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I'm getting ready to sell my fish finder, the Furuno 600L. I won't be selling it directly to someone who asks, although I appreciate the offeres to buy it, what I will be doing is putting it up on E-Bay. That's because I have no idea what would be a reasonable price to aske for it --- and the market always tells.
So, the thing would be on E-Bay right now except that my wife is out of town for a couple of days and she took the digital camera with her. I think by now everyone knows that stuff brings a lot lower price on E-Bay if there is no picture with it. Needless to say, I'd like to get as much for it as the market will bear, shit, I'm no fool.
So, yesterday I pulled the mount and the power cable out of the boat. What I didn't do is pull out the transducer.
And that is the basis of the question. I have a bronze thru-hull transducer, a 520. Some folks prefer a thru-hull and some folks prefer a transom mount. If I put the thing up for sale with the transducer I immagine it will loose appeal to the transom mount guys. Also, I will be buying a 582L sometime next month. The 582 can use the transducer that is in the boat at the moment, no problem with that. The suggested transducer for the 582 would be the 525, but that's no problem, its really identical to the 520 anyway. From my point of view there is no good reason to prefer one transducer over the other.
Now, I could sell the fish finder without the transducer, but I suspect that that might turn off a bunch of othewise interested potential buyers. I could pull out my transducer and sell it with the FF, but that would mean that I'd have to buy another one, and to tell the truth I wouldn't get as much additional money out of the transducer in selling the package deal as I would have to pay for a new replacent. Still, I doubt that the price difference would be all that much, and I could eat it without any problem. There's also the fact that I have no real desire to be under the boat, cutting and leveling and all that nonsense to make up the fairing block for a different transducer - but of course I will if I have to. I was sort of thinking I could sell the FF and just state that the transducer is not included, however if the buyer wanted it I would pull the one out of the boat and add it to the deal for an additiional cost - probably around $50 less than a new transducer would cost the buyer (they sell for about $185, so I'd offer to include the one I have for maybe $125 or so). This seems a reasonable way to sell the stuff, but I'm not real sure.
Any of you all want to comment on how you'd sell this setup? It will be a couple of days yet before I have to do it. I think my wife said she would be back wednesday (I really should pay more attention), but at least some time this week. I won't be doing anything until she gets back and I get a good picture of the stuff.
Thom
"For every complex question, there's a simple answer. And it's wrong."
(--H. L. Mencken)
Sounds to me like that is a good plan. If you are absolutely satisfied with the transducer and 100% sure that it will work with the new FF, why replace it? As you said, you don't feel like going through the hassle of installing a new one. List the FF on Ebay without the transducer but throw the option to buy once the auction is complete.
Hi Thom, by offering the unit without a transducer, you are giving the purchaser the option of his choice, which I personally think is the best way to go. In other words, I like the puck style transducers so I would not bother to bid on one that came with a thru hull transducer.
I think you will get a better result listing it without the transducer. One active part of the market is people with a dead display head and existing good transducer, after all, so why exclude them. The new units are usually priced without transducers anyway.
Perhaps you could include a list of the compatible transducers in your description to help people figre out the total cost.
I think that there is no harm in selling w/o a transducer. Make it clear in the add and let the public determine what it is worth. Most savy buyers will appreciate that the specific transducer is a personal/boat consideration. Some people will not be willing to pay for a used thru-hull if they want a transom mount.
I know 3 guys who bought used FF's. 2 from e-bay and one from a private sale. One did not include the transducer, the other 2 did.
The 3 guys all wanted to mount their units using thru-hulls. All of them bought their own NEW ones. They posed queries such as not knowing where it had been, had it been hit, was it forcibly removed, etc. All of them looked at the TD as you would a VHF antenna. It is the link between the FF and the the fish. Why take a chance, particularly with the added labor and care to re-install seemed to be their way of thinking.
Thom,
Give bidders on-line low cost references or options as mentioned above. No brainer.
I think you really answered your own question. I'd sure hate to break that seal at the ducer and install another almost identical unit, ferring, ect.
The 582 is a great unit.
Joe
Is there a better time to sell marine electronics (we've kind of missed the xmas shopping thing, not that anyone would buy a used anything for several hundred dollars as a gift) like the spring?
I imagine you could just put a reserve on the sale, and if it doesn't move try again in the spring. Is there a disadvantage on ebay to doing that?
I've bought a bunch of stuff, but never sold via ebay.
As for Thoms question, I would personally feel better about buying the head used and a new transducer than buying a completely used device. Just me though. I'm still trying to snag a liferaft for less than the cost of a transplant, so what do I know.
I was sort of leaning towards pulling my transducer but you all seem to be leaning the other way. Very interesting.
I have sold quite a bit of stuff on E-Bay and I've come to the conclusion that reserves really aren't necessary. I'll probably start the fish finder at $100 and let it go for whatever it brings. I'll offer to include the tansducer for an additional $130 i they want it, I don't really care one way or the other. I will also give a first use guarantee with it as well as accept one of the escrow services for payment if they choose. It should be interesting to see what it goes for.
Thom
"For every complex question, there's a simple answer. And it's wrong."
(--H. L. Mencken)
If your transducer is the one with a 2" hole it would be a ba$terd to pull out with out destroying it.I pulled mine out of the old boat before I sold it,I was thinking it might not work with all the hell I put it through getting it out,that lifecaulk really works good ,to good.I was wondering why your going with the 582L?Is there that much difference in clairity between the two?Or are you just running out of things to buy for your boat?I own a 582L ,if I was going to upgrade I would upgrade to a hpd transducer,Im thinking of doing this now,but I will wait till I see what my buddys looks like before I jump into more $$$$$ spending ,till I see if there is that much difference between the mine and the high performance.I will post my findings when he gets his installed,he's still in the saveings mode.Youll be pleased with the 582L either way,larger screen and friendly user knobs to turn.JMO
Hey Thom, if you feel like saving yourself some trouble of posting it on E-bay, send me an e-mail of what you'd be happy to get for it. I don't plan on installing another ff until sometime next spring/summer so you would have plenty of time to contemplate your transducer dilemma. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] I also plan on using a thru-hull so when that time nears I could always purchase your used one, or a new one, if you end up keeping yours.
Chit Thom, I just re-read your post and saw you were selling a 600 and not a 6100. I'm sure a used 600 is still going to be out of my price range. Sorry bubba.
If I had to install a thru-hull, I'd prefer to install a new one. Anybody other than Thom I 'd be thinking maybe the old one has some gunk still stuck on it, or maybe the wiring has been stressed, or the connectors worn...whatever. I sure as heck wouldn't like to go back in after a couple of years and redo the whole thing.
You could EASILY add a link directing folks to where they CAN pick up a ducer for the unit, right in the auction. As others said, now they can pick up a bran-spakin-newbie one.
If I was to buy a used FF, I would NOT buy the ducer. I'd ALWAYS start with a new ducer. Who wants a cruddy old ducer, you have no idea what it has been threw. You can determine the use care of the head unit on the other hand via a picture.
Sel without it!!
PS-Thom, after you start the auction, place a link to it in your original post above as a "Shameless plug"!! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]
Selling A Fishfinder Question 
