Selling Privately
Organising yourself
If you chose to sell your boat privately, you'll get the benefit of saving the costs of a Dealer or Broker, but you'll need to get organised!
If you've followed this Guide so far, you'll have already assembled the paperwork that will not only enhance the value of your boat but will also make it easy for you to sell it.
Your advertising campaign
Now you need to design your advertising campaign. Click here to see our advertising options and how much they cost - not just on the internet but in Boat Trader and Boats & Yachts magazines as well.
Saving the costs of brokerage can pay for a substantial amount of advertising, probably much more than you'll ever need to sell your boat. So decide upon what size of advert and what duration you wish to opt for. If its your first advert, then a duration of 2 months would be a good start, but if in doubt speak to one of our advisers on 01243 533394 for assistance.
You'll also need to take some good quality photographs. These will help sell your boat, so if you don't have a good quality digital camera, borrow one.
In the text of your advert, remember to include all of those items that will help set your boat apart from the rest, justify your sales price and attract potential buyers. Use our Valuation checklist as a guide to what should be mentioned, alongside full details of your boat's description and specification.
Also be sure to include full contact details and make sure that they're accurate. You do not want to go to the expense and opportunity of advertising your boat, only to be unable to answer enquiries because you're not available or difficult to get hold of or because you made a mistake with the one phone number that you supplied. If possible, supply daytime and evening contact numbers, mobile and landline, as well as an email address.
Dealing with enquiries
You also need to plan how to deal with the enquiries you will receive. If they require more information than that contained in the advert, could you send or email them a 'Specification Sheet', pre-prepared by you or a friend, that includes more information and maybe more high quality photographs that show off your boat really well.
If potential buyers want to view your boat and trial it, when can they do this and where? Remember the more flexible you are about this, the more likely it is that potential buyers will see your boat first. So do not put your boat up for sale and advertise it until you know that you have the time and availability to be able to deal with the enquiries.
Make a list of potential dates and times that buyers can view and trial your boat, so that when the telephone rings, you have all of the information to hand, to deal properly and professionally with the enquiry.
Keep in mind that when you're selling your boat, you are competing in a marketplace for the attention of prospective buyers with Dealers, Brokers and other boat owners. So you should try to be as professional as the best of those; it will increase the chances significantly of you selling your boat and buying your next one!
Negotiating the sale
The secret to sales negotiation is to be well prepared, anticipate what potential buyers are likely to say and work out in advance how you're going to react, keeping in the back of your mind what price you'll be prepared to accept.
If you've followed the steps contained in this Guide fully and adhered to the advice provided in the section headed 'Preparing You Boat for Sale', you will already know how a potential buyer is going to try to drive the price down. So work out either how you plan to counter this (possibly with aspects of your boat that you believe to be unique in the current market place) or how much, if anything, you're prepared to adjust your price for each of the items that may be spotted by a potential buyer.
Also have a think about whether there is anything that you can 'trade' with, that has less of a value to you than money off the selling price. For example there may be items of equipment or accessories that you could 'throw in' rather than accept £1,000 off the asking price. This may satisfy the buyer's need to get more of a discount and at the same time be acceptable to you. Work out in advance what options you have in this respect and keep them up your sleeve until you start the serious negotiations.
Often with boats, unless it's from a trader, the first offer you receive is usually the best offer, so think carefully before turning down an offer that falls just short of your asking price or the price that you were originally prepared to accept. It may be some while before you receive another offer.
