Boat Most Likely Spam Ad -> 2016 Yamaha Boats 242 Limited E-Series - $24,000 CraigsList Ad Not Mine...Is It real???

[BillyOcean]

Thanks Fordman! I’ve been very pleased with the process there. Been looking for over a year and they were the only dealership I found that knew more about the boat than I did. (It was between the AR240 and a new Regal 22 Fasdeck) just couldn’t beat the layout of the Yamaha. This forum was actually a factor in pulling the trigger...

 

[Ronnie]

I’m 101% sure it’s a scam but responded to the ad anyway by emailing the seller, “I am very interested in inspecting and buying your boat immediately and will pay you $25,000 in cash for it and will send you the first $1,000 via paypal, Venmo or wire transfer directly to a bank account of your choice as a non refundable deposit whether the deal goes through or not just for you to hold it until I see it in-person. I can be in the Houston area within 24 hours of your response to this message. Please reply to this message or call or text me ASAP. Ron O. (510) xxx-yyyy”.

I will post a response if I get one and will inspect and buy the boat as stated above it the ad is legit. It’s a no brainer for me. I’d keep the 2016, sell my 2010 242 LS for $30,000 to $35,000, I think easily here in NCal before this year’s boating season starts. the Current NADA value (similar to Kelly blue book) is reflected in the attached screen shot. I’ve found that current prices of comparable boats to be a better indicator of actual costs but there is nothing similar on the CA Craigslist sites I just checked, that is SF Bay Area and San Diego. See the second attached screenshot.

Even if I do get a response it may still be a scam. I’ve made similar offers in the past, many times, and often the response I get is a variant of, “I’m selling it for a service member/my recently deceased loved one” and/or “I live in the area where the ad is placed (in this case Houston) but the boat is actually located in another state or country, if you pay to have it shipped to your location the shipping costs will be credited toward the sales price”.

 

[ZGhost]

It’s a scam. If it’s too good to be true, it usually is.
Some scams are after getting your email address to sell them later. Some are after your phone number when you call a number they list. Some wants your hard earned money and will make up the typical convoluted stories to have send a deposit. Beware.

 

[adamncincy]

I've spent a lot of time on CL looking for a boat and unfortunately, 97% of the ads I responded to are scams. That's why I decided to post in the classifieds here! Hopefully, I come across a winner!

 

[adamncincy]

Has anyone had any luck with other reseller sites? EX: boattrader.com, boats.com, etc.

 

[906Tony]

Has anyone had any luck with other reseller sites? EX: boattrader.com, boats.com, etc.

Boattrader seems to be pretty legit, and honestly Craigslist can be also. It all comes down to doing your homework on these boats. I can spot suspicious listings in a second, even if only a couple things seem to be off. From what I’ve seen in the past, scammers do not know these boats like we do. For example they Keep listing the same boat picture with different descriptions. A lot of these descriptions maybe either very vague (factory write up of a limited model when they are showing an AR model)or descriptive of things that don’t even pertain to these boats ie; downriggers. Or Horsepower numbers that are way off. I actually bought my boat off CL. I was kinda Leary at first but everything seemed correct in the listing so I called the guy. He actually wanted to FaceTime to show the boat, which I thought was cool. The boat was 1000 miles from me and he was willing to hold it for a few days. So the whole experience was exciting and worthwhile. The best thing to do is know the product your buying, good luck!!

 

[HangOutdoors]

@adamncincy Facebook Marketplace Boats popup all the time. I have bought and sold things there and never had an issue.

 

[906Tony]

@adamncincy Facebook Marketplace Boats popup all the time. I have bought and sold things there and never had an issue.

Second that, Facebook Marketplace seems to be popular one now.

 

[adamncincy]

Thanks guys, I started to check that. There's just not a whole lot out there.