craigslist and eBay

[sailorboy1]

Anyone with experienxce selling their boat though Craigs List or E-Bay? Specifically a boat in the area of $70k.

[lorenzo b]

Depends on your general insurance coverage, your net worth, and your attachable assets.
70k is enough to sue somebody over, using a broker will give you a good layer of protection. How lucky do you feel?
Quite often sellers are not realistic about what their boat will fetch in a down market, a broker will help you price it to sell.
There is a reason these guys are in the game.

[nautical62]

I think they are very different venues. One's an auction that requires a third party for payment and membership. The other is just another way to advertise. When I did my last boat search, it included craigslist. I've looked at boats on e-bay, but personally an online auction is not how I wish to make such purchases. Clearly some do.

[beowulfborealis]

You can sell anything on EBAY. You probably won't get what you expect though. If you give lots of good pictures and a very good description, you will get your best price. You can always use a reserve so if it does not sell high enough, its yours to keep. I have seen a few nice sailboats for sale on EBAY recently. They also have a classified ad so you can get some exposure, but not do an auction. As for brokers, I don't think they try that hard to sell your boat. I think they are like used car dealers ie they are in it for themselves. You need patience for that.

[denverd0n]

Would you sell your house on e-bay or craigslist? If not then why would you sell a $70k boat there?

If you would, then... Well, if you would sell your house on e-bay or craigslist then you would feel comfortable enough with these venues that I doubt you would be coming here to ask if it would be a good way to sell your boat.

[Eric M]

I'll start off and say I am a fan of both sites, and have purchased and sold a variey of items thru both as well. Two data points for you.
My brother listed his ~$10K classic Chris Craft on ebay with a reserve price. The auction went on, a winning bidder with a bid higher than the reserve never came forward with the $. Fortunately the next highest bidder did show up a few days later with cash money.
I listed a $1k dinghy on Craigs List. In 2 weeks time I had questions from folks 1000+ miles away expressing interest. Ended up selling it to a guy who was closer, but all I cared was it was sold.
If I was in your shoes, give Craigs List a shot. It doesn't cost anything and you never know when someone will be looking for what you have to sell. Find a good bill of sale template with some legal verbage to protect you and good luck.