LagoonAkin

Why do private sellers post pictures of bloody fish or action shots in their boat ads? Do sellers really believe they need to show this boat can catch fish and helps with the sale?

I prefer to see a sellers best 'showroom' pictures and could care less if you ever caught anything with a boat I'm considering. Now if you'd like an action of shot of your better half, then it might hold my attention longer

VTXrider

Seriously, I think that sellers are actually trying to sell that the boat has fishing skill. Of course, ask them in any other situation and the skill is all theirs and not the boats.

PERSISTENCE_22

I'll never understand the messy cabin pics. The bed is always made with the decorative pillows etc. I mean, you're selling a boat, cant you at least fold the old nasty sleeping bags or get them out of the bed I may wind up sleeping in?!?!?

Neuner

No kidding, I agree. Came across an ad that had 75% of the photos as posing with a fish. Nothing substantial of the boat.

They go through all of the trouble to list the boat but then can't do simple cleanup? If they can't do that then it's a good sign that they didn't maintain it like they should have and you should run away.

VTXrider

I see the same in real estate ads. They take pics of their furniture, or worse pics of just a mess. What are you trying to sell me?

GASeminole

^^ Absolutely. I want to buy a boat from the most anal SOB there is.

Rolandt03

i think its because they are too lazy to take good pics and the only ones they have are action shots. in reality it hurts them in the long run. if i have jump through hoops to get good pics of what i am looking to buy, i move on.

Clinker

I can't believe the state some people (brokers are as bad) leave their boat in before taking pictures for an ad - they'll lift a locker lid to show inside the locker and not clean the green or mould from the edge of the lid, or even wash the hull or the deck - most people at least wash their cars to sell them, yet not a boat, when 9 times out of 10 it's more expensive item.

If I was in an area of mass boat population like Florida, I'd seriously consider setting up a service for cleaning boats for sale (not a full detailing service), taking photos and writing ads. Most boats would benefit massively from just half a day's cleaning prior to being listed for sale.

Catn TJ

Same reason they have ads for sports cars will pretty girls! One leads to the other? I think not.

OReely

Selling the sizzle, not the steak. Or at least they think they are. A shot or two with a fish is one thing but a dirty mess is something else. I know what fish blood looks like, show me the boat!

Southbay

I once went to look at a boat, the guy knew I was coming for a few days beforehand. I got there and there were 7-10 cigarette butts in the ashtray on the helm and the cabin had a few strewn about on the floor, along with some empty beer cans.

I looked in, as the guy was talking his bullshit pitch to me, and just walked off the boat and went to my truck. The guy is looking at me and asks WTF and I say try cleaning up your POS boat before people come to look, thanks for wasting my time.

I still can't believe the state of that boat when I went to look at it. I chalk it up to, people are lazy and idiots.

savage

Maybe one in 10 would consider it and pay to have this very valuable service performed.

BACKTOTHESEA

The blurry pictures taken on a phone to support a 6 figure asking price get me.

N2theblue

They don't take new pictures for the listing, just use whatever they already have.

Creating a listing take 2 minutes. Going out to the boat and taking showroom pictures is more trouble.

Neuner

That's all well and fine if that's what they want to do but then shouldn't gripe and moan when they're getting low ball offers.

vincentdivincenzo

Would you try to sell your car like that?.Don worry bout tha blood ,my uncle lou uzed tha cah last night,so It'll clan up good tho,lol.
V

DFreedom

Just to be clear, it isn't the boat that catches the fish?

Bailey Boat

Selling a boat is like a job interview, the first impression is sometimes all you get if the employer (buyer) doesn't like what they see in the first 2 seconds....
If you're interviewing for the CEO of IBM (high dollar boats) you sure as hell don't show up in jeans and a ragged tee shirt...

805gregg

For sailboat they will tell you it's a south pacific veteran, like the boat learned something, instead of actually having worn standing and running rigging and all boats systems

LooksTippyDotCom

If you will permit a little self-promotion...we've made it so that you can use your phone to list anything you like with ease and in so doing have removed that hurdle.

You can take pictures and/or video of your boat (all boat listings are free by the way) and put them right there in the listing right then, without turning on a computer or getting off your boat.

Obviously it is even easier for smaller items around the house or in the garage.

All you really need is a phone these days and a mobile enabled site and you can post awesome looking listings with plenty of detailed photographs and video.

We are just getting started ourselves, but I reckon more and more sites will start to pop up that have the functionality like ours does and hopefully the quality of listings will improve as a result.

I think that embedded video is going to be popular and it is going to be very useful for the buyer. It's much easier to hide things in staged pictures I think than it is to hide them in a video.

Apologies if this read a little too self-serving.