How difficult is it to sell your boat without a broker and how might I go about it ie. websites etc?
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Thanks
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- Thread starter Ducati
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Hello Ducati,
We have sold several boats without a broker over the years and most of those experiences have been positive. The main determiners are these as I see it: (1) the broker you choose is the key to a positive experience. (2) Do you have the time and interest and people skills to meet prospective buyers and keep thier comments (and yours) on a business relationship. (3) Are you willing to answer the same questions about your boat to each prospective buyer. (4) Can you separate the "hull kickers" from the serious potential buyers. (I had some difficulty there and tended to think every person who I showed around the boat was carrying cash in his/her pocket and was ready to buy). (5) Remember, it is always easier to sell a clean and well functioning boat than to make excuses for shortcommings in your preparation of the boat. (6) Put lots of good, clear pictures in your advertising. (7) Have your paperwork in good order.
By the way, I just helped a friend sell a boat this past weekend. I enjoyed the activity which included meeting the buyer and encouraging the seller to act on the contact.
Best Wishes, Phil
We have sold several boats without a broker over the years and most of those experiences have been positive. The main determiners are these as I see it: (1) the broker you choose is the key to a positive experience. (2) Do you have the time and interest and people skills to meet prospective buyers and keep thier comments (and yours) on a business relationship. (3) Are you willing to answer the same questions about your boat to each prospective buyer. (4) Can you separate the "hull kickers" from the serious potential buyers. (I had some difficulty there and tended to think every person who I showed around the boat was carrying cash in his/her pocket and was ready to buy). (5) Remember, it is always easier to sell a clean and well functioning boat than to make excuses for shortcommings in your preparation of the boat. (6) Put lots of good, clear pictures in your advertising. (7) Have your paperwork in good order.
By the way, I just helped a friend sell a boat this past weekend. I enjoyed the activity which included meeting the buyer and encouraging the seller to act on the contact.
Best Wishes, Phil
We've had ours listed here and have had a few interested shoppers. There have been several people that contacted us saying they bought a different boat and now wish they had looked at ours instead. We tried Craigslist but received mostly scammers or those that never reply with contact info. We are considering alternatives.
All U Get
All U Get
All suggestions are good. However, many sites, there are scammers unfortunately always out there as I encountered two regarding a daysailor I recently sold. If you are contacted via email without the boat being seen with an offer made is a clear sign to be careful. Before the boat leaves your hands, make sure you have money in hand and do not accept a personal check unless you are sure about the person. In my case one was eager for me to send via email a bill of sale without negotiating nor seeing the boat. I checked out the address given and the phone number. The number was to a phone in the Bronx area of NYC and the address is in California. I smelled a rat! However, I did sell it locally without the buyer looking at the boat as ther person knew my reputation as I was a former sailboat dealer.
There are companies for those who do long distance selling that will take care of the money exchange and title work for a nominal fee to help protect you. In any Bill of Sale, give the year of the boat and trailer if doing this over the internet but no ID numbers unitl the sale is completer.
dave condon
dave condon
There are companies for those who do long distance selling that will take care of the money exchange and title work for a nominal fee to help protect you. In any Bill of Sale, give the year of the boat and trailer if doing this over the internet but no ID numbers unitl the sale is completer.
dave condon
dave condon
I've used sailboatlistings and sailingtexas, haven't used SBO (wasn't a member when I sold the last one, 41 Gulfstar) but like the layout. I'd do them all. Like All U Get, I'd skip Craigs List as I don't want to spend my time and patience as part of the weekend entertainment for the bored and listless.
Sites like sailboatlistings, sailingtexas and SBO seem to take a little more effort and thought and so weed out (most of) the lookeeloos. I still got some numbskulls e-mailing but they provided some entertainment for me. Chuckleheads trying to low ball an already low price or scam a free boat for their pretend charity/floating rehab/whatever.
Money talks, anyone willing/ready to ask you to hold the boat should be willing to leave a deposit. Draft a contract, put everything on paper in good detail, make no warrantees, encourage the use of a surveyor and be very careful with "owner financing". Boats can disappear.
