I have sold hundreds of items over the years on fb in various tack sales groups. However lately I have had any luck selling anything. I’ve been on a nearly year long dry spell. Is it just me? Is there somewhere else I should be posting my stuff?
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The Tried Equestrian ???
Sorry to vent here, but… I always look in the used tack groups on FB and almost always find what I’m looking for.
That being said - I bought a pair of side reins from someone last week and they arrived last night with MOLD on them. I contacted the seller who told me, “it’s just mildew, I just missed it while cleaning them.”
Insert shocked face. Mold spores don’t die. They also REEK. Who the heck has the balls to sell poorly maintained tack??? WITH MOLD!
And that right there is why ratings systems were created. When a buyer or seller falls short and refuses to make it good, a bad rating is pretty much the only recourse. It can matter to their future business.
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Mold comes off easily. I was told by a saddle maker that mold is not a problem, indicates the leather has not dried out. No big deal just wipe it off.
Right but… I would never have the balls to SELL and SHIP something that was moldy.
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While I’ve never used it, I have a discerning, to the point of fussy about quality, rider-veterinarian friend who uses TackTackRoom. She has had great success as a buyer.
It’s 100 percent a mobile app.
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I sell some stuff on TackTack. It is really user friendly for buyer and seller. I wish it was a bigger marketplace. I think I’ve made four sales? I only started recently. I’ve also sold a few things on eBay. I wish more people would leave you seller feedback.
I feel your pain OP. I’ve had no luck selling on FB lately either. I think my prices are very reasonable for my items but I’ve gotten almost no interest. All lightly used items with recognizable brand names.
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Same. Saddle pads are a hot item, and I had a PS Sweden bridle priced low because it was old, so people wanted those, and I unloaded a pair of hoof boots and a leather halter. Things like high-end girths? No interest whatsoever. As a buyer, FB is frustrating because it’s really difficult to search and find what you’re looking for. The “English Tack, Equipment, and Apparel” group got me the most action. Some of the others, with membership in the 5 figures, got me absolutely nothing.
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So you didn’t immediately get 6 responses from scammers? That’s what happened when I listed a saddle and a TSF girth on FB Marketplace this weekend. One scammer said:
“Okay cool but I’m really busy at work tho so I will have my son head over there too come pick it up and I will be making the payment here now through Zelle or Venmo”
Which along with her profile set off my alarm bells, so I asked what kind of horse she had and her response was, “Light.” That was the end of that.
However, I did just buy two saddles I found on FB Marketplace in the last two weeks (locally, in-person, no shipping) so actual buyers do exist!
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I had a lot of success in Facebook groups, but it was years ago and I don’t think I would do that now. There are a lot more scams out there and I think people are much more wary. Just posting items usually didn’t get many bites (except for very high end/trendy items that were in excellent condition and very well priced). I had to put work in by going through the large groups every evening and finding people who were “in search of” items that I had and responding directly to their posts. Things did sell that way.
There’s something to be said about getting it to the right audience. Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of trendy saddle pads. I have a few trendy brands which are solid colors, no frill, but high quality, which I really like and would like to keep. I finally unloaded one half pad, still have another in truly excellent condition with no interest, even priced low. I don’t buy junk, so it’s all nice clothing and tack that I’m just not using and I’d rather have the money than wait around until I need it. The stuff I love I use until it’s truly dead (see, breeches that can’t be worn anywhere except my backyard).
I’ve never been scammed, though I’ve definitely talked to scammers. I see a lot of posts where people are scammed where it’s just so obvious it’s a scammer. Does the person have no clue what they’re talking about or have a tenuous grasp on the English language? They have three posts on their profile with no likes and no FB friends?
There’s also the Paypal vs. other payments debate. Obviously safest to go Paypal, but if it’s someone who I have 10 mutual friends with and they have horses on their profile but they live in Michigan, I’ll Venmo them.
Don’t get me started on saddles. I have three that didn’t work for my young horse plus one that a friend was borrowing long term but didn’t need anymore. I can’t get rid of ANY of them. I had one lady message me about a saddle I have priced low because it’s older and I want it gone. She asked if it was still available and when I said yes, replied, “So I assume the item is in excellent condition barely used?”
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I’ve had no luck with Facebook. Items in excellent condition only moved if half or less of MSRP and items that were older or more used I eventually just donated. Things like nice schooling condition tredstep boots, basic bridles, horse hair brushes, etc weren’t moving even priced at free. I’ve had a stunning and hard to find pony passier dressage saddle that’s in phenomenal condition for sale for a solid year without a single real lead. It’s incredibly disheartening.
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I know the owner of the TackTack site. It’s legit. I actually have a few things to list. Thanks for the reminder!
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I leave feedback for any seller that leaves me feedback. As buyer, I have fulfilled my obligation to the seller by paying for the item. If a seller can’t bother to leave me positive feedback for that, I don’t bother to leave feedback for the seller.
I belong to a bunch of “Bad Seller/Trainer/Horse Person Whatever” groups and this is such a huge problem. Most of the posts are people screenshoting obvious scams and asking “is this a scam?”. No, I do not believe that there is a 6 year old 16 hh few spotted papered appy who does trails and jumps with small children for $900. Espcially not with free delivery anywhere in the country!
Many scams are purposefuly obvious so that only the easily fooled are scammed. If you looked at the above ad and went “hmmm, maybe” then you are already less than savvy.
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I have only sold a few items online, but generally make the price half the MSRP, maybe up to 60% if it’s barely used, and lower if it has obvious signs of wear – but a lot of the time, I just donate the obviously well-used stuff. The more specialized the item, the less of an audience – though if a buyer finds you, they’re usually way easier to deal with. I sold a few $$$ contoured dressage girths in small sizes (20 or 22 inches) that way.
It’s so easy to buy new now that I think a lot of people don’t bother combing through used tack groups or sites. And when there are super online sales, it often is less expensive. There are certain things some people won’t buy used – turnout blankets in my case, because there is no way to know how waterproof they are.
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I don’t bother trying to sell blankets now except locally (it’s a running joke, I list blankets, a certain local trainer automatically buys them 
) because the shipping makes it not worthwhile.
50% or more off MSRP makes sense to me, especially considering sales and free shipping from retailers. However, it seems like when I find something I’m looking for, the seller has it posted for a near-new price, so it’s not worth the risk. Oh well, I did score a basically new SoloShot for $500 shipped a few months ago from a FB group!
Another issue is how much the price of shipping has gone up - many people aren’t going to buy those older/more used/small/cheap items and pay for postage when they can buy the same thing new from a company with cheap or free shipping. Many times it works out about the same total cost.
When I was selling a few years back, the small priority mail flat rate box was $5 and change, now it’s $10.20. The larger boxes have gone up by $7-10 too.
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