Selling my boat on consignment ?

[rumy1]

I live in Gladstone, CQ and want to sell my boat but due to not so huge population here I was wondering whether I should approach a Brisbane boat shop and maybe take my boat down there for sale by consignment ?
1. What do you all think of this idea?
2. Can any-one recommend a boat shop?

I have a Haines Signature 5.42F with a 140 Suzuki -2006 model with heaps of extras and asking approx $45 k.

[sharkcat one]

I live in Gladstone, CQ and want to sell my boat but due to not so huge population here I was wondering whether I should approach a Brisbane boat shop and maybe take my boat down there for sale by consignment ?
1. What do you all think of this idea?
2. Can any-one recommend a boat shop?

I have a Haines Signature 5.42F with a 140 Suzuki -2006 model with heaps of extras and asking approx $45 k.
HI RUMY1,

HAVE YOU TRIED PUTTING YOUR BOAT ON THE INTERNET (eg.- BOAT POINT )
THIS IS A VERY GOOD SITE . OR TRADING POST AND LIST IT ON THEIR INTERNET SITE . I WOULD TRY THIS FIRST , SOME BOAT DEALERS CHARGE ALOT OF MONEY TO SELL YOUR BOAT . BUT IF YOU STILL WANT TO SELL AT A DEALER TRY SPRINGWOOD MARINE .

[TheRealAndy]

I am in brisbane, and I bought my boat from gladstone. Spotted it on boatpoint.

[rumy1]

I do have it listed on Trading Post but haven't received one phone call yet ? Might post it on BoatPoint -.
Thanks for your reply !!!

[finding_time]

Rumy1

Just checked boat point there are 7 other 542 f's there and at 45k yours would be snapped up. !!;)

Ian

[Tangles]

Upgrading Rumy1? those 542f are great boats, you should have no trouble

mike

[Tazmaniac]

Rumi 1,
I had trouble selling my last boat here in W.A.. I put it on boatsonline, a bloke in S.A. saw it and it was just what he was after. He payed the freight and I put it on a truck for him and away it went. The advertising costs are more than reasonable and you seem to get out to a very wide market. As for boat yards, I had mine in a yard in Perth for about 5 months, everytime I rang them there was " someone interested, having trouble getting finance ". In the end I gave up, went and got my boat back and could not believe the state it was in. Filthy dirty, covered in grime, barely see through the windows. I wouldn't have considered a boat looking like that, it screamed neglect.
Good luck, Taz

[rumy1]

Just finished putting the add on BoatPoint - $120 but probably worth it ! It won't appear till 6am, Saturday 6/9/08 - I thought it would be on there straight away?
Thanks fellas for your advice and help !
Selling my boat and campervan and getting a great caravan and putting some on the mortage. Have had a great time fishing and have done what I had hoped to do with the boat - bloody great boat that's for sure !!!
I know you fishing nuts out there are thinking I am mad but I have a young family and caravaning would suit us more.
I have plenty of mates with boats that are always after crew so I won't miss the reef at all.

[MyEscape]

I sold my Cruisecraft earlier this year. Actually I had bought it in Gladstone from the CC dealer there.

I listed it for sale on Boatpoint. Waited a while then got a call from a guy who said he was from Melbourne, but would be interested in travelling up to Mackay to look at the boat. Really? Long way to travel for a boat.

Had a few more calls from him, said he wasn't a dealer, then one day he left a message at my work to call him on his mobile, called him back and another person answered AT HIS DEALERSHIP. It ended up being a dealer around Brisbane. Forget the name but it was a Cruisecraft dealership as I checked the number at on the web at the time.

In the end I sold the Cruisecraft by a referral from a dealer in Mackay who I was going to buy (and bought) my next boat from. The referral wasn't from the local Cruisecraft dealer who pretty much just rubbished my near new boat. I would never, ever, buy set foot in their yard again. Different story from the Yamaha dealer though, took a look at my boat and said it's worth a lot more to me than what they could give me. So when they had a person looking for a near new Cruisecraft a deal was done. I bought my new boat from them (a Seajay Escape) the next day.

Good luck with the sale. I think the best thing is to put a fair price on it, and wait for the right person to come along. Rather than sell to the first person who offers somewhat less than what it's worth to take it off your hands.

Steve

[PinHead]

Boatpoint is the way to go...I sold my 30' cruiser on there..bloke and his wife flew up from Melbourne and bought it..only took 5 weeks on there. Brokers wanted 8% commission to sell it.

[TimiBoy]

I bought out of Trailer Boat Mag, but same concept. I bought from Port McQuarrie, drove down from Brissie to pick up.

