6 Tips for Selling a Saddle Online

January 26, 2014Carla LakeUncategorized#HOW TO3 Comments

Got a saddle you can’t use? Here are some helpful tips to get it out of your hands.

Know your saddle, and do some price comparison. First, forget it’s your saddle. Just because you learned to ride in it or it has fit all of the horses you’ve owned doesn’t make it more valuable.What’s the brand, year and make? Do a quick Google and Ebay search for similar saddles, and price yours comparably–or cheaper, if you want to sell quickly.

And if you don’t know specific details about your saddle, you’ll probably have to price it very low, since you won’t find many people willing to pay more than $200 for a since a no-name saddle (if that).

If your saddle is on the opposite end of the spectrum, remember your audience–most people looking for a saddle online are trying to find a bargain. So if you’re trying to sell a high-end saddle, you might actually be better off putting it on consignment in a physical store. Wouldn’t you want to see a saddle in real life if you were going to pay thousands of dollars for it?

Take a bazillion pictures. Don’t expect to get much interest if you list “Email for pictures” in your ad–there are literally thousands of ads out there that do have pictures. Extra points if you get out the tape measure and take photos of the seat size, gullet width and flap length.

This Ebay seller gets a gold star!

Write your ad: It should include the following information:

Year, brand and make of the saddle, or a very detailed description if you don’t have this information
What it was used for
Additional details: type of tree, serial number, type of flaps
Any issues or imperfections of the saddle (the buyer’s going to find out anyway, and you could end up being forced to give a refund through Ebay’s Buyer Protection program)
How it’s been maintained (When was it last reflocked?)
A way to contact you (not always necessary depending on where you post)

Post it as many places as possible–but keep track of expiration dates. Like buying a saddle online, selling a saddle online will save you the commission fee at a tack shop, but it will cost you in the effort of managing the sale yourself. Keep an eye on the sites where you post it, since someone else may post an “in search of” ad that describes your saddle to a T.

Some ideas for places to sell your saddle:

A note–Ebay will allow you to renew your ad a certain number of times, but since they have a limit on the dollar amount you can list per year, you might reach that threshold pretty quick with a saddle. Just call their customer service line and speak to a manager to increase your selling limit and renew indefinitely.

Sit back and wait. It can take a while for the right person to discover your saddle–so set reminders for yourself to renew your ads, and keep your saddle in good condition while it’s in limbo.

Time to ship! If you’re shipping your saddle rather than making the exchange in person, shipping costs can be expensive. Use the smallest box you can (the cheapest can be found at Wal Mart or Home Depot, NOT the post office!), and make sure you insure and track the package so you limit your liability. Other precautions to take:

Wrap stirrups in newspaper
Create your own bubble wrap by stuffing plastic bags with newspaper. Use liberally!
Before you close the box, put a piece of paper with the To/From addresses on it and leave it in the box just in case the shipping label gets damaged en route.
Tape the living daylights out of the box.

Good luck selling, and Go Riding!