selling a boat to out of state buyer? escro account?

[sanddragon2004]

So i got a call today for a buyer asking if i would do an escro sale?

and offered up the following url as a link for information on putting the boat up in an escro sale? www.escro.com

I asked for more information as im very leary of this kind of thing?

I GUESS he puts the money in an account and has the boat shipped and when he gets it i get the money? I call BS but tell me if im wrong?

[wakecrashin]

RE: selling a boat to out of state buyer? escro account?

Wouldnt he want to see the boat and take it with him home? Why would you spend $30K+ on something you havent seen or driven? JMO

[WakeSlayer]

RE: selling a boat to out of state buyer? escro account?

I call BS too. tell him to fly out, or drive out with a cashiers check, period. Or roll the bones and send you a check in advance. I have bought two of my three boats sight unseen and fedexed a non-refundable deposit both times. If he wants the boat, he will sort it out with you.

[tmb]

RE: selling a boat to out of state buyer? escro account?

sand
I sold a boat two years ago and was approached the same way. I'm 99% certain its a scam.

[WakeSlayer]

RE: selling a boat to out of state buyer? escro account?

come to think of it, my sone had some clod asking to do something like that with a dirtbike a while ago. I think tmb is quite possibly right.

[Andy1972]

the new scam is fraudalent cashiers checks. Careful. Buying used via a dealer has it's advantages.

[Haulingboat]

I live in Texas and bought a truck in Atlanta. I flew there with a cashier's check. The truck owner called to verify the funds, everyone was happy. Stay away for escrows.

[Batman]

I sold my last boat (a 06 Malibu) to a guy in Washington State and I live in Tenn. He sent half which was bank verified through an escrow account. I took the boat to local Malibu dealer to be looked over and verify it's condition of which he paid for. Boat was shrinkwrapped at dealer and second half money was transfered to me, again bank verified, and transporter picked up the boat. Makes dealer liable for condition because he was paid and you have the money before the boat leaves the lot.

[Laketexoma]

I have my 05 malibu lsv for sale also and have had the same request. The deal that was offered to me was the money would be put into escro and to ship it to him (sight unseen) and after he inspected the boat would ok the transfer. I told him good luck! and I wasn't interested. I have got alot of call from Canada. I was wondering why, and it really makes me uneasy to sell out ot the states. There are so many scams now adays that I just decided to let the dealer sell it for me.

[east tx skier]

I sold my last boat to a Canadian buyer and it was a very smooth transaction. I got both the deposit and the balance by wire transfer before ever leaving the driveway (I delivered to St. Louis). I think the selection of boats in Canada may not be quite what it is in the states. That, and the Canadian dollar is doing well against our dollar at the moment, which may be a motivating factor.

Of course, I should mention that I recognized my buyer from his posts on the MC forum, so my comfort level was pretty good versus someone with whom I haven't had any sort of previous interaction.

[HS]

I just completed an out of state purchase of a boat which appeared on this site. I contacted the owner, flew to his location, inspected the boat, agreed to the purchase, then together we went to a branch of my bank where I withdrew the funds and the bank issued the seller a cashier's check. I also pre-arranged for transport of the boat from a referral listed on this site. The internet has enhanced boat buying (increased selection, possibly some price competition over local listings) but it has also created some risks and challenges, what with the scams we read about. I am not experienced with escrow deals or the risks involved, but I found it to be reasonable for me to travel to conduct business.