BOX
You can find boxes at moving places (i.e., U-Haul, etc.), stationary stores (i.e., OfficeMax, Staples, etc.) or home improvement centers (i.e., Home Depot, Lowe's, etc.) The box should generally be 18X18X24 - about the size of a computer monitor box. An actual computer monitor box is useful as many have cut-out handles in the sides for picking up a heavy computer monitor. If you use a used box, make sure that the structural integrity of the box is sound (i.e., the sides aren't crumpled, weak), bottom is securely sealed, and all previous shipping labels are torn off and/or blacked out.
PACKING MATERIAL
Crumpled up newspaper and shredded paper work very well and we re-use these materials. If it can be helped, please do not pack your saddle in peanuts. Absolutely NO big chunks of Styrofoam (i.e., molded forms from computers), chemically activated Styrofoam or plastic wrapped fiberglass. Place some packing material in the bottom of the box, place the saddle in a plastic bag, put the saddle in the box and then fill around the saddle.
SHIPPING THE SADDLE
Ship to:
Dutchess Bridle & Saddle
150 Carpenter Road
Port Jervis, NY 12771
(845)533-0002
Please ship your saddle through UPS making sure to insure it for the CURRENT RETAIL REPLACEMENT value. You can ask UPS for the Quantum View Notify option that will automatically notify us that your saddle has been shipped. Our email address is info@dutchessbridlesaddle.com. All repairs are returned via UPS. Please do NOT mail the saddle. We live on a rural mail route and depending on who is delivering the mail that day, they may not deliver the saddle to our workshop if they don't have room for it in their car. The main Post Office is about 1+ hour round trip from our workshop. Thanks!
***BUYER BEWARE: If you choose or have to ship your saddle via a packing store, PACK THE SADDLE YOURSELF AHEAD OF TIME. You may be charged a hefty fee to have your saddle packed for you. We suggest that you call ahead to the store you are considering shipping from for a packing and/or shipping quote.
***DO NOT SHIP saddle covers, stirrup leathers, stirrup irons, billet guards, pommel straps, saddle pads or anything else that maybe attached to your saddle. For some completely unknown reason that still mystifies us, we do not always return them. Nothing personal, we just forget. Just the saddle please!
NOTES/TRACINGS, ETC.
A note must be included with your saddle as we receive MANY saddles throughout the course of a week and need to have each repair identified. In the obscure chance that the saddle is lost during shipping, your note will help in identifying the owner. Please secure all notes, photos, tracings by placing them inside the plastic bag with your saddle. Notes, photos, or tracings that are placed in the box on top of the packing materials can get lost in the box through settling and blending in with the packing material - especially crumpled up newspaper! Please click here to download our handy Information Sheet you can fill out and include with your repair. If you are unable to download and print this sheet, your note should include the following information:
1. Your name & return shipping address*
2. Day time phone number (home, work and/or cell number) where you can easily be reached and the best time for me to call
3. Email address (if you have it! Used for contacting you about your repair and UPS tracking number)
4. Repairs that need to be done
5. Any observations, questions you have
6. Payment information: either a credit card number (VISA, MC, AMEX), OR a request that I call for a credit card number OR a request to call with the total for a check to be sent. All repair work must be paid for in advance of the saddle being returned.
We will call and discuss all repair work, approximate turnaround and how much it will cost. If you prefer to pay with a check, we will need to have the check before the saddle is finished and returned. We accept VISA, MC, AMEX and DISC.
*Packing stores put their return address on the box not yours. If you have a P.O. BOX address, we have to have the street address in order to ship the saddle back. We can ship your saddle anywhere you would like to receive it - the barn, your office, etc. Not having an address slows the turnaround time for your repair!
BRIDLE REPAIR
Bridle repair can be sent through the Post Office. The Post Office provided envelopes and boxes free of charge for sending small items Priority Mail. You can refer to our Bridle Repair Price list for the bridle and strapgoods repairs that we do. Please use our handy downloadable Information Sheet to print and fill to include with your bridle repair.
As an added observation, since you will need to remove your stirrup leathers from your saddle to ship it, this is a great opportunity to compare your stirrup leathers to each other to see if their lengths match. This is best accomplished by holding them up together while still buckled in the hole you are currently using. You may be surprised by what you see!
We hope these guidelines have been helpful. If you have any questions about shipping your saddle, we will be glad to answer them!
