Selling my first saddle - help?

[grandprixer]

Hi all. As I prepare to finally get a new jump saddle, I’m trying to get gears turning on selling my old saddle. But I have no idea where to begin!

It’s a 2005 prestige Nona Garson, medium tree, 16.5". Bought new for ~$3400 and I’m the second owner. Structurally perfect, but there’s some big cosmetic issues - the skirt has a large 2"×3" hole in the top lining and each knee pad has a 1.5" hole in the corner. None of this can be seen with a rider in the saddle but it’s really ugly on the ground.

Now the questions - there’s not a ton of these on the market, and the prices are very variable. What would you pay for this saddle as-is?

If I chose to have it repaired before selling it, what would you expect to pay to patch/repair the 3 holes? And where do you find repair shops? There’s nothing near me that I can find.

So assuming it was repaired and all the leather was in nice condition for the age, how much more would you pay?

Finally, last but not least, where would I have the best chance of selling it for the highest price?

TIA! Any advice appreciated. I can try and get pictures of it helps.

[Redlei44]

Here’s a sample price list for saddle repairs. https://bisonsaddlery.com/englishtackandrepairs/price-list/

These prices would be a little low in my area but I think it’s a good reference point. It you want to get top dollar for the sale, you’ll need to fix the cosmetic issues, but once you do that (several hundred, at least, plus shipping both ways) it’s going to eat into your profit.

That saddle is pretty common, and it’s a quality but not super trendy brand/model, and it’s got a little age on it. I recently looked at one that was a little newer than yours with no cosmetic issues listed at $1500. Still for sale that I know of so that might be an optimistic price on the sellers part. With damage, you’re definitely in the sub-1k range.

The least aggravating way to sell one, IMO, is to send it to an appropriate consignment shop or website. Let them deal with trials and shipping and flaky tire-kickers! Of course, they’ll take 30-50% fee for their trouble.

Lots of people post their own on eBay, tack tack room, etc. if you want to move it fast, price it rock-bottom and represent it fairly. I have been burned by difficult buyers in the past so I will never sell a saddle myself online again. I will probably also never buy one on eBay, etc because I want the trial policy and protection of commercial outfits.

is there a tack or feed store nearby that might let you post a flier? Or horse shows? Not sure if your area has a market for the saddle but a local sale would be simple.

[Redlei44]

There’s a sample price list for saddle repairs on the Bison Saddlery website (and others if you search).

These prices would be a little low in my area but I think it’s a good reference point. It you want to get top dollar for the sale, you’ll need to fix the cosmetic issues, but once you do that (several hundred, at least, plus shipping both ways) it’s going to eat into your profit.

That saddle is pretty common, and it’s a quality but not super trendy brand/model, and it’s got a little age on it. I recently looked at one that was a little newer than yours with no cosmetic issues listed at $1500. Still for sale that I know of so that might be an optimistic price on the sellers part. With damage, you’re definitely in the sub-1k range.

The least aggravating way to sell one, IMO, is to send it to an appropriate consignment shop or website. Let them deal with trials and shipping and flaky tire-kickers! Of course, they’ll take 30-50% fee for their trouble.

Lots of people post their own on eBay, tack tack room, etc. if you want to move it fast, price it rock-bottom and represent it fairly. I have been burned by difficult buyers in the past so I will never sell a saddle myself online again. I will probably also never buy one on eBay, etc because I want the trial policy and protection of commercial outfits.

is there a tack or feed store nearby that might let you post a flier? Or horse shows? Not sure if your area has a market for the saddle but a local sale would be simple.

[Madison]

With those kinds of repairs, I think you will be hard pressed to find someone who wants to take that on unless it is priced dirt cheap, and at that pricing you should ask yourself is it worth dealing with potential buyers! You need to find a way to investigate what the repairs would cost, for a first step, and that may tell you what is worth it and not worth it. I would also check with a consignment shop for their opinion - maybe try www.finelinetack.com - Susy is wonderful to deal with, I sold a saddle through her. Tenney’s Saddlery in Florida would be an option to check with on what the repairs would cost, they’ve been in business a long time http://shop.ordertenneys.com/services

[GucciJumper]

I had a saddle with a tiny seat tear. Sold it (after months of it being on the market) for half of what similar saddles were selling for. Unfortunately wear and tear put a huge dent in the price.

[NancyM]

Do you like the saddle? Yes? Why are you selling it? A few years from now, you may need it for another horse. It’s not worth much to sell, and it doesn’t cost anything to keep it. If you could sell it for several thousands of dollars, it might be worth selling it. But if you are looking at basically giving it away, it may be better just to keep it. I’d get the repairs done, and keep it. You can always sell it easier later with the repairs done.

[Mara]

Do not sell on eBay - too easy to get ripped off. I’m not talking about the obvious scammers. There are too many stories of buyers opening bogus PP complaints and the seller ending up with no $$ and no saddle.

[grandprixer]

@NancyM

Do you like the saddle? Yes? Why are you selling it? A few years from now, you may need it for another horse. It’s not worth much to sell, and it doesn’t cost anything to keep it. If you could sell it for several thousands of dollars, it might be worth selling it. But if you are looking at basically giving it away, it may be better just to keep it. I’d get the repairs done, and keep it. You can always sell it easier later with the repairs done.

