come, first served basis, with those showing prior interest being given a few days advanced notice of sale, with reservations being made accordingly.  In the event of someone wanting to place a very large order, of course it might then become necessary to re-think this approach ... but I can't see this ever happening to Yours Truly.
LJ

[mtnb]

There was a guy on the northern beekeepers fb page who was complaing of exactly the same thing. He finally got a hold of the wife about two weeks ago and it turned out the bk had had a heart attack and had been incoherent in the hospital for months. The wife had no idea about his business and didn't know who or what or how to contact people.

Could be a similar situation?

[tjc1]

That's what I've been wondering, however his website has his and his brother's name on it, so it would seem likely that one of them would be OK and able to respond to calls/emails. I know he's a member of his local county club and contacted them but no news.

[Acebird]

LJ  I think the customer should have another option:  e) to pay full price at a later date.  A week or two is not a big deal.  A couple of months is.

[tjc1]

Well, finally heard from the guy out of the blue. We were talking about what I would do when I got home with the bees, when I remind him he is giving me medium frames, not deeps. There's a pause and he says, "Oh, that didn't work out, I only have deep frames." End of story. He is sending me my money back. A very nice and knowledgeable beek, but not so good on the business end...

[BeeMaster2]

Glad you got your money back.
Time to make some swarm traps and get some free bees.
Jim

[mtnb]

Boy, what a bummer but at least you're getting your money back.