Selling a saddle on ebay

Birker2020

Birker2020

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In October last year I won a lovely saddle (with a special patented gadget in it) worth £1900 from a very well known (and presumably reputable)saddlery company in Walsall after winning a competition in a horse magazine. However the saddle has given my horse and I nothing but problems since I actually took ownership of it in January this year.

I am not convinced the tree fits my horse, as he bucked in the saddle twice in the space of four days when he first wore it and then the third time he bucked very violently in a jumping lesson and I came off landing on my back and badly bruising my back. I ended up in A&E and had to have two days unpaid sick from work (I am a temp). I should have listened to my horse straight away when he started bucking, so I was foolish continuing.

The saddle has received attention by flocking it three times now but after about five weeks the pomell bears down on my horses withers and the padding in the cantle had dropped. Because of this I end up riding in a hunting position as the saddle does not sit properly on the horses back.

I am beginning to get fed up with being fed excuses by the company. My horse has put on weight/lost weight and that why it doesn't fit. Poppycock. To be fair they have come out every time I have rung them, but I am even beginning to wonder if the saddle I have won is the saddle that I am told it is as it doesn't bear much resemblance to their products with this 'unique patent' on their website.

I am sure that the saddle will fit another horse and it is a really nice saddle and good quality. However, I don't believe that any amount of re-flocking will make a difference if the tree doesn't fit my horse so I have decided to sell it.

Does anyone know how sucessful selling a saddle is on ebay? As it cost £1900 new I thought I would sell it for £1450 as a starting point. If it doesn't match the saddles on this companys web page how confident can I be that this saddle is what I am told it is? If it was this saddle then why have they not used the special 'patented gadget' to alter the fit? And what would happen if I sold it in good faith and then the buyer tried to sue me for misrepresentation or something if it wasn't what I claimed it was? Or should I not say what the unique selling point of this saddle is (thereby taking the whole reason someone would want this saddle)?

Please advise?

How much does Ebay make on something worth £1400 anyway?
 
OP the saddle sounds like a nightmare - I habve no pearls of wisdom to add there. I hate to burst your bubble, but I am certain that you will no way get near £1450 for the saddle. Second hand saddles with however little use sell for very little. I sold a lovely BN close contact Crosby saddle that retailed for £1250 new for just £250. It hadn't a scratch on it.
 
YasandCrystal said:
I hate to burst your bubble, but I am certain that you will no way get near £1450 for the saddle. Second hand saddles with however little use sell for very little. I sold a lovely BN close contact Crosby saddle that retailed for £1250 new for just £250. It hadn't a scratch on it.
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OMG thats dreadful. Although I won it, it would be lovely if I could sell it and buy something from a saddlery that actually fits my horse, I already have a smashing Jeffries Falcon Event Saddle, although since this has been reflocked in June this year has gone down at the back. This was reflocked by the company that I won my saddle from. But I could maybe buy a decent second hand dressage saddle with the money I got from the sale of the prize saddle.
 
You might be better taking and selling it to a good saddlery store, or sell it privately through classifieds or face book. Ebay will take a huge amount in fees for a high value saddle and there's a lot of scam buyers on there. If you do post it, send it tracked and signed for so it don't get lost.
 
Saddle are quite hard to sell on ebay at the moment - if you have a look, lots are not selling for some reason. Then again - Christmas is coming........

Would it be easier to sell it through a saddler ?
 
Thanks guys. Dad says I should have as much right as someone that hasn't won this saddle (i.e. a buyer) to get it rectified by the company, but I am sick of being messed about so decided to sell it.

I think selling it privately is the best thing to do now.
 
Yes, forget ebay full of scammers and as others have said, you'll get no where near the amount you paid for it.
If you sell it through a saddlery shop or saddler you'll pay a commission fee (20-25% approx). Have you considered part exchanging it instead for a saddle that fits properly?
If you sell it privately try gumtree they seem good or facebook.
I will send you some info on what you should expect if you get a professional in the fit you a new (or secondhand) saddle.
I get inquiries several times a year from people who have had professionals out to fit new saddles and have had numerous problems when the said saddles didn't fit.
It's general guidance in an article I have written, take from it any info you feel is helpful, I'll PM it to you, good luck with your sale, Oz (Saddler)

PS If anyone else wants to read the article PM me and I'll send it to you
 
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I would ask an independent saddler to identify the saddle and give you an idea of what they would give you if you traded it in-might open a can of worms but if it is not the saddle you won I would kick off about it, maybe also get another saddle out to check the fit and if it does not fit write a letter sating that then approach the company you won it off. I agree with your dad you have as much right to a well fitting saddle as someone that purchased one.
 
