# Pop Yachts - brokers or scammers?



## cdy (Nov 10, 2013)

I see their listings plastered all over Ebay and at times on CL - the boats tend to be older and all are overpriced for the Florida market - in the body of each ad is a come-on for people to join their brokerage to sell boats - pretty tacky.

Just curious if anyone has bought or sold a boat through them ?- they do at least provide lots of pictures


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## RegisteredUser (Aug 16, 2010)

I bought one thru them, out of state, and it was a good experience.
No games, straight forward.


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

I recently inquired about a boat that POP Yachts represented. The broker that contacted me had the customer skills one would usually stereotype with a used-car salesman. 

In general, the broker did several things to piss-me-off. I told him that my interest in this boat or any other boat that POP Yachts represent is gone. I will not deal with them again.


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## oldlaxer1 (Mar 27, 2008)

I looked at one they had listed. Broker was friendly and helpful. I ended up not purchasing the boat but I had no issues with POP Yachts 
I'm guessing the experience varies from broker to broker.


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## denverd0n (Jun 20, 2008)

My complaint is that you have to register before you can even look at all of the photos. I'm a potential buyer and you're going to force me to register before you'll even show me what you have for sale!?! Give me a break!!! That's just stupid.

Imagine how long Walmart would have stayed in business if, when he opened the first one, Sam Walton had stood at the door with a clipboard and said, "You can't come in and look around until you let me collect some information about you." Sadly, PopYachts is not the only one that does this sort of thing. It just amazes me that there are business people out there who are so completely brain-dead that they think -- just because it's the internet -- it is okay to throw roadblocks in front of potential customers who want to get some information.


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## Towguy (May 8, 2016)

You mean like. Mmm. Costco. ......


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## denverd0n (Jun 20, 2008)

Towguy said:


> You mean like. Mmm. Costco. ......


No. Not like Costco. Unless they've changed their policy in the last few years, Costco will let you come in and look around without joining. You can check prices, browse through the whole store, and so on. Only when you decide that you want to buy something are you then required to join.

If PopYachts followed that sort of policy I would have no complaints. But PopYachts won't let you browse around -- they won't let you see the pictures of the boats they have -- until you register. That is stupid. Just plain STOOOPID!


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

I believe that each POP Yachts broker has the latitude to set their own policies for dealing with customers. Many salespeople feel that you have entered a series of transactions and negotiations from the minute that they pick up the phone; I'll do something for you only if you do something for me. I used to be in sales training, and I recognize the behavior.

Before I made a 5-hour car trip to see a boat, I asked the POP Yachts broker for the HIN of the vessel I was interested in. He flatly refused, explaining that he thought that I would use it to identify the seller, and cut him out of his commission. He stated that he would provide the HIN and answers to other questions that I had after I signed a contract to buy the boat. I found this unacceptable and lost interest in dealing with either him or POP Yachts.

Shortly thereafter I was contacted by another POP Yachts broker who sent me a link to where I could get a free copy of a "Carfax for boats" that had been done on that vessel. I never looked at it, because I had moved on.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

eherlihy said:


> ......explaining that he thought that I would use it to identify the seller, and cut him out of his commission.......


That does sound fishy. Typically, a sales contract is going to pay the broker anyway. I suppose it is possible the seller carved out anyone they source themselves. However, most brokers won't accept that term, as they are competing against their own client. Bad business.

Nevertheless, why was the HIN important to you, before you saw the boat?


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

Minnewaska said:


> Nevertheless, why was the HIN important to you, before you saw the boat?


The broker should have asked this exact question instead of refusing to tell me until the boat was under contract. A good broker should help you to find and buy the right boat, not play games.

Here is why I wanted the HIN; a friend used to work for this manufacturer, and he owned a sistership. I recalled him telling me that there had been a manufacturing issue with the bonding of the stringers of his boat. When I told him that I was interested in looking at this boat, he explained that the issue affected the first 34 boats off the line, and was addressed by a manufacturer recall. The HIN would identify if this hull was affected by the recall.

There were a couple of other things that rubbed me the wrong way about this guy, but this issue was enough. I told him that I was no longer interested in this boat. The broker responded to that with a snippy email.

What the broker did not seem to realize is that I was able to track down the owner's name, and the HIN, from the name and home port of the boat which was clearly visible in the pictures posted to eBay.


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## Bleemus (Oct 13, 2015)

I had a bad experience with a PopYacht broker. I will never even look at one of their listings again.


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## SV Siren (Mar 8, 2013)

One question for you all who have recently dealt with POP Yachts. 

