A few common sense ideas when buying or selling
This may help the folks selling boats, trailers and parts on this board as well as EBAY, Craigslist or with any buy/sell/trade situation. 
A few things to keep in mind will help both the buyer and the seller.
  •  Make sure that you write in your ad that the buyer pays for and covers shipping costs unless noted or picked up by the buyer in person. This also pertains to crating cost. A large outboard or inboard motor is costly and time consuming to crate. Best to have the weight and dimensions of an item you are selling.
  • If the buyer is picking up the item, make sure you have the money in your hands the item BEFORE IT IS LOADED IN THE TRUCK!  If the item falls or is damaged during loading, or the buyer decides that he does not want to pay the agreed upon price now that it is in his truck.......you are in for a very difficult time!
  • When selling a antique/vintage racing item, please remind the buyer that it is in fact a 30, 40 or 70 year old item and it is not NEW and may in fact need work and original parts may be worn. As simple as this may seem, some buyers may have not purchased a vintage item before and need to be educated on the fact.
  • CASH is KING  - Cash if Craigslist and Paypal or Cash on Ebay. No trades or barter unless specified. It seemed like years ago you could have an interesting trade....lately, most trades seem to consist of any found object with the ,"it's worth a shot" school of thought.
  • Please AVOID accepting checks or money orders. Money orders are worthless if anything is spelled wrong or dated incorrectly. They CANNOT be cashed if this happens.
  • If a person is coming to your house to see the item, have them call with confirmation the day that they are coming over. Your time is valuable and I'm sure you may have other plans rather than waiting a whole Saturday or weekend for someone who never arrives.
  • If a person on the phone asks where the item is, where is it stored and is it secured in an alarmed location.....please be wary. You are selling an item, not looking to have it stolen.
  • Also make sure to tell who ever is coming over to please ring the doorbell first and see you before walking around the property and opening covers or unlocking gates.
  • If your buying an item and the owner has the item stored at another location, take your own vehicle and follow the owner, even if he states that it is close by.
  • If the item you are buying is in another location to where the seller lives, ask the owner if there is any problems getting the item out from the location BEFORE traveling to see the item. I'm writing this one from experience! I looked at a early Ford on some guys "back forty" surrounded by large grown trees, HEAVY overgrown brush and a neighbor who would NOT let it cross over his property. 
Thanks to Jerry Feilds for sharing this info. Many of the things mentioned are from his experiences and the stories that go with them are priceless.
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