Selling boat - unusual offers

I don't really see what the problem is. If he wants to buy the boat sight unseen then invite him to put his money where his mouth is. If he trusts you enough to buy like that then he should tust you to hand title of the boat over to him after he's paid.
Probably the most mutually acceptable means of doing this is to visit your solicitor and ask them to set up an escrow account whereby they accept his payment and undertake to transfer of title to him once paid. It shouldn't cost much at all - nowhere near a broker's fee.
However use your solicitor or escrow agent, not his!

If he doesn't like that arrangement he's a wrong'un so just put the phone down and revert to plan A.
 
DinghyMan said:
All he would have to do is say he paid it to the wrong person or account and he would get his money back

Don't have to wait for fraud to be proven in court, someone can make a claim of non-delivery, faulty goods, etc., to their bank and the bank will go through the chargeback / refund process
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What basis have you for that statement?

The gold standard for GBP a payments is Chaps, which is good enough for house purchases. The onus is on the sender of the money to check the account details before sending. Would be very difficult to get back without some very special circumstances (and probably a Court order).

Even with Faster Payments it is check first. Hence why the change to the scheme a couple of years ago to check the name matches to the account details before sending.

The formal Chargeback process generally relates to Debit and Credit card payments, including online commercial purposes. Not relevant here.
 
Gsailor said:
Thank you. I must not believe newspapers from now on.

Back to the OP then, if it were not for the NI complication, if a buyer paid in £30k, and emails had been sent back and forth requesting that amount for the sale of the boat, then all should be ok with the sale I would have thought and hoped.

But using a broker as others have suggested should provide a greater safety margin.
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Agree with most of that (assuming Faster Payments or preferably Chaps payments), but what is the “NI complication” you refer to? AFAIK payments schemes and FCA oversight apply UK wide.
 
Over the years we ( Yachts for sale at Yachtsnet - UK sailing yacht brokerage and boat sales ) have sold a number of boats sight unseen, though always with very good recent photos and details online. We absolutely hate it: we'd very much rather have a viewing first.

We are also very aware of the possibility of fraud. Probably 95%+ of 'sight unseen' offers are a precursor to a scam. A few are not. Particularly with a modern AWB, where the buyer knows the design. Usually they say "I want a 'Bogstandard 35' with deep keel and single aft cabin, a survey wll do me...." or words to that effect.

We often suggest a remote buyer gets a local surveyor to do a preliminary viewing on their behalf: not a full survey but an educated and independent opinion after 30-60 minutes on board.
 
I would start asking the buyer where abouts he lives, where he plans to keep the boat and how he is going to get the boat to Northern Ireland, by sea or by transport. It would not be unreasonable for someone to make a purchase if there is a detailed description and plenty of pictures of the boat or a recent survey of your own. It will be a gamble for them, but it will save them money on flights back and forth and accommodation. Ask plenty of questions, speak to them on the phone instead of communicating by email. Will be interesting how this turns out.
 
black mercury said:
I would start asking the buyer where abouts he lives, where he plans to keep the boat and how he is going to get the boat to Northern Ireland, by sea or by transport. It would not be unreasonable for someone to make a purchase if there is a detailed description and plenty of pictures of the boat or a recent survey of your own. It will be a gamble for them, but it will save them money on flights back and forth and accommodation. Ask plenty of questions, speak to them on the phone instead of communicating by email. Will be interesting how this turns out.
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This …. but also
- after a few email questions along the same lines - as a scammer may not bother to engage in boaty dialogue
- ask for a land line number and call that - having looked up the STD location code
- go techie and perhaps even drop in a few misleading questions - if genuinely buying blind because they have been looking for that exact boat type, they should know the details.
 
I sold my last boat privately by advertising it online.

Some of the responses to the ads were obviously scammers. One of them looked suspicious but I played along. The e-mailer showed interest in the boat but said he was in Norway. He asked for some extra pictures of the engine, and for my bank details along with a story of how he planned to get the ferry to the UK, buy a trailer for the boat and take them both back.

I figured it would be safe enough to share the bank account number and sort code but if he wanted to buy the boat I suggested, as much for his reassurance, that we use a broker for the funds and paperwork.

Shortly after that the deposit landed in my account, the full amount followed not long after without him seeing the boat.

I was still wary, until he flew across to meet me and the broker. He was a genuine buyer and nice bloke, who decided against moving the boat himself so hired a shipper. Incidentally, he filled the boat with cans of beer to take back to Norway.

I learned to be cautious but also not to rule out any enquiries too early and using a broker and his client account gave security to both parties.
 
Recently sold a rather hard to find marine gearbox. Advertised it for ages on various UK websites, not a lot of success except an opportunity or two to accept a derisory " doing me a favour" offer.
Popped it on ebay and almost immediately received expressions of interest from Norway and Germany.
Norway bailed out when costs of importation became apparent.
Germany hung on in there and we did try to sort shipping eventually tiring of the faff, both of us gave up .
Buyer then asked if he could pay cash and collect.
With some considerable trepidation agreed to meet him in a windswept semi derelict deserted car park at somewhere called DOVER ?
Found it on Google Earth, apparently there is a Ferry Terminal there.
Even more worrying he wanted to meet at lunchtime.
The ferry was of course late, about to go home when received a phone call, he arrived with three mates having driven the 500 K from his home that day.
Exchanged greetings in my dreadful german and their far better english.
Expecting to be detained at any moment by our ever vigilent Border Force, no doubt with back up from Customs and Excise, parked along side each other,
A very suspicious small heavy box went in one direction and a envelope went in the opposite.
Leaving my accountant to check the money, had a natter to the buyer.
He had hoped to leave, car on the other side and come across as foot passengers, the ferry co refused and he had to buy a crossing for both passengers and car.
 
I was selling something boaty and had one of these, on FB marketplace. I replied with all my concerns abouth whether the item was safe and suitable for his use, asking in detail how he intended to fit and use it. Silence. Funnily enough I also had enquiries for a gearbox, from Germany, which did seem genuine.
 
dunedin said:
Agree with most of that (assuming Faster Payments or preferably Chaps payments), but what is the “NI complication” you refer to? AFAIK payments schemes and FCA oversight apply UK wide.
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I do not understand the NI complication- my info is only what I have read from the forum- there may not be a complication- I do not understand political stuff.
 
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