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Buying Tack From eBay Survey

2K views 14 replies 13 participants last post by  poppy1356 
#1 ·
If you have ever purchased tack from eBay I would appreciate it of you would complete this survey:

•What did you buy?
•How much did you pay for it?
•How long ago did you buy it?
•Which user did you purchase it from?
•On a scale of 1-10, how happy were you with the product?
•How was your experience?
•Would you buy again?
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#2 ·
•What did you buy? ---------Smuckers delux X-large horse harness

•How much did you pay for it? -----------$800 plus shipping


•How long ago did you buy it?------------- 2011


•Which user did you purchase it from? --------Someone from Michigan


•On a scale of 1-10, how happy were you with the product? ----------12

•How was your experience? ----------This was great other purchases from e-bay were not as good


•Would you buy again?-------- Yes, only with paypal!
 
#3 ·
Horror of horrors...
I've sold some tack on eBay, and I'm very careful to describe the item VERY accurately, welcome all questions, and always provide a return policy to make sure horse and rider are happy. I have had happy customers so far. Many other sellers do the same.

I have not purchased a saddle from eBay, however I have been helping a friend of mine, who's new to English saddles, try to find saddle for herself and daughter. I have never encountered so many clueless and rude sellers, and I've been doing eBay as long as eBay has been around. For the most part, when I ask about the condition of the saddle and ask for details like tree width, billet condition, flocking condition, etc, the sellers will try to be as helpful as possible. though in more cases than not, they have no idea how to measure a seat side, tree width, or even know what a billet is.

Do not trust that the saddle is as advertised when it comes to seat size, tree width or anything else. Ask very careful, specific questions and make sure the seller understands exactly what you're asking and how to measure.

Here are a couple of examples of how awful it can be:
-1- I asked for the correct seat measurement on a Stubben Rex, which was advertised as a 15" saddle. It was actually a 16". Seller had no idea how to find or measure the tree width. Then pulled it off the auction 4 days before end of auction, then sent me an e-mail asking how much I'd be willing to pay for it. I told her what I'd pay if she relisted it as a buy-it-now, and she told me that I should look for a saddle at Walmart.
-2- We found a saddle for my friend. The seller assured us that the panels were nice and soft and smooth. The listing specified a 7-day money back return policy, with no conditions. Saddle arrived with panels as hard as a rock. Seller refused to take the saddle back. Paypal had to settle the dispute, and the saddle eventually went back after a lot of headache and heartburn.
-3- We found a saddle advertised with good pictures but with very little concrete information. We asked about the tree width, seat size, flocking condition, billet condition, etc, and seller responded by telling us that we're too inexperienced to purchase a saddle and need to hire a professional to help us, then told us she'd report this incident to eBay if we asked any more questions. She called me an idiot for asking about the "flocking" - didn't I know it's called "stuffing"?

You can get some great saddles on eBay for a great price. There are some very honest, knowledgable sellers who will help you make sure you get what you need. Be sure you know exactly what you're buying, and be sure that there's a return policy. Pay only with Paypal so you have additional protection if you run into a flake.

And I do continue to look for saddles for my friend on eBay, because the selection and prices are great, and there are hardly any English saddles available locally on our side of the country. But I'm VERY careful. I've had much better luck buying saddles long-distance from Craigslist than on eBay.
 
#4 · (Edited)
I used to buy on Ebay a ton and I can safely say that my last 5 or so transactions (over the last 4ish months), out of a total of 45 acquisitions, have all been terrible on the part of the seller - all different sellers.

