# setting up online tack business



## Cazza525 (12 July 2011)

could really do with some constructive advice peeps. I would like to set up my own saddlery business, working from home and online with the added bonus of delivery within the local area. I know that there is a whole lot of competition out there, but would really like to give it a good go! 

The problem I am having is where on earth to find a supplier! I have spent the last two days trawling the net and phoning UK suppliers, but keep hitting a dead end as they will not supply to someone without a premises or to an online supplier.

I'm not looking for credit or credit account......I will buy stock outright......any ideas???


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## maree t (12 July 2011)

PM me if you want details of my supplier. I set up an account and sell a bit thru Ebay ad supply friends locally. I dont work hard enough at it to make much just a spare bit here and there to pay towards mine


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## Cazza525 (12 July 2011)

have PM'd you


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## Kaylum (12 July 2011)

We got a really decent supplier not the usual can give an account to anyone on ebay people, by setting up a website first as we went to auctions and bought stock and set it up from there.  There is one supplier who will supply anyone and has flooded the market as they just dont care.


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## tinpot (12 July 2011)

i was thinking of doing the same thing in my area too, and would love some help in getting it started as in contacts.
looking to do riding wear, horse wear.


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## Miss L Toe (12 July 2011)

I cant really see this as a going concern, for any business to succeed it needs to fulfill a need not otherwise met [USP=unique selling point] and selling on Ebay tends to be a bit downmarket, it is where I go to research stuff and to buy top Q goods at half retail price. with stuff like that you will get returns, which are then "damaged goods", I know I hate getting returns, as I expect to get fresh items if buying BNWT.
I am still looking for a biz where the customers pay up front, never complain or ask for refunds, and are constantly recommending their friends as new customers, I will let you know when I find it!


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## tinpot (16 July 2011)

MRS123 sorry but im not intending to sell on ebay ( thank you) im looking for a shop in my local ares but thanks for your input (not)


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## Denzalwood (16 July 2011)

This is my 1st post on H&H (please be kind) 

I owned a tack shop for some 3 years, I started it from scratch and sold it around 4 years ago (it's still going strong btw) I also did online sales, but Ive got to say retail is a cutthroat business, the public use you as a lending library and the likes of Tesco's are getting in on the act of selling Kite marked hats for £18 Jod boots for £5, coolers for £5 etc, as a retailer you cant even buy a BS standard hat at trade for £18 so as you can see it's tough, E-bay was ok for a while but almost anyone can get the same trade accounts as everyone else (those that dont really care who they sell to any how) and as such noone can undercut anyone and trully make a go of a money making venture. Accounts such as Champion, Weatherbeeta, Toggi, Mark Todd, Barbour etc all require a pretty good shop in an area not yet covered by one of their outlets. But thats enough of the downside. If you trully want to set up for yourself, get any old account up and running to create and trade invoice, you can then get into BETA (British Equestrian Trade Association) they hold a trade fair every February where all the Suppliers (large & small) go to show their new ideas and to HOPEFULLY give you a sparkly new account. Theres a good supplier by the name of Jenkinsons who may give trade accounts out if the orders big enough, they are based in Dewsbury and they stock all manner of branded gear at better than retail prices. SO!! marks out of ten for my first post?


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## unicornleather (16 July 2011)

Denzalwood said:



			This is my 1st post on H&H (please be kind) 

I owned a tack shop for some 3 years, I started it from scratch and sold it around 4 years ago (it's still going strong btw) I also did online sales, but Ive got to say retail is a cutthroat business, the public use you as a lending library and the likes of Tesco's are getting in on the act of selling Kite marked hats for £18 Jod boots for £5, coolers for £5 etc, as a retailer you cant even buy a BS standard hat at trade for £18 so as you can see it's tough, E-bay was ok for a while but almost anyone can get the same trade accounts as everyone else (those that dont really care who they sell to any how) and as such noone can undercut anyone and trully make a go of a money making venture. Accounts such as Champion, Weatherbeeta, Toggi, Mark Todd, Barbour etc all require a pretty good shop in an area not yet covered by one of their outlets. But thats enough of the downside. If you trully want to set up for yourself, get any old account up and running to create and trade invoice, you can then get into BETA (British Equestrian Trade Association) they hold a trade fair every February where all the Suppliers (large & small) go to show their new ideas and to HOPEFULLY give you a sparkly new account. Theres a good supplier by the name of Jenkinsons who may give trade accounts out if the orders big enough, they are based in Dewsbury and they stock all manner of branded gear at better than retail prices. SO!! marks out of ten for my first post? 

Click to expand...


Good first post and very true!
I've been a Saddler for 24 years now and have retailed on and off over the years also having a shop years ago and accounts with all the wholesalers, expensive ones and cheap ones!
It is so hard to make it work as SO many people can open up an account and do it via ebay, alot aren't even in business, just a sideline.
In my case I have found the best way is to have unique products that I have designed and make myself, I am designing some more at the moment.
I also find the best way to sell is when I am saddle fitting and flocking or repairing on site at yards, people ask me if I have such and such and if they are lucky I will have it with me. I sell very little now compared to what I used to, you have to have so much stock, jods for instance, the styles, colours, sizes and brands are so immense you could fill up a warehouse with them all and some bright spark would still want the only colour,size or brand you haven't got!
Even if you dropship, it is still hard work.