Yep, use the 'net. I'll be selling my 2003 Patrol soon using Carpoint.

Cheers,

Tim

[bushbeachboy]

Have you listed it on Ausfish? I bought my last boat from another Ausfisher.

[MarkDiver]

I live in Gladstone, CQ and want to sell my boat but due to not so huge population here I was wondering whether I should approach a Brisbane boat shop and maybe take my boat down there for sale by consignment ?
1. What do you all think of this idea?
2. Can any-one recommend a boat shop?

I have a Haines Signature 5.42F with a 140 Suzuki -2006 model with heaps of extras and asking approx $45 k.

Nice boat Rumy1!
With the majority of the local boatforce working at one of the larger industries in Gladstone e.g. QAL, Rio, BSL, Orica..do you know anybody in one of these companies that can post your advert on the local intranet for you? I found this reaches a wide local audience.

Fellow Gladstonian
PS unfortunately I don't have direct access and asked a favour to post my boat :-/

[gofishin]

Rummy, they’re a great boat and yours is at a good price too (great donk too;D ), so it shouldn’t take too long. However, the market has been expectedly slower than the normal ‘winter blues’ season, especially for big bowriders as I have found out. It is now coming in to the good boating season, so you shouldn’t have a problem.

A word of warning: be careful of your spam filter settings, or if you use a work email thru a large organisation, where suspected SPAM disappears into hyperspace, as happened to me with boatpoint emails. Got the confirming add email then didn’t hear from anyone, then the add just disappeared – even the reminder renewal got sucked into the never-never. Got a good bite last week from up your way, but in the end he decided a ½ cab was the way to go.

You shouldn’t have a problem, keep it up there & on boatpoint.
cheers
PS. I have been quoted 12.5% from a local yard on consignment.

[Rumrunner2]

I bought my current boat through John Crawford Marine at Tingalpa. I was really happy with the deal I got and the service provided. I was amazed how simple they made the process, great guys to deal with. They will buy your boat or sell on consignment, see their website fo details.

Cheers
RR2

[rumy1]

Thanks for the replies fellas. I was talking to the local Haines Signature dealer here and he said to give BoatPoint a go for awhile and if I have no luck he'll put it on consignment for 8%.
He said it's a more than fair price I have on it !

[wilcara]

I sold my last little glass boat (HH 145R) by leaving it in a yard for a while. They had quite a few lookers before it sold but they got a fair price and took 10%, I was happy with that.

Re trading post - I find it hard to scroll through the listings there compared with boatpoint etc.

[cormorant]

Consignment ........Arghhhhhhh too many sharks out there

Be very careful and check out your insurance if you go near a yard - be very careful.

Tell the person you trust at the yard you have it for sale and will pay them a finders fee if they put a client onto you but as for leaving it at a yard - not for me. security , vandalism theft.

BP will get you some enquiries especially if you ask locally about transport costs to major centers so a buyer knows upfront total cost and easily organised. Many a time I have seen stuff I wanted but can't get , or be bothered to get transport sorted. If you are happy to help in delivery say so on the add.


Cheers and goodluck

Sorry to the honest dealers but you are a very very rare breed and many will soon be in worse financial shape the way the ecconomy is going.

[snappa]

hi

i had mine on trading post with only one call and a dealer wanting to consign it "no thank you"
if its worth more than i want ..then you buy it and sell the boat .. otherwise #$$off

i should have tried "boat point" by reading this post

i will most likely give it a go when i get back from 1770....

same thing i want to start chasing "GOLD" in them hills...... and if i need a fish i will go as a crew....

[boatboy50]

Guys,

It's sad to see so many of you are against yards, and believe there are sharks out there.

I'm in the industry, and can promise you that the sharks are a small percentage.

As for your boats safety in a yard, you should choose the yard with this in mind.
Don't leave your boat somewhere that it is less safe than at home. I've been in the industry for many years, and have never had a boat stolen or vandalised on our premises. Maybe I just work for the good dealerships?

As a second hand yard I can tell you that we have contacts, buyers and wholesalers who will never buy privately. We do it daily, so know by experience what does and does not work.

Many owners have no idea about their boats value (they normally think they know), what's involved in selling, where to advertise, how to transport, how to present and so many other things. These things are what sees their boats on the market for too long.

Snappa, a dealer may be able to sell your boat for more than your asking, but maybe that profit is not worth tying up 35k in cash? Did you think of that? I've seen your boat advertised for a long time, and feel it could be sellable, but there's no way i'd tie up that sort of capital for the small profit that is involved. Maybe you should stop being so cynical and think about it? If you want to sell it yourself, all the good to you. Don't bad mouth people who may have been willing to help you sell it for a small profit to themselves. What, do you expect them to sell it for you for nothing? Good luck with that.