The grazing muzzle I bought was advertised as one size, showed up in a totally different size - the seller refused to refund me so I had to file misrepresentation complaints (the specs in the ad had one circumference for the muzzle, the muzzle I got had an entirely different circumference), with both ebay and Paypal, then they refunded me and I shipped it back. The only shipping option for a bit was $11 expedited shipping (the bit was really really cheap) yet the bit didn't get shipped for 3 weeks - I complained and got refunded the shipping cost. A breastcollar didn't ship for a month until I inquired and found out that my order had been "forgotten" - it was shipped promptly once they "remembered" about me. I bought a flymask that didn't mention fleece around the edges in the description and the picture was of a flymask without fleece yet the flymask that came to me had fleece around the edges - I didn't complain, just resold it to a friend who had been wanting that flymask and didn't care about the fleece...I could go on.

Basically, I'm now super hesitant to buy on Ebay. I had previous gotten some super great deals but in the last 6 months Ebay seems to really have gone downhill. It's a bummer because Ebay used to be one of my most favored sites for buying horsey stuff. :(
I would use extreme caution and be very careful about who you buy from (make sure they have super good reviews). Also, if something doesn't ship when they say it will (aka make sure you know what kind of shipping you paid for) contact the seller asap about it.
 
#5 ·
Basically, I'm now super hesitant to buy on Ebay. I had previous gotten some super great deals but in the last 6 months Ebay seems to really have gone downhill. It's a bummer because Ebay used to be one of my most favored sites for buying horsey stuff. :(

YES! That's exactly it. The weirdness, rudeness, inaccurate descriptions, sellers refusing to honor their return policies... it seems to have started about 6 months ago. It seems like this economy may have brought the con-artists to eBay to make a quick, easy, dishonest buck. I never had these problems before.

Can you imaging the folks at Paypal and eBay dispute center having to deal with all this every day?
 
#6 ·
I lost all my tack in a barn fire last fall and have been replacing some of my saddles over the last 6 months. I have bought three saddles on ebay and all three have been wonderful experiences. I LOVE my saddles. But I am VERY aware of the seller's feedback reviews. Pictures have to be good. I prefer lots of pictures with many closeups. And I pay attention to the descriptions. I want lots of details. And you can tell when someone doesn't know what they are talking about. If someone measures an English saddle the way you would a western, you've already almost lost me. But so far so good, I can't complain about my tack experiences. I have had some doozies with other things though.

•What did you buy? a Stubben Siegfried all purpose saddle, a Crosby dressage saddle, and a Rider's Choice barrel saddle
•How much did you pay for it? 450, 299, and 425
•How long ago did you buy it? all three since about Christmas and after
•Which user did you purchase it from? don't know anymore
•On a scale of 1-10, how happy were you with the product? 10 on all
•How was your experience? All three saddle came quickly, packed well, and were just as described. I couldn't be happier.
•Would you buy again? I would definitely buy again. I also bought an Amish bridle and breastplate set. Beautiful. Needed to be oiled but nice, strong, heavy leather.


 
#7 ·
•What did you buy? Collegiate saddle
•How much did you pay for it. About 110 including the shipping
•How long ago did you buy it? 2011
•Which user did you purchase it from? Can't remember lol I have to go check
•On a scale of 1-10, how happy were you with the product? 9 it was a true collegiate, the lady sold her horse and got a new one. The saddle didn't fit the new horse... It was pretty good, just a minor water stain on the cantle but it's like half an inch of space.
•How was your experience? Very good and happy!
•Would you buy again? Yes :) but I'm very careful and spend a few daysof research asking the seller questions and stuff. No reply = no bidding or buying.


I also bought my new Ariat Challenger field boots for about 80 or 90, only worn twice... So, I was happy with that. I sold my old tall boots there too- some cheap Equistar ones that I only wore like for one show because I didn't have time to run out and get good ones so I bought those for cheap off my trainer, then sold them; definitely like my Ariat ones haha :D
 
#8 ·
•What did you buy? Bought a lot of misc stuff (saddle pads, boots, etc) over the years. Most recent purchase was a cooler and a winter blanket a couple of weeks ago.
•How much did you pay for it? A little over $100 for the blanket and $50 for the cooler (including shipping)
•Which user did you purchase it from? A number of different ones.
•On a scale of 1-10, how happy were you with the product? 10
•How was your experience? Good, I've been on ebay since 2006, I've never had any real issues.
•Would you buy again? Yes.

