New boat prices are more competitive than ever, there are great boat shows coming up, and you have your eye on a spanking new model. There is one thing that you need to do before you can go shopping, however — unload your current vessel. How do you quickly find a buyer who can take the boat off your hands? Here are three tips.
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Sharpen it up
When you look up boats on sale online, it’s the best presented ones that grab your attention. You want that kind of attention for your boat when you put it up. Whether selling a car or a boat, you want to turn some heads. If can manage it, an all-new paint job can do wonders for your boat’s marketability. At the very least, you want a professional detailer to go over your boat to take out every rust bleed and blemish, and redo every stripe. Changing out the seat covers and curtains, and putting in a full deck polish, are all good ideas. Those detailed photos that you use need to show what a great boat you have.
Know how to sell a boat
Hands down, selling to a wholesale buyer is the quickest way to sell a boat. The downside is that the prices offered tend to be on the low side. If it’s a competitive price that you are after, a top used boat dealer is often the best way forward. Boat dealers don’t need a buyer on hand. You can walk away with the check within hours. Once you have consulted NADA Guides and have quotes from a couple of dealers, you’ll know what kind of price level you can hope for. You may consider selling on your own, instead, and not part with the boat dealer’s commission.
You will need to make sure that all your paperwork is in order, hire a professional photographer for the best possible pictures, and invest in marketing in the boating press. It may be a hassle doing all the work yourself, interviewing potential buyers and offering them test rides. You do make more, though.
Offer incentives to buy
If you plan to have a broker take up the sale of your boat or go to a dealership that pays you only when your boat sells, consider offering a special bonus to the individual salesman who moves the boat, or even one for the dealer. It takes aggressive selling to move a boat, and strategic incentivizing can really help.
