POP Yachts

[Welschrisby]

Has anyone come across an online yacht brokerage called Pop Yachts? I am trying to sell my cooper 416 and they have been asking me if they can sell her for me.

They seem quite plausible... "We don't get paid until the boat sells" Flashy promo video on UTube etc etc

BUT the money goes through their accounts and I get nervous about that sort of thing!

Has anyone had any dealings with them?

Any advice most welcome.

Thanks

[lovinlifebda]

I just did a google search using “Pop Yachts Reviews”. I have no personal knowledge but that search made for some interesting reading.

[john61ct]

Bottom feeder pseudo brokerage.

Not saying scammers, but certainly not full-service, they do tons of eBay advertising.

Maybe if you really don't want to be hassled, and the boat is **so** cheap a real broker won't do it well?

What's their commission rate?

[Welschrisby]

They offer to take 10% but only if they find the "ultimate buyer".

[landsend]

My son used them to buy his boat several years ago. Very professional and no problems at all.



I receive their emails about sailboats under $75000. Interesting.

[john61ct]

It's actually a work-from-home franchise setup, so quality of the actual person involved ("Regional Sales Representative") will vary widely.

Would be interesting to check out from the inside. . .

[spearfish3]

They have a very poor reputation from what I have read. Buyer/seller beware.

[Ita]

I’ve deal with them once, no problem with the account. The deposit money was returned in two days, after I decided not to buy the boat

[Wavehiker]

I used them to try and sell my power boat. Never presented a single buyer. After a few months I sold the boat myself. Then they were sniffing around to see if the buyer came through them even though they never presented anyone. Then they kept sending me listings of boats they were trying to sell. Took awhile to unsubscribe.

[pcmm]

Originally Posted by Welschrisby

They offer to take 10% but only if they find the "ultimate buyer".

Not much of a deal! 10% is standard commission

[denverd0n]

They promise to find the "ultimate" buyer. Wow! Isn't that great! I mean, I'd hate to sell my boat to just a "normal" buyer when I might be able to sell it to the "ultimate" buyer.


If you go to their website you discover that you cannot look at any of the boats they are supposedly selling unless you register first. This is an absolutely STUPID business model! I mean, ask yourself how long Sam Walton would have been in business if he had stood outside his first Walmart and insisted that you register with him before he would allow you to go in and look around. Even at Sam's Club today, they will at least let you come in and look around without joining. But not Pop Yachts.


My advice would be to find a real broker to sell your boat. (Maybe not the "ultimate" broker, but at least a "real" one. )

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by denverd0n

They promise to find the "ultimate" buyer. Wow! Isn't that great! I mean, I'd hate to sell my boat to just a "normal" buyer when I might be able to sell it to the "ultimate" buyer.


If you go to their website you discover that you cannot look at any of the boats they are supposedly selling unless you register first. This is an absolutely STUPID business model! I mean, ask yourself how long Sam Walton would have been in business if he had stood outside his first Walmart and insisted that you register with him before he would allow you to go in and look around. Even at Sam's Club today, they will at least let you come in and look around without joining. But not Pop Yachts.


My advice would be to find a real broker to sell your boat. (Maybe not the "ultimate" broker, but at least a "real" one. )

The registration requirement is an obstacle to viewing boats. They are not alone in doing this, though. I just usually pass on those sites.

[smj]

I don’t think Pop Yachts advertises on Yachtworld which is a big deterrent and I’m not sure if they will split the commission with a buyers broker?

[hellosailor]

What John said. They seem to be the "Mary Kay" or "Tupperware" of boat brokerage. It looks like anyone can sign up to become a "broker" and offer to show and sell any boat through them. If they want an exclusive on the right to show/sell your boat...it might be more important to find out just who would be doing that.

[sailjumanji]

When we were selling our cat earlier this year, they picked up the listing and put on their site as if they were the listing broker. Took all of the info from Yachtworld, I guess. They were not our listing broker. I guess that's how they get to be a buyers broker. I didn't care for that approach as I didn't want anyone to think I listed with them - we were very deliberate in selecting our listing broker - but from outsider it sure looked like it was their listing.