The Craigslist Vexation....

I've had my boat listed for a little over a month now. In that time I have received countless trade offers for motorcycles, cars, and even house painting. But the one thing that always gets me is the ignorant questions. One person has responded multiple times with "Is it ready to go offshore?" What does that even mean? Her equipment and mechanical status is detailed in the advertisement. Do YOU think she's ready to go offshore, and are you daring enough to do it in a boat of this nature?

I even had one guy show up to "look" at it, and he point blank stood there and asked me "how do you drive it?" Now it would seem to me that if you do not know how to drive a boat, especially this big of a boat, why are you even asking? When I told him it was twin screws and you can either use your gears at idle speeds, or steering wheel on plane, he looked at me a little dumbfounded and asked "so it has a fish finder?", and then asked me to take a photo of him next to the boat to prove to his wife where he was.

Of ALL the ignorant inquiries that I've received, only ONE has been reasonable, and that's only because he was older and was familiar with these boats from his childhood. I'd feel guilty for turning her over to any of these yahoo's who haven't got a clue.

If you really want to bottom fish Craigslist, but some stuff on there for free. You'll meet a whole different class of people than you thought existed.

DDW said:

If you really want to bottom fish Craigslist, but some stuff on there for free. You'll meet a whole different class of people than you thought existed.

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I work in law enforcement as a 911/police dispatcher, trust me, I know full well what exists!

What no scammer buyers, no-shows, and people that want you to give them your boat free?
You did well!

Oh you know what! I forgot about that one. I got a text saying they would like more info and asked if it was available and gave me a gmail address. I simply responded, “it’s available” and then I got the response that they were going to send me a check.

Think I got that one yesterday.

Is your item still available? lol

Yes here was the scan email!

“Sorry for the late reply, I've been working really long weeks at work. So i wont be able to meet with you to see it, but I'm ok with the price and condition. I will overnight a Cashier Check to cover the cost. Once check clears, I will make arrangement for pickup. Get back to me with below details asap to issue out the payment

Name:
Address:
Apt # ( If Any ):
City: State: Zip:
Phone Number:
Last Asking Price:

Please note that the payment will be mail overnight via USPS Priority Mail and its bound to delivered within 1 to 2 working days. And i will let you know when its mailed out.

Thanks.”

I saw this on 60 minutes a few weeks ago. Pretty cool story.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cb...nto-a-friendship-and-a-publishing-enterprise/

I am in an area where the vast majority of boaters I deal with hardly know anything about boats.

A friend of mine tried to sell his older Trojan (in very good condition) and finally after 2 years wound up giving it to his brother in law.

There is a tiny market out there for older boats, but in some areas so tiny that Craigslist is about all you can do unless you hit a particular person who knows you, the boat and what it truly is worth to THEM.

So I would just harden myself to the "can I take it to Bermuda types" and take the first decent offer you can live with. That is if you really want to sell, and dvery potential sale that walks away means your selling and maintaining a boat getting older by the minute.

When I bought used....knowing todays boaters.....I knew it might he a throwaway boat when I was done. Harsh, but being immersed in the subject has taught md some hard lessons.

toocoys said:

Yes here was the scan email!

“Sorry for the late reply, I've been working really long weeks at work. So i wont be able to meet with you to see it, but I'm ok with the price and condition. I will overnight a Cashier Check to cover the cost. Once check clears, I will make arrangement for pickup. Get back to me with below details asap to issue out the payment

Name:
Address:
Apt # ( If Any ):
City: State: Zip:
Phone Number:
Last Asking Price:

Please note that the payment will be mail overnight via USPS Priority Mail and its bound to delivered within 1 to 2 working days. And i will let you know when its mailed out.

Thanks.”

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Not one of the usual scam messages I am used to....its simple and strightfoward compared to most......not until there is a pickup glitch.

One might think its intenet info fishing, but much of that winds up being told in a transaction anyway, most is in the ad. As to address, use a business address or general delivery. Remember who most of your buyers are that you have already mentioned.

There are MANY boats bought on Craiglest and Ebay, sight unseen from what I have read.

Stories of bidding wars on Ebay over really trashed boats seem to get around too, cant verify any but wouldn't shock me if they were true.

I have never been a fan of brokers, but for all their faults, THIS is the main reason I can see to sell a boat in a traditional way (list with broker and get on Yachtworld). I will give stuff away for free, or even just throw it away, before I list anything on Craigslist. #getoffmylawn

toocoys said:

Yes here was the scan email!

“Sorry for the late reply, I've been working really long weeks at work. So i wont be able to meet with you to see it, but I'm ok with the price and condition. I will overnight a Cashier Check to cover the cost. Once check clears, I will make arrangement for pickup. Get back to me with below details asap to issue out the payment

Name:
Address:
Apt # ( If Any ):
City: State: Zip:
Phone Number:
Last Asking Price:

Please note that the payment will be mail overnight via USPS Priority Mail and its bound to delivered within 1 to 2 working days. And i will let you know when its mailed out.

