fed up with Gumtree and B&O

[Anchorhandler]

So i'm looking around to try and find something suitable as a replacement for Gwenn and stunbled across these two adverts....

Zodiac MilPro inflatable Sea RIB SRMN600 boat in Liverpool | Boats, Kayaks & Jet Skis for Sale | Gumtree.com

Other Other Ribs for sale , Novurania 500LP Turbo Diesel RIB - Boats And Outboards

Alarm bells start ringing as soon as i clock the US paramedic wagon's in the background of the Zodiac Milpro advert even though it states the boat is in Liverpool. Anyway, "nothing ventured-nothing gained" i figure and send off an email asking as to why its pictured in the US, can i see the boat prior to purchase, is the (US trailer) included etc...

I spot the Nuvarania rib on B&O the next day and, seeing as its supposed to be just down the road from me in Dorset figured i would contact its seller also (Even though this time the price does seem quite cheap).

That was 10 days ago

I never recieved an answer until today....

Bearing in mind that the boats are listed on two completly different sites, here are the answers i recieved to my questions:

Zodiac Milpro:

Hello,


Thank you for your email. The boat is still for sale. It is in a very good condition and will come with the trailer and cover included in the price.


Regards
James Crichton

Novurania rib:

Hello,


Thank you for your email. The boat is still for sale. It is in a very good condition and will come with the trailer and cover included in the price.


Regards
James Crichton



No i havent made a mistake, both replies were/are identical

Fecking scamming tw@'s Really losing confidence in ads found on Gumtree or B&O now...

Simon

[simon23]

Just been looking on gumtree at that zodiac,being from liverpool thought i would click on the map to see where it is,,its bang in the middle of town i very much douht if their is a rib in that location,just because of were it is.

[paul tilley]

obvious scam at those prices, gumtree has the same rangerover with the same photo advertised in 5 different locations !!I have a very nice 4yr old rib for sale with new tubes , if interested email paul@tidel.biz

[Dan Gurney]

Gumtree? Forget it, worse than ebay for scams. Unless you want something VERY cheap (like a second had push bike) and you're buying from just down the road then I would chance purchasing anything off their.

B&O seems absolutely rife with scams, and most of the other stuff is trade adverts where the price quoted is not for the boat pictured, but for the basic hull with no console, no engine, no trailer etc. Not strictly speaking unfair, or lies. But it means if you do a search for a 5k boat you end up with a lot of stuff in your search which isn't 5k.

Dunno is apolloduck is any better; some people on here seem to think so....

[Anchorhandler]

OK so its clear that GT and B&O are crap for finding the boat you want which begs the question..... there any decent websites selling second hand boats then? (apart from Ribnet of course )

Every time i Google the manufacturer and size of the type of Rib's i'm looking for i always seem to get two or three hits from B&O... "Great" you think, but when clicking on them i get the usual..... "Sorry, this advert has recently been removed" crap.... FFS!

Simon

[ribraff]

Preloved | UK free ads - buy and sell with local classifieds

... can be good, usually smaller stuff but most ad's look pretty genuine especially as it costs £5 to advertise or reply.

[spartacus]

Originally Posted by Anchorhandler

OK so its clear that GT and B&O are crap for finding the boat you want which begs the question..... there any decent websites selling second hand boats then?

Some of the sites I check... (just like window shopping)!

Ribs/inflatables - FAFB

Pennine Marine Ltd > PREOWNED BOATS AND OUTBOARDS, RIBS & ENGINES

| Wills Marine Ltd

John Bridger Marine

Second Hand Boats and Engines | Second-hand boats and engines from Outboard Services and Marine Ltd

[Rokraider]

Originally Posted by Clamchowder

Gumtree? Forget it, worse than ebay for scams. Unless you want something VERY cheap (like a second had push bike) and you're buying from just down the road then I would chance purchasing anything off their.

B&O seems absolutely rife with scams, and most of the other stuff is trade adverts where the price quoted is not for the boat pictured, but for the basic hull with no console, no engine, no trailer etc. Not strictly speaking unfair, or lies. But it means if you do a search for a 5k boat you end up with a lot of stuff in your search which isn't 5k.

Dunno is apolloduck is any better; some people on here seem to think so....

I have always sold my boats and parts on Apollo Duck. 100% success to date. I have bought some stuff from adverts on there and so far so good.

[Boats&Outboards]

Originally Posted by Rokraider

I have always sold my boats and parts on Apollo Duck. 100% success to date. I have bought some stuff from adverts on there and so far so good.

Wish I had, been on there 4 mths now, over 50,000 hits but not one sale!!! The same ads have sold via B/O though (which is nothing to do with me for the record)

Yes its full of scams but its still the best place to sell your boat, particularly trade. I'd not buy from a private ad on it though

Peter @ Boatsandoutboards4sale ~ www.BoatsandOutboards4Sale.co.uk ~ 07930 421007

[NSS]

Think it's a little unfair to say it's okay to trade sell/buy through B&O but to steer clear of private ads. I agree that there are lots of scams on there, but most of them are so obvious I find it hard to believe anyone can be taken in. And as for the less obvious, i'd be no less likely to shell out for a boat without having gone to look at it first than I would let a 'buyer' take something I was selling before I'd received full (cleared) payment.

My guess is that those that do get taken in are either motivated by greed, ie they can't resist what they perceive to be an unbelievable (as it proves to be) bargain, or that the old saying about "a fool and their money" applies (but probably a bit of both).

I sold my previous rib through B&O, privately and for a very good price. The purchaser and I exchanged emails and phone calls before he visited to view the boat. Once I'd received cleared funds I delivered it to him. Worked perfectly for me, and the advert cost nothing.

[Boats&Outboards]

Fair point, I was talking generally, where 100% of the scams are via private ads with just one picture, currently no fake ads have been confirmed by trade sellers, which would involve a more complex fraud to be undertaken

I should have said id not buy remotely, or agreement prior to travel.

Your right though, they are very easy to spot.

[craig_c]

I was sick of scams and adverts as well

so i made my own website, just went live yesterday

Eboatyard.co.uk

hope this will be helpful in the future