Consignment store abruptly went out of business and has my saddle?

[saitou_amaya]

So pretty much as the title says. This tack store has a used tack sale annually and I had dropped my old saddle off. It didn’t sell at the sale so they suggested I drop the price and leave it for sale at the store. Later, I decide the saddle still hasn’t sold so I am going to take it to a more popular tack store where it might get more traffic. I drive down to the store 45 minutes each way and the store is totally empty and no one is there. I try calling pretty much everyday for the next week and the phone rings and rings and then disconnects. Their business Facebook page is now gone. So I’m thinking they went out of business.

A friend of a friend used to work there and confirmed they did and gave me the owner’s cell number so I will call tomorrow. The girl also said rumor is that the owner has not been calling people back and someone filed a report. So now what? It is not an expensive or fancy saddle thankfully, just an old Crosby I was asking $300 for. But I’d still like it back, you know? If I couldn’t sell it, I was going to maybe donate it to pony club or 4H or something. So anyone been in this situation before?

[Second_Star_To_The_R]

Oh wow. If he doesn’t call you back you may have to file a police report. Sorry to hear you’re dealing with this hassle.

[Zu_Zu]

that’s awful !

I agree with ^ poster… file with police - document ASAP !

Good Luck …

[StarPattern]

What tack store is this? It sounds very similar to a tack store in Alberta that went out of business and a bunch of people had to jump through hoops to get their consignment stuff back. I guess the owner hadn’t paid rent on the space and the landlord locked it down.

[OAD_Cowgirl]

I had the same thing happen to me — not with a saddle, but the woman had a pair of my expensive boots and a bunch of my show clothes. She just closed the store and kept everything in it, gave no one any notice or anything. Several people tried to sue her to get their stuff back to no avail.

[Scribbler]

If the stuff has value it might be worth trying small claims court, if the person is still around to be served notice. But I imagine that sudden closures like this go along with sudden personal crises, and if the owner is ill, dying, in rehab, hiding from a murderous husband, etc. etc. then even if they have all the stuff in a shed somewhere they may lack to focus to dig it out and return it. Or perhaps everything in the store was seized by the property landlord in lieu of rent, or by another partner in the business. Tack store owner might not even have the goods anymore. Or could have sold them all off to a liquidator without making it clear some things were consignment.

[digihorse]

I would be curious to know if this is in SoCal area. I might have information.

[saitou_amaya]

Another friend of a friend passed along the store owners email address and cell number and says that she is having family health issues and closed the store. So I think I will try emailing her about the saddle first since it sounds like she might be dealing with a lot right now and getting the saddle back is not super urgent, as long as I do get it back.

For those asking this is a Midwestern state. I don’t want to give the exact name or location.

[16_Hands]

I had sold a bit of stuff through a consignment store, they went out of business and never paid me my share. I tried to track them down with no luck.

[Palm_Beach]

@saitou_amaya

Another friend of a friend passed along the store owners email address and cell number and says that she is having family health issues and closed the store. So I think I will try emailing her about the saddle first since it sounds like she might be dealing with a lot right now and getting the saddle back is not super urgent, as long as I do get it back.

For those asking this is a Midwestern state. I don’t want to give the exact name or location.

I would not cut her any slack. She has an obligation to the people who sent her their consignments in good faith. One phone call - I can come and pick up my saddle (day). If she does not answer and you leave a message and she does not return your call by the next day, go to the police. This is too sketchy sounding. You don’t just close the business and make no attempt to tie things up if you intend on satisfying all of your obligations.

[danacat]

@Palm Beach

I would not cut her any slack. She has an obligation to the people who sent her their consignments in good faith.

I totally agree. If she had time (with all these family issues ??) to clean out an entire store – pack everything up, move it, unload it, store it etc. – then she has time to arrange for you to get your saddle back.

Could be a jump to conclusion, but it sounds to me like she just flew the coop – like a thief in the night – and has other intentions for all this ‘stuff’ that she now (wrongly) considers hers.

