Consignment Tack Stores

[CHT]

Do any survive?

I have a lot of riding clothes and a lot of tack to sell. I am taking them to a tack sale this month, but what doesn’t sell, I was thinking of taking to a new consignment shop. It is brand new - it is mostly online, but has a bricks and mortar building you can go to if you call ahead (no store hours yet…it is just barely open). Her online presentation of tack is good, but they don’t have much.

We have had two (three?) consignment stores die painful deaths, with people struggling to get their tack back. One is still going, but there are horror stories about selling with her, and one of my clients successfully sued her for bad business practices. I have bought from that place (saddles mostly), and found good deals, but also a lot of dirty tack and junk that kind of cheapened everything.

I have my two good saddles for sale with a fitter that I have a good working relationship with, but not sure the best way to see the rest, particularly clothing. Advice? What to look for in the contract?

[CHT]

Forgot to add: I message the new store about their consignment policy, and they asked for my email to send it (which is fine, but why not send via messenger), and then said they would send it tomorrow as they are haying. Haying? In winter? Or does that have another meaning?

[GreyDes]

The Tried Equestrian is an online consignment with good presence. They only take fairly recent styles in good condition. https://www.triedequestrian.com/

Facebook groups are usually my go-to, but they are definitely a hassle. I sent a box of stuff to Tried Equestrian last year when I just didn’t feel like dealing with it. They were easy to deal with and paid promptly. Their commission is 45%, but all I had to do was ship a box to them and they took care of everything else.

I will still buy on eBay occasionally but no longer sell there due to a combination of fees and non-seller friendly policies.

[Tee]

We have a local consignment store - started very small in someone’s barn, now in their own building and they seem to be doing great. Always busy, great to buy and sell from. I think they’ve been in business four years or more? Standard consignment fee of 25%, and they have a lot of the stuff listed on their website as well.

[Spudsmyguy]

We have one near me (PNW) NW Tack Consignment in Silvana. That place does a huge amount of business and is packed with all kinds of stuff. I believe their consignment fee is 25% on regular tack and 30% on saddles. They’ve sold 3 saddles for me and a countless amount of tack and clothing. I love going in there because you never know what you’ll find.

[Tee]

That’s the one I was talking about. LOL

[Spudsmyguy]

I had a feeling it was the same one! ha ha. The owner, Ashley, wishes the store next door would close and she’d knock down the wall between them, they’re bursting at the seams.

[CHT]

Something the somewhat shyster place has in place, is that the price is automatically discounted every 3 months. Is that typical? The other thing that seems common (here) is that items will only be kept for sale for a year, after which you either come get it, or they give it away. (Shyster place makes you get it exactly on the 365th day with no reminder, so that is something that I will be looking out for). What should I look for in a contract? I don’t want the place to get closed down and then fight to get my stuff back…

[furlong47]

There are several large, well established stores here in SE PA that have both consignment and new items. I wouldn’t hesitate to consign things there (and have at one… the owner there is also in my circle of friends.) The one I have worked with has options for cash or store credit, and you get a better percentage if you take the credit.

I’ve also sold items on Facebook groups, which is a lot more work, but you get to keep all of the money except for Paypal fees and shipping costs.

The lowering the price every few months is fairly common in general consignment - I know clothing and furniture consignment stores that do this. If something is hot and in demand, it will sell at that highest price option, and if nobody wants it within a few months it makes sense to try to sell it for less. (It can also be a bit of a conundrum for the buyer… do I take it at this price and definitely get it, or do I see if it’s still here next month for less money?)

With places you aren’t so sure about, I’d maybe consign just a handful of items and see how things go before committing all of your stuff.

[c0608524]

Correct me if I’m wrong, you’re in Canada right? There’s a consignment saddle seller in Ontario that’s had multiple “beware” posts about her in the past couple months from both buyers and sellers. Doesn’t typically come across as a shyster in her posts and seems very legit. I don’t want to throw her name out here but I’m happy to share the posts I’ve seen in a DM if this might be who you’re thinking of.

[Spudsmyguy]

There used to be a consignment tack shop just north of me years ago and I brought a bunch of stuff for them to sell. I never got paid for any of it and when they closed was unable to pick up what they didn’t sell. A few months later, a tack shop with the same name and logo opened about an hour away and I contacted them and told them you owe me money and the tack you didn’t sell. They claimed they didn’t know anything about it and refused to pay. I hate selling stuff on FB, everyone wants a bunch more pictures and try to get you to practically give your stuff away.

