How do dealers cope with buyers backing out after a show?

[jsc7]

A boat dealer told me that most boats are bought at boat shows. If so, that brings up an interesting question concerning used boats.

Let's say a dealer has a nice used boat at a show and he sells it the first day, contingent on a survey. Later the buyer uses some lame excuse to back out of the deal ("there is some cracking around the stanchions").

So, in this scenario the dealer gets screwed because there might have been several people willing to buy the boat at the show, but the first one that came turned out to be a welcher.

How do dealers prevent this from happening, or do they just suffer it?

[Calif.Ted]

First step is usually an "offer" to buy with a time limit for the seller to respond to the offer. Broker just makes the time end of boat show, he is free to accept and present other offers, just like a house.