Safe Shipping

Safely ship your saddle!

Here at Liberty Saddlery, shipping saddles safely from our doorstep to yours is a big part of our business. While not glamorous, it is crucial to keeping our inventory in top shape, while offering the convenience of trying out a saddle. We take great pride in ensuring all the saddles in our collection are pristine, handled safely, and are treated with the loving care and attention they each deserve.

Ready to ship? Make sure to talk with us first so we're aligned on anything you're planning on sending to us. We respect your time and financial investment, and we don't want to waste either!

Please note, you must use UPS or FedEx ONLY to ship your saddle to us. USPS does not deliver to our shop (and your saddle will not be picked up from the Post Office).

But first, clean!

Before you pack up & ship your saddle, please make sure it is clean.

If a saddle is not photo shoot ready upon arrival to our business address, a $25 cleaning fee will be issued.
If a saddle requires more than a basic cleaning to prepare, a $50 cleaning fee will be issued.
Launder your saddle cover too! Dirty saddle covers will be issued a $25 cleaning fee.

Pack your saddle like a pro!

When we ship a saddle for a saddle trial, we aim to pack the saddle in a neutral position where nothing puts a twisting pressure on the tree, where the leather flaps are not bent oddly (forming any permanent creases where there shouldn’t be), and so that the flocking is never deformed through undue pressure points.

For the safest shipping, we follow these steps detailed below, and ask you to do the same when return shipping any saddle you will not be keeping, or when shipping in a saddle to be consigned.

1) Use a Heavy Duty, Double-Walled Corrugated Box.

We use a Heavy Duty, Double-Walled Corrugated box typically sized 24” x 18” x 18” or 24” x 20” x 20” for an extra-wide saddle requiring a slightly wider box.
There should be just enough room between all sides of the box and the saddle to add a sufficient layer of bubble-wrapped padding. It should be a snug fit when the contents are fully packed.
Never use a box that is already heavily damaged, that has a blown-out glued seam, that is single-walled corrugation, or that requires excessive taping just to keep it in the shape of a box… such a box will fail, and your saddle can suffer catastrophic damage.
Never use a box that is too small. It can cause the box walls to bow outwards or even blow out.

2) Pad Generously and Strategically.

Use a thick layer of bubble wrap on the bottom of the box (a packing foam sheet also works well for this purpose).
The saddle (already cleaned and back in its cover) can now be positioned upside down (seat side down) with the center gullet visible.
There should be some type of shock-absorbing protection between the box's walls and the saddle to ensure the saddle is immobilized (and doesn't shift loose during transit -- a saddle in its cover can easily slide against bare box walls). This works best with a simple layer of bubble wrap OR the air column sheets (as seen in the approved packed saddle pictures) secured between the saddle and the box walls.
No need to go WILD with the bubble wrap and air padding! But it should be there so it can do its job of absorbing shock and keeping the saddle in place (without rubbing, shifting, or rocking).

3) Fill All Voids.

Stuff any empty spaces in the box with bubble wrap, crumpled packing paper, air columns, and/or air packs. The goal is to achieve a saddle packed in the box where the saddle is immobilized and can’t shift and rock around during transit.
Do NOT use loose packing peanuts! They are useless as they shift too easily, and then they make a complete mess for the recipient. If you send your saddle with loose packing peanuts, a $100 fee will be deducted from your payout (for a Consigned item) or added to the restocking fee (for saddles on our 5-day Saddle Trial).
Don’t use old towels, rags, animal blankets, etc. for filling in the voids. Especially those covered with pet hair! (Unfortunately, this has happened!)
A cleaning/disposal fee will be issued.

Final Tips for Packing a Saddle Properly:

Identify the box’s glued seam. This is the area of greatest weakness in the box. Keep the bulk of the weight of the saddle away from this seam. This is possible if you place the saddle slightly closer to the walls opposite that glued seam AND make sure to pad around and between the saddle and box walls.
Don't blow out the box. When a saddle is stuffed into a box that’s too small, and/or when it is placed directly against unpadded cardboard walls, it can easily blow out the box (creating seen and unseen damage to the saddle).
Use a strong packing tape to seal the box closed on all main edges.
Make sure that it is 100% obvious which box side is UP and never handle the box in any other orientation.
Packing label should go on top (make sure that there are no other obvious conflicting addresses and/or labels that could confuse).

Follow our lead!

5-Day Saddle Trial? The following makes it easier to return ship at the end of the trial, if needed:

As you open the box, pay attention to how we’ve packed the saddle.
Save the packing material.
Save the box.
If you need to return ship the saddle, lovingly clean and pack it back up like you received it!
Contact us for a return shipping label.

Avoid these common packing issues!

Most issues in saddle shipping can be avoided through proper and careful packing. Here are some common issues we see with incoming saddles:

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