john_morris_uk
Well-known member
Post below moved to start this thread.
Boat buying advice please
- Thread starter john_morris_uk
- Start date
joseph p
New member
i am interested in buying a boat in France for a fixed price from iNautic.org. They are looking for 35% up front payable through PayPal and they said they will deliver to Ireland and the rest of the money to be paid 12 days after delivery or they will take the boat back and give my money back,(deposit ). no 1,how safe is my money,2,will paypal hold my money, 3,are there any hidden charges,4, Iv'e asked about transport costs and they seem to be in the price. Is it too good to be true. Please help.
oldgit
Well-known member
"Paypal" . ........Is it April 1st already ?
TiggerToo
Well-known member
At the very least I would recommend you surveying it (or having it surveyed) by an independent surveyor BEFORE you part with any money.
john_morris_uk
Well-known member
We don’t know if it’s a new or second hand boat.
davethedog
Active member
TiggerToo
Well-known member
jordanbasset
Well-known member
The website appears to be just a place to buy and sell boats, a thread here which highlighted some issues with some of the sellers on the site
Stupidly cheap sunseeker - 06 camague 55
Stupidly cheap sunseeker - 06 camague 55
Graham376
Well-known member
The money would almost certainly disappear along with the boat and vendor, 99.9% certain this is a scam. No-one in their right mind would offer to deliver a boat to Ireland and then take it back again and repay deposit in full if balance not paid.
westernman
Well-known member
A common scam in France is to advertise a holiday let on AirBnB. And then ask that the contract be made by email outside of the AirBnB site.
Typically the person doing this does not own the property and the deposit you paid has disappeared to somewhere in Africa.
This looks like it might be similar. I.e. they are selling a boat they don't own.
Typically the person doing this does not own the property and the deposit you paid has disappeared to somewhere in Africa.
This looks like it might be similar. I.e. they are selling a boat they don't own.
pvb
Well-known member
It's almost certainly a scam. One of the listed boats I looked at was also listed by a company in Dubai.
Ceirwan
Well-known member
While Paypal generally offers very good buyer protection this as said above has all the hallmarks of a scam.
Sandy
Well-known member
There is an excellent book published by the RYA on buying a second hand, or Preloved as the modern vernacular calls it, boat. Well worth a read.
xyachtdave
Well-known member
Sounds fine, get that deposit sent.
Praxinoscope
Well-known member
'If it looks too good to be true then it probably is, avoid it like the plague.
Last edited:
Graham376
Well-known member
They have good buyer protection for purchases through retailers but not so sure about personal money transfers which will be the method for a scam.
rib
Well-known member
Or see if they will do the same deal thru a 3rd party holding agent or what ever
pvb
Well-known member
There's zero protection on personal PayPal transfers.
oldharry
Well-known member
Who pays for transport/delivery? If its a scam you may be asked to pay their 'agent' in local currency with the promise of a refund which does not appear. nor does the boat, or your money when you try to claim it back.
The variant on this is when the overseas buyer asks you to pay the transport company coming to pick up your boat they are buying. They go off with the boat and a few days later the bank tells you the draft has not been cleared by the foreign bank. No boat, AND pout of pocket for delivering to the scumbags....
The variant on this is when the overseas buyer asks you to pay the transport company coming to pick up your boat they are buying. They go off with the boat and a few days later the bank tells you the draft has not been cleared by the foreign bank. No boat, AND pout of pocket for delivering to the scumbags....
DownWest
Well-known member
Had the pay the transporter scam on a boat I advertised here. Reeked of problems. Paying the full price, no inspection or survey, spelling errors and hey! it was word for word the same as a warning on the web.