If you are planning to ship a saddle to a buyer, loved one or for any other purpose, proper packing must be observed to ensure that it arrives in good condition and free from any damage. Knowing how to pack a saddle yourself will also cut your shipping costs as carriers can charge exorbitant fees for packing materials. Here are some helpful tips on how to properly pack and ship a saddle.
Before packing your saddle, remove all fittings and wrap them separately in bubble wrap. You can either pack them along with the saddle or ship them separately.
Wrap the entire saddle with bubble wrap, at least a couple of layers. Secure the wrap in place with tape but make sure that the adhesive tape only touches the wrap and not the saddle itself. Other materials that can be used in lieu of bubble wrap are old quilts and moving blankets.
Place the wrapped saddle in a sturdy cardboard shipping box with a layer of packing materials such as packing peanuts, bubble wrap or lots of crumpled paper in the bottom. Choose the smallest box that can accommodate your saddle with only an inch or two of extra space on all sides for packing materials. If a box is too high, cut it to size so that you don’t have to fill it up with a lot of packing materials. This will reduce your cost since you pay by package dimensions.
Insert the wrapped fittings and accessories in void spaces within the box and fill the entire package with more packing materials. The box should be well-packed such that the saddle and fittings do not move around.
Close the box and seal with packaging tape. Address and label the box and take to your local post office or carrier. Ground shipping is most economical when shipping a heavy item like a saddle. Greyhound Package Express is also a cost-efficient alternative but must be picked up by the receiver at the other end.