Moral Dilema

oGaryo

oGaryo

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Sorry, I'm rubbish when it comes to this stuff, I've a soft nose if you know what I mean:o..

I'm in something of a quandary.. I'm selling my Fletcher...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260658872493&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

....and have just had two conversations, the first to arrange a viewing and sea trial next weekend with a family that sound completely genuine and downright nice people, who are to travel 200 miles or so to view and pay that day if the deal goes through.. Great I thought, going to a good home potentially and sounds like a reasonable offer will be made somehwere near my reduced asking price of £9,500

I had a call from a chap earlier in the morning with an offer I refused but he's just come back with an offer of £8,750 that he'll pay based purely on the photo's I've sent him i.e. it's very much a done deal if I take this offer but he'll not pick up the boat for a further 4 weeks paying £7,750 now.

What to do? do I wait for the viewing next week and risk being offered below £8,750 or do I take the offer currently on the table but have to keep hold of her for another 4 weeks?

I'm beginning to think I should have put my boat on the market for more than £9,750:o
 
I would tell the family before they travel what their minimum offer must be , you never know they may want to pay the full asking price :D .
 
If it was me, I would wait until the first viewers have been, I've had all these "I'll pick up & pay the rest in X weeks" before:(
If he is genuine & doesn't want it for 4 weeks he will still be there after the others have viewed!
 
Thanks guys, I've just let them know and yes, if I were on the receiing end, I'd think the same that I was trying to up the price.. Those that have met me will 'hopefully' vouch that I'm not some dodgy geeza out for all he can get.. I just want the boat sold so we can look for the new boat as soon as poss'

Morally, I want to give the original guys the chance to see the boat and there's another aspect with keeping hold of the boat for 4 weeks awaiting final payment which'll mean I presume I can't use the deposit for the new boat as the bill of sale wouldn't have gone through. Plus, I don't know where I'd stand legally if they change their mind over that 4 week period and ask for their deposit back. It all leads itself to not making a rash decision and waiting for the original viewing.

anyone know a shop that sells a 'simple life' ?

cheers Gary
 
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Zipper42 said:
Out interest is the bidder doing it Subject to Survey? See an adjacent thread about surveys...

Grahame
Click to expand...

Hi Grahame, it's a good question.. I haven't had a survey done on my last two boats considering the value wasn't huge but a survey will always be possible should the buyer want one.. I do know for sure my boat's sound though and wouldn't envisage any issues arising, I wouldn't have my kids anywhere near it if it wasn't.:)
 
Let the family see it first - don't let the second buyer tell you how you're going to be selling yr boat.
If the family dont want it then if hes genuine he'll still be there.
Having been on ebay for a long time the first thing I though when reading yr post was "sob story in 4 weeks" so the final £1000 will only be £500.
Judgemental I know but from past experience often true:D
N
 
Two prospective purchasers.

Hi Gary,
Not to be too blunt but in my book Money on the table is better every time, the boat is not sold until you have the money in your account.
Imagine if by next weekend the family find another boat and don't turn up!, you have then got to go cap in hand to the first guy who will no doubt take advantage of the situation.
Buying and selling a boat is emotional, having been duped by prospective purchasers in the past leaves me to the advice above.

If the guy who is willing to pay £7.5k now with the rest in 4 weeks has the money ready now then take that, enter into a contract where by if he doesn't come back with the balance in four weeks he forfeits say £1000 pounds non refundable deposit, if he's genuine then it won't be a problem.
If the family are genuine then they may wish to view first, 200 miles is nothing for the right boat.

Whatever you decide give as much information to both parties, they might not like the situation but then you owe nothing to either of them.

Hope you can work things in your favour.
 
NeilT said:
Let the family see it first - don't let the second buyer tell you how you're going to be selling yr boat.
If the family dont want it then if hes genuine he'll still be there.
Having been on ebay for a long time the first thing I though when reading yr post was "sob story in 4 weeks" so the final £1000 will only be £500.
Judgemental I know but from past experience often true:D
N
Click to expand...

Agreed - it may well be a ruse to reduce the price further.
 
I've got this clear in my head now guys, even though the second fella has increased his offer, I feel more comfortable with the family on all fronts.
 
Hope their not the family of jokers we had.

Selling our Bayliner around 10 yrs ago now, family give me a call and want to view the following weekend, as they live around 300 miles from the boat they will be staying overnight at a B&B so want some assurance that the boat will be worth their effort to come and view.
The boat was immaculate, new engine and not a mark on the gelcote as it was kept indoors for 9 months of the year, in short it would have been hard to find fault so I told them if they were in the market for this model, this would be the best they would find.

Half way through the week I had another enquiry, this time from a local that knew the boat, had been to see it and although they hadn't been onboard were prepared to offer the asking price for her.
A little put of that they had actually been and seen the boat without my knowledge I told the guy we already had an interested party and they would have first refusal as they had made arrangements to view first.

I gave the family a call and told them that I'd recieved an offer of full asking price so if they were still interested they would need to match it to buy.
Ok no problem, see you the weekend was the reply.

