Trial of 2nd hand saddle

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Remi'sMum

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I am selling a saddle privately, not a cheap one, and 2 people have contacted me today asking if I’d let them trial it if they paid in full before taking it but would refund if it wasn’t suitable.

My immediate reaction is ‘no way!’ due to potential for damage or disagreement over the condition etc. but the fact that 2 people have asked in the space of 8 hours makes me wonder if this is the done thing?? I don’t think it would even occur to me to ask if the roles were reversed. But is that just me? One is fairly local and I said maybe for a day to coincide with a visit from a saddle fitter and if collected in person and cash or cleared funds in my hands before they took it. The other is 100s of miles away.

Thoughts please?
 
It isn't. At least not in my experience. Sell it as seen. If they want the security of being able to trial then they need to buy from a registered saddler. But that would cost them more than the same saddle sold privately.

If you are feeling very generous you could take the saddle to the local yard and remain there whilst it is fitted. But to be honest and having bought and sold a fair few saddles I would not personally put myself out in that way - unless it was for someone I knew.
 
I've paid cash for a local saddle, tried it and took it back as it didnt fit before. But that was done in a couple of hours and agreed before. I've asked about others and I'm not offended when someone says no. I don't ask if there is post involved though.
 
A local saddlery had a saddle of mine and a potential customer did exactly this. She did buy it after a trial. Maybe this is the done thing now.
 
Roxylola said:
I've paid cash for a local saddle, tried it and took it back as it didnt fit before. But that was done in a couple of hours and agreed before. I've asked about others and I'm not offended when someone says no. I don't ask if there is post involved though.
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I've done that twice. Once the seller was a friend of a friend, and once it was a total stranger. Both times, I only had the saddle for a matter of hours before returning it.

The saddles were in the £1k bracket. I wouldn't have bothered with something cheaper.

I think I may come across as very trustworthy!
 
I’ve done that multiple times. Pay me in full, you have 48hrs to trial it and return it in the same condition if it doesn’t suit you. I’ll refund the money if it is returned in the same condition.

However - if it is returned in a lesser condition, you own it. I keep the money.

If you can’t make it back to me with the saddle in under 48hrs, you own it, I keep the money.
 
Bonnie Allie said:
I’ve done that multiple times. Pay me in full, you have 48hrs to trial it and return it in the same condition if it doesn’t suit you. I’ll refund the money if it is returned in the same condition.

However - if it is returned in a lesser condition, you own it. I keep the money.

If you can’t make it back to me with the saddle in under 48hrs, you own it, I keep the money.
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^^^^ This.

I've sold a few saddles on Preloved in the past and this is what I did.

I also stipulated (in writing, they signed & I signed) that they would use the saddle-cover I provided to ride in if it was raining or inclement weather; and that they would NOT clean it! (this was a suede seat saddle and I didn't want someone cleaning it with the wrong stuff and ruining it).

Yes I might be appearing a finickity old coot, but I'd get plenty of detailed photographs of the saddle and ask them to sign that this is indeed the condition of the saddle when it leaves you; even better if you can get a witness to sign too. People can be VERY crafty!

I sold a little treeless saddle a few years back: buyer came and I invited her to sit in it on a straw bale. Oh no she said, I've had one of these saddles before and know what they're like. Are you sure I said (it being a smaller saddle i.e. 16" than the one she'd had before). Oh it'll be fine said she. So off she went with the saddle, she was in an obvious rush. Paid her money and everyone happy. She said she'd be putting it on the pony later that day and putting the kiddie up (saddle was for the kiddie really but she also rode the pony was my understanding), and if no good she'd arranged to bring it back and I'd refund her. All OK I thought. Didn't hear from her and thought no more of it. Then, unbelievably, SIX MONTHS later, she contacted me to say that the saddle didn't fit and could she please have her money back!! She said they "hadn't bothered" to actually put the saddle on the pony when they got home - but had done six months down the line apparently, and "mummy" had tried to ride in it but it was too small!!

I reminded her of the conversation and arrangement we'd had re. sitting in the saddle at the time and the fact that I'd offered but she'd refused. Said had she raised the issue at the time there would have been no problem, but not now! Basically told her to jog on. Honestly, the bleddi cheek of some people. But I did wish that I'd taken the time to have got her to sign that she'd taken the saddle without sitting in it first, and that she had 48 hrs to make her mind up. You have to be sooohh careful!

Damn woman!
 
Yes, I have both bought and sold saddles like this, both through a company and privately.

When I have done it privately I have made them come to pick it up, or met them at the motorway junction, so we can agree the condition they received it in. I have also taken cash, so they couldn't claim back on Paypal if there was a dispute.

I have always either sold the saddle or had it back in good condition. I accepted one back by post, but made clear that until I took the saddle from the box, it was their decision to post, so posting was at their risk. It was fine.

When buying I have accepted that the saddle may be a couple of hundred more for the privilege of trying for 3 days or whatever was decided.

The only one that got my goat was where the saddle went on trial to see if it fitted the horse. It did, but the rider decided that she didn't like it! The trial went on for 3 weeks instead of a couple of days, as she was trying to see if she got used to it, but I still refunded as it was in good order, and actually got £200 more selling through an agent, so it was all to the good.
 
Roxylola said:
I've paid cash for a local saddle, tried it and took it back as it didnt fit before. But that was done in a couple of hours and agreed before. I've asked about others and I'm not offended when someone says no. I don't ask if there is post involved though.
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I’ve done this. No way would I consider sending a saddle to be possibly returned.
I may consider if close enough taking the saddle to meet the saddler and waiting whilst they try it.
 
If I were selling or buying an expensive second hand saddle then yes I would look for a short trial to someone locally where you can do a handover/cash exchange.

For a cheaper gamble or postage then no I wouldn’t
 
Locally I've taken the saddle to the buyer's yard to meet the saddle fitter there. Once deemed suitable, they bought it, no returns.
 
The only time I’ve done a trial when selling, is when I took the saddle to a local yard and waited while the lady tried it on her horse and then ride in it. I’ve had people ask for a trial by post before and have said no, too risky for me. If I’m buying and want a trial, there are plenty of saddlers who will let you do this and several online companies too.
 
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