[Gardenhorse]

I’ve sold stuff at a store in my area that has both new tack and consignment. They don’t do saddles, but will take other tack and riding clothes. They only give you store credit and just dropped their consignment period from 6 to 3 months. It’s on the same grounds as a pretty big lesson barn and I would say has a somewhat odd inventory. I’ve actually struggled to buy stuff with my store credit because of that. So that is something to think about if they’re providing store credit.

Most of the stuff I’ve taken has been mid-range tack or lower-cost items and has sold quickly and it’s easier than trying to sell a bunch of $20-$50 priced items on FB. I also think it’s better for clothing/riding boots as people can try on.

[CHT]

Thanks, but I am in Alberta.

Same deal with our Shyster shop: comes across very well, but some employees have come out and said things like she hides inventory in back until it drops in price so someone she knows can buy it, or is just too lazy to get something prices and out on the floor…but the count down for the price drop starts when she receives the item, not when it goes on the floor. A few saddles were given away at 365 days without notice to owner, and in my clients case, client said she wanted to pick item back up after not selling, and before it went to the steep discount, store said ok, but we need 7 days notice, so 7 days later she went to get it, but it was suddenly sold…and a heavily discounted price. But…if she had given her notice 7 days soon, she would have had to pay a penalty for not leaving the item with them for their minimum term. She won her case in arbitration as the contract was super vague.

New consignment store STILL hasn’t sent me their consignment policy. Not giving good vibes. Maybe I will just do the tack sale circuit and sell that way. The big sales are too much for my brain, but the little club benefit ones are kind of fun, and usually just $15-20 a table.

[173north]

I love the Tried Equestrian.

In NJ, Horseman’s Outlet has a huge back room (warehouse, kind of) full of consignment product.

And in Mass, I think Horseman’s Exchange in Littleton, Mass is kind of a hidden gem - I stop by whenever I am visiting my parents and they always have great deals on nice gear, especially lightly used blankets.

[wsmoak]

In related news, I no longer have horses at home and am embarking on a giant downsizing project.

I have decided to use eBay, which now allows you to list an item for sale at a fixed price and allow people to submit offers. Auctions are so… early 2000’s. This allows me to make use of price anchoring to influence the perceived value.

If I tried to use Facebook Marketplace I would be curled up under my desk in short order. “Is this still available?” over and over and over. And it’s really hard to keep track of all the Messenger threads as far as what goes with which item. And I don’t like using Messenger anyway.

BUT since eBay really is not that popular anymore, I am pairing it with a Facebook Page (and probably something on Instagram, I have not figured that out yet.). That way it does not clutter up my personal feed and annoy the section of my FB friends who do not even know what shipping boots are.

I am also going to print flyers with QR codes so people can point their phone at the code and be taken to the listing. I’ll put the flyers up at the local tack shops and when there is a big horse show, offering to deliver or bring things over to try.

Just some thoughts if you decide to sell some of it yourself. I will probably make a new thread when I get it all figured out and actually working.

[candyappy]

@CHT

Haying? In winter? Or does that have another meaning?

Maybe she meant putting out hay for horses/ cows? If you do hay in large quantities someone might phrase its this way??

[CHT]

Yes, but it has been THREE days. Unless they are picking up hay from out of province?

[CHT]

Is it normal for a consignment store to accept zero liability should an item be stolen or damaged (either in store or while on trial)?

[wsmoak]

@CHT

Is it normal for a consignment store to accept zero liability should an item be stolen or damaged (either in store or while on trial)?

It is normal in the same way that horse transporters will put “horse owner assumes all liability for anything that happens during the trip and will pay for any damage to equipment before horse is unloaded” in their contracts.

Both scenarios are a hard NO. This tells me that at a minimum they do not have adequate insurance, and makes me strongly suspect that they are not entirely legitimate.

[CHT]

A difference is that I can insure my horse for transport, whereas my regular tack insurance won’t cover my tack if I send it off to a store to be sold. I get the feeling they stole this contract from the scammy place, and just modified it a little. I doubt a lawyer was involved as the wording is too vague. The contract also says they won’t take saddles older than 10 years old - two of my four are for sure older, the other two I will have to check. 10 years doesn’t seem that old to me for a saddle.

There is a store 3.5 hours away I may try if I can’t sell the saddles and tall boots myself at tack sales. It has been around forever and I have a friend who can check on my stuff for me.