Help selling saddle on Ebay

[DaisyMae]

Hi all, needing to get a new saddle for my horse and want to sell the one which isn't fitting her anymore on Ebay, i'm totally clueless as i've never sold anything on there before and i'm not sure of how i package and post it. Has anyone sold a saddle or anything large on there before who can give me some tips????

 

[lexiedhb]

Yep sold two saddles last year, I got a very sturdy box, wsrapped the saddle in bubble wrap, and then surrounded it in the box with those polystyrene thingies....... took it to the post office, but I gather parcel force will collect it from you if you do it online!

 

[DaisyMae]

Thanks for that! can you remember how much it cost to post and package?

 

[chillidragon]

Quite randomly I sold a combiboiler on eBay. It's actually a bit of a farce setting the eBay account up and I did it a while ago so I'm not sure if I remember all the details. You have to enter bank account details and have them all confirmed, and then you also need to decide whether you want to accept payments via card/cheque, cash on collection, or via PayPal, which is much safer for more expensive items but equally that's also a farce to set up and link to your eBay account. You also need to make sure that you are very clear on your delivery charges (get a quote beforehand) and whether you will insure it or accept liability if it gets lost or damaged in transit - standard procedure is once it's out of your hands, it's their deal, but it's best to state that. Also be clear on whether they can return it if they're dissatisfied. I was quite strict on mine; they had seven days from receipt to return it, and only if it was damaged or faulty, they couldn't just send it back because they didn't like it, and they had to return it in exactly the same condition. If I was satisfied that they'd met those conditions then I would refund, but fortunately I never had a return. Also remember that you have to pay for every bit of your eBay ad and the costs can really eat out of your profits because they charge you for every single thing, each picture, how 'prominent' they make it, etc. etc. etc. All that said, if it's going to fetch a few pennies then why not?

(Hope I haven't put you off!)

 

[Jul]

I've sold a couple of saddles on ebay. I just got a big box and put some bubble wrap around saddle to protect it. I was told by a saddler that mainly you need to protect the cantle, other than that saddles are quite robust but I wrapped it up just to be sure. If you haven't got any bubble wrap once I used loads of empty Tescos bags scrunched up as that's all I had!

Took parcel down to the PO to send it, I think it cost around £10 or £12 from memory.

HTH

 

[VLHIEASTON]

Parcel2go will collect if you do it online too.
I find them cheapest for heavy items.

 

[meardsall_millie]

Yeah - Chillidragon is right - it's a right faff to set the account up - I did it last week. but once you're on it's addictive - over the past week I've spent as much time on E-Bay as I have on here. Apparently they have E-bay counselling in America!

Parcelforce collect & deliver any item up to 30kg for £11.99.

 

[VLHIEASTON]

YOU MUST SEND IT TO GET A SIGNATURE ON DELIVERY IF THE BUYER PAYS PAYPAL.
PAYING 10 - 12 POUNDS AT POST OFFICE WILL NOT COVER YOU FOR INSURANCE OR A SIGGY, I WUD NOT RECOMMEND SENDING IT THAT WAY.

 

[meardsall_millie]

This is the service that Parcelforce offers through E
-Bay - it must be booked & paid for on-line. Insurance is included up to a certain amount (not sure how much). Sig is required.

 

[lexiedhb]

You have to pay more for insurance as its only covered up to £100......... unless of course its a really cheap saddle!! It cost me £18 I think to go through parcel force insured up to £400 signed for!

 

[YorkshireLass]

If you have never sold on eBay, and so your account has no, or few feedback as a seller, you will not get a good price for it and you may not sell it at all.

If I was buying a saddle on eBay I would not even bid if it was a newbie seller. There are too many dodgy dealers out there. I would hold out till an established seller with plenty of good feedback offerd what I wanted.

Find a friend who regularly sells on eBay and get them to list your saddle.

Make sure you do lots of good close up pictures, include all the measurements. When you write the title part of the description include the brand, width fitting and size so more people find it when they search. Describe the condition clearly, then the buyer will not be horrified if it has a scratch or needs flocking etc. Tell them how much it cost new and tell them what a beautiful sddle it is, how comfortable, what a bargain it is.. etc.

It costs about £12 to post a saddle. Make sure you take out insurance and that it is sent sign for in some way. There are lots of dodgy buyers too who might claim it never arrived and do a chargeback on PayPal leaving you with no money and no saddle. Insurance protects the seller and the buyer.

Find a suitable box for it. You can get boxes to fit saddles... strangely... from your tack shop (if they sell saddles.) Use lots of bubble wrap or balled up newspaper so it does not get damaged in transit.

 

[Spot_the_Risk]

I've sold saddles on ebay, make sure you put lots of pictures, and write as much detail as possible. Remember seat size, and saddle width!

 

[DaisyMae]

All the information is great, thanks very much

Do you know how to measure the seat and width, meaning what points do you use??

 

[scotsmare]

To measure seat go from stud at front (near stirrup flap) to middle of cantle. To measure width it's best to give the measurement across the front of the d rings and the width of the gullet.

 

[saskia295]

I sold mine recently, but to a forum user on here and not ebay.

I used : http://interparcel.com/

And it lets you pick which courier you want to use (I was told Parcel Force were sh*t!). They also pick up the package for you. It was great and I got it insured for £5 so I think it was about £16 to send from Dorset to Scotland.

The hardest thing I found was finding a box big enough! I used LOADS of bubble wrap and newspaper. Make sure you put lots of padding around the cantle to prevent any damage wholst in transit.

Good luck

 

[Chunkie]

[ QUOTE ]
If you have never sold on eBay, and so your account has no, or few feedback as a seller, you will not get a good price for it and you may not sell it at all.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sound advice there to get a friend to sell if for you. I buy and sell every now and then on eBay (small stuff, clothes, books, DVDs and the occasional bit of horsey gear), and would certainly not consider buying a saddle or indeed anything of high value from a new seller. Unless of course, the seller was close enough to me for me to collect the item and pay cash on collection.

 

[dozzie]

I paid £12 by private courier from Newbury to kent. You should definitely look into private couriers as parcel force do have a poor reputation.

Another tip as an ex ebay addict LOL!! is to try to sell a few things of little value first. This increases your ratings as a seller and people are more likely to bid. Nobody minds risking the odd ten pounds but when you are selling something more expensive it is often more lucrative if you have seller feedback.

 

[DaisyMae]

Thanks All xx

 

[Sundae]

I just bought a fantastic Barnsby saddle from someone with no feedback so there are some idiots (me) out there willing to take a risk!! Of course I got it for really good price (under £100) & I do think that is beacause no-one else wanted to bid... Depends if you just want it sold, or need to make money. In which case would agree with selling through a friend. Good luck!