Sell a boat lately?

[capejt]

Have you sold a boat recently?
I'm in the process of trying to sell mine. Yes, it's listed here, as well as about a half dozen other sites (including Craigslist, EBay, and others). Just yesterday I received two phone calls from people offering services to put my ad on many websites for a fee. The advantage being no need to pay a commission, just a flat fee for the listing.
One offer was to get the ad out on ten websites (if I remember right) for a fee of about $120. Another offered thirty sites for $300.
I'm curious if anyone has used these services before or heard anything about them. To me it seems like a good idea, although a little pricey.

 

[Bad Obsession]

I am still trying to sell mine. I have it up with a broker. I haven't even had one nibble in three weeks. ugh!

 

[Steve Dion]

Have you tried using this site?

 

[Phil Herring]

As with anything else, 20% of the web sites probably deliver 80% (or more) of the traffic. So is there anything to be gained by listing the boat on 30 web sites? I think the premise is questionable, and if they miss the top 3 or 4 sites, it's downright flawed.

I also don't think you can compare the cost of online advertising to the cost of a broker. You could run on a thousand web sites and still not get what a good broker brings to the table. I guess the whole concept makes me uncomfortable.

 

[capejt]

Yeah, I kind of thought the same thing but was hoping I was wrong.
BTW, yes I have it listed here.

 

[Ken Palmer]

I had listed here and had a few nibbles, but no offers. I live in Rochester, NY and had a broker in Toledo, Ohio call me with an offer to broker my boat. The fee was well below local broker fees, and I got more leads from the broker than from here. I ended up selling the boat through the broker to a buyer that lives within a mile of the marina. Good luck on your decision and selling your boat. By the way, the broker saw an ad posted on the Internet by the broker.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

I am still trying to sell mine. I have it up with a broker. I haven't even had one nibble in three weeks. ugh!

Last time I checked the data, the avg time on the market was 16 months.

 

[py26129]

Last time I checked the data, the avg time on the market was 16 months.

When we sold our last boat (Pacesip PY26), it took about two years. I did not use a broker but advertised on all the local websites, as well as Sailboatlistings.com. I also made the rounds of the local clubs and marinas on a regular basis with 1 page flyers. In addition I build a littel website on a free hosting service to provide details and lots of pictures of the boat.

What finally sold the boat was one of the local websites and the site I built for the boat. When the right people looked at the boat, the sale happened very quickly.

BTW. Building the boat web site was a breeze with the tools provided by the hosting site. I am clueless when it comes to web design and was able to do it quite easily.

Make sure any pictures of the boat show it neat, clean and tidy.
Matt

 

[robertsapp]

Something I thought I'd throw in since I recently mentioned it in another thread. I'm sort of in the market for a larger boat, and I've been flagging and tracking various ones that look interesting. Here's what I've noticed. Boats I'm interested in that are listed for a price that's in line with the NADA listed value sell within a few weeks. Boats that are listed at 20% to 50% above the NADA listed value don't sell, they just sit. Everyone tells me you can't go by the NADA value. I have no idea why they say that, except maybe that it values their boat at less than they (who are emotionally invested) think it's worth. It does seem to work though, if your goal is to actually sell the boat. For many though, it seems to be more about the gratification of "getting the price they wanted," ignoring the fact that once you back out the 16 or more months of dockage, insurance, maintenance, and the possible broker's fee, you're right about at where you would have been if you'd taken the offer for NADA value right up front.

This is a wholly unscientific and extremely limited study. But I do find it interesting that so far the data seems to support my conclusions.

 

[philwsailz]

www.sailingtexas.com


It is almost THE defacto website for selling sailboats. Lots of traffic there, the ad is free, but there is a SMALL recommended donation at the time of the sale.

I have sold a few there.....

 

[arf145]

I sold my Pearson 28-2 recently. Sold in less than 2 months. I only listed in sailboatlistings.com and got maybe 10 emails and calls from that, though I sold to the first person who looked at her. I actually got that lead from someone else and simply referred them to the listing to look at the pictures and specs before coming to look at the boat.

I listed myself because brokers wanted a fixed amount that was a large percentage of the price of a 25-yr-old 28-foot boat. A certain amount of luck is involved for sure, but I did take good new pictures of the boat in very clean condition. And no extraneous junk in the pictures, like so many I've seen out there. You are selling a dream after all!

 

[philwsailz]

Here is an ad that is probably a good example of how NOT to do it....

http://sailingtexas.com/201301/scatalina30162.html

Sorry if Pip is a member here, but if Pip is, he could clean up his boat and take some new shots and he might have a better chance of selling.

 

[Ross]

I cannot imagine taking that Catalina out in winds greater than 6 kts. and not having everything scattered all over the cabin. There is far too much junk on that boat.

 

[philwsailz]

I cannot imagine taking that Catalina out in winds greater than 6 kts. and not having everything scattered all over the cabin. There is far too much junk on that boat.

Can I quote you the next time my wife brings her "gear" on board? Stowing things is a complicated issue in her world....

 

[arf145]

Exactly what I was talking about Phil. I'm not sure what the owner was trying to convey with those pictures. The shot of the head and salon could have been made 100% better just by removing those items.

 

[robertsapp]

I'm not sure what the owner was trying to convey with those pictures.

I think the subliminal message here is "buy my boat, and you can stop paying for that storage unit you're renting and apply the money toward the boat loan." Genius!

 

[okawbow]

Near the end of our 3500 mile cruise from Kentucky Lake dam to northern Maine, a couple years ago; I listed our 31' ketch on craigs**** with a couple phone camera pictures. The first reply came in 15 minutes, and that was the person who bought the boat when we were ready to go home, 3 weeks later.
I think the key to the fast sale was, #1-price-I listed my bottom dollar as firm, from the start. #2-the boat was in the water, in daily use, and available for him to do a sea trial. #3-timing-I sold the boat at the end of July, while there was still time for him to use the boat that year.

Be realistic about your price, and show a clean boat, if you really want to sell fast.

 

[meb135]

Hmmm.... i've seen this situation before. When i was shopping for my boat, i came across a few that resembled a dirty storage locker. Come to find out, the wife wanted to sell and the husband didn't. What better way to keep sailing and maintain that the boat is for sale.......but i'm just not getting bites.

 

[philwsailz]

Good images are totally necessary. Good images without your personal effects!

In my mind, this is an example of a photo I would want to see. I would want to go look at this boat if it were for sale....

A place for everything, everything in it place, and as little of everything as possible......



Then I would STILL inquire with the seller as to what was up with the anchor rode... (I am fabricating a new cover for the short term, hoping for a better redesign long term. I hate hawsepipes that open to the interior. Makes for a wet V-berth...)

 

[zeehag]

been trying to sell an ericson 35mII for a few years-- but come june 2014 i sign it over to the guy i got this formosa from so i am not in a hurry to sell her ...
have tried brokers, craigs list-didnt do ebay, as i dont need to sell her yet...done word of mouth, local advertising, many things to try to sell her--but the day after i placed her on market the market tanked. no worries.

dangit


there are boat listing websites. there are some with fees and some without fees until boat is sold. there are international ones and local ones.
i learned this in mazatlan, where a friend is trying to sell his boat.