Buying and Selling the Dream Is No Longer a Nightmare

Behind the Scenes of Your Next Boat Purchase

By David Levesque

The marine industry has faced daunting economic and market challenges. Until recently, one major obstacle—an increasingly expensive and restrictive platform for buying and selling boats—has held businesses back and limited choices for consumers. What started as a groundbreaking and efficient marketplace has now become a costly barrier to growth for brokers of all sizes.

David Levesque

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That introduction may be a mouthful, but here’s the heart of it: a once-praised marketplace, designed to help brokers reach more buyers, has now become a near-monopoly, draining marketing budgets and stifling industry growth. But things are changing. New, more affordable, and efficient platforms are emerging. To understand how big this is, let’s look at what’s at stake.

Some backstory:

The marine industry is not that unique from others. You have small businesses, some generations old, with innovative manufacturing and timeless legacies. However, what makes this industry unique, in a sense, is that we cater to a lifestyle. Or if you’re on the commercial side, a way of life and a means of commerce. And global relations.

Regardless, this industry, like many others through the course of time, has its roots in small businesses. One such example, and the hero in this Op-Ed, is the countless brokerages, fighting the good fight each day to remain viable, expertly assisting one side find the perfect boat, or the other side unloading what they no longer need. And it’s OK if you don’t know all the history of the names and players, just understand the passion they have for doing business and sustaining their reputations.

Many of us recall a time when life was simpler.  Pre-Internet, before big box retail and e-commerce made shopping on Main Street almost a thing of the past. I’m honestly very encouraged to see many of Main Street’s small businesses holding their own and/or coming back; however, it’s a constant struggle to stay afloat in a world where opening an app, making a few clicks, and the next day your purchase shows up at your door are the norm. The same happens when searching for a boat. You might feel and believe the process is simpler, but many brokers would ask you to reconsider your view. And your process.

So what exactly has been happening with brokers in our industry over the last 20+ years, and how can we as a community of cruisers and boaters alike raise our level of awareness to the challenges faced by the independent everyman versus the muscle and makeup of big Corporate powerhouses? Let’s peel back the layers a bit.

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