Need help again - trying to move a SR 330DA

Albany was a pretty good guess - we are in the Lower Hudson Valley...

Actually, since the boat is in New Jersey I listed it in the Central Jersey section. I didn't realize at the time that searches only cover the local region - I figured it was an across-the-board thing like boats.com - oh well...

At least I was figuring that if someone down there buys it it fits into my original concept of getting the boat sold before we have to move it to NY. I guess we'll see...
 
Pete, I sold my car and my boat through Craiglists before leaving Florida. All it is a basically an online classified listing. It works though!
 
Pete,

If you'd like some constructive criticism, here goes. Many people looking for a boat don't know the model numbers of the boat they are looking for. I, not being a SeaRay guy, have no idea what a 330DA is. I went to SeaRay's web site and they no longer show a 33' model of any kind. I would title the ad with a description of the boat .... 33 foot express cruiser/sportfisher/cabin cruiser etc. I would also sell benefits instead of features ... ie. Boat is equipped with Vacuflush toilets so you'll never have odors in the head. This boat is perfect for entertaining guests with a refigerator in the cockpit for drinks along with another in the galley for food storage. With full canvas and dual zone heating and cooling, this boat can be used throughout the spring, summer and fall.

The buyer doesn't care about whether you have to move the boat. He cares about getting a good deal. You mentioned a price of $70,000 originally, then bumped that to $80,000 and now this ad is set at $86,000. If you want to move it fast, price it aggressively and make only minor negotiations on price. I'd say something like: Owner would like to trade this boat in, but you can save money by buying it direct before he has to transport it to our location in New York. You won't find a nicer boat for a price this low!!!

Craigslist is populated mainly by people trying to get a steal of a deal, hence they look at free ads instead of going thru a broker or con artists trying to scam some money. IMHO, write your ad to paint a picture for those people who are dreaming of a change in their life and make it affordable for them. I'd also add pictures to the ad too. Many people only open ads if they contain pics, especially big ticket items like this

Original Ad
quote:


1998 Sea Ray 330DA - $86000
Reply to: sale-299434605**craigslist.org
Date: 2007-03-23, 11:39PM EDT

This fine Sea Ray is being traded in on a new boat. It is loaded with twin Merc 7.4s, dual zone A/C and heat, custom electronics, full canvas, 7.5kW generator, vacuflush, and refrigerator in cockpit as well as galley. It is a steal for the right person. Our marina is located in NY - please act fast and save $$$ by helping us sell this boat before we have to move it to our location!!! Call Pete or Charlie at Mahopac Marina, 845-628-6550.
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Click to expand...
 
Hey Dave, maybe I should have you write ALL my ads for me - I might actually sell something :) !!!

If I can figure out how to edit that ad I'll try to incorporate some of your suggestions. You do a fine job of painting that desirable picture of the boat!!!

As for the price situation, perhaps I can explain how these screwy things work from our perspective. We wanted to sell the boat quickly for $70K and thought we had the customer convinced of that. He balked (after I wrote the initial classified) so I restated the customer's insistence on $80K). Now to sell the boat commercially for $80K I SHOULD be listing it at $92K, or at least $88K, those two numbers representing a 10-15% markup which is the standard markup you see in a commercial boat ad. Every other ad on boats.com or wherever is likely marked up somewhere in that range (keep in mind there is also usually a dealer profit in there somewhere too - in this case we're making zero at $80K, so in the "real" world this boat might have had to list at $95-$98K to give us 4 or 5 grand in there after removing the 10-15% markup. (Geez, this gets confusing, doesn't it???)

Anyway, I listed the boat at $86K which only leaves me $6K haggle room. I'm banking that whoever looks at Craigslist doesn't know what I just told you - namely that most boats are marked up 10-15%, and therefore will say "Wow" when we're haggling and I reduce the price to $80K to sell it to him. If he is expecting the usual 10-15% discount I have to turn away a sale because the prior owner is firm on his $80K figure...

I was leery of marking up the boat too much, though, because I'm trying to get action on it quickly...

So that's a quickie look at commercial boat sales from our perspective, anyway. I'm sure there are many others out there, probably a few reading this, who are much more expert at it than me, and could explain things better - probably many who can teach me how to do it better. But for now that's the best I know...
 
I'm not usually in here but I am pretty seasoned in sales marketing and ads like this. Why don't you post the ad in several sections of Craigslist to generate some more interest. Do not say anything about having to move it and so forth. If I were you I would present the owner with an offer of listing the boat at a lower price for a 1 week time period and if the interested party that inquires on that boat in that time frame buys it, they get it for a cheaper price. I would try to have him agree on a final price of around 72-74 in his pocket within that week. I have done this a few times and you wouldn't believe the response.
 
Thanks for the good advice! I'll pass it on to Charlie...

Regarding this:

". Why don't you post the ad in several sections of Craigslist to generate some more interest..."

I was initially going to do that but the Craigslist "censor" came on and told me that I wasn't allowed to post the same ad in different places. I suppose I could just reword it each time enough to make it different to get past the automatic control, but I was trying to follow the rules...

Seems I always get burnt on those "rules" things these days ;)...
 
Pete, it's because you are such a rebel!!
 
That explains why I get thrown out of so many churches, Mike ;) !!!
 
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