Thanks.”

Click to expand...

I've sold many things on Craigs List and found it to be very useful for certain types of items. In pretty much every case, though, I received one or more emails worded almost exactly like the one above. The telltale tip off is that the incoming email doesn't actually mention the specific item; everything is in general terms. So I began replying to them with

"Yes, it's still available. I'm pretty busy, too. Please send the check to:
Lt David Rogers (or whatever name I feel like making up that day)
Polk County Sheriff's Office
1891 Jim Keene Blvd
Winter Haven, FL 33880
863-298-6200
Your representative may contact him directly for pick up."

Funny... they never seem to write back.

When I was looking for Kingfisher, the seller told me that a guy came to look at her but stayed on the dock...never stepped aboard. He offered to buy her, but the seller asked him what the deal was with not even going aboard. The guy said that he'd had a stroke that damaged his balance, and that he didn't feel safe being aboard (in the slip). His full-price offer was not accepted.

Have you gotten any of the "I'm in the Army in Europe and my friend will arrange shipping" sort of replies?

On the other hand, I sold an older car on Craigslist 3 months ago in one day without a single scammer replying.

I sold over $3000 worth of estate sales stuff and a car on craigslist in about 6 months. Only had one or two sketch buyers, their cash was still good for me.
But of course there is a risk someone might want to steal your stuff or even kill you, even for fun.

I got lots and lots, many scammers, texting and emailing me. They seem to all follow a similar pattern of behavior. they prey on old and weak minded sellers or make appeals to sellers greed. How absurd it is for a buyer to offer to pay lots more money for the item, but people fall for it.

I assume the add is marked:

-> "No Trades"
-> do NOT contact me with unsolicited services or offers


=> No Phone number in add
=> Contact only through Craig's list (no E-mail)

Then simply ignore the nonsense. You will get used to identifying the predators and idiots.

Then there is the other nonsense:

"Will you hold it for me?"
A: Absolutely, for 10% in cash (non-refundable)
A2: Sure, provided nobody comes along with cash before you come to pick it up

"Will you take a check?"
A: Absolutely, let's take your check a local branch of YOUR bank and we'll cash it together.

At the time of sale, it is also worth mentioning that you should be using a somewhat boilerplate sales agreement, including:

"Item is sold As Is. There is no warranty expressed or implied."
"All sales are final"

Shrew said:

I assume the add is marked:

-> "No Trades"
-> do NOT contact me with unsolicited services or offers


=> No Phone number in add
=> Contact only through Craig's list (no E-mail)

Then simply ignore the nonsense. You will get used to identifying the predators and idiots.

Then there is the other nonsense:

"Will you hold it for me?"
A: Absolutely, for 10% in cash (non-refundable)
A2: Sure, provided nobody comes along with cash before you come to pick it up

"Will you take a check?"
A: Absolutely, let's take your check a local branch of YOUR bank and we'll cash it together.

At the time of sale, it is also worth mentioning that you should be using a somewhat boilerplate sales agreement, including:

"Item is sold As Is. There is no warranty expressed or implied."
"All sales are final"

Click to expand...

Wow, good tips. Anything else?

I sold $ worth of used $23000 worth of used LED light fixtures for a excellent profit. Bought and sold around 6 large sailboats. Many other nautical items. Craigslist has been excellent for me!!! Recently bought a used Lexus for my wife. It is a cash place and I am a cash person. It is far better than EBAY except for new auto parts OEM.

I have a website that will search all or any part of Craigslist you want. It is called searchtempest.com

I just sold a $7000 RV and a $5000 pickup by parking them on the roadside with a big sign in the window. The RV sold in a week, but the truck took a month since it was a salvage title (theft recovery). Several prospective buyers had little English and brought their children to translate, but you cannot get a loan on a salvage title so they didn't follow through. Eventually a Marine Reservist got wind of it from his boss and he bought it.

I use Craigslist often. There are risk on both sides of the equation. "Trust" often a question in this current community level of loose adherence to honesty, is always in play.

Living in Alaska where the exposure to the second hand market is limited, finding items desired on Craigslist is one of the scarce number of sources. Much of the introduction of a buyer to seller at a distance, reflects similar remarks made here.

First on any offer I have to identify myself as a distant purchaser from Alaska. That one of the purchase qualifications is the willingness of the seller to personally involve himself into the delivery, or arrange (at my expense) professional delivery to the Alaska bound barge line. That alone is a giant leap in the transaction.
Neither of the parties are acquainted. We are dealing from a 600 plus miles difference, I am offering payment by certified/cashier check. They are willing to handle delivery.
Perhaps folks in the Seattle area are more trusting as I have not experienced opposition to an honest presentation and I have been awarded with not one case of purchase disappointment. lucky? That may be the case.

