Online buying of sacrificial animals gaining momentum

LAHORE - With eight days left to mark Eid-ul-Azha, the buying of sacrificial animals through the Internet has started picking momentum. The trend of purchasing animals online is facilitating those people who do not have time to make a trip to the market to select the sacrificial animal of their choice. Customers can find the animals of their choice, order it online and get it delivered right at their doorstep. The prices of sacrificial animals on the Internet are, however, quite exorbitant. They are observed to be 20 percent higher than the open market. However, the higher prices have not discouraged potential buyers.
People say that they are paying the price of comfort, avoiding hardships like time consumption, transportation problems, bargaining hassles and most of all, visiting the cattle market in person. They also hoped that prices would come down near Eid. They said the City Government should promote this type of selling of sacrificial animals to facilitate the people.
A number of websites have come into action offering a variety of sacrificial animals including goats, cows and camels on Internet. These online services provide photo, video, voice and other descriptions including types and prices of the goats and other sacrificial animals on the Internet, which assists customers in making their choice.
They sell the sacrificial animals by weight. They accept payments from around the world through credit cards, terming it as the most convenient method for distant payments.