Consignment does work. When choosing a yard, just check out their credentials like you would with any business deal. What is their security like? Where will they promote my boat? Are they contactable easily for the buyers? Do they have access to a workshop to fix problems should they arise? Are they positioned well to find buyers for a boat? Is their attitude right? Will they bend over backwards to help me or a buyer? Is all of their staff like this? Do they present my boat well for sale? Do they sell my style of boat? Do they have contacts for transport interstate?

I know of yards who regularly have boats priced well under market value. They still sit there for months on end, because they don't advertise well or care about sales. All they care about is service revenue. The owners of these boats could have much better results if they researched it.

We sell boats. That's what we do. If you want your boat sold and don't know how or can't be bothered yourself, talk to me or a yard you do trust.

Sorry for the long winded post, but there was too much bad information on this thread to let it slide.

Regards

Darren

[boatboy50]

Consignment ........Arghhhhhhh too many sharks out there

Tell the person you trust at the yard you have it for sale and will pay them a finders fee if they put a client onto you but as for leaving it at a yard - not for me. security , vandalism theft.


If a finders fee worked it would be great. It simply doesn't. Yards work off walk in trade as well as buyers on the books. By the time they arrange with the owner to know where the boat is, get pictures of the boat, salesman learns the boats features (it's not on site, how does he know it has this and that), take the buyer to the boat ect ect, that buyer has seen something else or has lost their initial interest. Trust me, i've been through it.

If your boat is on a trailer and easy enough to take to them, do it. Them taking your name and number is a very small chance of selling your boat.

It may work with big boats which can not be moved easily, but when a buyer walks into a yard of 50 boats, the last thing he wants is to be taken somewhere else to see another. He wants something then and there, thats why he walked in.

Regards

Darren

[Roughasguts]

What if your boat is on consignment and a buyer want's to take it for a test run.
And then he does some damage to it, scrapes, dinged prop Etc what happens then.

Half the time the owner wouldn't know about tha damage I bet, until some one say's hey I'm not paying that much it needs a new prop, who pays then.

[boatboy50]

What if your boat is on consignment and a buyer want's to take it for a test run.
And then he does some damage to it, scrapes, dinged prop Etc what happens then.

Half the time the owner wouldn't know about the damage I bet, until some one say's hey I'm not paying that much it needs a new prop, who pays then.

Firstly, a sea trial should only be done if needed (mostly it's not), and after a deposit has been paid, finance sorted, price and conditions are sorted. Basically when all parties are happy and everything that could go wrong has passed.

When a sea trial is done, it will always be with staff in control even when the buyer is driving (ie go this way, go that way ect ect). In my world any damage done while under my control will be fixed by me or my company.

All is fair in this world, and you break it you bought it. Thats how it works.

We sea trial in about 1 out of every 10 sales.

An independent mechanic will find problems well before a fun run in the bay will.

Regards

Darren

[wilcara]

Good post Darren. Like I said I was happy with consignment. I also sold my yacht the same way years ago, and for ten percent I could not have been happier, I even made a profit. Good luck to them.

[gunna]

I bought out of Trailer Boat Mag, but same concept.
Tim

Sorta related - I searched high and low for the van I wanted - found it in the van equilavent of that mag.

[SummerTrance]

I bought my boat last year. It was on consignment at Australian Marine Centre at Springwood. They had the boat advertised in Trailerboat, and online.

As a buyer, i liked buying a boat this way. Price negotiation was good going through the salesman, who would phone the owner. I found that way much better, then haggling face to face with a private owner, or a regular salesman.

[cormorant]

Hi Darren

You and your yard might be OK but you know of lots that aren't and you wouldn't even deal wholesale with. We both know there is issues. The public, clients and sellers can be easy to deal with or complete Ax';';'/<?,/'s. I argree that many people can place a fair realistic value or be honest about maintainance on their own boat or have the sales skills to actually sell a boat in a timely manner. Consignment is one option.

What is the story with insurance an liability at your yard?. I know my insurer won't cover my boat in a yard without prior notification if at all. They barely officially cover it when staying overnight in a hotel carpark.


Like in all business there are good guys and bad guys and I hope contributions on this thread highlight good and bad as that is what the forum is about.

