Saddles direct

[blitznbobs]

So my cob has gone and put more shoulder on and now his dressage saddle is looking a bit tight... I’m a huge fan of the equipe Olympia saddle (I have 3 all too narrow now) but saddles direct have a second hand wider equipe emporio ... not the same but similar and a lot cheaper than a new Olympia. Has anyone used saddle directs trial facilities and if so did it work ok?

humbugs and lemon sherbets for those who got this far x

 

[oldie48]

I've sold a couple of saddles but not bought tbh \I found them very efficient.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Yes, I’ve bought two Ideal saddles from them. I kept the first, returned the second, all went very smoothly.

Nothing wrong with the second saddle, but it didn’t fit my horse.

 

[Melody Grey]

I have an order of two trial saddles due to arrive this week, so could have written the same post! I haven’t used them before.

the only thing I will say is that when you pay £15 for your trial online, they then call you to take another £15 For return postage and there’s another £15 to pay for admin charged if you don’t buy....so £45 potentially.

not really a complaint (I know everyone has a living to earn!!), but I don’t feel that was obvious from the outset.

watch this space to see how we get on!

 

[doodle]

Bit cheesed off with them. They posted that they had a huge demand for saddles atm and they couldn’t keep up. I asked for a valuation for a dressage saddle I want to sell. They initially ask you how much you want for it. They offered me a pitiful amount for it and of course I would have to pay postage to get it there. I replied I needed more than that. They came back with the because of the situation at the moment being so difficult they couldn’t offer much. Looking on website at similar saddles they would be making a hell of a lot on saddle.

 

[VRIN]

I have used them and find them very good. I think if you are selling its not such a good deal but they are always very helpful

 

[Pippity]

I looked at selling a saddle to them. I initially had to pay for them to value it and then, once I'd paid, they just asked me how much I wanted when the whole point was for them to tell me how much it was worth! They offered me around a quarter of what I'd paid for it, when it was a couple of years old and in immaculate condition.

 

[McFluff]

As a potential buyer, ok. There were more costs than was first suggested, but the process went smoothly. Saddle didn’t fit so sent back. The saddle was advertised as excellent condition, but it was more used than I expected (still functional).
I had a lovely saddle to sell. Based on my experience I wouldn’t use them for selling. Mine was in a much nicer condition than the one they’d sent me. Was rather surprised to be told it was in ‘good’ condition rather than excellent. They only offered £400 for it. Similar on their website were nearer £900. I sold it through a saddler for £800 (after costs).

 

[sbloom]

Margins can vary a lot but if you're in a low volume business (as opposed to a supermarket etc) then the selling price is often recommended to be 2-3 times the cost of the goods.

Receiving £800 for a saddle that is available online for £900 is a brilliant deal.

 

[DressageCob]

I've used them several times, to buy and to sell. They didn't offer me a good price for my Equipe Olympia, so I sold that on Facebook for £1,000 more than they offered me. However, they offered a very fair price for my Bates.

I bought an Albion GP off them for £500 which was a fair price. The leather is pretty faded in parts but it is undamaged and the tree is sound. I also bought their own brand show saddle and that's a fabulous saddle. Shame I don't show anymore!

I personally prefer the Emporio to the Olympia anyway ?

 

[holeymoley]

Only as a seller I got a better deal with Sheepham than saddles direct.

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

I've sold to Sheepham and they were great. I had a SD one on trial but it didn't fit, all was fine with the saddle and service though.