Useless brokers

[PaulGooch]

Sent an email to a broker last Friday, asking for some pictures to be emailed to me and for some information on the location of a 40 foot yacht they have for sale. Hadn't had a reply by Saturday midday-ish so phoned them, only got the answer phone. Still no reply this morning, so emailed them again, still nothing.

What is it with these lazy tossers ? Certainly won't be getting the job of selling my boat.




Yes, yes, i realise that some brokers do better, but they seem to be few and far between.

 

[nauticalnomad]

Sent an email to a broker last Friday, asking for some pictures to be emailed to me and for some information on the location of a 40 foot yacht they have for sale. Hadn't had a reply by Saturday midday-ish so phoned them, only got the answer phone. Still no reply this morning, so emailed them again, still nothing.

What is it with these lazy tossers ? Certainly won't be getting the job of selling my boat.




Yes, yes, i realise that some brokers do better, but they seem to be few and far between.

Ive always found it strange that yacht brokers, car yards and real estate agents arent open on weekends. Arent the ones working the ones with the money and we can only spend it on weekends, yet the people that sell boats, cars and houses in the UK arent open for us to make purchases etc.

I used to sell cars in Australia when i first left school and most of the sales were made on weekends. Its when the people with money were free to spend it..

 

[beejay190]

And On The Other Hand

I spent some time at Berthon last Saturday. No appointment, not able to proceed with a purchase as my Bav 29 is still for sale - yet they spent the best part of an hour showing me over a brokerage boat.

Cant say i have any complaints against the brokers i have used to sell my previous two
boats - except their level of fees of course !!

 

[PaulGooch]

Ive always found it strange that yacht brokers, car yards and real estate agents arent open on weekends. Arent the ones working the ones with the money and we can only spend it on weekends, yet the people that sell boats, cars and houses in the UK arent open for us to make purchases etc.

I used to sell cars in Australia when i first left school and most of the sales were made on weekends. Its when the people with money were free to spend it..

I sell cars and i'm available 7 days a week, at any reasonable hour. As you say, no point opening 9-5 if that's when my prospective customers are at work. You want to come see a car tonight at 9PM, that's fine, want to see it Sunday, fine too. I'll go out on my boat when i'm not expecting anyone and if someone does call, i'll answer my mobile and arrange for them to visit when i get back.

 

[Steve Clayton]

I spent some time at Berthon last Saturday. No appointment, not able to proceed with a purchase as my Bav 29 is still for sale - yet they spent the best part of an hour showing me over a brokerage boat.

Was he a tall chappy?

 

[admillington]

I too find it amazing why brokers are not open 7 days a week. And then they complain that business is poor and Essex Boat Yards are stealing all their business (EBY are open 7 days a week - maybe they will make the connection) Also why do Marine Business in general not open at the weekend - like Engine repair and marine electronics companies - when it would be useful - even if it was during the summer months would be a start.

 

[beejay190]

Was he a tall chappy?

Nope. Why do you ask ?

 

[Steve Clayton]

Nope. Why do you ask ?

Clue here: http://www.ybw.com/forums/member.php?u=3651

 

[chinita]

Clue here: http://www.ybw.com/forums/member.php?u=3651

Unlikely, as he is a marina manager, not a broker. And a good hand as far as I can make out.

As for Berthon Brokerage - I would rather eat my own liver.

 

[volvopaul]

Unlikely, as he is a marina manager, not a broker. And a good hand as far as I can make out.

As for Berthon Brokerage - I would rather eat my own liver.

That's one way of describing there attitude towards brokerage, but in my view berthon cater for a different client from the norm and actually try and put some humour into there boat shows. What you won't get is slap dash attitude and attention to detail. Windy would not appoint them as there sole uk agent if they were no good, they have brokers for power sale new windys etc, they don't just use any broker for any boat. I have bought and sold through them in past years ,selling an obscure boat through them that was on with ancasta before I tried them for quite some time. What I did do was to part exchange through them which at first they quoted part exchanges don't work, which was quoted by there m d , the whole sale went as clockwork though the said broker now has his own co in the south of France.

 

[Who]

Some brokers are just dreadfull

However, when I sold my last boat I put it through Hutchins Marine. The best broker I have ever dealt with.

Both Phil and David we're excellent. If they missed my call they would without fail call me back very quickly. Nothing was a problem and every detail easily dealt with.

We ended up selling our Sealine 360 and buying a 410 (f43) through them. They even helped with getting the new boat back from Spain.

If you want a decent broker who gets off their a*** and really sells your boat, use Hutchins Marine.

 

[chinita]

That's one way of describing there attitude towards brokerage, but in my view berthon cater for a different client from the norm and actually try and put some humour into there boat shows. What you won't get is slap dash attitude and attention to detail. Windy would not appoint them as there sole uk agent if they were no good, they have brokers for power sale new windys etc, they don't just use any broker for any boat. I have bought and sold through them in past years ,selling an obscure boat through them that was on with ancasta before I tried them for quite some time. What I did do was to part exchange through them which at first they quoted part exchanges don't work, which was quoted by there m d , the whole sale went as clockwork though the said broker now has his own co in the south of France.

That may be your experience, in which case I am happy for you.

It is not my experience.

 

[jfm]

the whole sale went as clockwork though the said broker now has his own co in the south of France.

You mean William P? In which case this post is a blast from the past Paul - William has been in SofFand therefore not at Berthon Lymington since 2002

 

[henryf]

It has been a real eye opener selling my Princess 42.