You could try preloved, I just sold a wintec on there and its free to use, eBay is quite expensive.
A saddler did tell me recently that the winter isn't a great time to sell saddles.
As someone else said, you could always ask a saddler to take a look at it and tell you what they think its worth.
 
tbf ebay charges are not that bad, I sold a saddle for £390 and the fees were under £14

far more people bid on ebay if you will post

i sold 3 last year saddler offered me between £200-£250 for each one but ebay I get a total of £1300
 
The deprecation on a saddle is frightening. You'll be very very luck if you sell it for more than 50% and I'd be suprised if you get more than 30%.That's even on good saddle selling sites. The only way you'll get a good price is if someone is specifically wanting your exact model and were thinking of buying it at new price.

Your best bet might be trying to part exchange it for another from the conpany.
 
twiggy2 said:
tbf ebay charges are not that bad, I sold a saddle for £390 and the fees were under £14

far more people bid on ebay if you will post

i sold 3 last year saddler offered me between £200-£250 for each one but ebay I get a total of £1300
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eBay charge 10% of the selling fee now I believe. Including postage costs, so it works out a lot.
 
Fjord said:
eBay charge 10% of the selling fee now I believe. Including postage costs, so it works out a lot.
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I thought that when I put the saddles on but I think it is 10% up to a certain amount then the % drops, although this could have changed-I know they don't charge 10% on cars and motor bikes, will look into it later. Am pretty sure postage coats do not incur a fee
 
twiggy2 said:
I would ask an independent saddler to identify the saddle and give you an idea of what they would give you if you traded it in-might open a can of worms but if it is not the saddle you won I would kick off about it, maybe also get another saddle out to check the fit and if it does not fit write a letter sating that then approach the company you won it off. I agree with your dad you have as much right to a well fitting saddle as someone that purchased one.
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I am inclined to agree. When I spoke to the lady at the saddlery company yesterday about getting the bloke out again to look at it (he has not got back to me again) I said to her how come my saddle didn't show on their website but she said it was a new design and hadn't been put on the website, but tbh if its that good a saddle and I've owned it since February then I am suprised they haven't showed it off yet on their site, if you know what I mean. They have had 10 months to do so.

I really am suspicious now that it is not what I was told it was. I am so lucky not to have been seriously injured that day when my horse bucked me off due to it not fitting correctly less than a week after winning it. The magazine that promoted the competition to win the saddle off these people gave them hundreds of pounds of free advertising in return.

Hmmm. What to do next.
 
I wouldn't be selling anything of value on eBay, friend sole a bates saddle on there, it hadn't been used since the saddler was last out and checked it over, when it was in perfect condition. The day after she sent it she got a dispute opened saying the tree was broken. He wanted to keep saddle and the money for it, in the end, after much argument and dispute with eBay and PayPal she paid for it's return, she paid for it to be sent by parcel force at about £20-25, he sent it back with a crappy courier, and funily enough the saddle that went perfect when it eventually came back had a very visible crack in the tree, visible without opening up. Looked like he's gone at it with a hammer out of spite for not letting him "dispose of it" himself. It wasn't so much a small crack, but a blinking big indent, making it look like it had been hit with force. Beware. Friend ended up out of pocket and with a broken useless saddle. Beware.
 
twiggy2 said:
I would ask an independent saddler to identify the saddle and give you an idea of what they would give you if you traded it in-might open a can of worms but if it is not the saddle you won I would kick off about it, maybe also get another saddle out to check the fit and if it does not fit write a letter sating that then approach the company you won it off. I agree with your dad you have as much right to a well fitting saddle as someone that purchased one.
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this it may not even be the saddle you think it is ....although i think you already know that
 
cremedemonthe said:
Yes, forget ebay full of scammers and as others have said, you'll get no where near the amount you paid for it.
If you sell it through a saddlery shop or saddler you'll pay a commission fee (20-25% approx). Have you considered part exchanging it instead for a saddle that fits properly?
If you sell it privately try gumtree they seem good or facebook.
I will send you some info on what you should expect if you get a professional in the fit you a new (or secondhand) saddle.
I get inquiries several times a year from people who have had professionals out to fit new saddles and have had numerous problems when the said saddles didn't fit.
It's general guidance in an article I have written, take from it any info you feel is helpful, I'll PM it to you, good luck with your sale, Oz (Saddler)

PS If anyone else wants to read the article PM me and I'll send it to you
Click to expand...

Thank you I have contacted you previously and you sold me some of your special saddle soap (which was brilliant by the way) and you have also helped answer my question re this saddle before.

I look forward to reading the article.
 
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