Sending a saddle on trial safely??

[Gil's Girl]

Hello all -

I'm selling my saddle, and it probably won't be in my area, I am wondering how those of you who have sent yours out on trial have done it safely - I have a B&B so I can take credit card deposits, but I am just super wary of sending it out anywhere, but I know that fairly most people are going to want to try the saddle out before they buy.

Any input appreciated, Thanks!

[2horseowner]

I'm in the same situation as you. I'm sending my saddle out to another state. I have a PayPal account, and the person is putting the shipping and amount I'm asking in it. If the saddle works, done deal, if not, I can transfer the money back. You could always get a certified check and handle it that way. It's a pain either way. Make sure the person is legit. I've been getting scam emails from the UK about purchasing my saddle. You'll definitely recognize they're fake. Good luck.

[kellyb]

If I was selling one of my saddles, I personally would not allow a trial period. I'm not a business, I don't really have a whole lot of ways to recoup that saddle if things go wrong. You'd have to have a good contract to protect yourself if saddle goes missing/gets damaged/etc. Even if you took full payment up front, what if person gets saddle and tries to charge back the card or something because they say the saddle isn't as described? If someone wants to try a saddle, there are several big companies that allow this. Just seems like too much of a headache to me.

For me, it'd be for sale only, no trial. Probably take longer to sell, but oh well...

[WorthTheWait95]

Agree with the above.

I never allow trials on my saddles. Way too risky.

Sell it and be clear you have a no return policy. DO NOT ship it until the payment has cleared your bank account. That's the risk people take when buying on the internet but I would never send one of my expensive saddles to a perfect stranger.

It never takes very long for mine to sell via ebay either (or it didn't before the economy tanked...I haven't tried recently) so I don't think the no trial policy is too off setting if the price is fair and the buyer is getting a good deal.

[findeight]

I will send a horse out on trial to someone known to me with various conditions in writing.

I would NOT do the same with a saddle. It's too small and too easy to make disappear plus you won't know the party on the other end of the deal and cannot get anything done face to face. Heard of folks doing this and getting different saddle returned then having no valid contact # or functional e mail addy.

I have sold my saddles via consignment to the show vendors and it's been worth their cut not to have to deal with it, having it maketed in a larger area then I could (like, half the country) and know I get a negotiable check.

[Lieslot]

Well, yes in an ideal world it would be great to be able to sell without allowing a trial.

But the way things sell at ebay at present 'good luck' selling without a trial.
Cheap saddles $300 and below people will still buy without a trial, $700 and above you'll have a hard time.

It sucks selling right now, ask me how I know :(.

I've been sending my saddle out on trial a few times and came back, didn't fit horse/pony.

I guess you need to put yourself in the buyers shoes too, they don't want to buy a saddle find out it doesn't fit and then be stuck with it, especially at a certain price. Again a $300 saddle I'd say, buyer suck it up, deal with it, but those pricier ones are difficult.

What I do, 7 day trial, PayPal first, then I ship out and if the saddle gets returned then I will refund the amount of saddle - shipping cost, provided saddle came back in satisfactory state. Make sure all communication with sellers happens via either ebay acct or PayPal acct, to have something to resort too if things go wrong.

Good luck.

[Mimi La Rue]

If I was selling one of my saddles, I personally would not allow a trial period. I'm not a business, I don't really have a whole lot of ways to recoup that saddle if things go wrong. You'd have to have a good contract to protect yourself if saddle goes missing/gets damaged/etc. Even if you took full payment up front, what if person gets saddle and tries to charge back the card or something because they say the saddle isn't as described? If someone wants to try a saddle, there are several big companies that allow this. Just seems like too much of a headache to me.

For me, it'd be for sale only, no trial. Probably take longer to sell, but oh well...

I agree! I have sold 3 saddles on ebay without a return policy and all sales went smoothly. I just stated on the listing to ask all questions prior to biding and that I'd be more than happy to take a picture of every detail on the saddle requested or measure the saddle every which way possible.

I would never send a saddle out on trial.

[indygirl2560]

I took my saddle on trial before I bought it. I gave the lady a check for the full amount(which wasn't the smartest thing, but thankfully she was an honest person). At the end of the trial, I kept the saddle and she cashed the check. It all worked out but I can see where it would be stupid to give someone a check. It seems like a Paypal or credit deposit might be safer. Ebay seems like a good idea too as long as you only accept Paypal.

[WorthTheWait95]

I took my saddle on trial before I bought it. I gave the lady a check for the full amount(which wasn't the smartest thing, but thankfully she was an honest person). At the end of the trial, I kept the saddle and she cashed the check. It all worked out but I can see where it would be stupid to give someone a check. It seems like a Paypal or credit deposit might be safer. Ebay seems like a good idea too as long as you only accept Paypal.

Paying via a check usually screws the seller, not the buyer. It's very easy to stop payment on a check leaving the seller with no money and no saddle. :no: If you are going to do a trial (and again I highly advise AGAINST that) def do it through paypal where at least you have some recourse. The small percentage they take is more then worth it for peace of mind IMO.

[mvp]

Would YOU buy a saddle without a trial?

I'm just asking because I have been on both sides of the deal and can understand the seller's worry. But I can't see why buyers ought to become saddle brokers in pursuit of just one saddle. As an e-Bayer with a 100% positive rating and willingness to communicate and be fair, plus a clue about what will be likely to fit me and my horse, I'm drawn toward sellers who understand that something as expensive and specialized as a saddle can't really be bought sight unseen.

Too bad buyers and seller imagine themselves as locked in some kind of conflict of interest rather than sometimes occupying one side of the transaction and sometimes standing on the other.

[PinkPonies]

I've sold a couple saddles online and agreed to send it on trial, with payment in full and after the payment had cleared. I gave the 7 days and if they didn't like it they could return it and I would refund their money minus my shipping costs.

They just had to trust me because I don't trust anyone!! And both people wound up liking and keeping the saddles, so it was no big deal. But this is the ONLY way I would do it.

[Lieslot]

Would YOU buy a saddle without a trial?

Exactly my point!
Let's reverse roles. Say OP came on here and said I've seen this lovely saddle for $x, but seller will not allow a trial, should I walk or buy? Honestly, what would the majority of you have said? Me thinks ... walk.
Personally I'd never buy a saddle over $700 that I haven't been able to at least put on my horse's back. Would you?

I'd love to be able to sell without a trial, coz I am just a private seller that happened to be stuck with 4 unusable saddles. So far I sold 2.
It would be fabulous to sell the other 2 without trial, but then I'd either have to seriously drop my price or wait it out for a looooooong time.

BTW, anybody recently been selling saddles on ebay. At present to me it seems like saddles aren't selling as quickly as they did last year.