I took the bull by the horns and started the process off myself by making sure the boat was nice and clean then taking some photos and building a little website. Then I put up a couple of adverts including links to said website. So all the hard work was done.

I've subsequently been approached by brokers of various ability levels. My biggest bug bear is people trying to rip you off by charging you to include the boat on their brokerage - which I've never come across in my years of reading the magazines or my current search for a replacement for the P42. I even had one bunch who wanted 1500 of my hard earned pounds to list it on an on line auction which didn't even appear on Google when you entered their bloody name !!! Let alone something as random as Boat Auction.

Some want £300 to list your boat on all the major listings sites, others want £20k plus for sending a punter over to you and sorting out the paperwork. They even want £4,000 if you sell the boat independently of any work on their part !

Of course the thing to remember is they haven't put their money where their mouth is. They don't own any boats, won't take anything in part exchange and in many cases don't even go boating or have any interest in boating as a hobby / lifestyle. They my or may not have seen the boat they are selling, are asking a price dictated solely by the vendor who often as not has little or no idea of current market value other than to say his boat is nicer than one he saw advertised for £50k less.

The brokers who actually own a bit of stock themselves as well stand out head and shoulders above the others and in my case one of the most cost effective people to deal with were the main agent, the very people who you would assume would be the most expensive. Like the owners of the boats they are selling I think most brokers base their fees on what they have heard from a friend of a friend the "rip off" main dealers charge.

My final gripe is boats being offered for sale in the most appalling of conditions. You spend many hours traveling to see a boat only to find it festering in the corner of marina under an old tarpaulin sheet, a far cry from the advert photos which it transpires were taken several years previously just after it was purchased.

As ever, keep smiling


Henry

 

[mattysupra]

Ive always found it strange that yacht brokers, car yards and real estate agents arent open on weekends. Arent the ones working the ones with the money and we can only spend it on weekends, yet the people that sell boats, cars and houses in the UK arent open for us to make purchases etc.

I used to sell cars in Australia when i first left school and most of the sales were made on weekends. Its when the people with money were free to spend it..

True, we are selling a 'toy' the people buying, shop on a weekend ! (after all do you lot decide to buy a boat on tuesday morning or does it happen on a weekend away etc? its not something we actually need to buy like some potatoes at 6pm after work on a thursday evening.

Imagine going Tescos and returning and saying to the MRS, "o they had a sunseeker on offer in the bargain bin so purchased one"

Than again if i said that to my MRS the reply would be "did you scan the club card"

 

[jonic]

I took the bull by the horns and started the process off myself by making sure the boat was nice and clean then taking some photos and building a little website. Then I put up a couple of adverts including links to said website. So all the hard work was done.

Of QUOTE]

Thats the really easy bit. The hard bit is actually turning GRP into GBP

Paul I heard you were coming over from the dark side. I am sure you have had a look here. A couple of pilothouse/ deck saloon yachts but stock levels are generally low at the moment.

My phone is on 7 days a week if you want a chat or you can send your wish list here.

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

Paul I heard you were coming over from the dark side. I am sure you have had a look here. A couple of pilothouse/ deck saloon yachts but stock levels are generally low at the moment.

My phone is on 7 days a week if you want a chat or you can send your wish list here.

Your first link is coded wrong (I've fixed here in the quote). Too many http://'s.

Cheers
Jimmy

 

[jonic]

Your first link is coded wrong (I've fixed here in the quote). Too many http://'s.

Cheers
Jimmy

Thank you. Fixed in the post too.

 

[henryf]

I took the bull by the horns and started the process off myself by making sure the boat was nice and clean then taking some photos and building a little website. Then I put up a couple of adverts including links to said website. So all the hard work was done.

Thats the really easy bit. The hard bit is actually turning GRP into GBP

If it's so easy then why don't brokers do it?

The excuse they use is that it isn't their boat, so all they can be arsed to do for their £20,000 is run down and photograph the boat with a load of junk on it, maybe lift up some covers and shove the camera under them but ideally use the owner's pictures.

The fact is virtually all brokers are glorified listing agents a few will escort you round a boat but usually not, how can they when boats are hundreds or thousands of miles away. They think that merely introducing buyer and seller is worthy of tens of thousands of pounds worth of commission.

It's often that £20-40k commission at 8% plus vat coupled with an owner's total lack of understanding of market pricing (because the broker agrees with what ever the customer says to get the listing) which means boats sit around for months or years. Eventually the owner is beaten down through sheer boredom and lack of interest, the boat is now filthy and covered in weed through being sat for a year, either that or is full of junk because its being used.

Counter this with brokers who own their own stock as well. Those boats will be well presented, sensibly priced and potentially will set the market values which owners going down the brokerage route use as a benchmark.

From a broker's perspective the lack of sales activity gives catch 22 on their part. They need to maximise revenue from the occasional boat which does sell in order to survive.

Henry

 

[ari]

I think the more pertinent question is, why do owners do it?

As you say, you're potentially looking at a £20K spend so why not actually look at what you're spending it on? It's pretty easy to see who's "photographing the boat with a load of junk on it, maybe lift up some covers and shove the camera under them".

If you're spending £20K on a car you take care to choose the right one, so why do people use brokers that take rubbish photos, clearly have never been near the boats they're selling, present them badly, and all the other things people routinely complain about?