Market your new or used tack like a pro and make sure you get what it's worth by using simple selling techniques. It's well worth taking a little extra time and effort when the difference is a faster sale and better bids, and you'll keep your buyers happy at the same time.

1. Know what you're selling. Study your saddle carefully. Whether it's western, english, dressage, polo, endurance--any style at all, you need to be ready to describe every feature accurately. It helps to have the saddle at your fingertips when you are ready to list it.

2. Spell the brand name accurately! Potential buyers will be likely to enter the name of a saddle they want in a search. If you misspell the name, you'll be overlooked.

3. List in the correct category. Ebay makes this easy for you, just follow the guidelines, but be creative if you have something especially unusual.

4. Be accurate and honest in your description.

5. Take and post numerous, clear photos.

6. Estimate your shipping costs and keep the rates as low as possible.

7. Answer bidder questions quickly and in a friendly manner.

When you're ready to sell your saddle, (or any other merchandise, really) take the time to put up an accurate and appealing listing. Buyers respond to a well written, good looking listing. Your seller rating is another factor that can influence bidders. If you have received a negative feedback rating, try to follow up by posting a response next to the negative to allow bidders to understand what may have gone wrong. Don't be nasty about the situation, it only reflects poorly on you as a seller.

When you compose your listing title, use every character and make it count. Don't use all capital letters, but do capitalize brand names and any other words you want to emphasize. Use positive, exciting, and factual terms. Avoid odd abbreviations, and don't run your keywords together as it will affect bidders searches. Make sure you include the brand name, model, size and condition whenever possible. Paying for a subtitle is a good practice with expensive items so you can point out any special and desirable features to catch the shopper's eye.

Know how sizes are measured in saddles. The seat and tree size are very important and bidders will ask you if you don't post them--or may just keep going! English saddles are measured diagonally from the saddle nail at the front of the pommel, measure back to the center of the cantle to arrive at your seat size, typically from 16 to 18 inches, in half-inch increments. The tree size is very tricky to measure and if you misrepresent it, you'll have an unhappy buyer. Many english saddles have a marking on the stirrup bar, look for an N, M or W for narrow medium or wide. The billet guard is also frequently marked with a tree size in centimeters, typically from 29 to 32 cm, but occasionally as narrow as 27 cm to as wide as 38cm. Look hard as this can be a very important selling tool. Lacking that, you can either state what sort of horse it seemed to fit, or even contact a dealer, saddle fitter, or manufacturer to get the correct size. It is well worth the effort in getting your best price and avoiding a possible bad feedback. Western saddles are measured from the opening in the front of the seat, to the center of the edge at the back of the cantle, and tend to be 12"-14" (pony or youth sizes)or 15" to 17" for adults. Tree sizes are generally either full Quarter horse bars (FQHB) or semi-Quarter horse bars. Variations do exist, so know your saddle!

Making sure your saddle is spotless and looking it's absolute best, decide where and how you'll be photographing it. Location counts. If you have a proper saddle rack, use it. Make sure the background is uncluttered and your lighting is good. Put the saddle on a clean and attractive saddle pad that fits and is appropriate to the saddle, you can make a disclaimer that the pad is not included, but a handsome pad can help your saddle really pop. If you lack a saddle stand, find something, even a stack of boxes that you can place the saddle on, and drape a white sheet over them so all you see is the saddle. Putting the saddle on a real horse is too distracting to bidders, they will just want to look at your horse, and it also implies germs and dirt, even if your horse is a grand champion. Keep in mind that the more professional and attractive your presentation is, the more bidders will be interested. Would you bid as much on a dirty saddle heaped on the floor as for a gleaming, clean one proudly displayed on a luxurious saddle pad? Buyers want the best for their money. You and your saddle will be judged based on presentation and your seller reputation. If you take your photo in a cluttered dirty garage they will assume you didn't take care of the saddle and bid accordingly.