It puts my leg in a bad position, and it fits my horse horribly. Even if I got only $500 out of it that’s still half my new saddle budget - effectively doubling it. Also, if by some crazy accident I lose my horse I can’t even afford to consider another horse or even leasing/lessons. This is my last horse for at leas 20 years - no reason to keep it.

I checked those websites, and while the repairs aren’t prohibitive the shipping cost definitely is XD. I’ll probably ignore the knee holes, throw a nice patch over the big hole, and sell it as a lesson saddle or something.

[lenapesadie]

I’d double check nearby or nearish tack stores, shoe cobblers, boot stores etc. I’ve found saddle repairs in some of those venues.

Your saddle has some major issues as is. Three holes? I don’t see how that can fetch $500.

[Equestrian24]

Do you have a local tack shop? I’d ask them if they know of any local repair places. I couldn’t find anything local just by searching online, but my local tack shop knew of a couple of places and was able to give me the contact info.

[BAC]

I wouldn’t bother, you are not going to get $500 for this 15 year old saddle with all those holes in it. Just because the holes aren’t visible when you’re sitting in it doesn’t mean someone will overlook its cosmetic defects which are probably only going to get bigger with use. I don’t even want to walk into the tack room and see that. If it was a 15 year old Butet I might be tempted to repair it but not for a Prestige.

[grandprixer]

@BAC

I wouldn’t bother, you are not going to get $500 for this 15 year old saddle with all those holes in it. Just because the holes aren’t visible when you’re sitting in it doesn’t mean someone will overlook its cosmetic defects which are probably only going to get bigger with use. I don’t even want to walk into the tack room and see that. If it was a 15 year old Butet I might be tempted to repair it but not for a Prestige.

Does it matter that the holes are the same size after 5 years of heavy use? I guess I can’t prove that they aren’t growing though.

I’m going to bother regardless, even $100 is a big boost to my budget. It doesn’t sound like much to most of y’all but I need to take what I can get.

[Madison]

@grandprixer

Does it matter that the holes are the same size after 5 years of heavy use? I guess I can’t prove that they aren’t growing though.

I’m going to bother regardless, even $100 is a big boost to my budget. It doesn’t sound like much to most of y’all but I need to take what I can get.

No, it won’t matter at all, holes are holes and most people won’t want to buy a saddle with three decent sized holes that aren’t easy to repair. You might get $100 but I can’t imagine you could get $500 for it.

[Redlei44]

The tricky part is that anyone looking for that exact saddle will almost certainly be able to find one without any damage. Anyone looking for a similar/comparable saddle will definitely be able to find one without any damage. Unless you’re selling a discontinued saddle that people covet, or a super premium brand that people covet, they just don’t have to buy a damaged saddle. So while your saddle has value because it’s functional, there isn’t really a market for it except at a deep, deep discount.

If you do spend money on repairs, make sure they look good. I saw a Butet online the other day that has a crude-looking repair and they were having trouble selling even that premium saddle at a deep discount.

[grandprixer]

@Redlei44

The tricky part is that anyone looking for that exact saddle will almost certainly be able to find one without any damage. Anyone looking for a similar/comparable saddle will definitely be able to find one without any damage. Unless you’re selling a discontinued saddle that people covet, or a super premium brand that people covet, they just don’t have to buy a damaged saddle. So while your saddle has value because it’s functional, there isn’t really a market for it except at a deep, deep discount.

If you do spend money on repairs, make sure they look good. I saw a Butet online the other day that has a crude-looking repair and they were having trouble selling even that premium saddle at a deep discount.

Good point.

I found a semi-local cobbler who is willing to take at look at it. By the sounds of things, any repair will help - and judging by this person’s talent with leather shoes he’s my best bet. At the very least if I can’t sell it after a few months I can donate it to a therapy program or smaller lesson barn.

[hairystockings]

As a reference point, I have a friend who got a deal on a Devoucoux because it had nasty cosmetic marks on the front of both flaps (deep, unfixable scratches/holes), like it had been stored for a long time leaning on them instead of on a saddle rack, you could not see them when mounted. She paid $850 for it but new it was probably almost 2x the cost of the nona, and it’s one of those coveted brands like Redlei44 described.

I agree having it repaired is your best shot at getting some money for it.

[ClassyJumper]

I wouldn’t bother repairing it. I got $300 for a 15 y/o circuit with holes in each knee roll (granted they were small) on ebay. If you would be happy with $500 I would just list it as is and I bet it will sell.

[grandprixer]

@ClassyJumper

I wouldn’t bother repairing it. I got $300 for a 15 y/o circuit with holes in each knee roll (granted they were small) on ebay. If you would be happy with $500 I would just list it as is and I bet it will sell.

Thanks!

The cobbler wasn’t able to help like he thought he could and he didn’t know anyone within 250 miles.

I’ve got a saddle fitter coming out soon to check my dressage saddle and look at some of her demo saddles, I’ll see if she knows anything when I see her.

[hairystockings]

Where are you located, OP? The woman who runs Clever with Leather in Kentucky is a trained master saddler. I would consider reaching out to her, I be you could send her photos and she could give you an estimate of different repair costs to determine if it’s worth the money/effort.

[grandprixer]

@hairystockings

Where are you located, OP? The woman who runs Clever with Leather in Kentucky is a trained master saddler. I would consider reaching out to her, I be you could send her photos and she could give you an estimate of different repair costs to determine if it’s worth the money/effort.

Central Arkansas! I’ll look into her!