I need to reup my breeches as they all decided to die at the same time. Looking for options for European tack stores that I could get a big discount on brands like Pikeur and others.
the one place that has competitive prices on Pikeur is Amira equi in the UK. Best prices on Eskadrons too. But be prepared to wait weeks-to-months for your breeches to arrive.
I lived in Germany for many years, and honestly it was cheaper for me to get 95% of my tack/stuff from U.S. tack stores and have it shipped. I found the prices on most tack to be slightly more than on U.S. equivalents, and then even more when you factored the euro-dollar exchange rate.
Other than the aforementioned amira equi. ordering /shipping from overseas can be a hassle, and not saving you enough to be worth the nuisance. Just my opinion, YMMV
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I’ve ordered several times from multiple European tack stores… Equiport, Divoza, Schockemohle… all with super speedy shipping.
The best deals to be had are when you can place a big enough order to justify the shipping (or place an order for multiple people and split shipping). Equiport also prices shipping by weight, vs a flat fee to ship to the US. They also have excellent customer service.
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I’ve always ordered my tall boots from overseas, specifically Parlantis. With shipping they’re often <$700 for the off the rack boots compared to the $1000-1200 they are in the US for the off the rack boots.
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I got breeches from here on a trip to Holland nearly 10yrs ago & they are still in great shape.
Around 60EU then.
https://www.ej.nl/english/rider/clothing-accessories/riding-breeches/
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I’ve ordered breeches several times, and a pair of Eskadrons, from Calevo, and been very pleased. It does take longer than, say, ordering from Dover, but a lot of that depends on how long it takes things to get through customs, which is not the fault of the sender. I’ve gotten two pair of Pikeurs for what one would cost here.
Look at the exchange rates, and whether the VAT is automatically removed for you. And check your payment methods, too, some of my cards/accounts charge more than others for a foreign transaction.
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Yup, I would say to look in Europe, I live in Luxembourg and looking at the prices you pay for some European brands is just eye watering (my “not too expensive” dyon bridle cost about half the price you all pay for it in the US from an EU shop). I also find that sometimes it’s less expensive to order from the UK than mainland EU (I use ride away and hope Valley saddlery mostly).
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For Pikeurs. Not all models and colours but some very good deals compared to Canadian prices! Two pair plus shipping was less than one pair in Canada. That was just after Brexit and the British pound had tanked.
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I have ordered from Calevo a number of times. I got my GPA first lady for $550ish CAD instead of $800+. The trick is to find people to split the order with so that it qualifies for their “loyalty” program which gets you up to 15% off. When you combine that with the VAT deduction, if you can split shipping across multiple people it becomes quite affordable.
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I second the recommendation of Amira Equi! I bought my Pikeur shadbelly and short coat there. Shipping did not take long at all and they were a steal compared to here.
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I have several Ciara pairs of Pikeurs from Amira Equi. Service was fine. The difference in price is more nominal over the last 18 months with the exchange rates no longer being so favorable for us in the US.
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I second Scribbler’s post. Had good luck with Equine and Country in Britain. Some good sale prices on Pikeur breeches - $107 -118 US. Not on sale, I think I paid $140 US for Ciara’s last year. US tack shops were selling the same breeches for $300. Just got an email today for an additional 20% off. And they have sizes to fit tall people- better fit than most. At one point I bought my daughter a Pikeur Sarissa 2 show coat, 2 pair of Pikeur knee patch breeches, and a Pikeur competition shirt for a total of $400. Shipping to the US was $17.00, no customs fees. Worth checking out. I periodically check them for sales.
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Real pain on returns!
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I would never bother with returns. At the price difference between what you’re buying for and what retail is here, you can easily resell NWT items for more than you paid, at still less than they retail for here. I only ordered things I either knew would fit, or could easily be resold (so show-colored breeches, conservative colored Eskadrons, etc).
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I too only order things online that I absolutely know will fit and suit.
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Ditto. And since we don’t have SmartPak type places in Canada, most of the time if I order online (which is plenty since our tack stores are very limited in the apparel they carry) I usually just try to sell locally first before bothering with a return.
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I just bought FreeJumps from Amira - about $100 less than I would have paid for them here even after shipping and taxes were factored in. They were great to deal with, we had a few emails back and forth with no issues. It did take about 2-3 weeks for them to arrive, but from my understanding some of the hold up was on FreeJump’s end. Overall I will probably be buying from them again. If I were to buy an item I wasn’t sure would fit I would take measurements/ try on in a tack store here. If the item still didn’t fit I would sell it here, most likely for profit.
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