[js]

That’s a good point danacat. The emergency couldn’t have been that quick of an issue if she (or someone else) was able to move the contents of an entire store to another location. If she had that much time, she had enough time to contact people with consignments and ask them to quickly come by and pick up their equipment. She could have posted the store was closing on her Facebook (most honest people would have) and to stop by and collect your goods. Even is she couldn’t do it herself, surely she had an employee or two or family member that could have contacted people. The fact that she isn’t answering emails and phone and her Facebook account disappeared would lead me to think otherwise. Keep an eye on eBay and other Facebook tack sites.

[Scribbler]

@js

That’s a good point danacat. The emergency couldn’t have been that quick of an issue if she (or someone else) was able to move the contents of an entire store to another location. If she had that much time, she had enough time to contact people with consignments and ask them to quickly come by and pick up their equipment. She could have posted the store was closing on her Facebook (most honest people would have) and to stop by and collect your goods. Even is she couldn’t do it herself, surely she had an employee or two or family member that could have contacted people. The fact that she isn’t answering emails and phone and her Facebook account disappeared would lead me to think otherwise. Keep an eye on eBay and other Facebook tack sites.

People in these situations can sometimes deal with physical work like clearing out the store, especially if she hired a moving company, but they can’t deal with detail or with contacting lots of individuals.

You may find she doesn’t answer emails.

When people go into overload crisis typically they prioritize their financial and other obligations then cut themselves slack where they think there will be no consequences.

Behave punctually and crisply and professionally, but be prepared to provide consequences. Have your paperwork handy.

Also is possible your saddle is at the bottom of a storage locker under a ton of stuff that needs to be moved.

Or at a liquidator.

[macmtn]

I am helping an old friend cleanout her tack shop of 30 years after closing this spring. Pulling consignments, contacting customers. Most either come by and pick up their stuff or tell us to donate it.
A large number of other people we have just not been able to get in touch with. Phone disconnected-no forwarding number. No one listed in any phone book either. Mail a notice-returned as undeliverable. Including the payouts for stuff sold. Posted notices in the local facebook pages asking if any one knows these people, please tell them to PUKA their tack…gaah!! Frustrating!!! And…here it all sits. And sits.
She does not WANT this stuff…but as unclaimed she has to hold onto it. Cause you just KNOW the minute she gives up and dumps it all they will come out of the woodwork.
Kind of defeats the purpose of closing up if it has to sit there…wanting to go home like an abandon puppy.

so…here is an inside peek from the other side of the story.

[CHT]

When a consignment store went out of business here, she put everything in a sea can. It took a long time for her to get a hold of all the resellers and people started to panic, but I think part of it was she was depressed by life events and by losing her business, so it took her some time to get started on contacting people.

[saitou_amaya]

@macmtn

I am helping an old friend cleanout her tack shop of 30 years after closing this spring. Pulling consignments, contacting customers. Most either come by and pick up their stuff or tell us to donate it.
A large number of other people we have just not been able to get in touch with. Phone disconnected-no forwarding number. No one listed in any phone book either. Mail a notice-returned as undeliverable. Including the payouts for stuff sold. Posted notices in the local facebook pages asking if any one knows these people, please tell them to PUKA their tack…gaah!! Frustrating!!! And…here it all sits. And sits.
She does not WANT this stuff…but as unclaimed she has to hold onto it. Cause you just KNOW the minute she gives up and dumps it all they will come out of the woodwork.
Kind of defeats the purpose of closing up if it has to sit there…wanting to go home like an abandon puppy.

so…here is an inside peek from the other side of the story.

I get what you are saying. But at the same time I have had the same phone number and address for a while now. I am very active on Facebook and most people in the horse community here know me so I wouldn’t be hard to reach if she wanted to. I sent the owner an email a few days ago and no response. So I guess I will call in a couple days. I’ve also had probably 5 or 6 people here see this thread and message me asking if it the same tack store where they had stuff on consignment and they are also not able to get their stuff back. So I am probably going to try and make a list of who and what is gone so if I do contact the police I will have a list of all the stuff missing.

[macmtn]

Am sorry your going thru this. Document each and every attempt to contact her, then give this to the police if you get no response from her. If you can leave a phone message let her know the police will be your next call.

[shortstuff]

Some years ago, I had a saddle over $3K stolen while on consignment. Store owner claimed she accepted a bad check for the saddle and it was gone. I contacted the police and they said she never filed a report. I took her to court and she filed bankruptcy and I lost the saddle and money. Lesson learned.