AGENTS & PINHOOKER= S

By Bob Prisco

The racing pigeon industry or sport in Taiwan is uniqu= e in that there are numerous opportunities for involvement other then as an owne= r, trainer, breeder, feed and supply stores, transportation services (both land and sea), import companies and their services, auctioneers, veterinary and medical suppliers and several other business. Many individuals select the busine= ss that best suits their interest and goals.&= nbsp; Any involvement in the racing sport should be planned out very caref= ully with a realistic business plan for the best success.

One such business is the “AGENT”. One of the most important roles of= an agent is to purchase birds for other fanciers. These fanciers have many reasons f= or employing an agent, such as privacy, convenience and the knowledge that a g= ood agent has many years of experience in the racing pigeon sport. The extent of the agent’s involvement varies with the individual owner’s needs. An agent can simply ac= t as an interpreter, or he can act as an investment counselor. As in any business endeavor, it is important to investigate the qualifications and reputation of the agent bef= ore you engage his services. You = are looking for HONESTY and INTEGRITY. A good agent researches the birds’ bloodlines and the fancier’s reputation. H= e uses that information to either make an inquiry for a client, or he may provide = the information directly to the client. The client now has the best possible information to make a decision = as to whether the birds will help him with his breeding program.

Good agents have an encyclopedic knowledge of the industry. What bloodlines are winning in a certain area is the key to understanding the market. His purpose is to help his client = be competitive by choosing the right birds to buy and breed. Knowledge of the market and value = of the birds allows for the purchase of bargain birds, which many times escalate in value very quickly. Many new = fanciers, and even current ones, look to agents for help because they know that when negotiating, it is important to create a win-win situation for both parties. Failure to do so cou= ld result in strained business relations between the parties in the future. Good agents always want to leave e= very sale / business deal with a positive commitment and a positive impression.<= /p>

Another practice is “PINHOOKING”. Pinhooking is the buying of a bird= with the specific intent of re-selling it for a profit. Most pinhookers buy a bird for a l= ow price and re-sell it for a profit / reasonable return on his investment. Pinhooking requires a great deal of risk, but it is one of the few businesses that can bring 100% profit on an investment in a few months. M= otives for pinhooking vary, but many treat it as a career business. Still others see it as a high-risk= , high –yield investment, like “futures trading” in the stock market. Most pinhookers do no= t keep birds to race. Many pinhookers specialize in buying “record birds” or Champion Birds from other countries. Some buy certain families or bloodlines, others buy 30 day old youngsters and keep them until they mature at 6-12 months, while others just buy what they feel will sell. The 30 day old buying i= s an extremely risky business. If a 30-day-old bird does not mature as anticipated, it may bring a sales price = that is less than the original purchase price.&= nbsp; Also, even if a 30 day old does mature into a handsome sales prospec= t at 6-12 months, the market may weaken, resulting in a re-sale at a loss. What if the 30-day-old bird become= s sick or dies? It is a total loss, = with no return on the pinhooker’s money.

The racing pigeon industry is alive and well in Taiwan= . The business of agents and pinhook= ers is exciting, complex, interesting and very vital to the sport. Finding success with a little magi= c and a lot of hard work is possible. There is a lot of truth behind the saying “Luck happens when h= ard work and opportunity meet”. The goal of an agent or a pinhooker is to make their clients’ experience in the sport enjoyable and profitable, along with a nice profit = for themselves.