Excuse me sir, don‘t wanna lowball but...

[John_Trusty]

A factor that has not been discussed ... How long has this boat been on the market? If it's multiple seasons, then they may be sick of paying to store, insure, etc. their beloved home. If you can't get a straight answer and it's listed on a web site, internet archives makes copies of most of the internet on a periodic basis, for example - https://waybackmachine.org/

[CaptTom]

When I first looked at my current boat, I felt it was worth about 2/3 of the asking price. I never called back because I didn't want to offend the seller, and didn't think he'd come down to "my" price.

Then he called me. I explained politely that, while I thought the boat could be worth his asking price, in good condition, it would cost me $xx,000 to get it to that point. I gave him (from memory) a brief list of repairs and upgrades I included in that cost.

He accepted my offer.

[SailsWithFists]

Originally Posted by crankysailor

...but on the other hand I just sold my boat and I know how I would have treated a low baller offering me half of asking price and let’s just say, no I would not have been „receptive“ to that..

^^^^
This is the only reason preventing you from making a low offer: because you would take it personally, you are reflecting your own emotions onto others.

If you are personally put off by "low ballers" and not willing to negotiate, then you are setting yourself up to fail, both when you sell and when you purchase.

"Price is what you pay. Value is what you get." - Wharren Buffett

[denverd0n]

I would probably say something like this...

"It's a nice boat, and I like it quite a lot, but I don't think I can make you an offer that you would be interested in."

If he's open to offers, he'll ask.

Then you tell him that, from what you've seen on the market, similar boats are going for about $X, so you really couldn't offer more than that.

If he knows it's over-priced, then he'll want to talk. If he is just delusional then he'll bluff and bluster about how much he has put into it, and how he isn't going to just give it away, and such as that.

That's when you say, "Well, that's why I said I didn't think I could make you an offer. Good luck selling it, and have a nice day."

At which point, he may relent and want to talk more, or he may feel like you're just a "low-baller" and he'll let you walk away (which is what you should do, if that's his attitude).

The one thing I will add -- for the sellers out there -- is that I have never been offended by a low-ball offer, no matter how absurd it might have been. This is just business. You're selling an object, not your first born. Getting offended is just silly. If someone makes an absurd offer, counter at a couple of dollars less than your asking price. You will quickly find out if they are serious buyers, or if they were just fishing for someone who would fall for their schtick. Then, if they won't come up to a reasonable price, you tell them that further discussions are obviously a waste of time; have a good day; buh-bye!

But getting angry, offended, upset by a low-ball offer... That's just a pointless waste of emotion. If you want something to get angry about, there are a lot better things in this messed-up world we live in than that!

[alansmith]

Some great advice given already. Many times we don't know what the financing is on the boat being sold. Has then boat been debit free for years? Has the lovely Catana a 400k dollar loan still on it?


How often have we seen nice boats with over a hundred thousand dollars in refurb spent in the last 3 years...who knows what the seller bought her for...and now selling for 40 k?


It is interesting, no?


there is a boat on the east coast that I know I would love to own....a catamaran...Minimalist style...it is so overpriced ...the owner a gentleman...educated...reasonable...been on the market for years and hasn't come down hardly at all...maybe 5K. It sits and it sits....

[Navicula]

when you drive 15 hours to see a boat that is listed with nice photos online.....and when you arrive the pictures dont look like the boat.....at that point I dont offer anything and drive away asking myself ...How can anyone do that to a person knowing they have driven 15 hours......

the survey determines the price in the end

[boatpoker]

Send me a pm with your email address, year and model of boat you are interested in and I will send you a pdf of the solboats.com data on actual selling prices.

[crankysailor]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

Send me a pm with your email address, year and model of boat you are interested in and I will send you a pdf of the solboats.com data on actual selling prices.

I‘ll take you up on that offer. PM sent! Thx a bunch!

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by crankysailor

I think it is more than being afraid of making people grumpy.. it is kind of a seamanship thing I suppose. I just feel dirty lowballing. Like.. gentlemen shouldn’t do that or something. But this gentleman doesn’t want to be a sucker that pays too much either :-)

What do you mean by lowballing? Lowballing is making a ridiculously low offer in the hopes the seller is desperate. Making an offer that is say 10% under what you would willingly purchase the boat for and you feel is a fair market price is not a low ball. It is the start of negotiating. The asking price isn't that important, other than an indication as to how interested the seller is in selling.

