My name is Dale and I am an eBay addict.
At any given time, I am watching a dozen or so boat-related auctions. I check the site several times each day in hopes of finding new boating bits and pieces. When I can, I even cruise the listings for whole boats, though I am rarely in the market for one.
In my seven years of eBay addiction, I have purchased sails, rigging, safety gear, plumbing and electrical parts, a life raft, an outboard engine – even a small sailboat. I estimate the site has helped me save at least $7,000. It can help you save some cash too.
The reason is simple. There are two kinds of boaters: guys who don't care what it costs and guys like me. I can basically afford the boat I own, but the cost of insurance, fuel, storage, repairs and upgrades keeps me scratching my head. I am always looking for ways to save money and eBay is one of the best tools I know.
eBayFrom entire boats to parts and pieces, almost anything can be found on eBay eventually.
With a little bit of practice and patience, eBay can help cut hundreds of dollars – sometimes even thousands – off the price of boating equipment. How much can you save? I once bought a Winslow 6-person life raft for less than a dollar. But we'll get to that.
For those who don't know, eBay is an auction site and perhaps the largest market for used goods in the world, offering 10 million buyers a month the opportunity to bid on and purchase almost anything (firearms and living creatures are the two big exceptions). On any given day there are literally millions of items up for auction on eBay, ranging from "new in the box" condition to those carrying an "I'm Not Really Sure" designation. A search in late March, for example, showed that more than 18,000 boat parts were available.
Unlike traditional auctions, eBay allows you to compete against other bidders in a virtual arena. The site has rules that govern each transaction, a feedback scheme to evaluate buyers and sellers, and a system that allows auctions to be conducted over a period of time ranging from 10 days to mere seconds.