Sites like sailboatlistings, sailingtexas and SBO seem to take a little more effort and thought and so weed out (most of) the lookeeloos. I still got some numbskulls e-mailing but they provided some entertainment for me. Chuckleheads trying to low ball an already low price or scam a free boat for their pretend charity/floating rehab/whatever.
Money talks, anyone willing/ready to ask you to hold the boat should be willing to leave a deposit. Draft a contract, put everything on paper in good detail, make no warrantees, encourage the use of a surveyor and be very careful with "owner financing". Boats can disappear.
Yeah! I've bought and sold 6 boats in the past 9 years. All of them through sites like this one, Craigs List, eBay etc.
Watch out for scammers. Something about the boat market really attracts them. You will get an email asking you questions that you clearly answered in the ad, (like the price and condition) and the grammar will be a bit off. Those are scammers phishing. Ignore those emails. If they say something goofy like.... "I'll have my agent pick up the item". Delete!!!!!!
Good luck
Watch out for scammers. Something about the boat market really attracts them. You will get an email asking you questions that you clearly answered in the ad, (like the price and condition) and the grammar will be a bit off. Those are scammers phishing. Ignore those emails. If they say something goofy like.... "I'll have my agent pick up the item". Delete!!!!!!
Good luck
if it is a decent boat at a fair price, your best buyer is probably closer than you think. Tell everyone near by. It is amazing how many times a dock neighbor (or someone they know) would be interested if they knew it was for sale. At least this has been my experience.
Duc,
I've bought and sold 5 boats in the last 4 years. Only one involved a broker (seller end). The internet rules. I'd do this. Ads on:
Craigslist
sailingtexas
sailboatlistings
It's amazing how many boats are sold on these sites. If you are selling your 367, I'd look at the USA 367 OD site, and sailinganarchy.
Mention that you are willing to pay bona-fide brokers a commission.
Maybe set up a site (google blogger blog) for the boat. pictures-pictures-pictures. videos.
I've bought and sold 5 boats in the last 4 years. Only one involved a broker (seller end). The internet rules. I'd do this. Ads on:
Craigslist
sailingtexas
sailboatlistings
It's amazing how many boats are sold on these sites. If you are selling your 367, I'd look at the USA 367 OD site, and sailinganarchy.
Mention that you are willing to pay bona-fide brokers a commission.
Maybe set up a site (google blogger blog) for the boat. pictures-pictures-pictures. videos.
I second one of Phil's reasons for going with a broker:
I was conveying this experience to my dealer who is now brokering the boat for me, and he confirmed (while laughing) that greater than half their "prospective customer" contacts end that way.
So either women make the major financial decisions in most marriages, or guys use "the wife" as an excuse to back out of something they were never serious about. Either way, I don't have time for that, especially given the low fee I'm paying since I bought my newer boat from the same dealer who's selling for me. YMMV.
I recently upgraded to an H270, and parked my Oday 222 atop the hill at our marina for a week or two. Advertised it on Craigslist and got several specific inquiries, to which I composed thorough and detailed replies to all that didn't appear to be phish bait. Each thread ended when they replied to my offer to show the boat in person with "well, my wife says we need to wait until X..." or some variation.
I was conveying this experience to my dealer who is now brokering the boat for me, and he confirmed (while laughing) that greater than half their "prospective customer" contacts end that way.
So either women make the major financial decisions in most marriages, or guys use "the wife" as an excuse to back out of something they were never serious about. Either way, I don't have time for that, especially given the low fee I'm paying since I bought my newer boat from the same dealer who's selling for me. YMMV.
I've sold 3 boats without a broker, but they were smaller ..22,24,28 ft.. A couple of things that I would add:
Make the boat look good. On the 22, it was like new for the most part, but on the trailer, the old bottom paint made it look ratty. I had the bottom painted and it looked like a completely different boat. Same with keeping it clean and hull waxed.
Keep the boat with for sale sign in a place with high visability of likely boat owners. In my case, this meant paying for storage vs. normally free storage.
Think about the questions that you would want answered and put these together in a handout with the boat's specifications and history. Include some pictures. Keep some in a plastic handout box at the boat, and also email these to those making inquiries.