As I type, I am awaiting the arrival of a 8 hp Honda LS OB purchased last week off Craigslist, from a party in Edmonds, with a arrival on one of the two barge deliveries next week.

Regards,
Al-Ketchikan

I sold my boat on Craigslist, and it went pretty well. A little too well, actually. It made me wonder if I could have gotten a few thousand more out of her if i'd been a bit more patient. Oh well, the quick painless sell was worth it.

Re this thread bombasting folks w little or no boating experience .....

Most of us weren't boaters at birth. How can you criticize people for not knowing boats if the’ve not been exposed to them?

But CL isn’t high end marketing. Many expect a good deal and there’s reason for that. But I’m not innocent re bad behavior there either. I once scuttled a sale of a car because I thought the prospective buyer was going to mis-treat my car. And you’re welcome to critisize me but I wasn’t going to willingly submit my car (a classic) to what I thought was bad treatment. I went so far as to tell him I wouldn’t allow him to test drive it. That did it.

Nomad Willy said:

Most of us weren't boaters at birth. How can you criticize people for not knowing boats if the’ve not been exposed to them?

.

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Perhaps not. I know I wasn’t. But any time I go into a possible transaction, I have at least SOME knowledge of what I’m looking at. You wouldn’t buy a car without knowing how to drive would you?

I've bought a number of items via Craigslist and sold a few. But I always us a broker for selling a boat. They expose your boat to more serious people that can afford the price. The broker deals with all the waiting for finance and so on. I don't have to show the boat to the many lookers that can't afford a dingy. There are always many dreamers, full of bs, that don't have the means and may give a low ball offer or some trade in the forlorn hope you will accept.
When I sell a boat, and the buyer has the money, I don't care if they've ever seen a boat before their purchase. That's not my problem. You can't protect all the stupid people that do stupid things. And letting them buy a boat may help out the gene pool.

Personally, I could care less if the person who is buying my item knows about it. I sold an oil burning forced hot air furnace through Craig's List. I sold a central air unit still in the box. I could care less if either buyer knew how to install them. If I sold a boat, I could care less if the person knew anything about boats.

I could care less how the buyer treats THEIR boat or car once they buy it. It's a 'thing'. If I'm in love with it, I wouldn't sell it, to begin with, so I already know I want the money more than the item. You can't take it with you and nothing lasts forever.

I'm in Nigeria right now if you kindly give me your bank account and social I'll send you the funds directly and within 2 days I'll have my people come by and pick it up. Thank you

Shrew said:

Personally, I could care less if the person who is buying my item knows about it. I sold an oil burning forced hot air furnace through Craig's List. I sold a central air unit still in the box. I could care less if either buyer knew how to install them. If I sold a boat, I could care less if the person knew anything about boats.

I could care less how the buyer treats THEIR boat or car once they buy it. It's a 'thing'. If I'm in love with it, I wouldn't sell it, to begin with, so I already know I want the money more than the item. You can't take it with you and nothing lasts forever.

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Is the term "Site Team" an official term?Asked as 700 plus post somehow established site authority. Are qualifications involved? or site ownership appointee? Not asked in any form of defiance, Natural curiosity is in play-thank you.

On the subject response. I sold my beautiful wood boat the "Tenacious" of which photos have been posted several times on the forum, to a gentleman who moved to Ketchikan from Kansas City as a retiree. He is a handicapped person and felt the need to purchase a boat with rails all around,my boat then the only craft in the area that was on the market. I on my part, desired our current replacement boat and eager for a cash sale.

During the initial visit to the boat by this buyer, I discovered that he had absolutely no idea of boating or what makes up boating differences, including maintenance of a wood boat over fiberglass." If I brought the object located on the front of the boat(Bow-he didn't know) to your porch in Kansas City and ask what it was would you know?" "No", he responded. Anchor of course.

I did not realize the crime I committed in allowing the fellow to purchase the boat.under the conviction that he claimed to "Enjoy wood working and working with fine finishes."till a few months later when the decrepit condition of the boat was becoming noticeable. It was then I knew what "Loving a boat" ment. That and the personal felt embarrassment by those who know and knew to the extent that I maintained the boat under my years of ownership.

While "Love" is a adjective describing an emotional state even to the macho man, there are material items that invoke such emotion.

Al-Ketchikan

"Is the term "Site Team" an official term?Asked as 700 plus post somehow established site authority. Are qualifications involved? or site ownership appointee? Not asked in any form of defiance, Natural curiosity is in play-thank you. "

Al,

Shrew is a new member of the TF Site Team which is made up of TF moderators. Also joining Shrew in the new position are Bacchus and Insequent.