Photograph the saddle from each side, straight on. The first photo you should post is generally a clean side view to help shoppers see immediately what you have without having to click on your listing. Bidders don't want to work hard, make it easy for them to see your listing. Take pictures with and without flash, many cameras can do this simultaneously so you can choose the best shot. Photograph the front and back, undersides, take closeups of any special details AND any flaws. To sell a saddle, it's well worth paying to post as many pics as you can. Although there are services such as Auctiva that allow sellers to post photos for less, the eBay photos are the easiest to view and you don't have to open another browser page to see them. For english saddles, bidders like to see a shot of the seat and gullet with a tape measure to help gauge if the fit will be appropriate. The condition of the billets and undersides of the flaps is also important.

Write a great description. Be positive and factual, and include as much detail as possible. Do not use keyword spamming, but include any words that might help appeal to buyers that may be included in their search. If you try to trick shoppers, you'll just come across as untrustworthy. If you have a specific reason for selling that does not make the saddle come across as undesirable, include that, but no sob stories, please. State your return policy clearly. Be completely honest about the overall condition of the saddle and don't make it sound better than it is, but do point out any special features. There are some listing designs that can make your listing look wonderful for a dime, and make sure you use type that is easy to read. The more you put into your listing, the better impression you make, but keep the important facts up front and easy to find. After you have someone's attention, they can read the rest of your details.

Saddles can be heavy and bulky. Free shipping is a great option that bidders love, and they'll often be willing to bid an extra $40 or $50 knowing they won't have to pay any more. If you charge for shipping, try to keep it simple and fair. I have found I can ship an english saddle fully insured anywhere in the lower 48 for $50 or less. Lately I have been charging $37 to $40, flat rate. Some sellers use a shipping calculator but that can result in very high rate quotes. I recently contacted a seller who had no idea her calculator was telling prospective bidders it would be $125 to ship her 20 pound saddle to them. You'll need to find a heavy duty box at least 18X18X24 for english saddles and 20X20X30 or larger for a western saddle. Make sure it's clean, unbroken and allows room for lots of packing materials. A nice touch is to wrap the saddle in a clean sheet or blanket inside the box to prevent scratching. Insure the entire cost. Don't make it optional, and make sure you get either delivery or signature confirmation. If the shipping is higher than what you charged, don't ask the buyer to pay more.

Seven day listings have worked well for me. A good hint is to have your auction end on a Saturday or Sunday evening around 7 or 8pm so bidders can be at their computers. Don't worry if you haven't gotten any bids near the end of the auction, many buyers like to swoop in at the last second. The number of watchers you have indicates real interest. Do research to arrive at the correct price. No reserve auctions are appealing to most bidders, so pick a reasonable opening bid and start there. If you have a scarce item, a Buy it Now price can stimulate bidders to grab the saddle before someone else gets it. Answer questions quickly. Check your auction at least twice a day, and if you can't be at your computer, postpone the auction or tell bidders when you can be available to respond. Post the questions and your answer on the listing if you feel the information will help you sell the saddle. It saves answering the same questions multiple times and gives bidders confidence in you as a seller if you answer in a friendly manner. Even seemingly stupid questions can sometimes be a ploy by buyers to see what you are like as a seller, and can even be their way of assuring themselves you are legitimate and actually have the item in your possession.

After the sale, contact your buyer right away with a nice note, and ship the saddle as soon as possible after receiving payment. I require PayPal on my auctions as it protects both sides. The fees they charge are offset by the peace of mind for buyer and seller. Many sellers wish eBay fees were lower, but the marketplace is so vast that selling quickly for top dollar is worth the expense.

If your saddle does not sell, you can opt to relist as is, or consider a price reduction. If you do reduce the price, make it clear in your subtitle. I usually put it in my description in bold red letters. Good luck selling your saddle. If you do your part, you just might get a better price than you expected. My final hint? Many of my resale saddles are ones I bought from someone who misspelled the name and put up a lousy photo. After asking careful questions, I made the buy and turned them around for profit. Don't let a bad ad keep you from getting what your saddle is worth!