I'm not in your area and don't know you. I see a lot of brokers have boats in their yards on consignment and they are simply there as fodder, free yard stock. That can be the owners fault for overpricing as much as the dealers for leading them on. Dealer makes more money on his own boats so sells them and the clients boat looks pretty in the yard , attracts customers and is a great comparison or classic for switch selling strategies. These are all referenced to unscruplous dealers but they are out there and hard for the man on the street to sort from the good ones. The other strategies are the "wear you down" where you are constantly told the boat is only worth XX dollars or the ï've got a buyer coming , can't get finance ,etc etc All the same as the used car salesman tricks but harder with boats as dealers need a bigger margin as lower turnover and it is harder for the public ( no reliable red book) to compare specific prices as to the way boats are accesorised and powered as well as condition or location .

The fact you are on here and people get to read a range of opinions is a good thing as I'd hate to see all bad or all good written about yards as each one is different and they change over time with staff and ownership.

To have a boat sold on consignment you are right in saying the dealer must be motivated, have the skills, have the exposure be it street or advertising be honest and be reasonably rewarded for his work on the sale and maintaining the boat in his yard. You have to resolve the insurance issues and also what form of contract and pricing is required , how and when final payment is recieved ( only ever from a trust account) and what papers are to be held by the dealer and where any liability lies.

Public has to realise they are buying a service and pick wisely and ensure, as best they can, they are dealing with a honest reputable yard and be honest about the value of their boat and expectation of how long it will take to sell.

Hopefully good dealers will survive and others will gradually get out of the industry.

Corm

[boatboy50]

Hi Darren

You and your yard might be OK but you know of lots that aren't and you wouldn't even deal wholesale with. We both know there is issues. The public, clients and sellers can be easy to deal with or complete Ax';';'/<?,/'s. I argree that many people can place a fair realistic value or be honest about maintainance on their own boat or have the sales skills to actually sell a boat in a timely manner. Consignment is one option.

What is the story with insurance an liability at your yard?. I know my insurer won't cover my boat in a yard without prior notification if at all. They barely officially cover it when staying overnight in a hotel carpark.


Like in all business there are good guys and bad guys and I hope contributions on this thread highlight good and bad as that is what the forum is about.

I'm not in your area and don't know you. I see a lot of brokers have boats in their yards on consignment and they are simply there as fodder, free yard stock. That can be the owners fault for overpricing as much as the dealers for leading them on. Dealer makes more money on his own boats so sells them and the clients boat looks pretty in the yard , attracts customers and is a great comparison or classic for switch selling strategies. These are all referenced to unscruplous dealers but they are out there and hard for the man on the street to sort from the good ones. The other strategies are the "wear you down" where you are constantly told the boat is only worth XX dollars or the ï've got a buyer coming , can't get finance ,etc etc All the same as the used car salesman tricks but harder with boats as dealers need a bigger margin as lower turnover and it is harder for the public ( no reliable red book) to compare specific prices as to the way boats are accesorised and powered as well as condition or location .

The fact you are on here and people get to read a range of opinions is a good thing as I'd hate to see all bad or all good written about yards as each one is different and they change over time with staff and ownership.

To have a boat sold on consignment you are right in saying the dealer must be motivated, have the skills, have the exposure be it street or advertising be honest and be reasonably rewarded for his work on the sale and maintaining the boat in his yard. You have to resolve the insurance issues and also what form of contract and pricing is required , how and when final payment is recieved ( only ever from a trust account) and what papers are to be held by the dealer and where any liability lies.

Public has to realise they are buying a service and pick wisely and ensure, as best they can, they are dealing with a honest reputable yard and be honest about the value of their boat and expectation of how long it will take to sell.

Hopefully good dealers will survive and others will gradually get out of the industry.

Corm

Thanks Corm for your obviously knowledgable post.

I realise I may be an exception to a lot of the rules, as I live and breathe boating. It's my passion so sees me working hard to perfect it. I'm still not quite there yet!

I also realise that not all staff and yards have the same passion as me. That is where the bad apples may be.

As I said, any potential sellers need to basically interview the yard and their staff, inspect the site and ask a million questions of the yard. That is the only way to sort the shonks from the hard workers.

To be honest I don't know of any serious shonks in SEQ in the marine industry, not in the way of yards anyway. I'm sure there is plenty of individual contracting shonks, but actual yards, I think there is too much at risk for them to survive.

As far as insurance goes, each company has different policies. I am a Club Marine agent (biggest marine insurer), and they have no problems with any boats in my yard. The smaller insurers have their own rules. I have only once in the past 5 years had a customer withdraw their boat from me because their insurer said we won't cover you there. I don't know who the insurer was.

Ironically, the chances of a boat being stolen or damaged from my premises are tiny. Every boat is locked with a hitch lock, we have security cameras, a live on caretaker, guard dogs at night, and brand new 100k boat next door without any locks on them. I know what the thieves will target, and I doubt it will be a second hand boat!

