What percentage of asking price would you offer?

[TrentePieds]

For illumination:

A ketch, biggish, ferro, Samson design, touted on HolyMotherNet as "blue water cruiser, all new SS Standing rigging" was offered for Can$75K. Went to look. True enuff, the standing rigging was SS and newish. Sticks were wood, hadn't seen any kinda coating in many years. Clobber and rubbish all over the deck.

As most of you will know, Samson designs were sold as bare hulls and "owner appointed" or they were backyard lash-ups right from laying down the first bit of rebar and chicken wire. The hull was prolly sturdy enuff. Not pretty, but sturdy.

Below decks, the layout was a knockoff of Arthur Robb's famous "Radiant", but Lord, oh Lord! If you ain't Arfur Robb, you can't squeeze the amount of accommodation into a fifty footer that Robb could, and if you ain't a MOST accomplished joiner, try as you may, you can't make the joiner work look like anything other than the rubbish it is.

My bid, which didn't endear me to the seller, was that I would take her off his hands if HE would commit to paying six years of moorage and pay for the materials required to put her right.

Where she lay, moorage would be about Can$7K a year. After years of lying there,
immobile, she sold a coupla years ago for $7K, I heard. Now isn't THAT a coincidence :-)

I wonder what the disposal costs may have been?

TrentePieds

[Reefmagnet]

As many others would agree, do your homework and offer what you think is a fair price but leave a little wriggle room. The seller will either ignore you and that's ok because you would never have agreed on a price or will come back with a counter offer. What's an acceptable price to a seller can vary a lot for similar vessels, as some sellers are far more motivated then others and this will often reflect in the final price.

There's also an old saying about "offer half and don't be surprised if you own the boat". I can vouch for that being true. My wife fell in love with our current boat while I liked it but knew it would need some fixing up to get it to to the level I would want it at. Well she pestered me, and pestered me some more so I told her to offer half and no more, whilst quietly sniggling to myself that would be the end of that. Next thing I know, we own that darn boat. Moral to the story is if you make an offer, no matter how silly, be prepared to pony up the cash. It could just be accepted.

Sent from my SGP521 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[finefurn]

I've and sold several things on Craigslist. and what seems to work the best for me is. Post it at a fair price and what you like to get for the item. If someone offers a lower price, I may drop the asking price 10% and hold there. Most people that offer lower will come up to your 90 % of original. About 50% will give the asking price, 30% will take the 10% discount the other 20% I let walk.

[evm1024]

I ponder the same question. I hope to be offering half on a swan 68 but might go as high at 2/3 in the give and take.

The only thing holding me up is winning the lottery.....

[Svanen]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Isn't it interesting that in these type of threads the viewpoint is that the sellers are crooks and the buyers are honest?

You're inferring something that hasn't been expressed or implied. No poster has suggested that sellers are ripping off buyers by asking for the highest prices that they think they can get. There is no secrecy or shame in that objective.

In the absence of some disaster (fire, sinking, etc.), ultimately every buyer will be a seller, even if only posthumously ...

[frozenhawaiian]

there's really no hard and fast rule because before I make any sort of offer I give the boat a very thorough going over. and depending what I find that will inform what I'm willing to pay. generally I start with a fairly low offer and let them talk me up. but some sellers are intractable and thats when it's time to walk away.

[Bulawayo]

Totally agree....... there is always another deal.

Originally Posted by frozenhawaiian

there's really no hard and fast rule because before I make any sort of offer I give the boat a very thorough going over. and depending what I find that will inform what I'm willing to pay. generally I start with a fairly low offer and let them talk me up. but some sellers are intractable and thats when it's time to walk away.

[Bulawayo]

Reminds me of, many, many ago buying a very good looking ferro Endurance 37. She sailed with the dexterity of an oil rig. One day, we measured along the port toe rail and then measured along the starboard one. The measurements were substantailly different and the boat was found to be banana shaped (in plan view). I lost a lot of money on that boat as it was sold for scrap. However, only a few years ago I saw the boat was still floating but had changed hands numerous times since. That boat was constantly changing hands for a 'bargain' price and often for half of the list price. Despite being a proponent of offering what you believe is right make sure you understand the reason that the seller accepts your offer.

Originally Posted by TrentePieds

For illumination:

A ketch, biggish, ferro, Samson design, touted on HolyMotherNet as "blue water cruiser, all new SS Standing rigging" was offered for Can$75K. Went to look. True enuff, the standing rigging was SS and newish. Sticks were wood, hadn't seen any kinda coating in many years. Clobber and rubbish all over the deck.

As most of you will know, Samson designs were sold as bare hulls and "owner appointed" or they were backyard lash-ups right from laying down the first bit of rebar and chicken wire. The hull was prolly sturdy enuff. Not pretty, but sturdy.

Below decks, the layout was a knockoff of Arthur Robb's famous "Radiant", but Lord, oh Lord! If you ain't Arfur Robb, you can't squeeze the amount of accommodation into a fifty footer that Robb could, and if you ain't a MOST accomplished joiner, try as you may, you can't make the joiner work look like anything other than the rubbish it is.

My bid, which didn't endear me to the seller, was that I would take her off his hands if HE would commit to paying six years of moorage and pay for the materials required to put her right.