When I was looking 2+ years ago it seemed to me that they were claim jumping for sale listings. As in they were listing boats for sale that were not actually listed with them...in an effort to get you to work with them to buy a boat. Have any of you come across this??


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

d0n-
"you're going to force me to register before you'll even show me "
I expect that is just one more example of a company (in this case, the parent company itself) trying to monetize everything, gathering up your demographics to sell them. Someone is willing to pay them for every "potential boat buyer" they can name, and when you sign up...you've been datamined. So, step right up and join the game, send the emails to your favorite local FCC chairperson or other deserving entity. Heck, its only karma, right?(G)

They seem like an "MLS" for people who want to be self-employed boat brokers. You find a boat someone is selling, copy it to your PY account...and if you're lucky, get a split. Or something to some similar effect, from what I've seen. And just like real estate brokers (who aren't "Realtors®") hey, if the broker is on their toes...all the same to the buyer, right?


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## denverd0n (Jun 20, 2008)

hellosailor said:


> I expect that is just one more example of a company... gathering up your demographics to sell them.


Yeah, I think you're right. It does seem that their business plan has more to do with collecting e-mail addresses than it does with selling boats.


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## dwedeking (Jan 28, 2007)

I contacted them a couple years back about a boat and had a good experience with the broker I dealt with. Did not get past the offer stage. 

They use a marketing automation system for ongoing marketing (which I don't see a lot of in this industry) which is the reason for the quicker push to collect an email address (my opinion from looking from the outside in). 

I got the feeling they are more of an "association" type of arrangement selling leads to various brokers.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

I don't think I'd call Popyachts itself a "scam". 
They are more like the real estate MLS, or Amazon, ebay, Alibaba, and every eastern bazaar. It seems pretty much that anyone can sign up, use the Popyachts "umbrella", and then proceed to try posting and selling pretty much anything--without being bothered by things like having or needing a broker's license or other professional oversight.


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## VIEXILE (Jan 10, 2001)

hellosailor said:


> I don't think I'd call Popyachts itself a "scam".
> They are more like the real estate MLS, or Amazon, ebay, Alibaba, and every eastern bazaar. It seems pretty much that anyone can sign up, use the Popyachts "umbrella", and then proceed to try posting and selling pretty much anything--without being bothered by things like having or needing a broker's license or other professional oversight.


No, nothing like an MLS. Yachtworld is the MLS and Popyachts was banned from there. So the answer to the original question is a resounding "YES!!". They supposedly had a boat in Maine for sale, broker was in FL. This was a couple years ago. They kept harvesting and harvesting my info. But would never tell me where the boat was. Supposedly in "Saco, ME." It was a lie. Too good to be true. They steal Craigslist photos and post them themselves, then approach the seller and try to get a commission. They charge fees to buyers, etc., etc. Absolutely no ethics. Now there's a new one that comes after you through Craigslist offering "free FSBO postings," then torments you by phone until you pay them $300.00. I offered to provide the guy's number to the Maine Attorney General's office and never heard from him again.


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## JimMcGee (Jun 23, 2005)

denverd0n said:


> My complaint is that you have to register before you can even look at all of the photos. I'm a potential buyer and you're going to force me to register before you'll even show me what you have for sale!?! Give me a break!!! That's just stupid.


I couldn't agree more and I've been seeing realtors do this as well.

I usually just make something up, and if I think I'll be back more than once I save it.

I just did this for popyachts.com

Last Name: Private
Email: [email protected]

FWIW, I looked at a couple of models I'm familiar with and found their prices ranged from high to "are you high?"

I also noticed several of the boats I looked at had their names and home ports blurred out. I don't think I've ever seen that in a boat listing before.

It doesn't exactly give you a warm and fuzzy.


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## Chautausun (Apr 24, 2019)

POPYACHTS is a scam. Here is what I think they do. They look for boats on Craigslist and ebay and contact the seller and get them to agree 
to have them represent their boat. They then mark up the original seller price 2X and then make a really flashy ad on Ebay and 
Craigslist hoping to get you to over pay for the boat. How do I know this? I had been watching a boat in the Pittsburgh area.
It had been listed for a long time on craigslist locally. This ad stood out because the seller was listing it as a Chris Craft Baja.
Two manufacturers that were never related. The boat was also a wreck and had been sitting out for a long time. One day
while looking at local ebay ads I saw the same boat and same pics listed by POPYACHTS. The ad was glowing and 
misrepresented the actual condition of the boat. I contacted the POPYACHTS broker regarding the boat. They got 
back to me. When I said why was the boat listed locally for a price that was half of what they were listing it for. He 
then became angry with the question and said owners can list them locally for what they want. So I am not actually sure if 
the local owner was even aware that their boat was listed on ebay. I suspect not. I would say, if you are consider a boat listed
by POPYACHTS to search for the boat locally and do the deal with the owner and cut out mark up of the middle man. Pretty sleazy company
in my opinion. I suspect any positive reviews are made up by the company. I would avoid.


