Like everyone,, ok .. not everyone.. but anyhow.. I met a fellow sailor
who had just bought an old English twin keel cruising boat at my good old boat boatyard, the end of the summer; 2008. He told me he paid $800 dollars. The boat was dirty, she didn't look like she had been sailed for awhile, but she was sound. Rock solid. Basically, the owner had died, the family did not want to boat, and no one wanted to pay the marina the yard bill. So, he told the marina, I'll give you $800 and get her out of your boatyard.. Vola, he is now sailing in Florida. Now that I'm back looking for a boat, I look on Ebay. Huum, this one looks nice, oops, in Hawaii. Wow, look at this one.. oops, in Texas.. but then one jumps out at me .. not too far away, dirty, will need this and that and on and on. The problem? The auction rules, etc. In this one boat case, the ebay seller does not own the boat. They are just sellers. They tell me how perfect the boat is, and on and on. I do some research. Does not take long to figure out that the ebay seller does not know anything about the boat.
They are reading a script. I call the boatyard where the boat is kept; no one will talk about the boat because of the ebay seller. Cant figure out; is there tax owed? Boatyard fees? Was the boat sunk/damaged? What happened to the owner? Nothing. Very frustrating. Is there a way around this madness? The boat is too much money as she sits. Too many questions. But if the buyer can't even depend on the seller to know anything? Crazy.. just crazy. Any of you done the Ebay thing? Dealt with these Ebay sellers? If yes: how do you bust through the wall of silence? Get to the basics, is the boat a junk or what? Thanks,, Sailnet is the best.
Only look at boats that are in your immediate area that are on Ebay. Other then that. "buyer beware" or wait until the auction is over and contact the seller. Many Ebay boats don't sell until they's been listed 2 or 3 times because the sellers try to get top dollar... NOT GONNA HAPPEN! I sold my hunter 23 on Ebay.. did not get top dollar but I DID sell it. Bought my current boat (Oday 30) off a craigslist ad in MD.
I've not had a "wall of silence" ever on Ebay. If a seller or it's contacts were silent I wouldn't even go farther then a non answered email.
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Denise, Bristol PA, Oday 30. On Tidal Delaware River, Anchor Yacht Club.
Last edited by deniseO30 : 11-16-2009 at 12:12 PM.
Maybe I exaggerated the wall of silence.. a little. I did manage to speak to a lady, who did not know anything about the boat but what she was told to say. I asked her very basic questions such as storage, launch, repair, damage, .. nothing. She kept reading from the script. It was kinda funny in a way. I say "has she ever been badly damaged" .. the woman says "she is a classic boat with all her parts and you will love sailing her". Ha Ha .. I say "has the engine been maintained" .. she says "these are great cruising sailboats which offer plenty of room to sleep". It got really funny after a while. I finally asked her "have you ever been on a sailing vessel in your life" .. she says "this boat is ready for a new owner, to take her to wonderful ports and explore new horizons" .. hahahah.. you can't make this up !!
I wonder sometimes why the owner, or repossession company, lets morons rep their boats. I did send an email, asking for a contact. When the auction ends.
I know people who have bought cars and boats off eBay. I am a bit baffled why the seller chooses eBay rather than Kijiji, Craigslist or any of the host of other online options. eBay typically demands exclusive rights to the sale for those finding the boat thru eBay. And then only the highest bidder gets the boat but the highest bidder may opt out.
If I were listing I would always post a Buy It Now price so that a serious buyer could avoid all the auction silliness and make the deal. I do find that eBay limits the make an offer and negotiation phase of buying a boat. Makes it a bit less fun for me and the automatic bids are simply exasperating!
if you can find out the yard.....go and visit the boat, if you're only looking for boats in your general area. Somebody should be around that works there and can tell you something about it.
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S/V Don't Panic!
O'Day 27
Seattle, WA
“Navigare necesse est, vivere non est necesse” To Sail is vital, to live is not.
I'd highly recommend avoiding buying a boat over eBay or Craigslist unless you can see the boat in person. eBay boat sales are generally AS IS and not subject to survey, so not being able to see the boat in person is a big issue.
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Sailingdog Telstar 28
New England
You know what the first rule of sailing is? ...Love. You can learn all the math in the 'verse, but you take
a boat to the sea you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of the worlds. Love keeps
her going when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurting 'fore she keens. Makes her a home.
—Cpt. Mal Reynolds, Serenity (edited)
If you're new to the Sailnet Forums... please read this POST.
"I did manage to speak to a lady, who did not know anything about the boat but what she was told to say. "
Once upon a time, people sold their own things on eBay. Now, for $69.95, you can buy a book, take a course, and make money in your spare time by selling everyone else's things on eBay!
So there are more and more people and shops that don't know anything about what they are posting, they are just selling things for consignees. And that's before the crooks get into it.
All of which has no bearing on the crux of the matter. Would you buy anything, from anyone, in any market, where they said "I don't know anything about this product and can't find out either." ?