[Cherod]

Originally Posted by crankysailor

So we are shopping for our next boat cause a new family member has pushed the step up issue a few years sooner than planned ;-) .. I do have a fairly good idea of what I want and have come across a boat that looks good on paper. However, asking price is simply off. I know everyone just says, offer half and go from there and I suspect most boats online are priced factoring in this phenomenon but on the other hand I just sold my boat and I know how I would have treated a low baller offering me half of asking price and let’s just say, no I would not have been „receptive“ to that...

But then being again on the buying side, some folks really are just asking for it...

Boats are tangled with emotion, but how does one „explain“ in a friendly manner to a seller that you like the boat, but the price is just 50% inflated (in your opinion ofcourse) without hurting anyone’s feelings?

Or am I right in assuming this is how the game is played and everyone really asks double of their real asking price ?

photo

[markwesti]

Come on cranky let us in on it , what is the boat and how much .

[robert sailor]

It's still real hard to find a really nice boat, one that is well kept and in true sailaway cruising condition. Your always way better off shopping for a boat that is exceptional in everyway and paying a bit of a premium than you are getting your so called great deal at half price because in the end you'll spend way more money trying to get your deal boat to even come close to a premium boat. If you look after a well kept premium boat it will hold its value. If your just buying a boat for dockside living or weekend getaways then forget my advice as it's geared to a soon to be cruiser..

[alansmith]

Navicular, feel your pain. Last year I put an offer in on a boat contingent on survey. It was a Freedom 30 something footer. Boat was in Chicago and I on west coast. I calculated flight, car, and hotel for two days. Broker assured me photos were accurate. So I had her surveyed and splashed. 800 dollars later and photos that showed the broker to be... politely "full of sand"... photos that were shockingly disappointing... soggy core and rotten rudder ... not to mention what was going on in the inside... well,
Lesson learned. I figured that I got some payroll paid for them and they didn't care because I was west coast and couldn't present much of a legal problem. So, yeah, I feel your pain. Why can't people just be straight up?

[Jd1]

Originally Posted by alansmith

Navicular, feel your pain. Last year I put an offer in on a boat contingent on survey. It was a Freedom 30 something footer. Boat was in Chicago and I on west coast. I calculated flight, car, and hotel for two days. Broker assured me photos were accurate. So I had her surveyed and splashed. 800 dollars later and photos that showed the broker to be... politely "full of sand"... photos that were shockingly disappointing... soggy core and rotten rudder ... not to mention what was going on in the inside... well,
Lesson learned. I figured that I got some payroll paid for them and they didn't care because I was west coast and couldn't present much of a legal problem. So, yeah, I feel your pain. Why can't people just be straight up?

Just for curiosity sake .... If you have the brokers assurances that the photos are recent and the boat is in excellent condition and you spent several thousand dollars based on that assurance, would it not be an easy case to win in front of small claims court? If you show the judge the pictures you were given by the broker and the pictures taken by your surveyor, will it not be obvious that the broker was trying to screw you and that he should be responsible for your costs?
If you verified that the pictures from the broker were recent and truthfully represent the boat (in writing) then the broker can't turn around and claim the pictures were truthful but just 'a bit' outdated.
If more cases like this would go to court, I am sure the practice of deceit just to get the buyer to show up would be greatly reduced!
Maybe I am just a vindictive SOB but I would love to throw good money after bad just to screw the 'broker' back if I was caught up in such a situation. It becomes a matter of principle as well as a major service to the community.

[kayakerChuck]

I've bought power boats for half of the asking price. "It's a nice boat, I'm off to look at another one tomorrow, it's a bit cheaper and the pictures look nice". I have cash and I'm tired of looking at boats. Some laugh, some take my number, and sell me their boat.

I looked for about a year for my current sailboat, a little 22' O'day. There were three different makes/models on my shopping list. Most of the boats I looked at I did not make any offer. I might have hauled them away. None were accurately described, and all were very carefully photographed to hide the evils. I had email exchanges, then phone exchanges, with every seller of the boats I actually looked at.

Finally, I was travelling for work and found a O'day along my route. Lots of pictures and emails later I was feeling better about this one. He was showing me the warts and not describing it as a creme puff.

I looked at it, and offered 90% of the asking price. I would have paid his full price, which was fair.