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scgilligan · 12-02-2016, 13:48

No one offers asking price for anything anymore..especially boats and Craigslist items in general..sellers know this and they inflate their asking price accordingly..At least I would.
So, that being said- what would your initial offer be on a sailboat? As a percentage of asking price..also, would that change for cheaper boats? Example: if you are looking at a 500K boat you might only offer 75%, whereas if you are looking at a 4K boat, would you really offer 3? Less? Start ridiculously low and let them tell you the bottom price? With a boat that cheap are they really just looking for someone to take it rather than having to find a way to junk it..? If a broker is handling a boat under 5K, what would they be expecting?
Just curious...

l2ridehd · 12-02-2016, 14:31

Offer what the boat is worth to you. I have seen a few hat were steals at the listed price and others that were so over priced any offer would be ridiculous. So determine what the boat is worth and make the offer accordingly. Most fairly priced boats end up selling for around 90% to 93% of asking price. The operative words being "fairly priced"

MattJessPA · 12-02-2016, 17:46

We offered 31,300 on a boat listed for 37,500. Seller accepted and after the survey we ended up getting it for 28,600. Nothing too bad in the survey. One cap shroud needed to be replaced, the stainless fitting holding the headsail to the bowsprit was a little rusty, lifelines had a plastic covering so the surveyor said that usually causes rust so he said they were 'likely' bad, he said the aluminum holding tank needed replacing. (We planned on a composting head anyway)

Lizzy Belle · 12-02-2016, 18:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by scgilligan

what would your initial offer be on a sailboat? As a percentage of asking price...?

87,95% on what I consider cheaper boats
59,37% on more expensive boats

Or, see my more serious reply on the topics asking this exact same question over the last couple of weeks

**StuM** · 12-02-2016, 18:18

50% on a monohull.
100% on a multihull. They are always much better value and well priced initially.

tropicalescape · 12-02-2016, 18:43

I always thought of it as a way to get only "serious inquries" to call but if what you think is true I would start at one dollar if they have no price in mind..

OS2Dude · 13-02-2016, 07:54

Everything is only worth what you are will to spend on it.

What we did when we found a boat we liked was to check places like YACHT WORLD and such for selling price of similar boats in our region for an average cost. The broker that handled the sale supplied 'comps' as well. Our broker charged 10% of the sale price (Seller paid this.) Make any offer contingent on the results of a Survey and Sea Trial. Buyer pays for the Survey. If issues are found that are not necessary a deal breaker the agreed price may be able to be reduced. Get a list of issues, research repair costs and use that in your negotiation. Concessions are not guaranteed, but it is worth a shot. Be prepared to walk away if it is not worth it in the end.

I would not rely too much on NADA or KELLY type sites, as they where all WAY out of sync with recent sale data for our area.

Good Luck!

**TrentePieds** · 13-02-2016, 09:18

Totally depends of the absolute amount of dollars your intend to play with.

If you are buying a seagoing home for a coupla hundred grand, then bidding 60% of asking price (subject to survey and all the other stuff you need to put in the offer to furnish an escape route) seems reasonable. Seller can always counter-offer so common ground may be found.

If you are buying a toy like a forty year old Catalina 27, for instance, then whatever you wind up paying for it is "sunk cost" [not just in the accounting sense :-)] so who cares? If you get worried about the difference twixt fifteenhunnertbux and four grand, or having to walk away from five grand, then maybe sailing isn't for you :-)

TrentePieds

Simply Sailing · 13-02-2016, 10:31

We have been both successful and happy with both extremes. When we found our "forever" boat 16 years ago, we were thrilled with the asking price and would have paid more. Not because her book value dictated she was worth it, but because she was worth it TO US. We paid full asking price.

Conversely, a few years ago, we saw a boat we want to play around with. She wasn't worth the asking price to US (though we later sold her for that exact amount). But we had to make an offer because she was unique and we thought we might like to give her a try. We offer 50% of asking price and the seller took it. So, like many people have already pointed out, a boat is only worth what YOU are willing to pay for it. There are few absolutes when it comes to boats. Best of luck.

hamburking · 13-02-2016, 10:33

With "cheap" boats (under $5k), the annual cost of ownership can easily exceed the asking price of the boat. So there is an incentive to sell for any price, rather than keep the boat longer...especially if the boat is no longer being sailed/enjoyed (like an estate sale, or if the owner bought a new boat).

I say this from personal experience.

Paceship 29, purchased for $100 (one hundred, that is not a typo). Sailed it home.
Cal 25, asking price $12k, purchased for $1k.
Tanzer 22, asking $6500, purchased for $1800.

I could go on, but you get the idea.

This is my personal experience, not heresay or anecdotal evidence.
In these situations, being polite and respectful is really important.
Just because the price is low does not mean its a cheap boat.

If you want to try it out for yourself, here you go:

Kingston Yachts for Sale, New & Used Boat Sales, Powerboats & Sailboats - Kingston Yacht Sales

Svanen · 13-02-2016, 12:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by l2ridehd

Offer what the boat is worth to you. I have seen a few that were steals at the listed price and others that were so over priced any offer would be ridiculous. So determine what the boat is worth and make the offer accordingly. Most fairly priced boats end up selling for around 90% to 93% of asking price. The operative words being "fairly priced"

Agreed. The purchaser's objective should not be to get the 'best deal' or to out-think the seller, but to pay a price he or she considers reasonable (no more, no less).

One variable that I don't believe has yet been mentioned is the length of time the boat has been on the market. Assuming that an owner is serious about selling, they should be willing to discount the asking price substantially if the boat remains unsold after several months. Not that this always happens, but then, some putative sellers either don't really want to sell, or have unrealistic expectations (not a problem: there are plenty of fish in the sea and 'cash is king' in the secondhand market).

**Bulawayo** · 13-02-2016, 12:26

Yup ...... If its the right boat then 50-60% would also be my starting point. I think most of us know what price we are prepared to pay for a specific boat. Right now, and for a few years, it is a buyers market for the majority of boats. Just pay what you believe the value is to you. Trying to use percentages is rather hard as the asking price is dependent upon how the seller values his boat. The exact same boat could be $350k or $450k - so the percentage is not particularly relevant.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrentePieds

Totally depends of the absolute amount of dollars your intend to play with.

If you are buying a seagoing home for a coupla hundred grand, then bidding 60% of asking price (subject to survey and all the other stuff you need to put in the offer to furnish an escape route) seems reasonable. Seller can always counter-offer so common ground may be found.

If you are buying a toy like a forty year old Catalina 27, for instance, then whatever you wind up paying for it is "sunk cost" [not just in the accounting sense :-)] so who cares? If you get worried about the difference twixt fifteenhunnertbux and four grand, or having to walk away from five grand, then maybe sailing isn't for you :-)

TrentePieds

Mike OReilly · 13-02-2016, 12:39

Agree with l2ridehd; offer what the boat is worth to you. Offer a bit less if you want to play the back-and-forth, but in general I dislike playing games, and as a seller, I disliked dealing with game-players.