Pricing custom saddles

[Bob]

It would seem that starting a new topic about saddle pricing would be good. Everyone seems to have their own ideas for what to charge for a new saddle. For example…

• Their level of skill and experience
• The amount of demand made for their service
  
• The various costs involved for leather, hardware, and trees etc.
  
• The amount of time and effort involved
  

It would be interesting to see what you are charging for a base price on a new saddle in your region. Feel free to make other comments that would help others keep in step with current prices. The idea is to help other saddle makers price their work, stay competitive, and make an honest living.

[AndyKnight]

I will be in the upper range compared to some ,with a base price of $4000.oo and looking at a 400.00 increase. I build my own trees. still too cheap!!

Sell saddles all across Canada and the USA. Always busy.

Edited March 23, 2008 by AndyKnight

[kseidel]

My Base price is $6500. I don't add extra for different riggings or padded seats or other construction changes. A full flower stamp job is andextra $7500. Artwork or "collector" saddles add $2000 with a minimum of $10,000 for tooling. Current backlog is five years, and I am turning away orders.

Keith

[steve mason]

I am in Canada so my base will convert to be higher than a lot of makers in the states, with the American $ getting weaker we are about at par for exchange rate, just a few years ago the exchange was around 50 cents so us canadians were quite a bit cheaper once the conversion was done, now we are more expensive than most Americans ever though we did not change our prices.

For makers who I would consider of quality, I am in the same base range as most of them up here, $4000. I do not make my own trees, but I use only true custom made trees, by either Rod Nikkle and some by Glen Christman. I have a definite bias towards using true custom trees, I see to many makers using cheap factory trees is there saddles then advertising that they are a custom maker, it just doesn't seem to make sense for me to do this. to get a true custom tree will only cost a couple hundred bucks at the most to get a tree that will make your saddle making life much better, not only do these trees fit horses better but they are much nicer to build on. OK, I'll get off my soap box now.

I try use the best of materials in my saddles, hearman oak, harwood hardware, shearling (never the fake crap) etc. In my base price the saddle is ready to ride with latigos, cinches and base stirrups, I also include the flat plate riggin.

When I do some Internet surfing I am sometime amazed by some makers who look to building nice stuff but are way to low in their base price. Even at $4000 Canadian, I am not making a killing, I just don't know who some of these guys can charge only $2000 with out sacrificing something in their saddles or their own pocket book. From What I have seen and have been told by some American makers, the average base of good makers is about $3200-$3500 US. Keith, hair on you for getting $6500, you might be one of the only guys getting paid what you should if you compare our rates to other tradesmen, think about what your mechanic or plumber charges you per hour, I'll bet most of us are not getting paid what those tradesmen are.

Bob: what is your base at now days?

Edited March 23, 2008 by steve mason

[Bob]

Mine is 3500, plus extras....

[Randy Cornelius]

With your base prices guys, Is that for a plain saddle with no tooling or border stamp? does that include rear girths, breast collors and matching covered stirrups? Just checking what is included in a "Base Price" I know I have been real cheep but just getting started. Have not sold many that did not go to wife or friends yet.

Randy

[AndyKnight]

include rear cinch but not front, tin bound stirrups. . 150.00 for flat plate or inskirt rigging. All stamping /carving is extra.

[Bob]

Randy, the base price means something different where ever you go. In my shop, 3500 (Subject to increase) has been my base price for some time.

It included...

double rigging & back cinch

leather covered stirrups

real sheepskin's

Custom trees from Timberline saddle tree company (Steve Mason ) Randy's a good guy and makes decent stuff, I've been using his stuff for years and have no problems, sure there's better. But you'll wait and wait and pay dearly too. I suppose I'm what you'd call a loyal customer...

doesn't include

padded seat

silver concho's

stamping or tooling of any kind

[kseidel]

Randy, My base price is for a saddle complete and ready to ride. No tooling, No silver. Your choice of rigging, padded or hard seat, rawhide bindings (if you have to have it and I can't talk you aout of it), strings, wrapped and twisted stirrup fenders, covered laminated stirrups or monels, latigos and cinch of your choice, rear cinch and billets also your choice, Handbuilt tree, Premium materials, 1" extra dense bark tanned woolskin, horn wraps, rope straps, pretty much any thing you want.

In addition, I warrant my trees and riggings for the life of the saddle. Stirrup leathers for 10 years.

My list of extra charges is short. Tooing, lining (two ply skirting, smooth leather on both sides), recessed seat into swell, dyed background, and braided edges.

I got tired of enticing orders with a low base price, adding all the extras that most customers wanted, only to be too expensive and trimming the order to what they could afford. This way I qualify my customer, and they won't have any surprises.

I feel that if you are a trained, qualified and experienced saddlemaker, that you should be able to make a comperable wage to to other skilled tradesmen. Most better factory made assembly line saddles retail $2500 - $3000 starting price. Better made handbuilt saddles should cost significantly more. I hear all the time that cowboys can't and won't pay more. To that I say not as long as someone will make it for less. When we agree to sell for less money, we contribute to keeping this industry underpaid. We will not see young people coming into this trade and working hard to develop the finer skills if they cannot earn a decent wage. Help starving saddlemakers by raising "your" prices. (guess I got on the soap box there too)

Keith

[Bob]

Keith, thats very well said. Trouble is many people that make saddles, claim the "Custom builder" title and build a saddle in 2 days, sell for like you said, 2500-3000. They market within the industry "Custom saddles" and to a degree they are custom built, because they're not off the shelf.

In our part of the country thats a problem, customer come in my shop, spend an hour looking at what I have to offer and drive down the road and buy somewhere else because it's cheaper.

Bottom line is, there seems to be more customers willing to buy a cheaper saddle, "Custom made" than a custom saddle that costs 1500-2000 more. Some can see the difference, many cannot see it.

Tell me what you think. Is there more customers willing to spend 4000 than 6500?. I think the answer to that question may not be that easy to answer. It would depend largely on how big your world is... With todays marketing skills the world is delivered to your doorstep.

Nice website by the way. Very well done. How much traffic and sales do you get from the website alone? I mean overseas sales?

As soon as I learn more about next years "Kamloops Cowboy Festival" I'll post the information here to give everyone tons of time to plan on coming to Kamloops. The heart of cowboy country.