Selling a cheap boat - avoiding rip-offs and time-wasters?

[Jim@sea]

Yes, location is important, I found that as most boat buyers are in the South of England when I was advertising a boat in Cumbria buyers who are located on the South Coast dont want to travel 400 miles where they will have to stay in a hotel overnight then the following day look at the boat then drive the 400 miles back.
One boat I had for sale in Cumbria I put in my advert that I would deliver it free to anywhere in the UK. (It had a trailer
) and I ended up taking it from Whitehaven to Southampton.
The next boat I sold ,a Power Boat I took it to Pwllheli to sell as that area is power boat mad and it sold.
There are thousands of old boats for sale.

 

[pandos]

And I'd be ten times more suspicious of cash from a foreign buyer who couldn't possibly be followed up.

Always be wary of the foreigners ..even though realistically it is unlikely that Johnny foreigner will use counterfeit sterling to buy an old yacht, far more likely to use it to buy a car which will be broken into parts and off loaded quickly or stuck into a container and sent to a foreign place...

As a foreigner who often buys from the UK, I can tell you that paranoia about dealing with foreigners often comes across as a form of racism or xenophobia which may cause sales to fall through...

 

[LittleSister]

Thanks you for your comments and suggestions. Definitely very helpful to me, and much appreciated.

Some responses and explanations -

Yes, they are a Samphire 23 (the one that Steve Yates has seen) and a Samphire 26.

They are both clean (or will be) inside and out, and empty of private possessions and rubbish, but I don't have time etc. to do the external revarnishing & polishing of the 23, nor, probably, reassemble the lockers of the 26 which we dismantled to facilitate the headlining replacement.

Foreigners - I agreed to sell my little 16'3" centreboarder (Shipmate Dayboat - great fun), sight unseen (it was very smart looking, and a sound, ready to go boat) and for the asking price, to a German who told me by phone he was in the UK visiting. I was sceptical but had nothing to lose, I thought, he'd either turn up or he wouldn't.

He arranged to drive quite some distance across England to collect it (?London? to Bristol). He seemed fine - very amiable - and apparently fairly wealthy, but was intending to pay for it by cheque, because he didn't have enough sterling cash, which I wouldn't accept. He couldn't get enough cash out of an ATM, so I drove him out to Bristol Airport and he was able to get it from the bureau de change (probably at some extortionate rate, but he wasn't bothered at all and I sensed he could comfortably afford it). We were both well chuffed with the deal. After providing him with coffee and a snack we hitched the boat to his car, and off he set into the night for the boat's new home on a lake in northern Germany! (Rather brave, I though, with a trailer of, to him, unknown condition. I knew it was tidy and had no problems hauling it round the West Country, but even so would have been a bit nervous about that sort of distance.)

Unless the buyer is willing to hand over the money and wait days for it to clear into your bank account (which no-one but an utter idiot would do) taking cash if the very best way to get robbed.
Unless you have a counterfeit checking machine of course.

I'm not sure whether you are saying do or don't take cash

Shame your not in Galicia ?

I have thought a related thing myself! I'd love to deliver it to Spain.

 

[NealB]

I'm not sure whether you are saying do or don't take cash

Nowadays, most serious buyers seem to prefer to pay by online transfer. I'm happy with that, too.

I've told this story before (I think), but just before christmas, I had an enquiry about our much loved motorboat. The potential buyer was clearly very serious, as he knew the builder, the class, and the boat herself. He asked if we'd had much interest. I, truthfully, explained that I did have another potential buyer, but that he kept making low offers topped up with a "classsic car". The "classic car" was, if I recall correctly, a mark 1 Escort.

I joked with the 'new' potential buyer that if the other chap were offering cash + an Aston Martin Vantage, I'd have accepted.

When the 'new' buyer came to view, it was obvious he wanted to buy her. He said, "do you have any wiggle room on your asking price?". Jos and I looked at each other, thinking on the spot (yes, poor planning, there!). After a few seconds, the buyer said, "ok, will this help as a sweetener?". He reached into his coat pocket, and pulled out a radio controlled model AM Vantage, which he put on the saloon table.

We shook hands on the deal, there and then, and we're still in touch, on very good terms.

 

[V1701]

I've sold 4 boats privately with no problems with ebay classified & Apollo Duck ads, used the RYA bill of sale form and faster payments scheme. I think there's a lot more messing about when bigger items are put on auction and the winner fails to materialise.
When I've bought boats I've done the payments on my phone in front of the seller so they can know it's been done & waited until it's showing in their account before taking the boat. I'm not aware of a way that such a payment could be clawed back...

 

[Slowboat35]

Clearly no harm with cash you've actually seen issued by an official outlet as you described, but cash out of a pocket in Thousands I personally wouldn't touch with a bargepole, unless a bank had accepted it into my account first.

That said I've done dozens of purchases on ebay trusting the vendor to despatch the goods. Not been stung so far. Most people are competely honest.

