Best way to sell a boat

[Venkman]

I have somehow been nominated/appointed to sell my father-in-law's boat. I am not excited about this opportunity (an opportunity is my wife's characterization).

In years past I would use Craigslist to advertise, I haven't sold anything like a vehicle/boat in around 6 years, is Craigslist still the best available site. I don't really want to spend any out of pocket expenses on this endeavor. I went to boattrader.com, but I was a little surprised at the costs to advertise. The boat is an older model (1993) cabin cruiser on a lake in Oklahoma which is in about as big a demand as a 23 foot Catalina.
I guess my question is what would you do, Craigslist, Local paper, boattrader, Insurance fraud? What's the quickest way in your experience to move an older large boat.

 

[Ronnie]

I would list it on Craigslist with lots of pics and full disclosure of any known issues. I would also note that I am not open to trades and only negotiate price in person.

 

[Bruce]

I would list her on Craigslist and Facebook. No harm I throwing herinto the classifieds here which will be highly ranked in Google searches.

As for the best way to market her I would write a long ad about all her positives with lots of pictures of family enjoying her in beautiful water.

 

[Trevor Shipman]

Create a YouTube video that is very detailed and put the link to it in the post. This will help eliminate a bunch of texts/questions.

 

[Ilmmct]

Agree with the members that have suggested Craigslist (posted in multiple neighboring larger cities) and Videos to share details on the condition and features of the boat. I would not rule out eBay for broader exposure due to the potentially small market where the boat is located. Also, use eBay and boattrader to educate yourself on what the market pricing should be for this model and its current condition. Price it right, get some exposure and provide as much details in the ad and video to minimize the nuisance Q&A.

 

[robert843]

Its free to list it on Ebay with a buy it now price it as mentioned above gives more exposure.

 

[Venkman]

Thanks for the replies. I didn't even think of ebay. And I do need to add a line concerning negotiations in person that might eliminate the 5 paypal scams I had text to me today. It's amazing how many people wanted to immediately buy the boat but we're stuck in a foreign military base and/or situation where they could never speak in person.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

I've been successful with eBay and boattrader. Local papers and Craig's list usually waste my time with scammers and tons of looky Lou's. Boattrader is worth the $ in my opinion.

 

[VONCE]

I usually have good luck with Craigslist. However, if you haven't used it in 6 years, beware of scams. It's hard to keep up with all the latest scamming techniques. Some of the scam messages are really easy to spot, but some are decent at luring you in.

 

[Gregory Smith]

I think you should take a picture and distribute it online.

 

[Markk]

Thanks for the replies. I didn't even think of ebay. And I do need to add a line concerning negotiations in person that might eliminate the 5 paypal scams I had text to me today. It's amazing how many people wanted to immediately buy the boat but we're stuck in a foreign military base and/or situation where they could never speak in person.

I just sold my wife's Denali via Craigslist. I got pounded by the PayPal scammers who were willing to pay the really high price I had set, but would never call or negotiate in person. They're just phishing for us to click on their links and give up our personal info. I sold the truck above market price in two days, but the scammers kept coming for two weeks. Next time I will be setting up a google voice number for the sale.

 

[mark_m]

I just sold my wife's Denali via Craigslist. I got pounded by the PayPal scammers who were willing to pay the really high price I had set, but would never call or negotiate in person. They're just phishing for us to click on their links and give up our personal info. I sold the truck above market price in two days, but the scammers kept coming for two weeks. Next time I will be setting up a google voice number for the sale.

When I sold my car on craigslist, I used an app called burner with my phone which focused the communication pattern to phone and text messages. When I was finished, I disposed the number. I didn't include email as a method. This kept the noise and spam limited. You can usually fish out intent if they take the time to call you and talk...