Livestock farmer makes a killing from OLX sales

Sylvester Bett scans his flashing phone screen on his farm at a remote location in Chepngetuny sub-location, Nandi East sub-county.

As the little gadget gets to life, numbers instantly update, giving the precise offers he has received for the cattle he has placed on auction at an online market.

“This shows you everything you need to know and if you’re going to make money,” he says as he demonstrates how he has been selling his cattle on OLX and earning more than double what the open-market offers per head.

OLX Country Manager Peter Ndiang’ui says that over two million people visit the online market site every month and that over 28 per cent of shoppers in Kenya consider shopping online.

For close to three years now Bett, a mixed farmer, has been using the online forum to target buyers for his livestock in a bid to eliminate brokers and maximise profit.

Eliminates brokers

As a result of using the online forum, which more farmers are embracing to sell their produce, Bett has been selling more animals and incurring less overhead costs — a trend that has increased his turnover.

“The highest price I’ve ever sold a cow at is Sh120,000, which is very good income. Currently, prices range between Sh80,000 and Sh120,000,” says Bett.

The biggest advantage of using OLX, he says, is that it eliminates brokers who take advantage of desperate farmers in open-air markets to demand hefty cuts.

“Previously, because of brokers, it was difficult to sell since they demanded part of the proceeds which greatly reduced our profit. But the Internet revolution has made it easy for livestock farmers to reap more from the sale of their livestock.”

Mr Ndiang’ui says that online market forums like OLX improve people’s lives by bringing them together for win-win exchanges like in Bett’s case.

“We are the dealmakers or facilitators, so in a sense we provide a forum where everybody wins,” he says. Electronic devices, cars and real estate comprise the highest composition of items traded on OLX.

People trade in a variety of items and over 60 per cent of traders get a response within the first five days of placement.

More than 300 cars, 50 livestock and 1,000 electronic devices are listed on OLX every day.

Bett, an assistant chief, told the Business Daily that he started trading in livestock accidentally while looking for ways of paying school fees for three of his children who had joined different universities.

The only option he had of making quick cash was to dispose of some cattle in his heard. His 11-year-old son, Edmond Kiprotich, suggested that he tries selling on OLX.

“After seeing an advertisement on television and the suggestion from my son, I decided to place an advertisement on OLX through my mobile phone,” says Bett.

The response was swift and the father, a father of five, started getting calls from interested buyers. Some of the calls came from as far as Busia, Chemelil and Kisumu. “I never thought that the transaction would be as quick as it happened. I was surprised, but I also got ideas.

It is something I could do regularly to make money, so I started selling livestock on OLX,” says Bett.

Customers do not pay a fee to use the website, a fact Bett says should encourage others to join in the trade and make more money.

“There are two kinds of farmers,” says Sospeter Magelo, who has also sold some cows on the online platform; one type will utilise technology and the other simply won’t. The young who use Facebook and other social media will jump on this bandwagon.’’

Good option

Selling online is a good option for farmers and buyers looking for a convenient way of doing business. Basically, the technology operates more like Facebook. A prospective seller sets up an account on the site and posts his goods or services. He then arranges a time and place for delivery.

Magelo is optimistic. He signed up on OLX and says he intends to use it.

“I think it is a marvellous idea. I hope it becomes more recognised among consumers as a way of acquiring quality products and support the economy.”
Bett’s advise to fellow farmers is that they should embrace the Internet revolution as a way of making quicker money.

“When you use OLX you receive all the cash without giving away some to brokers. It’s the safest way of selling, so farmers should learn to trade in their goods safely,” says Bett.

Priscilla Muhiu, OLX head of Marketing and Communications for East Africa, says the firm plans to increase the number of transactions on its website by improving the platform to make it work in areas with no Internet connection.