The weekend arrived, the guy who had offered asking price turned up determined not to be outdone, he asked if he could see onboard just incase the family didn't show or didn't want it, I thought it wouldn't hurt so showed him onboard, he looked around and offered me full asking price and the offer of the money there and then, I refused, after all I was expecting a family from 300 miles away to turn up later the same day.
I did however give them a callto confirm their arrival, they said they were on their way and would be with us within the hour, again I had a prospective purchaser with the money infront of me, I explained this to the family who said they wouldn't be long.
Again I apologised to the guy standing there with the cash.

Some hours later I started to get worried, where were the family?, I phoned them again and they assured me they were on their way, to my suprise they turned up, albeit 3 hrs late, I showed them onboard, they loved it, even took them for a seatrial, they still loved it, on return to the marina we started to make polite chit chat.
It turns out that they had been just down the coast on holiday, seen boats out on the water and decided to buy one, no thought or anything had gone into the purchase, his wife and young daughter couldn't wait to get off , once they were out of the way the guy said everything was fine and he would like to buy it for the full asking price, I made out a bill of sale, we agreed a deposit and balance transfer and also a date for collection.

As it was a Sunday he couldn't go to the bank so offered to pay by BACS transfer as soon as he got home, I said that would be OK and we parted company.

I called the guy who had been there with the cash earlier in the day to advise that unfortunately the boat was now sold.

Next day we went to the bank, guess what, no funds, tried calling the family, no reply, tried on a different phone, reply but quickly put the phone down, left a message, we had a contract!!.

In the end we called the guy with the cash and sold it to him after three days of waiting for the funds, we still had a contract so I dont know what would have hapened if the family had paid the money in to our account.

So be warned, just because they seem genuine doesn't always mean their going to buy your boat.

PS I will never forget the name Alffie Glavig !!!!!!
 
I don't actually think there was ever a deal to be done.
I think the guy had decided he would like a boat, much to the amusement of his family, the family knew he was a dreamer and looked embarrassed the whole time they were onboard.

To be honest the alarm bells started to ring when they turned up, car worth about a tenth of the boat they were about to look at, brimming with holiday luggage, buckets and spades etc.

Something instantly I noticed is how unexcited they were, partner and daughter complaining they had another three hour drive to get home, they lead me to believe they were driving 300 miles to view which turned out to be the first lie, they had been on holiday just 20 miles away from where we were.
They couldn't be bothered to turn up on time, 3hrs late I can forgive if you had to travel 300 miles but not from 20 miles away when earlier in the day they were already on their way.

I'm still quite mad over it as it nearly cost me the sale of the boat, even if the next day he had phoned and said 'sorry I cant go through with it' then I could have understood but to actually sign a contract with the intention of not proceeding makes my blood boil.

Still they were a nice family, just dreamers, we all dream of course but not to the extent that this guy does.
My guess would be he does it regularly, test drives in fancy cars, boats etc, his family's body language was a givaway.

I would hope that Gary has an altogether better experience, but my advice would still be to take what you can get when it's offered, there will be other boats out there for both interested parties, a week is a long time when your looking for a boat, especially if you know what your after and can compare it with others.
 
feel for you mate, clearly an awful experience from an out and out dreamer Andy:(..

those we're meeting on Saturday are genuine of that I'm sure and I also have another viewing tee'd up for the Sunday in case it falls through, then there's this original chap who has gone quiet since I sent him the message that I'd honour the first family and I have another keen as mustard fella from Malta wanting to buy her.. the most comforting factor is the 109 'watchers' I have on Ebay, just running the percentages, there must be a couple in there that are not dreamers or chancers (had some silly offers but some are up there closer to asking price)..

All in all, plenty of interest and I'm not desperate to sell so am now feeling pretty ok with the whole arrangement..

if I were a salesman (which I'm not), I'd say I have a desirable product at a keen price with plenty of interest from prospective punters.. not a bad position to be in:)
 
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Hope your right Gary,
I must admit since that episode I have never had a problem, only with people who arrange viewings and don't turn up, sold three boats privately since without problem.

Sold our Sealine s240 via an introduction through Ebay, although it was well advertised in boats and outboards etc, had quite a few watchers, many bids that didn't reach reserve but once the auction was over we considered all bids upto that point, funny how one minute your willing to bid £21k (on a boat worth around £23k back then,without even seeing it ) but when contacted they would like to haggle below their original offer !!!!!, what's the mater with these people?
Anyway did eventually find the right buyer, who incidentaly were a great family, knew what they wanted and knew what they could afford, making it plain what they had to spend so we both knew where the common ground was, so there are genuine people out there.

Wish you the best of luck with the sale and search for replacement.

PS Boat looks as though it will sell itself, you just need a buyer who knows what he wants and not just an end of season bargain.
 
I had this a few months ago when selling my mint pickup, no end of calls but the 1st chap sounded like a real nice genuine bloke. He rang on the tuesday saying he loved the photos and wanted it but couldnt view untill the weekend.

Me being old school gave him 1st refusal as he called 1st, he did come down with cash and buy it. But due to all the calls i had and the stress it causes i swore blind to myself that the next time i sell every call i take will be the 1st person to arrive with the money will have it.

It may seem a bit harsh, but a shop or dealer wont let you waste time, either that or ask for a deposit that covers re advertising plus a bit of beer money to compenstate :D
 
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