Selling a boat - reverse auction?
- Thread starter Illegal Smile
- Start date
TwoLegged
Super Anarchist
- 5,894
- 2,262
Bull City
A fine fellow
My immediate reaction to looking at the ad was that the difference between $14K and, say, $12K would not matter much to me. I think this tends to confirm the buyer-finding hypothesis. I sort of wonder if anyone on such a tight budget that the $2K difference is important should be buying any expensive proposition like a 35 ft sailboat.
OTOH, the Dutch auction aspect does add a tiny touch of drama to the ad which might move a prospective buyer into action.
OTOH, the Dutch auction aspect does add a tiny touch of drama to the ad which might move a prospective buyer into action.
Bull City
A fine fellow
SloopJonB
Super Anarchist
It's a bit like those car auctions where the reserve comes off before it is met in an attempt to stir the crowd but it often backfires and the bid still doesn't move.
TwoLegged
Super Anarchist
- 5,894
- 2,262
It can add finality. But if there's a reserve, then there is no guarantee of a sale.
This seller has a reserve. So I am not so sure that this boat will actually be sold in the auction.
Bull City
A fine fellow
TwoLegged
Super Anarchist
- 5,894
- 2,262
Bull City
A fine fellow
T.L., are you saying that the reserve is not made public in a reverse/Dutch auction? How about on eBay?
Ajax
Super Anarchist
Well, he'd better mention it in the ad.
Smile sails in my waters and we sail together sometimes. That boat has some damned funny stories and Smile tells them very well.
Although cosmetically the interior might need some love, the boat is extremely sound in all other aspects. You could sail the boat away right now but I'd be inclined to modernize the interior a bit for any female visitors and find a main at Bacon Sails for it. The boat is totally trustworthy.
Smile sails in my waters and we sail together sometimes. That boat has some damned funny stories and Smile tells them very well.
Although cosmetically the interior might need some love, the boat is extremely sound in all other aspects. You could sail the boat away right now but I'd be inclined to modernize the interior a bit for any female visitors and find a main at Bacon Sails for it. The boat is totally trustworthy.
TwoLegged
Super Anarchist
- 5,894
- 2,262
I dunno what the general practice is in Dutch Auctions. But in this case the seller has not disclosed it.
I didn't think Ebay did Dutch Auctions. However, on its conventional upwards auctions, the value of the reserves is not disclosed -- they just say "reserve not met"
Bull City
A fine fellow
^^ OK. I didn't see any mention of a reserve, and just wondered.
jack_sparrow
Super Anarchist
- 37,393
- 5,094
It is a "as is where is deal" as reflected in the selling approach and ultimate price.
sailforbeer
Member
A reverse auction for a "left coast dart" was done on these forums in 2012. The boat started at $65,000 and sold for $40,000.
http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?/topic/131126-left-coast-dart-auction/
http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?/topic/131126-left-coast-dart-auction/
jimbojones
Anarchist
There are more old boats than there are people who want to own old boats and a low price may have the effect of signaling potential buyers that the boat is a project or that it is being passed over by other buyers for some reason. I think it is better to ask a higher price and state that you are open to all offers. In the US the used boat market is terrible for sellers. I think a reverse auction tells buyers that a boat is undesirable and that you are desperate to get rid of it.
That said in my boat hunt this summer I noticed that for older mass production boats eBay seems to get higher selling prices than other markets.
That said in my boat hunt this summer I noticed that for older mass production boats eBay seems to get higher selling prices than other markets.