Where she lay, moorage would be about Can$7K a year. After years of lying there,
immobile, she sold a coupla years ago for $7K, I heard. Now isn't THAT a coincidence :-)

I wonder what the disposal costs may have been?

TrentePieds

[zeehag]

i watched the boat i now have go from a 39,995 purchase by po to a lot less. the boat moved to my next door mooring ball in 2004, dec..... the guy and i became friends, as neighbors often do, and i supported him for 2 yrs and cat and boat sat another 2 yrs, while boat did nothing except get hit by its other next door neighbor... oops....
and then i watched him blow up the westerfreke 107 that was in it.. nice n spectacular detonation leaving a beautiful guinness stout holder in the block. niiice hole just behind starter so one was not able to see the beauty of it all... oil everywhere, ingrained into the fg.. oops.....
and so i watched an d didnt hold my breath. he was a bigger pig than i am. oops again.
and so...
as i had an ericson 35mII, and eanted to cruise a 40 ft boat, i decided to lift this off the mans overly preoccupied with other things mind. first bid i made was 15000 usd as i knew his purchase price. no
ok
then we went to more neglect. i offered up the price i get for ericson as purchase price.
ericson went onto market the day before the market caved .. ok
ericson was on market for 7 years, finally sold in 2014 for 4650 usd. ok.
good thing i made sure the boat was mine clear before i sold the other for sooo cheap, he took the ultimate 4650 in stride and i am free and clear.,... this is a rare deal but these are findable.
before y e go out seeking this kinda deal, aint gonna happen.i lucked out biig time.
you CAN find deals , but ye have to search under a lot of rocks in life to find em and they drop into your lap when ye least expect it.
. mine did.
my search took me from 1990 until 2004.
so ..... yes finding a boat is easy--gods know i owned many boats from 1990 until this one, in 2008. keep your eyes open and your wallet tightly wrapped.
you never know what you might be able to get away with.
yes it is a project boat-- but that is what i wanted, as long a sit sailed.
so new engine, 108--2500 usd
new foredeck backing plate-- 200 usd
new bulkhead for anchor llocker--100 usd. in san diego on moorings using neighbor as worker. neighbor was friend.. lol...
so now i have rebuilt my 2500 usd 4-108 i bought in 2009, rebuild was under 4000 usd, in mexico, included other items not usually included in rebuilding ... (injector pump and heat exchanger and lift pump )....
there are many things one is able to do iff one has the standuptoitness needed to do this, and brass in pocket.
yes it is work, but the labor of love invested aint gonna kill ye and the boat will be better for your work. AND, added benefit--once ye rebuild a boat, you know a lot more about everything than before... and you get what you want, not what is out there.

and so the answer to the question of how much to offer--is moot. it depends on the boat and the owner you are trying to steal that boat from. if he is iggurunt on boats, as was my po, winners never lose, you get it cheaper than if you go to a bludy bleed-ye broker out for his cut of the action. (i da had a 32 wetsnail, BEAUTIFULLY appointed, neglected for 26 yrs, only had bottom cleaning and painted over that time, for 26000 usd--- i wanted it for 10k, no go. broker wanted his cut, so f*** me. ok on to another boat. i still dream of those beautiful appointments that boat had to offer. was a perfect girlee boat with stained glass, and rebuildable groco everythings. pullman berth in bow, not a vee.. was perfect-- lotsa built in storage cabinetry and ... but the price was too high. remember it was neglected 26 yrs. i offered 10k and was laughed out the room. but that was good. i got a boat of similar build quality for much less. the boat i have now is a lot easier to repair than was the wetsnail, and has easier access to all parts and tanks.. i win. so i can rebuild a decent boat in a decent place for rebuilding boats and i will have exactly what i want for less than i would have had to pay fro a beautiful yet needy version of same boat.
it takes a long time to actually find the boat you want. most folks hurry up the process and find they dislike what they purchased. go figger.
seek and ye shall find exactly what you need damn near in your lap. and at the correct for you price.

[1affiah]

Old Saying in the Used Car Business:
"There is an ass for every seat!"

[Liam Wald]

Originally Posted by StuM

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

Snarky troll statements are of little use.

[siamese]

Originally Posted by Liam Wald

Snarky troll statements are of little use.

One man's snarky is another man's humorous.

The original posting is naive and has been addressed ad nauseum in previous threads. Nothing wrong with the cat playing with the mouse a little.

[frozenhawaiian]

Originally Posted by Bulawayo

Totally agree....... there is always another deal.

yep, you always gotta be willing to walk away if a seller isn't willing to work with you.

[Liam Wald]

Originally Posted by siamese

One man's snarky is another man's humorous.

The original posting is naive and has been addressed ad nauseum in previous threads. Nothing wrong with the cat playing with the mouse a little.

Humor is one thing but passing off mean spirited statements and passive/aggressive digs as humor is quite another.

[Terra Nova]

On a popular boat model it is fairly easy to determine the fair value (which is less than average asking price). The boat's condition will tell you how much to knock off fair value for repairs.

On an oddball/difficult to sell/unpopular boat it can be much harder to determine fair value. But it might be significantly less than an equivalent popular one.

An immaculate boat should carry a price premium. A dog should be avoided.

Low-ballers are shunned. The right selling price is one that is fair for both buyer and seller.