Lastly, the number of pictures that you can post on most of the listing websites is limited. Set up an account on Photobucket, or other service, take a long series of pictures showing exactly what the boat looks like (good and bad...they are going to see the bad eventually, and if you initially hide that, they will be angry and not buy if they travel to look at the boat but feel they have been mislead). On the listing services webpage, include a link to the Photobucket site.
Get ready for some real screwballs, who will get angry with you in a minute if you refuse one of their silly requests or their lowball price. Also, watch for those who are looking for a free day's sail on the water for them and their friends by asking for a sail trial. But you need only one real buyer. Without having to pay a brokers fee, you have more room to fix up boat/negotiate on price. Make sure that your price is realistic, and include a little room for negotiation..maybe 10%. A little discount lets the buyer feel good about the deal that is being offered.
Make the boat look good. On the 22, it was like new for the most part, but on the trailer, the old bottom paint made it look ratty. I had the bottom painted and it looked like a completely different boat. Same with keeping it clean and hull waxed.
Keep the boat with for sale sign in a place with high visability of likely boat owners. In my case, this meant paying for storage vs. normally free storage.
Think about the questions that you would want answered and put these together in a handout with the boat's specifications and history. Include some pictures. Keep some in a plastic handout box at the boat, and also email these to those making inquiries.
Lastly, the number of pictures that you can post on most of the listing websites is limited. Set up an account on Photobucket, or other service, take a long series of pictures showing exactly what the boat looks like (good and bad...they are going to see the bad eventually, and if you initially hide that, they will be angry and not buy if they travel to look at the boat but feel they have been mislead). On the listing services webpage, include a link to the Photobucket site.
Get ready for some real screwballs, who will get angry with you in a minute if you refuse one of their silly requests or their lowball price. Also, watch for those who are looking for a free day's sail on the water for them and their friends by asking for a sail trial. But you need only one real buyer. Without having to pay a brokers fee, you have more room to fix up boat/negotiate on price. Make sure that your price is realistic, and include a little room for negotiation..maybe 10%. A little discount lets the buyer feel good about the deal that is being offered.
Do Both..
A brokers listing doesn't need to be exclusive, meaning you can always have a clause that if you (owner) find a buyer/sell's the boat NO commissions are to be paid to the broker. This arrangement is very common.
A brokers listing doesn't need to be exclusive, meaning you can always have a clause that if you (owner) find a buyer/sell's the boat NO commissions are to be paid to the broker. This arrangement is very common.
Re: Do Both..
Like RG Davis, I sold four boats myself. One through a broker (the smallest). In the last two cases, I also offered broker/dealer courtesy at 5% and they were interested. I sold my last one through this site in days, thirteen years ago; I'm sure it's even better now. The next time around, I will likely use a broker, but on a non-exclusive, and will negotiate advertising volume and media. I think the process for a larger, more complex boat in a tight money market warrants the commission investment IMHO.
Like RG Davis, I sold four boats myself. One through a broker (the smallest). In the last two cases, I also offered broker/dealer courtesy at 5% and they were interested. I sold my last one through this site in days, thirteen years ago; I'm sure it's even better now. The next time around, I will likely use a broker, but on a non-exclusive, and will negotiate advertising volume and media. I think the process for a larger, more complex boat in a tight money market warrants the commission investment IMHO.
As a former dealer and broker, so many would want a free ride. This is what I did to seperate the men from the boys. I charged to take them out and that would come off the agreed sales price. This worked well as it took care of the free loaders. Yes, there are many who simply want a free ride and time is valuable for those selling whether private or brokers.
Sorry but I just don't buy it....
A sea trial doesn't need to be a whole day out on the water and I don't think most people arrange to sea trial a boat just to get out there...
Why not just do as the brokers do, get a signed offer with deposit prior to the trial or for that matter, starting up the motor.
Truly interested folks will present an offer prior to a sea trial, no one wanting a "free" ride will go thru the offer process.
A sea trial doesn't need to be a whole day out on the water and I don't think most people arrange to sea trial a boat just to get out there...
Why not just do as the brokers do, get a signed offer with deposit prior to the trial or for that matter, starting up the motor.
Truly interested folks will present an offer prior to a sea trial, no one wanting a "free" ride will go thru the offer process.
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