Hay Exchange

[gooselover]

Anyone use this website to get their hay? If so, how do you KNOW that the hay is good????

Any helpful hints is appreciated. I am looking for some alfalfa in square bales. Thanks.

[Tamara in TN]

Anyone use this website to get their hay? If so, how do you KNOW that the hay is good????
Any helpful hints is appreciated. I am looking for some alfalfa in square bales. Thanks.

you will not "know" if it's good or not until it arrives...asking about the hay exchange is kinda like asking on here" hey it's the COTH,how will I know if the horse I buy from a random member is any good??" ;)


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[gooselover]

I guess I was asking more from members if they have used it and if anyone recommended a supplier from their own experience.

I see your point however.

[Hampton Bay]

Is this the Hay Exchange that's based in Plant City, FL? If so, they generally have really nice hay, especially their timothy/alfalfa/orchard type hays. Coastal is never too consistent, no matter where you buy it IME.

[gooselover]

It's the hay exchange website. www.hayexchange.com

[greysandbays]

In my one experience (I ended up not buying), the guy was really pushy about trying to get me to buy (and prepay in full, which AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN!!!).

The price was exorbitant and it turns out he'd never even seen the hay he was claiming was so great. He was apparently just a broker who was wheeling and dealing like a day trader.

[Tamara in TN]

I guess I was asking more from members if they have used it and if anyone recommended a supplier from their own experience.

I see your point however.


well, there are a bunch there that we won't use again...in MI and OH and three in SD and one in ONT...the ones we avoid are normally only dealers in 3x3x8 and some sm sqs...you can expect about 20% crap and 80% in any given load from most any one "day traders " or "growers"...most think horse people are picky whiners who should be happy anyone sends them hay at all:eek:...

final word of warning do not buy it "by the bale" from any one...

[ponygirl]

Heed Tamara's advice. :)

I have used this site back in the day to get a hold of hay folks as the feed stores in my area are outrageous. They use brokers (thehayexchange being one of them) so are ungodly expensive. I have had some good hay experiences and some very, very bad hay experiences. There are folks I will not deal with ever and it seems they come from the same areas a Tamara's do. lol

Do not prepay for hay. Do not wire transfer funds to anyone. Get a list of references and make sure you call ALL references to make sure they are legit. Hay samples are useless so don't ask for them as they can put anything in the mail to send it to you.

[Tamara in TN]

Heed Tamara's advice. :)

I have used this site back in the day to get a hold of hay folks as the feed stores in my area are outrageous. They use brokers (thehayexchange being one of them) so are ungodly expensive. .

only as a point of fact...hayexchange is a free service and is only an advertising site...kinda like haybarn but not so pricey......and there is no screening or shifting thru sellers...you can also post "hay wanted" ads there if I remember correctly

[ponygirl]

only as a point of fact...hayexchange is a free service and is only an advertising site...kinda like haybarn but not so pricey......and there is no screening or shifting thru sellers...you can also post "hay wanted" ads there if I remember correctly

Reading my post, I can see how I might of caused confusion.
We have a broker in Plant City FL called The Hay Exchange Inc (www.thehayexchange.net) that our feed stores purchase hay from. $20 for a bale of 50lb Timothy is what it costs at the feed stores due to this broker. Someone prior to my post mentioned them. Not to be confused with the website to post ads. I sort of was talking about both of them but didn't clarify this. oops!

[Tamara in TN]

$20 for a bale of 50lb Timothy is what it costs at the feed stores due to this broker. !

be careful about that...

we sell hay to one Co-Op in the Valley and we discovered thru one of their employees that a 50 lb bale of alfalfa we sold to them for about $7, they were selling for $14....the employee made the two hour drive here to get the same hay as the store offered no employee discounts...

the mark up at the retail outlet is about 100% of wholesale...

that's crazy that someone would intentionally come so close to hayexchange.com web addy....but that's how they roll I guess :no:

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[gooselover]

Well, your replies sure answered my question! Thanks so much, all of you! I won't be using them at all.

[ponygirl]

be careful about that...

we sell hay to one Co-Op in the Valley and we discovered thru one of their employees that a 50 lb bale of alfalfa we sold to them for about $7, they were selling for $14....the employee made the two hour drive here to get the same hay as the store offered no employee discounts...

the mark up at the retail outlet is about 100% of wholesale...

that's crazy that someone would intentionally come so close to hayexchange.com web addy....but that's how they roll I guess :no:

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Understand. I have seen what the broker is charging the feed store as I was shown the invoice. I then tried to get the feed store to look elsewhere for a supplier. No dice b/c the FL broker is "convenient"

[Tamara in TN]

Understand. I have seen what the broker is charging the feed store as I was shown the invoice. I then tried to get the feed store to look elsewhere for a supplier. No dice b/c the FL broker is "convenient"

true enough,also feed stores really don't like to keep hay...it's messy, it's heavy there is not a real "demand" as everyone sees something different in a bale;)
and there are the trucks to be unloaded...

we just sent some to the Bahamas in a shipper by way of W. Palm Beach/Palm Beach and while it took only 45 minutes to load the truck up here in no wheres ville...it took SIX hours to unload them in WPB and two hours of that was just finding a pallets jack...and they KNEW the driver was coming:eek::lol: the driver was furious

FL is really held hostage by their circumstances