Re the area of the saddle pad that the girth sits over - my saddler told me that this should be a flat area, without a ribbed edge, otherwise it feels like a ruk in a sock to the horse and is uncomfortable.
I'm uncertain if this is the close contact aspect but they seem to just differ in cut and...
Not selling horses, but selling horsey stuff from a friends estate and it's just the same. I suspect people are thinking about their summer holidays and saving money for that. Take heart, if its meant to be it will be.