Facebook is a great place to sell unwanted furniture, clothes, white goods etc. You can even sell your car.
One thing you aren’t allowed to sell, however, is live animals.
This is something that was brought into the spotlight recently in a BBC Sounds podcast, in which journalist Ailsa Rochester looked at how horses are traded on Facebook, and highlighted the dangers of buying there.
While buying a horse will never be risk-free – ultimately they are a live animal that could become ill or not be suited to you as an owner – there are rules around the advertising of them that ensure that what you receive matches what you were sold. Going to a traditional seller or auction means that you can feel more assured that these rules are being followed.
Facebook, however, may not come under the same level of scrutiny and you may fall foul of a number of issues, for example:
- a seller may hide potential problems
- buyers may be unaware of any health or behavioural problems
- it may be easier to sell stolen or mistreated horses in this way, again, unknown to the buyer.
Advice from Wrexham Council’s trading standards department would be to always buy from an authorised seller, meet the seller and see the horse in-person, ensure that the seller has the horse’s history including health records and always be wary of low prices!