 

[V1701]

Clearly no harm with cash you've actually seen issued by an official outlet as you described, but cash out of a pocket in Thousands I personally wouldn't touch with a bargepole, unless a bank had accepted it into my account first.

That said I've done dozens of purchases on ebay trusting the vendor to despatch the goods. Not been stung so far. Most people are competely honest.

That reminds me of once selling a campervan to an old couple, they'd come to view it, liked it & asked me to follow them home in it where he gave me £12k in well used 20s & 50s & a cup of tea before driving me home. All sorts of scenarios going through my head (e.g. getting "mugged" after being dropped off) but paid it in to the bank the following day no questions asked. I didn't ask him where he'd got it from either...

 

[Hot Property]

I sold my last boat on Facebook marketplace along with various small ribs and outboards.

It probably has more activity than eBay as no fees unless you want to promote the listing.

BACS on the day always works so no cash handling.

 

[Tranona]

I've sold 4 boats privately with no problems with ebay classified & Apollo Duck ads, used the RYA bill of sale form and faster payments scheme. I think there's a lot more messing about when bigger items are put on auction
When I've bought boats I've done the payments on my phone in front of the seller so they can know it's been done & waited until it's showing in their account before taking the boat. I'm not aware of a way that such a payment could be clawed back...

Sold my old engine yesterday. First contact on Monday followed by a number of exchanges of specs, photos, video of start and running from cold. Transfer of nominal amount in the morning, then lifted out engine onto pallet. Buyer arrived at 3 in the afternoon with trailer, fork lift on and strapped down. Transfer of balance on line, confirmation funds had left his account and on his way at 3.20. If only all transactions were as clean as this. Helped him being a high end car dealer so used to dealing in this way!

 

[Refueler]

That reminds me of once selling a campervan to an old couple, they'd come to view it, liked it & asked me to follow them home in it where he gave me £12k in well used 20s & 50s & a cup of tea before driving me home. All sorts of scenarios going through my head (e.g. getting "mugged" after being dropped off) but paid it in to the bank the following day no questions asked. I didn't ask him where he'd got it from either...

Reminds me of my late Brother .....

Lotus Esprit S3 ..... guy phoned to agree when he could look .... turned up with a small bag ..... looked at car ... didn't even drive it. Said "Cash ok ?"
Brother said "Yes"

Guy emptied bag onto table ...... all 5'rs ....... so we spent time counting and making stacks of the money. I suggested that we could extract random notes and go to bank to check ...
Guy said "Absolutely - no problem"
Brother looked at me and then said "Ok its yours stays with me till money credits ok in bank"
Guy said - fine.

Brother took bag to bank .. paid it in ... all good.

Guy left that day with Lotus .....

 

[penfold]

Agree with the suggestions of FB Marketplace; its algorithms favour local viewers and in this price range it's probably going to be a local buyer. Also notice boards in local sailing clubs if they accept non-member ads(ours does).

Unless the buyer is willing to hand over the money and wait days for it to clear into your bank account (which no-one but an utter idiot would do) taking cash if the very best way to get robbed.
Unless you have a counterfeit checking machine of course.
And I'd be ten times more suspicious of cash from a foreign buyer who couldn't possibly be followed up.

This is contradictory; people are honest except if they pay cash? But it's ok to accept paypal? I would argue the exact opposite would be more prudent, although with cash payments of low to middling 4 figures it wouldn't hurt to require the transaction be done physically in a bank and the money paid straight in to complete the deal. Once they've counted it it's the bank's problem and not yours.

 

[Slowboat35]

This is contradictory; people are honest except if they pay cash? But it's ok to accept paypal?

Completely misunderstood I'm afraid.
Those comments were nothing to do with honesty, but clearly related to remarks re the risks of ripoff of which the OP had expressed concern, - ie recieving counterfeit cash - a major problem especially with £50 note as surely everyone is aware?
The other examples (inc Paypal) were described as ways of avoidng tis risk.
Quite apart from the problems you're likely to get trying to pay thousands in cash into your bank...

 

[Refueler]

Electronic transfers can be reversed ...... Paypal can be subject to claim ....

C ash into bank is physical and can be final.

 

[penfold]

Completely misunderstood I'm afraid.
Those comments were nothing to do with honesty, but clearly related to remarks re the risks of ripoff of which the OP had expressed concern, - ie recieving counterfeit cash - a major problem especially with £50 note as surely everyone is aware?
The other examples (inc Paypal) were described as ways of avoidng tis risk.
Quite apart from the problems you're likely to get trying to pay thousands in cash into your bank...

They might ask me where I got the money and saying I'm selling a yacht will be accepted. I've paid in cash in that quantity, they ask their questions, I answer and the money is credited. Please do not exaggerate the problems of accepting cash. Once over the £10k mark things may be different as there are specific rules designed to prevent money laundering, but this does not apply here. If online transfer is preferred a BACS payment is far better than paypal.