BTB: Caveat Emptor, Saddle buyers!

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Caveat Emptor, Saddle buyers! Posted: 20 Jul 2010 01:50 PM PDT So I'm riding Riley once or twice a week, in my trainer's saddle. I love riding Ri-Ri, and I love that saddle.   Did I mention I loved her saddle? It's a County Perfection saddle. I can use the trainer's for now but ultimately I may want to find a used version of her saddle. I'm starting to look around, on Ebay, Craigslist, and in local tack shops. Scammers love the Net  I give high priority to finding a credible seller. Who would set up a scam using a dressage saddle as bait??? Yet I ran across what I'm pretty sure is a scam. Take a look at these two ads (click to enlarge). Gibson, TN ad North Bonneville, WA ad Note: The photos are identical. The same photo appears in both of these two classified type ads, even though one seller is based in Tennessee and the other is in Washington state.  The saddle is listed at about 20% below the typical sales price for a saddle of this make, model, and condition. You know the saying: "If it sounds too good to be true..." When you look at Ebay, you'll note that conscientious sellers of big ticket items list every little whipstitch and detail.  Not much detail in these ads, which when you think of the cost of the item, is kind of weird. Contacting the seller Are you skeptical yet? Here's more info. I exchanged email with the seller of the Tennessee saddle. The email identity is Tim; the email itself is signed Sarah. The seller claims to know nothing about the saddle except what is on the ad, which is a little unusual for someone selling a saddle because his/her horse outgrew it. It's a custom made saddle. Wouldn't they know something? Is your faith in humanity still not shaken? Here's a big clue. When a dressage rider sells something  you typically see typically  meticulous detail, beautiful descriptive prose, and good grammar -- let's face it we're a pretty advantaged, educated group. This seller had broken English typical of someone who is ESL (English as a second language). For example...   "i ship you the saddle you pay for it now and if you're not going to like it or it won't fit you, you'll   return it with a full refund policy included"  I suppose it's possible that there is a dressage rider with marginal writing skills selling a saddle for well under market price, and maybe he/she owns two homes in OR and TN. And travels with the saddle. With the horse that's outgrown it. I'll pass. But maybe you'd like to take a chance for a great deal? Let us know how it goes ;-)

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