If you can try to find unique products or brands very few others are selling but again,that is very hard these days.
With premises instead of an online business people also bring in repairs and have rug washing etc things that you can't do online so it will be even harder to get customers.
I have a website selling things and a workshop making, designing, altering and repairing things, plus I go out on site to repair,fit, sell etc and I still find it hard to make a living sometimes, Oz 

[Commercial URL removed]


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## Miss L Toe (17 July 2011)

tinpot said:



			MRS123 sorry but im not intending to sell on ebay ( thank you) im looking for a shop in my local ares but thanks for your input (not)

Click to expand...

actually I was replying to OP not you my dear, but sit back and take a big breath and ask yourself  Why are Derby House closing tack shops?"
and look at the post of unicornleather, who has a USP, he makes a lot of stuff to order and has an existing customer base, and still  not making "easy  money"


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## Miss L Toe (17 July 2011)

tinpot said:



			MRS123 sorry but im not intending to sell on ebay ( thank you) im looking for a shop in my local ares but thanks for your input (not)

Click to expand...

actually I was replying to OP not you my dear, but sit back and take a big breath and ask yourself  "Why are Derby House closing tack shops?"
.. and why are there so many empty shops?
and look at the post of unicornleather, who has a USP
If you want sarcasm, I can dish it out btw, but  I choose not too.


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## unicornleather (17 July 2011)

You're so right mrsD, I can be in my workshop until midnight some nights and tend to work 7 days a week too, Oz


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## Chico Mio (17 July 2011)

Don't do it unless you just want to post money down the drain.  We have some of the cheapest prices in Europe, we can supply to all of the eurozone and the UK and we can't sell enough to make a living.  Most suppliers want you to place a pretty hefty first order and, as you have found, are reluctant to supply to people without a shop or sometimes membership to the trade association (BETA?).  We are based in Spain, so have the advantage of cheaper VAT and pretty low wholesale prices.

As Mrs D123 says, why are Derby House closing?  It is cutthroat out there.   I have another friend who has just closed her saddlery because the overheads outweigh any profit.

Good luck if you do decide to go for it.


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## Herpesas (17 July 2011)

tinpot said:



			MRS123 sorry but im not intending to sell on ebay ( thank you) im looking for a shop in my local ares but thanks for your input (not)

Click to expand...

Gosh!  I hope you handle suggestions/comments from your customers more professionally than this ...... 

The reason why I mostly shop on the internet and not tackshops is because the majority of shops I've been to seem to be run by ignorant people armed with sarcasm and a sneer rather than a decent customer-focussed, helpful approach.  It has little to do with price.  Shame really and then they wonder why they get fewer and fewer customers .....

The last time I went into a tack shop was to look at saddles.  When I said to the sales assistant that I wanted to look at the gullet at the back of the saddle to see if it was wide enough for my horses spine she said, 'I didn't know they had adjustable gullets at the back'. I then had to explain that the gullet was the entire channel running along the spine and not just the Wintec type gullet she was referring to.  The lack of knowledge was shocking.


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## nala1 (17 July 2011)

Quote:Originally Posted by tinpot View Post
MRS123 sorry but im not intending to sell on ebay ( thank you) im looking for a shop in my local ares but thanks for your input (not)





MrsD123 said:



			actually I was replying to OP not you my dear, but sit back and take a big breath and ask yourself  "Why are Derby House closing tack shops?"
.. and why are there so many empty shops?
and look at the post of unicornleather, who has a USP
If you want sarcasm, I can dish it out btw, but  I choose not too.
		
Click to expand...

HOW bloody rude, I think MrsD123 is very restrained and far more mature than Tinpot will ever be, Tinpot certainly won't do well with a business of ANY sort, if they had spoken to me like that they'd get a slap.


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## nokia (17 July 2011)

hello, i sell on line, i do ok at it, i dont sell cheep product, but i sell quality products at good prices and it seems to do ok.

I agree though, stocking lots of products costs a lot of money and overheads can be really high.  And dont forget some horse owners can be extremley manic and are never happy with anything that you sell them, so accepting returns can be a pain.

To be fair though, people selling on ebay is a very slow job, the auctions last for days.  And buy it nows are expensive, i currently pay between 80 -100 per month in fees alone.

Iv then got my online shop, and also have to take into account my accountant fees and the dreaded vat every 3 months.  Thats a lot of products i need to sell just to cover costs.

If its something you want to do go for it...why not


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## honetpot (17 July 2011)

http://horsegossip.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=other&thread=91799&page=1

Perhaps this person will sell you some stock and give you some contacts


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## ischa (17 July 2011)

I started just over a year ago selling horse and rider products 
I started out on eBay , but many people selling below 
Wholesale prices is slightly confusing .
So when your trying to compete against people who are selling below wholesale prices and eBay percentage and paypal costs to you hardly get much profit back
So stopped that 3 months ago
Unfortually there are so many equestrian retailers online who are competing against one and another 
That alot of people are not really earning a great profit 
From it 
There are online retailers such as equestrian clearance , robinsons, derby house etc that are cheap or doing deals such as buy one get one free deals etc 
Little sellers like our selfs don't stand a chance 
If I knew back then what I know now I wouldn't of bothered


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## tinpot (29 July 2011)

nala1 i dont think i was rude at all and as for business i already do very well thank you. and if the only way for you to sort something out is with violence then i feel sorry for you.


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