Selling a C-Dory Regionally vs. Locally: Differences

S

Sea Wolf

New member
In selling a boat like the C-Dory on a regional (or even national) vs a local basis, are there special considerations or differences that must be taken into account, or is it still a case of the first person to show up on site with an acceptable cash offer wins and hitches up the prize (including, of course, a sea trial and / or survey) ?

I'm thinking this process could be awkward with some folks at a distance disadvantage, etc.

What's logical, and what kind of problems have you experienced both as a seller and / or a buyer in the past?

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
I have tried to treat buyers at different distances as equally as possible selling various types of vehicles over the years. A person at any distance can still be spoken to and make a commitment (deposit) to hold a vehicle until a visit can be arranged.

The time flexibility of the seller comes into play and I would guess that to be the biggest factor pushing sellers to give preference to the buyer who walks up physically with cash in hand.

I would still turn them away myself if I have made a commitment to another party even if the payoff will be further down the road.

I think many Brats are attached enough to their boats that a sale can be more of an interview than just a transaction. They might give strong preference to a buyer they like and may give special preference to that buyer.

When I sold Aurelia, we held the boat for a couple of months for a buyer which may not be easy for all sellers.

When I sold Lola (name of our 12ft C-dory Skiff), I was only willing to sell it to another member of the C-Brat group because I think that is a special little boat that should stay in the family.

Greg
 
I have held it for people -- one time with a paypal deposit, and 1 time with just a gentlemans agreement. It was only for a couple of days though, and they always completed the purchase. You usually can tell how sincere the party is after a good conversation. I didhave 1 failure though!
 
One more comment, If a buyer keeps contacting me by email or text only and will not answer the phone, I do not treat them as seriously for a boat sized sale.

Greg
 
Probably there is no good way to generalize, as every seller (and buyer) are different. Really, it's up to the seller in a way.

I've bought many things from a distance and there are oftentimes some obvious clues as to how it might go in the ad (although some sellers will surprise you if you take the time to check further). It's great if there are good photos, and good communication about features, questions, etc. On the other hand for one reason or another, some sellers just aren't interested or able to help a distant buyer. No photos, little information, etc. Maybe they don't know how to do e-mail/web/photos. Maybe they don't want to. Or maybe they just can't imagine it. I've had responses such as "Oh, you don't want to travel that far just for a boat/car/etc.." (Au contraire, but they can't imagine that.)

Some folks totally get it and are dreamy to work with. Photos and info flow, and they may understand/trust enough to hold a boat/car/etc. for you - either with a deposit, or in the "I'm leaving the house now, I'll be there in twelve hours, will you hold it so that I at least know it will be there when I arrive" way. It can be easy peasy these days, with e-mail, .jpgs, PayPal, etc. But it does take a certain willingness by the seller and follow-through from the buyer.

I've found it helpful to ask about certain things in advance just so we are all on the same page. Things like "is it the first person who shows up with cash, or are you keeping a list, or is it mine until I get there if I send you a deposit, or?" etc. Sometimes people (very understandably) haven't really thought it through in advance. And as Aurelia mentioned, sometimes it's more than just "first cash." Sometimes finding a good home for something is just as (or more) important.

At any rate, there are as many scenarios as there are buyers and sellers. A friend of mine once drove ten hours to buy a pristine truck only to arrive and find it had been rolled! As if he either wouldn't notice, or would be, "well, I've driven ten hours, so I guess I'll buy it even though it is nothing like you described" (um... no). On the other hand, I bought a rowboat one winter that was halfway across the country. I sent a check for the full amount (perfectly comfortable sight unseen due to photos and comms) and the owners kept it in their boat barn until spring, then suggested we plan to stay at their place (in a historical location on the coast) for a few days and make a mini-vacation of it. One night we had a lobster dinner capped off by a lovely sunset row together on the bay - us in my new-to-me boat and them in the even nicer boat that was taking its place. Good times.
 
You sell your property where it is. It's not your responsibility to equalize the realities of time and space. It's a reality that the farther you travel for something, the more it will cost.

So the buyer from a distance must evaluate whether your boat is more valuable to them than someone closer, and make an appropriate offer. It isn't about giving everyone the same ultimate cost, because that is impossible. Let your sellers worry about their business and whether a boat is priced right for them.

The seller should simply consider whether they are making a deal with a buyer that gets them what they need to get from their boat.
 
I usually go along with the adage, "first one to turn up with the cash or bank draft gets the prize". But I would try to be fair with a person who is travelling a distance. I like Sunbeams idea of telling a buyer, "tell me when you are leaving the house and what time your ETA is, and I'll make sure it is still here". But that does not mean I will make that commitment if the buyer says, I'll be there next Monday at 4pm. Had too many no-shows for that nonsense.
I would not judge a person's personality as to whether he/she would make a good C-Brat. The majority of C-Dory owners are not on C-Brats.

Martin.
 
When we sold our boat, I had a limited time frame to sell. We were moving on short notice across the country and weren't taking our boat. There was no shortage of people inquiring about the boat, but I let the first person to contact me have first crack at it. They came down within a few days of our first conversation from Canada, and decided they liked it. Where they were from didn't matter, but they did have to move quickly because I wasn't going to hold it for any long period of time, when other local buyers were ready to come give me cash for it as soon as I said the word. And that was true, there was local folks that begged me to sell it to them. That wasn't gonna happen as long as these long distance folks stuck by my timeframe needs.

