What websites are the best to advertise my sailboat for sale?

[mk11blue]

i have an Annapolis 26' 1976 sailboat and am looking to reach as many prospects as possible, can everyone tell me some wonderful sights i may advertise my boat on, preferably one that would allow me to advertise for free?
All help is appreciated

[CalebD]

Nice boat and it is newer then mine.
For selling your Annapolis 26' there is a forum on sailnet called 'Boats for sale ...' or something like that. There are also a bunch of other places like: SailboatOwners.com - Home
Sailing Texas, sailing lessons, sailboats for sale, sailboat rentals, charters, sailing videos Cruisers & Sailing Forums and what about craigslist.com? All of the places I just mentioned charge little or no money to put a 'for sale' add on their web sites and reach a lot of people on the internet. There are a bunch of other places as well that may charge you something for an advert like ebaymotors.com yachtworld.com et al.

[chuck53]

Try New Boats And Used Boats For Sale By Owner And From Dealers or Sailboat Listings - sailboats for sale
As mentioned above, craigslist is good but don't just do your local community but others within 250 miles as well.
If you do craigslist, you have to re-list it every couple of days as your listing goes to the bottom of a long list and many people will only at current (1-2 day) listings.

[jordanship]

SailboatListings.com meets your criteria the best. The site will reach a good proportion of serious buyers whether directly via a Sailboat Listings search or secordarily via Google SERPs.

BoatTrader.com and sister sites sailboattrader.com boattraderonline.com require you to pay. You might hit a slightly larger audience but not substantially. And serious buyers will find you no matter what. Being on Boat Trader shows some investment on the part of an owner who is willing to pay for their boat to be there. They appear more serious about selling it.

Yacht World requires a costly broker. While this is the most prestiguous site, brokers charge a 10% commission. There is no upfront cost but a cost later one. If you can show her to clients, especially when you get into the smaller boat market a brokerage is unneeded overhead. (Full disclosure: I am a broker. My opinions expressed here may or may not represent my professional collegues and company. Sorry to delay the point but my lawyers require this.)

I would avoid CraigsList. The site attracts the wrong type of buyers. In my experience, Craigs List shoppers are looking for low priced deals. Placing your yacht on the site will devalue her. It gives the impression that something is wrong with her, and you cannot sell her through normal channels.

Ebay is another option. This is higher class than Craiglist. There are fees and an Ebay commission. If you go this route, make sure to put in a reserve or fair starting bid.

Go with SailboatListings.

[mk11blue]

Originally Posted by jordanship

SailboatListings.com meets your criteria the best. The site will reach a good proportion of serious buyers whether directly via a Sailboat Listings search or secordarily via Google SERPs.

BoatTrader.com and sister sites sailboattrader.com boattraderonline.com require you to pay. You might hit a slightly larger audience but not substantially. And serious buyers will find you no matter what. Being on Boat Trader shows some investment on the part of an owner who is willing to pay for their boat to be there. They appear more serious about selling it.

Yacht World requires a costly broker. While this is the most prestiguous site, brokers charge a 10% commission. There is no upfront cost but a cost later one. If you can show her to clients, especially when you get into the smaller boat market a brokerage is unneeded overhead. (Full disclosure: I am a broker. My opinions expressed here may or may not represent my professional collegues and company. Sorry to delay the point but my lawyers require this.)

I would avoid CraigsList. The site attracts the wrong type of buyers. In my experience, Craigs List shoppers are looking for low priced deals. Placing your yacht on the site will devalue her. It gives the impression that something is wrong with her, and you cannot sell her through normal channels.

Ebay is another option. This is higher class than Craiglist. There are fees and an Ebay commission. If you go this route, make sure to put in a reserve or fair starting bid.

Go with SailboatListings.

thank you

i will get her off of craigslist then

[chuck53]

Originally Posted by jordanship

I would avoid CraigsList. The site attracts the wrong type of buyers. In my experience, Craigs List shoppers are looking for low priced deals. Placing your yacht on the site will devalue her. It gives the impression that something is wrong with her, and you cannot sell her through normal channels.

I disagree with this assessment of craigslist. Last summer my son put his very nice bowrider on craigslist and sold it for not much less than his full asking price of $9000.
Yes there are a lot of people looking for deals and since this is a 34 year old, 26' sailboat that few people have heard of, it will not command a high price. Craigslist is just the place to put it as well as some of the other websites listed above.

[mk11blue]

Originally Posted by chuck53

I disagree with this assessment of craigslist. Last summer my son put his very nice bowrider on craigslist and sold it for not much less than his full asking price of $9000.
Yes there are a lot of people looking for deals and since this is a 34 year old, 26' sailboat that few people have heard of, it will not command a high price. Craigslist is just the place to put it as well as some of the other websites listed above.

i guess it was premature for me to suggest that i have sold smaller valued items on craigslist

just looking to reach as many prospects as possible

thankx for your input!

i really dont want to sell her to be honest.....i dont, but i have no choice, its just my 2yr old son and i and i cant really handle the slip anymore

[chuck53]

I understand your need to sell and not your desire.
The more websites you can find, the more people will see it and eventually someone will buy.
Good luck with your sale. If it doesn't move fast you may even look into a donation. You will only get a small tax write off, but at least it will be gone and all the associated expenses that go with it. I would only do that as a last resort as you will be better off financially if you sell it at a "fire sale" price than if you donate it.

[mk11blue]

Originally Posted by chuck53

I understand your need to sell and not your desire.
The more websites you can find, the more people will see it and eventually someone will buy.
Good luck with your sale. If it doesn't move fast you may even look into a donation. You will only get a small tax write off, but at least it will be gone and all the associated expenses that go with it. I would only do that as a last resort as you will be better off financially if you sell it at a "fire sale" price than if you donate it.

i appreciate your input donation would be the last resort, i so wanted to enjoy her more however as we all know, things dont work the way we plan unfortunately im heading out to her today to finish unstocking and do a little airing out and maybe kick a few back on her and say some goodbyes.

[chuck53]

Do everything you can to make the boat as visually appealing as possible. Clean out most if not all personal items. Scrub her down, inside and out. If you can, use a one step cleaner/wax on the hull. A 2 step clean and wax would be better but more work.
You'd be amazed at how many "for sale" boats out there look like crap - dirty and crammed with junk. Make your boat stand out and it will sell.

When you do post your boat on craigslist or any other web site, let us know and we can critique your ad and possibly give you suggestions on to make your ad even better.