Turns out my Fairfax doesn’t have a forward enough block for me, so I need to sell it so I can find something else. I’ve always sold Western saddles through Craigslist and TackTrader.com and have never sold a dressage saddle. Aside from the two sites above, where else have y’all had recent success listing used saddles for sale?
There are quite a few groups on FB that have tack ads, including dressage specific ones. You might try those and see how it goes; they seem to be pretty active. English Tack Trader also seems to have a lot of dressage stuff listed.
Facebook, definitely. Sold 3!
[QUOTE=SendenHorse;8735615]
Facebook, definitely. Sold 3![/QUOTE]
How did you make the sales work, Sendenhorse? Did you offer a trial? And how did you handle the transaction, for payment?
I have a couple I need to sell…
[QUOTE=keysfins;8735622]
How did you make the sales work, Sendenhorse? Did you offer a trial? And how did you handle the transaction, for payment?
I have a couple I need to sell…[/QUOTE]
No, I don’t do trials. Paypal.
I don’t know if I had any magic formula, I think they were priced carefully and had decent pics. It’s no different than when I sold bridles or other tack. Sort of waiting for the right buyer at the right time!
They were all in the lower price point, one was hard to find used so that helped. I didn’t need the money to buy my next saddles so that helped me be able to wait for a sale.
^^^Thank you, Sendenhorse. 
Thanks all. Ads up on Tack Trader, Craigslist, and Facebook. Hopefully someone bites - they’re hard to find used so I’m hoping that works in my favor. Luckily we’re happy using the Western saddle until it sells - and we’re about to have a several weeks of downtime due to an IRAP series.
These days, there are many local Facebook pages. For example, in my area there is Triangle Equine and other facebook pages that are specifically designed to sell things. Also, try your local dressage and eventing organizations. They often also have facebook pages and/or free tack listings on their websites. Lastly, consider sending your saddle to a larger consignment tack store that has an internet presence. That could be close to you or across the country.
If I were to look for a saddle, I’d look on ebay and my local sources. I wouldn’t think of Craigslist, but a barnmate just got a Crosby dressage saddle on trial, so I’d think more of Craigslist in the future. Also, I’m hesitant to buy a saddle I can’t try first. You might expose yourself to a much wider audience if you allow test rides.
Facebook, absolutely. High End English Saddles and Dressage Tack/Horses For Sale are both high volume groups.
Facebook. I list in a mix of general tack sites, local tack sites, and discipline-specific sites.
I only accept PayPal.
And I do allow trials because, frankly, if a buyer REALLY wants to return a saddle, they will make up (or cause) a reason to do it and PayPal will side with them. Might as well not try to fight the system and make it as painless as possible for everyone involved.
[QUOTE=Halt Near X;8735996]
And I do allow trials because, frankly, if a buyer REALLY wants to return a saddle, they will make up (or cause) a reason to do it and PayPal will side with them. Might as well not try to fight the system and make it as painless as possible for everyone involved.[/QUOTE]
What if the saddle just doesn’t fit horse and/or rider? IME, that’s not uncommon.
I suck it up and consign it with a tack store. The last three I sold I have consigned with Happy Horse Tack in Fort Collins. The owner/fitter, Jen, is my saddle fitter and she usually sells the saddles with a fitting, so I feel good about that. She also gets a better price than I would ever get selling independently, so even after paying the commission I end up with a good chunk of change and some good saddle-fitting karma.
My Fairfax monoflap is on consignment with her now. Nice saddle but I also never got along very well with the flap.
[QUOTE=J-Lu;8736128]
What if the saddle just doesn’t fit horse and/or rider? IME, that’s not uncommon.[/QUOTE]
If they really, really want to return it to get their money back/not have to deal with selling it themselves, they will file a dispute and tell PayPal the measurements were wrong, the tree was broken, there was damage to it, or it was otherwise not as described. Doesn’t matter if that’s the real reason or not–that’s how they get around the seller’s “no returns” policy. And PayPal, like eBay, rules in favor of buyers far more than it rules in favor of sellers.
You can post your tack on https://www.gohorseshop.com! It is a new site & already gaining lots of traffic.
[QUOTE=GoHorse;8738419]
You can post your tack on https://www.gohorseshop.com! It is a new site & already gaining lots of traffic.[/QUOTE]
All you need now is a “Dressage” tab. Thanks for the link.
[QUOTE=suzy;8738669]
All you need now is a “Dressage” tab. Thanks for the link.[/QUOTE]
That will be added soon, stay tuned!
