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Insulting CL ad, does this tactic work?

5K views 40 replies 26 participants last post by  Towguy 
#1 ·
Had to laugh at it:

READ WHOLE AD BEFORE CONTACTING ME! i have a 2013 sailboat tri-axle trailer rated at 18000lbs for sale comes with a 27' hunter sailboat, good boat that needs minor work. needs engine wiring harness, golf ball size hole repaired, main sail and jib, I will NOT answer any more questions about this boat, do to liability reasons i will NOT allow anyone on the boat, trailer is whats for sale, boat is just a bonus, This trailer will handle bigger boats as well, up to 35ft. I will take $4900 USD cash for trailer and boat, will NOT separate . AND will NOT take less. PS: I have a guy that can transport if needed for $3 a mile. PS: I will only show this trailer to people with USD cash in hand. DO NOT TEXT ME! CALLS ONLY, NO TEXT, NO MORE PICS!


I am sure the buying experience will be pleasant - on top of it the ad shows up in Miami but boat is in TN.

Reminds me of a Seinfeld episode "No Soup for you!"
 
#4 ·
Hes worked out how much it costs to dispose of the boat. So hes trying to do a magicians trick to make you think your getting a great deal on a trailer plus a free boat thrown in.
He just wants the boat and trailer out of his life.

It's a form of persuasion and he's doing it quite effectively.

If you read a book called "Art of the Deal" you will be quickly educated. But the vast majority won't read the book and be sucked in hook, line, and golf ball size hole.

Even I could fix a golf ball size hole! That's what you just said 😁

Great ad!
 
#9 ·
Hes worked out how much it costs to dispose of the boat. So hes trying to do a magicians trick to make you think your getting a great deal on a trailer plus a free boat thrown in.

He just wants the boat and trailer out of his life.

It's a form of persuasion and he's doing it quite effectively.

If you read a book called "Art of the Deal" you will be quickly educated. But the vast majority won't read the book and be sucked in hook, line, and golf ball size hole.

Even I could fix a golf ball size hole! That's what you just said [emoji16]

Great ad!
I'd only make that deal if I could put the author of that book on the boat and send him off to a foreign land. Crooked and unethical.
 
#6 · (Edited)
There's no way I would show up to some dudes property without meeting him with $4900 USD cash in my pocket. Sounds like a short cut to a shallow grave. I do lots of kijiji/CL deals but I never carry large amounts of cash and take a good look around before getting out of my truck.
 
#7 ·
meeting him with $4900 USD cash in my pocket. Sounds like a short cut to a shallow grave. .
It's a short cut alright, but not to a grave. The moment you have drawn that cash from the bank in your mind you have done the deal.

He has persuaded you to buy before you have even seen it.

If you only take $3000 out you have already seen the downside before you've seen the trailer.

The more I think about this ad the more I think it's brilliant. To get what the SELLER wants... And that's to get a wrecked boat disposed of.

It's all persuasion. And until someone walks down the driveway already committed to buying he doesn't need to even return a text message.
 
#8 ·
Had to laugh at it:

READ WHOLE AD BEFORE CONTACTING ME! i have a 2013 sailboat tri-axle trailer rated at 18000lbs for sale comes with a 27' hunter sailboat, good boat that needs minor work. needs engine wiring harness, golf ball size hole repaired, main sail and jib, I will NOT answer any more questions about this boat, do to liability reasons i will NOT allow anyone on the boat, trailer is whats for sale, boat is just a bonus, This trailer will handle bigger boats as well, up to 35ft. I will take $4900 USD cash for trailer and boat, will NOT separate . AND will NOT take less. PS: I have a guy that can transport if needed for $3 a mile. PS: I will only show this trailer to people with USD cash in hand. DO NOT TEXT ME! CALLS ONLY, NO TEXT, NO MORE PICS!

I am sure the buying experience will be pleasant - on top of it the ad shows up in Miami but boat is in TN.

Reminds me of a Seinfeld episode "No Soup for you!"
Golf ball sized hole in the Motor or somewhere else on the boat? Big difference, but he probably would be hesitant to clear that up as well.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Ya, boat buying and selling is a dog eat dog world. Even nice buyers will stop at nothing to try to beat a seller down on price when real money is on the table.

He's probably been burned by a few buyers making conditional offers, took his boat off the market for a few weeks or a few months while they take their sweet time to meet the conditions, then back out because they change their mind or were too lazy to do their research or cut their offer in half because they knew they had him by the balls because they delayed meeting their conditions until he was due for another seasons fees.

He's just negotiating.
 
#14 ·
For what it's worth, I'm a great believer in negotiating for what you want, in business.

But when it comes time to talk sailboats, I'm in because the whole process is fun. I like to deal with experienced owners who are reluctant to sell me their well cared for and well used boat because they don't trust that I'll keep it to their standards. I like PO's that become friends, and this was particularly important for the first couple of boats we bought when we were learning.

A bargain boat is an illusion held by the inexperienced owner. An experienced owner knows that the cheap part is buying the boat. The Operating Expense (OPEX) and repair cost is the real cost, and you incur it on an on going basis. In very few years, OPEX exceeds purchase price. This is particularly true with a boat that has not been cared for when initial repairs often exceed the purchase price, and purchase price + repair cost > resultant market value. The only difference is like a frog in slowly heating water, we don't notice OPEX until the water get's too hot to climb out. Mostly on this site when we hear, I got a bargain, the message if from a first time owner who many have tried to warn about this.

I understand the Craigs list can be like selling Mel Gibson's car in a Mad Max movie, so I get the seller's frustration, but when it comes to boats, IMHO it doesn't have to be "2 goes in, 1 comes out."

And yea, the add is funny :).
 
#22 ·
But are you looking for a trailer? Or a free fixer-upper?

