How to Shop for a Boat Online
Long gone are the days of newspaper listings and For Sale signs on boats on their trailers, abandoned at the side of the road to capture your attention. Today there is so much more you can see from an online listing in the marketplace, especially at BoatsForSale.com, where we’ve truly made boat buying a one-stop-shop. But with thousands of listings on any given day, the process can be overwhelming! This short article walks you through five things you can do to hone in on the boats that truly meet your needs, so you can enjoy online shopping as much as you’ll enjoy getting your new boat in the water.
Use Search Filters
When boat shopping online, be sure to start with filters. BoatsForSale.com offers a variety of built-in-filters located on the top left of our listing pages.
Great ones to start with are location, boat type, price, and condition. This will weed out those yachts you can’t afford and eliminate distractions by that perfect boat that’s 2,000 miles away. And sort however you want to see them! Priced high to low, low to high, by age of the boat, its condition, and the make, to name a few. You can even sort by the date it was listed (maybe that long time means the seller is amenable to a price reduction!)
Add Advanced Filters
Next, use advanced filters.
Have specific must-haves outside of the boat basics? Located below the Search Filters, we offer a variety of advanced filters, mostly to choose desired features like motor type, or number of engines, to name a few. We recommend using these filters to get your selection down, especially if they’re dealbreakers.
Save a Custom Search
Now that you’ve decided what you want and what you need, don’t let all the work go to waste.
You can easily save your search by setting up a free login and clicking “Save this Custom Search.” From here on out you can regularly come by the site and browse for new listings and updates.
Set Notification Alerts
Level up one higher—set up notifications.
BoatsForSale.com allows you to set up email [or text?] alerts. You can select the frequency of alerts—every day, week, etc, and the events that trigger them, like new boats added that fit your criteria. This way you can be first to check out the boat that ticks all the boxes, and first to make an offer for the boat of your dreams.