I'm not here to advertise, but if I can help one person (I have sold boats for Ausfishers before, and sold to them by the way!), I would be more than happy.

Regards

Darren

[PinHead]

Guys,

It's sad to see so many of you are against yards, and believe there are sharks out there.

I'm in the industry, and can promise you that the sharks are a small percentage.

As for your boats safety in a yard, you should choose the yard with this in mind.
Don't leave your boat somewhere that it is less safe than at home. I've been in the industry for many years, and have never had a boat stolen or vandalised on our premises. Maybe I just work for the good dealerships?

As a second hand yard I can tell you that we have contacts, buyers and wholesalers who will never buy privately. We do it daily, so know by experience what does and does not work.

Many owners have no idea about their boats value (they normally think they know), what's involved in selling, where to advertise, how to transport, how to present and so many other things. These things are what sees their boats on the market for too long.

Snappa, a dealer may be able to sell your boat for more than your asking, but maybe that profit is not worth tying up 35k in cash? Did you think of that? I've seen your boat advertised for a long time, and feel it could be sellable, but there's no way i'd tie up that sort of capital for the small profit that is involved. Maybe you should stop being so cynical and think about it? If you want to sell it yourself, all the good to you. Don't bad mouth people who may have been willing to help you sell it for a small profit to themselves. What, do you expect them to sell it for you for nothing? Good luck with that.

Consignment does work. When choosing a yard, just check out their credentials like you would with any business deal. What is their security like? Where will they promote my boat? Are they contactable easily for the buyers? Do they have access to a workshop to fix problems should they arise? Are they positioned well to find buyers for a boat? Is their attitude right? Will they bend over backwards to help me or a buyer? Is all of their staff like this? Do they present my boat well for sale? Do they sell my style of boat? Do they have contacts for transport interstate?

I know of yards who regularly have boats priced well under market value. They still sit there for months on end, because they don't advertise well or care about sales. All they care about is service revenue. The owners of these boats could have much better results if they researched it.

We sell boats. That's what we do. If you want your boat sold and don't know how or can't be bothered yourself, talk to me or a yard you do trust.

Sorry for the long winded post, but there was too much bad information on this thread to let it slide.

Regards

Darren

Darren..there was no way I could justify paying someone 14k to do exactly what I did...put the boat on boatpoint. That is just robbery in my books.

[FNQCairns]

Just like houses boats sell themselves, it's crazy to pay thousands or today many thousands for such convenience because really if a person can afford such convenience why sell anything!! Great decision to put it on boatpoint.

Good luck in the sale.

cheers fnq

[Adivad]

Rumy
Be very very careful if you go to consignment. I don't know specific details but a mate of mine put his on consignment with a dealer at Tweed Heads and was badly burnt. Get a solicitor or at least someone very knowledgeable to check all paperwork before you sign anything.
cheers
Dave

[Long Shot]

Yep, there are certainly some wankers out there. I was rung up and abused by someone from Tweed Coast Maine who told me my boat was overpriced and that I had no idea. The only way I found out was because his number was left on my mobile phone. So when I rang it back to see what the story was, turned out he was from Tweed Coast Marine. I would NEVER put foot in their yard after this experience.>:( >:( >:(

I also considered taking my boat to a yard and drove up, met the saleperson. A bigger dill I don't think I could have met. Was totally clueless but a real confidence man. I believe the boatyard has now changed names and was located down on the Pacific Highway near the Tanah Merah turnoff.

I also found the trading post to be poor in generating phone calls. Boatpoint was a far better option.

Good luck with your sale.

Matt

[boatboy50]

Darren..there was no way I could justify paying someone 14k to do exactly what I did...put the boat on boatpoint. That is just robbery in my books.

Pinhead,

I've never made anywhere near 14k to sell a boat for anyone. That is unjustified as you say.

I deal mainly with trailer boats under 25ft, and generally under 100k.

Your boat was obviously a different kettle of fish to a standard consignment. It would have been sold as a traditional brokerage, not a consignment.

I would like to see the proof of any shonky deals which are spoken of often here. It is always a mate or a mate of a mate told me about a shonky deal. Of all the members on this board, has anyone been screwed first hand by any dealers in SEQ? If so please speak up so the rest of the members can learn who they should and should not use.

Over the past two years i've seen approximately 300 boats sold in front of me, and approximately another 200 pass through the yard, and I doubt one of those owners would have a bad word to say. Certainly none of them have ever spoke about court or showed any signs of dissattisfaction.

C'mon guys, stand up and tell all the members which yards you have directly had problems with. We would all like to know.

Regards

Darren