If you were you might not find it appealing but you may be persuaded to look into the deal.

Not all transactions are "appealing" but nonetheless at times you still make that transaction with salivating mouth.

I remember in my first job waiting in the huuuge line inside the bank on Friday afternoons to pull my pay check so I could rush to the bar. I hated that line! Hated! But I needed money to get drunk and pick up chicks.
 
#23 ·
If.... the trailer is in good condition, it's really cheap for what it is.
The boat, OTOH, is not being promoted at all... it's like some sort of extra dust on the trailer rails.
The problem for the new owner will be the cost of "cleaning up" that trailer!
:(

Ad seems straightforward enough, tho.
 
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#25 ·
Here's my guess. $4,900 is exactly what this guy paid for the boat and trailer, before hauling it to TN and finding out it needs $10,000 worth of engine, core and rigging work. It will cost him a few thousand to dispose of it, which is about what he might get for the trailer, assuming it doesn't have burned bearings. It certainly needs tires.

He probably figures, since he was stupid enough to buy it, he'll insist on finding his doppelganger.
 
#27 · (Edited)
I wonder if the boat was half way decent, when he bought it in Illinois, then for whatever reason thought he could use that trailer to trailer that boat without supporting the keel in any way. He maybe did all the right things at first, did his research, had her surveyed then damaged the boat during transport.

If thats the case the guy is maybe frustrated with himself and a little embarrassed, that may come across as angry, overbearing and stupid, but it would be a pretty frustrating situation to be in.
 
#28 ·
Couple things...

Boat, and trailer have been on and off craigslist for at least 8 months (about the time I was looking for a trailerable boat). Yes I scour craigslist cross country for sailboat trailers, and boats... I'm not proud, I have a problem :)

Boat and trailer have been seen on craigs, in just about every state across the east coast.
I don't think the owner is mad at potential tire kickers, he's just mad in the traditional sense.
A trailer that size in dual axle brand new with very little "extras" is about $5500 (I'd bet they would not sell you a boat trailer that size without brakes though). I talked to load-rite and triad to get pricing as recently as this spring (for both a 27 foot Starwind and also for a 24 foot Wavelength). Spend about another $1500, and you can get float off, LEDs, electric brakes, galvanized, extra dollies, tongue extensions and the whole kit. Yep it'd even work for boats up to 30 feet given the displacement is about the same (not 35, that'd be a huge exaggeration, unless they were hollow down below and under 9 feet wide, Hobbie 33 maybe?).

Some observations.
1. The trailer was never meant for the boat that is on it (note the shoal draft keel on the fin keel trailer). The chains holding the supports are a nice touch, probably because they bent with all that weight on them since 1/3-1/2 of the weight of the displacement should be on the keel, not the supports. I'd pay good money to video someone towing that at highway speed around a corner... AFV might pay me a mint.
2. Trailer has no fenders, clear sign it was home built.
3. Trailer has no brakes (electric or hydraulic) which makes it illegal in most states.

Misleading, ignorance, or downright dishonesty, not sure.
 
#30 ·
My take on the ad, is that he's a guy who's not overly bright, lacks social skills, and believes he can deter others who are not overly bright and lack social skills.

Having done plenty of buying and selling on Craig's I can say with great certainty, that there is no way to word your ad to insulate yourself from the grand procession of imbecility and toxicity that a Craig's ad will attract.

Like the time I was selling my dad's 27 foot power boat for him. I carefully pointed out in the ad that it had a 10 foot beam, was on a cradle, and could not be trailered. Yeah, I spent one and a half hours with a guy who performed a careful inspection of the boat, only to decide he didn't want it because it wasn't trailerable.

If you've used Craig's much, I know you have similar stories to tell.

If you're going to use Craig's, communicate as best you can, and be grateful for those few times where the transaction goes smoothly and pleasantly.

And when you see an ad like the one posted in this thread, be thankful that the guy has told you (or at least me) in advance that he's a belligerent jerk. I see it as my job to believe him.
 
#31 ·
He sold me. If I was looking for a trailer that size (assuming I knew anything about trailers, which I don't) and had a way to economically get rid of the boat, then I'd be goin up his driveway to look at exactly what I was coming to see.
I don't see a single question left to ask.
Anyway, since a free boat is never a good deal, to the junk/scrap yard on the way back home w/my new trailer.
 
#34 ·
If I was looking for a trailer that size (assuming I knew anything about trailers, which I don't) and had a way to economically get rid of the boat...
Well, see, that's the problem. Unless you do something illegal, like just dumping it on the side of the road, there isn't going to be any easy or inexpensive way to dispose of that boat. No doubt he has figured that out, and that is why he insists that you have to take it with the trailer. He is basically hoping to make this someone else's problem!
 
#32 ·
He might be a lot nicer in person.Personally I won't dicker, explain or bargain with any craigslist buyer until they show up with cash. Then, I'm more friendly. That's just because I have so many people waste my time.

I bought my boat from a guy who said he never returns a call or e-mail on cl until they contact him a second time. That way he knows they really want it.
 
#35 ·
Trailer is very lightly built. Looks like a home job. I would not take it on the road with a heavy boat. Might be sturdy enough to store a boat in the yard. Not even close to be worth $4900. Boat is a liability, adding a negative value to the deal. The seller is clearly unhappy but IMO the solution is to lower the price to below $2500. Even then he may have a hard time selling it.
I don't care how the ad is worded. It is all about the money. If you have a good deal, I don't mind being 'insulted'.
 
#36 ·
I had a fairly good experience selling my boat on Craigslist. I just cut the price in half, had a bunch of people contact me (including some dude who wanted to sail it home in the middle of a Wisconsin winter), and had an open house at the boat yard. Sold.
 
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