I gave the buyers until the following weekend to come up with the money, so it was about 10 days, and I was upfront with them that if they didn't make that date I would sell it to someone else. I didn't accept a deposit from them, because if they didn't make my timeframe, it wasn't going to work for our very upcoming move date. We had a handshake and that was good enough for me. True to their word they came down, I took a day off of work and took them out on the water to assure them everything was in good working order and they called their bank and transferred the money into my account, and I signed the titles over. It was a very easy and painless process, at least for me!

That was the hardest part of moving for me. I don't miss my home, my job, or many other things, but I do miss that boat. A lot!

:unlove
 
Lots of good, thoughtful advice here! Thanks. Keep it coming! :thup :smile

Also, I'll bet most all of you would think the use of an auction site like eBay would really be a bad, impersonal, inflexible idea, right? :crook :thdown

(I was thinking it could serve as a fair and equally available deciding device after an advertised period in which interested parties could view and sea trial the boat.) (NOT trying to maximize sale price!)


Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Sea Wolf":317irbm6 said:
...Also, I'll bet most all of you would think the use of an auction site like eBay would really be a bad, impersonal, inflexible idea, right?...
Click to expand...

I think that eBay might be better than Craigslist though. Lots more protections and services for both the buyer and seller. Stay away from PayPal for payments though.
 
Joe,
I suppose that like so many things in life, It Depends. If you have a Tesla-S to sell, don't go to Ebay. If I wanted to sell my TC255, I'd give it to Marc Grove at Wefings to sell on fair consignment (like I did my old trailer) for a market all over the Southeast. We're still working full time, and taking days off work means $1000 losses. If we were retired, and nothing else to do all day, giving rides to unqualified hopefuls would not be as big of a deal as it is to us now. Boating is a hoot with or without unqualified hopefuls. It Depends.
Unlike many others, I alone had a good experience selling my Regal 2665 via POP yachts to some pilot in Abu Dabai. PopY took care of paperwork I could never have negotiated on my own. Not for the under $40k sellers.
As long as there are honest, hard-working and very knowledgeable dealers like Marc around, I'm not going anywhere else.
If you just have a $2000 trailer to sell, he'll still treat you well and has a better network of buyers than Ebay with their cheats and scammers.
As always, local conditions trumps all. You know your local conditions.
Happy boating!
John
 
I have purchased 3 / 4 C Dorys at a distance of over 1000 miles from my home. Basically all were sold with a promise to show up at a certain time. One I paid off the seller's loan, one was bought with a wired deposit the day that he advertised the boat at a very special price, because I felt that others would "beat me to it".

Selling the C Dory, I had only one buyer who was a "no show". Otherwise, were basically on a gentleman's agreement.

I have bought one new boat from Marc Grove, at Wefing's. Generally I don't use a broker to buy or sell. The C Dory are a unique group of boats.

I would suggest to any buyer who does not know a lot about boats, to have a good marine survey. Also a sea trial. I don't require sea trials on the last two (maybe 3) C Dory's I have purchased. I already know how the boats will handle.
 
Last year I sold a sailboat (a West Wight Potter 15) and bought a C-Dory. In each case the very active online owners' group was a great advantage and resource. The owners' groups helped me advertise, look at what was on the market, learn what questions to ask and decide what features were important. I'm convinced an active owners' group adds real value to certain boat lines.

I used national Craigslist searches to find C-Dorys, talked by phone with a dozen or more sellers and personally looked at half a dozen boats in 4 states before buying one. And when I did buy, it was a boat I hadn't yet visited! By then I knew what I wanted and knew enough about the boats and prices to make an intelligent deal. The broker handling the boat had enough information and photos -- good photos are a must -- to satisfy me and (unknown to him, I suspect) I was able to locate the boat's history and a few more details on this site.
 
Uh, Sea Wolf, why would you ask the question of selling/buying at a distance? Are you planning to do the same: selling or buying? Are we going to lose a valuable boating member?

Boris
 
Thanks for all the intelligent, well thought out replies!

Quite a range of opinions, reflecting the difficulties involved.

I appreciate all the issues involved, and will take them all into consideration.

Please see the ad I will be posting under boats for sale.

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Every deal is different . A survey is a good idea so a buyer can have a level of confidence in what they are purchasing .
We have been doing this long enough that hopefully a buyer and seller are confident we will do everything to make all parties happy . Communication is key . Some folks appreciate the services we provide and are willing to let us try to make a meager living doing it .
Marc
 
journey on":2qwqtror said:
Uh, Sea Wolf, why would you ask the question of selling/buying at a distance? Are you planning to do the same: selling or buying? Are we going to lose a valuable boating member?

Boris
Click to expand...

Say it ain't so, Joe.
 
No, you guys aren't losing me, I'm just moving on boat ownership wise since I can't keep up with all my commitments.

I'll still be around here to make comments and jokes, but just have to par down my boat inventory a bit.

No worries! :lol:

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
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