Selling Ethics and Practice

[Poche]

Should a boat seller select who to sell to?
If you know that a buyer is stepping in way beyond their competence, ability and you know it will be a disaster what would you do? Is warning them and presenting all known issues enough? What if they still want the boat?
Do you take their money and walk away knowing the buyer's just made one of the worst decisions of their life?
Do you really want to sit back and wait for the news story of them stranded or even drowned (not to be too over dramatic).
What if it's just that you don't want to waste your time with showing the boat, doing a sea trial, dealing with a surveyor, dealing with the yard knowing that they will likely come to their senses and walk away?
Could you tell a buyer you don't want to sell to them?

[Paul L]

The guys trying to buy a boat, not a mother or therapist. Be straight about the boat, sell at a fair price and move on.

[smac999]

Sounds like every boat buyer.

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by Poche

Should a boat seller select who to sell to?
If you know that a buyer is stepping in way beyond their competence, ability and you know it will be a disaster what would you do? Is warning them and presenting all known issues enough? What if they still want the boat?
Do you take their money and walk away knowing the buyer's just made one of the worst decisions of their life?
Do you really want to sit back and wait for the news story of them stranded or even drowned (not to be too over dramatic).
What if it's just that you don't want to waste your time with showing the boat, doing a sea trial, dealing with a surveyor, dealing with the yard knowing that they will likely come to their senses and walk away?
Could you tell a buyer you don't want to sell to them?

If the boat is honestly presented and described, no deliberately hidden traps for the unwary, then it is not up to the seller to judge the prospective buyer.
We each and every one of us make these types of decisions almost every day, we know that the fast food that we get at times is not a healthy alternative yet we still go for it, should the peddlers of this food make a judgement call as to our suitability to buy??
If the buyer wishes to buy and the seller wishes to sell then so be it.
The only caveat is that the boat should be accurately described and presented.

[mvweebles]

Catch 22. Buying a boat is an irrational act. Anyone buying a boat is therefore irrational and should not own a boat.

If reading this forum for while has taught me anything, the heart wants what the heart wants. If someone wants to make a purchase that's above their head, they're gonna do it.

Present an honest boat to the market that's fairly priced. Not my job to do the buyers work for him/her. Hard enough to do the work as the seller

[grantmc]

First time boat buyers are usually buying the dream, not the boat.
Second time we buy, we're living the dream.

[Poche]

Originally Posted by Uncle Bob

If the boat is honestly presented and described, no deliberately hidden traps for the unwary, then it is not up to the seller to judge the prospective buyer.

If the buyer wishes to buy and the seller wishes to sell then so be it.
The only caveat is that the boat should be accurately described and presented.

I've been there. The buyer still threatened to sue and who knows what some hotshot lawyer would have come up with if he had followed through.
That's an aspect to consider in these lawsuit happy days.
Do you want to go through the expense to defend yourself?

[Poche]

Originally Posted by Uncle Bob

We each and every one of us make these types of decisions almost every day, we know that the fast food that we get at times is not a healthy alternative yet we still go for it, should the peddlers of this food make a judgement call as to our suitability to buy??
.

I think maybe. If selling the product costs you more in time and money than it's worth.

[Poche]

Originally Posted by Paul L

The guys trying to buy a boat, not a mother or therapist. Be straight about the boat, sell at a fair price and move on.

So you would go for it even if the odds of completing the sale were totally against you? And you knew it?
You think this clueless guy will walk up, hand you the money and you split?
There's phone calls, visits, sea trials, endless questions, surveyors, all that stuff.
You don't want to avoid all that? You see a nightmare coming and you still think "ok"?

[mvweebles]

What kind of boat are you selling? From your description and dire prognostications, sounds like a real POS. If it is and you've taken steps to hide it, you're right to be remorseful.

Peter

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by Poche

So you would go for it even if the odds of completing the sale were totally against you? And you knew it?
You think this clueless guy will walk up, hand you the money and you split?
There's phone calls, visits, sea trials, endless questions, surveyors, all that stuff.
You don't want to avoid all that? You see a nightmare coming and you still think "ok"?

That is not how you framed the question. You framed it as if you were going to protect the buyer from himself. Now you are framing it as you want to protect yourself from your potential buyer. Of course you protect yourself. That is why you have a contract and a process. Make sure yours is good.

[Fore and Aft]

Poche as a marine surveyor I have seen a number of seller's end up refusing to sell a boat to a buyer. One guy was being real over the top with asking questions and demanding to know the life expectancy of every peice of equipment. By the end of the survey the sellers and I were exhausted and they decided the drama that they might get later was not worth the effort of selling the yacht to him. They actually said at the end of the survey he would be better of buying a new yacht.
I have seen variations of this story and basically the buyer is not looking for hassles after the boat is sold. Particularly if the boat is staying in the same marina as the sellers new boat.
There is this peculiar set of people who think that old boats should have a warranty and the previous owner should provide one!
Cheers

[FutureStories]

This is why people use brokers. *insert morally ambiguous joke here*

Everyone thinks "why pay this guy to advertise when I can put iphone pictures on craigslist." Its the dozens of calls daily from this buyer and his 11 clones. And a decent broker will get them to closing, and properly prepare them for the issues they might find, and suggest ways to overcome them and enjoy boating.

You never did say what you are selling... Should it be seeing a chainsaw and not a buyer?

[goboatingnow]

Where I have determined that a buyer is wasting my time , ie they actually want a different boat then mine, while exclaiming mine is suitable , I have cut such selling processes short

I describe my boat accurately , After that it’s caveat emptor quite frankly

I only use brokers if I’m not physically able to show the boat

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by Fore and Aft

Poche as a marine surveyor I have seen a number of seller's end up refusing to sell a boat to a buyer. One guy was being real over the top with asking questions and demanding to know the life expectancy of every peice of equipment. By the end of the survey the sellers and I were exhausted and they decided the drama that they might get later was not worth the effort of selling the yacht to him. They actually said at the end of the survey he would be better of buying a new yacht.
I have seen variations of this story and basically the buyer is not looking for hassles after the boat is sold. Particularly if the boat is staying in the same marina as the sellers new boat.
There is this peculiar set of people who think that old boats should have a warranty and the previous owner should provide one!
Cheers

I had such a buyer once. He was a total jerk during the survey and walked - he wanted a new stateroom remodel on a 25 year old boat. He came back a couple weeks later and said he'd accept my last number. Broker was not disappointed when I declined.

Much different than my understanding of the OPs post. For some reason, he seems to believe a buyer is getting in way over his head. Odd position. But I guess if I had a tricked out road-racing type motorcycle and a 16 year old kid with a learners permit came along and wanted to buy it, I might balk too. But the OP has not given my info so who knows what the situation is.