from
Sell Your Boat in 30 Days!
by Thomas Cook
Chapter 4: Pricing Your Boat
Other Factors
Pricing is not an exact endeavor in which an extra $10 is too much
and $10 less is too little. This goal here is to determine a range
wherein the optimal selling price of your boat lies. That is the best
you can do.
Keep in mind that the final selling price will be influenced by
factors in addition to the condition of the boat and the abundance
or absence of optional equipment. For example, the area
where you will be selling the boat will make a difference. In areas
of higher incomes, such as in and around large cities, you can expect
to get a higher price for your boat than you would if you
lived in a lower-income area. In Florida, where boats are exposed
to the harsh tropical sun and used throughout the year, used-boat
valuations are somewhat lower than they are in colder areas
where the sun is not so strong and boats are only used a few
months of the year.
The time of the year that you sell your boat can also make a big
difference. In most areas of the country, the boating season starts in
January or February, when people begin to anticipate the arrival of
spring, and ends around Labor Day. In these markets, you will have
a much smaller pool of potential buyers if you try to sell your boat
during the off season, and your price will have to be that much
lower to attract attention. Of course, in areas like Southern California
and Florida with a year-round boating season, boats are
bought and sold throughout the year. And in fact, parts of South
Florida actually experience a reversed calendar, since the most
pleasant part of the year begins in the fall and runs until July, when
it becomes too hot to enjoy the outdoors.
The state of the economy, both locally and nationally, is another
major factor in determining how much you should ask for
your boat. If jobs are plentiful and people are feeling good about
the future, they will be more willing to buy luxury items like boats,
and less sensitive about how much they pay. Conversely, if times
are tough, the local plant is laying off and jobs are scarce, there will
not only be fewer buyers, they will also be shopping harder for a
good deal.
Keeping all of this in mind, you need to gather all the available
information from all available sources and then come up with three
important figures: how much you are going to ask for your boat;
how much you expect to actually get for your boat; and the amount
you are going to accept as your absolute bottom dollar. Of course,
you need to run these numbers past the “boss” in your household
before you make a deal to sell the boat. You don’t want to be in the
middle of negotiations with a buyer and then have to tell him to
wait while you check with your spouse to make sure his final offer is
acceptable. The “dignified” boat seller will nurture the illusion that
he is in charge by settling these matters ahead of time.
See Sell Your Boat in 30 Days! in our catalog.
