Best Practice to Sell a Mainship 30 Pilot

[Autoteacher]

What is your recommendation on best practice? Selling your mainship that you have set up for cruising. Now health forces plan change? I know some will suggest a broker and swear by the person. We have had bad experiences and do not want to use a broker. Our Ad in Boat trader was mixed up with another and they could not correct it for a week. We are on Craigslist but the tire kickers and people that don't know what they want are abundant. FSBO is hard work but anything will sell at the right price. The tax advantages and no fee sale would seem to be a no brainer.

 

[Comodave]

I have sold boats both ways, FSBO and a broker. The broker route is easier but is costlier. I have sold the last couple boats myself through Boat Trader and they sold to the first person that came to look. My boats are clean and in excellent shape. I try to price them correctly and so far have had good success.

 

[DavidM]

Even though you had a bad experience with a broker, it may be worth rethinking. Most boats in the $50+K range are listed with brokers. Buyers looking for a $50+K boat go to Yachtworld first. So in general, a broker listed boat will sell for more than a FSBO boat. Why? Demand drives the supply/demand pricing equation.

Call up a few brokerages and ask to talk about listing your boat with them. If they sound reasonable, go see a few in person. Then for the final 1 or 2, ask them a straightforward but meaningful follow up question by email and see how they respond. That is the acid test. Any broker who won't respond in 24 hours isn't worth considering.

But if you still want to do it yourself, Boattrader.com is the most popular one. It is where I go when looking for a <$50K boat.

David

 

[JLD]

I understand the fee associated with going through a broker, but what is the tax advantage of selling the boat yourself?

Jim

 

[Comodave]

No tax advantage to the seller that I can see, but some states don’t charge sales tax if you buy from an individual and not a broker or dealer.

 

[Autoteacher]

I worked the auto and truck industry enough to know how sales work and I know I am too honest. I scared the first looker off when I described how I serviced all the coolers and seacocks. I try to be transparent and detest a shifty salesperson. Thanks for the advice and tips. I have posted on FB, CL for FT Meyers Fl. I might try Boat Trader if I get too many spammers and tire kickers.

 

[Shrew]

You pay the broker to sift through the tire kickers and spend the time showing the boat to the tire kickers that made it through the initial vetting. It takes a lot of person-hours to sell a boat.

You pay whether in time and frustration or cash.