The only thing I think I would hesitant to buy is a saddle. I would only consider it if it was a well known brand that I already knew fit my horse. Too hard to tell leather quality and stuff from a handful of pictures.
 
#10 ·
What did you buy? A draft-sized English bridle
How much did you pay for it? About $50 shipped
How long ago did you buy it? Ummmmmm...Six months? Maybe longer?
Which user did you purchase it from? No clue
On a scale of 1-10, how happy were you with the product? Eh, about a five. It fits Aires very well, but it's REALLY cheap leather, so it's stiff and cardboardy, even after saddle soaping and conditioning the crap out of it.
How was your experience? The lady I bought it from was very nice and easy to work with. She also got me measurements on the bridle in a timely fashion.
Would you buy again? Probably not, but only because, like I said, the quality was very cheap.
 
#11 ·
years ago ebay was all about individuals selling there used items, making a few dollars on stuff they dont need. Basically like an online yardsale.

Then it turned into these Ebay business types, selling fraud items, knockoffs, new chinese garbage, con artists, liars and cheats, shipping rate padders. Usually with prices higher than legitimate stores.

I havent wasted my time on Ebay in years.
 
#12 ·
I haven't bought.. but have sold a few things on ebay. The buyers themselves were complete nutcases! But I had really affordable shipping (nothing more than $5 and it was priority) and was very descriptive, included lots of pictures, and answered questions ASAP.

Can never be too careful though..
 
#13 ·
I buy and sell on eBay with some regularity. I have no special seller I purchase from at all. I have gotten all sorts of things, mainly from individuals, not dealers, which, Joe, you can still find. If you are diligent in your description and reading the FULL description as well as asking for additional info/pics you should be fine.

My latest purchases were a balding Bit for around $250, and my Bob's saddle for $2K. I will not buy without Paypal. That is my "insurance".

If you know your stuff, at least somewhat, you will find it rather easy to get around all the knockoffs.:wink:
 
#14 ·
•What did you buy? Braided split leather reins
•How much did you pay for it? $20 or so with shipping (yeah that should have been a big red flag)
•How long ago did you buy it? Oct. 2011
•Which user did you purchase it from? well known ebay tack seller (message me if you want a name)
•On a scale of 1-10, how happy were you with the product? -0
•How was your experience? Well, I was using them to back a draft for his first ride and he spooked. The fellow leading him fell and was dragged 2 ft and when I tried to ease back on the reins they both broke because they were glued instead of sewn! Had to make an emergency exit off the side and flew into the round pen panel. Pulled some muscles & some big bruises but I'll live.
•Would you buy again? I realize it isn't the sellers fault--they didn't make a cheap product. However, they did knowingly buy a cheap product and are selling it as if it was a good solid item. I keep thinking.....what if this had happened to a small child who didn't know how to exit or take a fall? Unfortunately, almost ALL the online tack shops have these same reins for sale. Scary!
 
#15 ·
First I will say I always do research on whatever I will buy. That includes: knowing the brand well, looking at comparable items for reasonable price, asking questions if not in description and look at seller reviews.


•What did you buy? Wintec Pro Dressage Saddle

•How much did you pay for it? $286 including shipping

•How long ago did you buy it? Last month

•Which user did you purchase it from? Someone from Georgia

•On a scale of 1-10, how happy were you with the product? 10 :D

•How was your experience? Excellent, seller always responded within 36 hours.

•Would you buy again? Yes, currently looking for more tack

I was extremely happy with my saddle but I knew exactly what I was looking for, down to the exact model year. It was in extremely good condition. You could tell it has been used quite a bit but was very well taken care of.

I will second questioning the measuring of saddles. More often than not they are measured wrong. I will request pictures of the saddle being measured so I know it is correct. If they get upset about it, move on.
 
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