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## overbored (Oct 8, 2010)

Every time an add for a POP yachts boat comes up there is an add for Seatow on the page. what is that telling you.


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## RegisteredUser (Aug 16, 2010)

Tells me seatow buys promotion ads.


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## overbored (Oct 8, 2010)

Ya. you are going to buy adds where your customers are, tells me they get a lot of business from POP 's customers


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## gulfsail (Feb 22, 2013)

Brokers or scammers?

Maybe a little of both.

I really hate to give up my information, or have to speak with a broker, just to look at photos of a boat online.


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## RegisteredUser (Aug 16, 2010)

Free 1 yr seatow low level membership


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

It could also be that the self-employed "local representatives" were scamming both the owners AND Popyachts by putting the boat on ebay without the knowledge of either.

Popyachts makes it clear that they are only going to take a 10% commission. But like the Uber drivers who rudely embarrass Uber...the contractors might be up to anything else.


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## denverd0n (Jun 20, 2008)

JimMcGee said:


> I usually just make something up, and if I think I'll be back more than once I save it. I just did this for popyachts.com


I have done that a couple of times in the past, but have decided that it is not worth the time. If they are so incredibly stupid as to think this is a good business model, then I really don't want to try to do business with them.


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## VIEXILE (Jan 10, 2001)

Curiously, I just got an email from a Pop Yachts scammer broker in Bradenton, and the boat is on Craigslist in Maine. Wanted to get my phone number so he could "call and explain the process." Said he wanted to market the boat and charge any fees to the buyer. So, Shane, the answer is a resounding "NO." There's a reason (I told him) Pop Yachts is banned from Yachtworld. I also warned him if he ripped and represented my photos in any way, I'd be calling both the Maine and Florida Attorney General's offices.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

It might be worth contacting Popyachts about this guy. THEY may not want to be affiliated with him either.

Their basic concept, to have a wide listing service other than YW, and to provide "local brokers" to make it different from just a laundry list, isn't so crazy. But if they are not vetting the "local brokers"... Well, even Youtube has been having problems cancelling pedophile accounts, and Amazon can't seem to get rid of the counterfeiters.

Scams appear wherever there's money to be stolen. Ergh, made.


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## VIEXILE (Jan 10, 2001)

hellosailor said:


> It might be worth contacting Popyachts about this guy. THEY may not want to be affiliated with him either.
> 
> Their basic concept, to have a wide listing service other than YW, and to provide "local brokers" to make it different from just a laundry list, isn't so crazy. But if they are not vetting the "local brokers"... Well, even Youtube has been having problems cancelling pedophile accounts, and Amazon can't seem to get rid of the counterfeiters.
> 
> Scams appear wherever there's money to be stolen. Ergh, made.


No to contacting Pop Yachts about anyone. The business model is the problem. They rip photos off FSBO's, then try to claim a commission. They got booted from YW for a reason. I mean, how BAD do you have to be to get kicked out of the only multiple listing service for yacht brokerage in the U.S.?


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

I don't know why (or for sure if) YW kicked them off, but since the Popyachts operation would seem to be a competitor to YW, not just a simple brokerage, that in itself would be reason to kick them off regardless to any questions of misbehavior.

Very few businesses, including hobby web forums that depends on viewers and advertisers, allow competitors to set up camp on them. If PY is doing all that you say they are, a complaint with the FTC might get them shut down. Ripping off other people's photos and "trying to claim a commission" when there was no prior arrangement would violate numerous laws and probably qualify for prosecution under RICO as well. Which would make them a great target for any federal agency, assuming that's what has been going on.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

VIEXILE said:


> ......how BAD do you have to be to get kicked out of the only multiple listing service for yacht brokerage in the U.S.?


I don't know these folks and their BBB rating is B- (linked below). However, they seem incompatible with YW, which only allows listing brokers to place ads on their site. If PY is soliciting (despite the alleged dishonesty), FSBOs and trying to extract a fee from a buyer, that's not what YW does.

It sure has the trappings of a scam, but I really don't have enough to know if it's the entire business model or a few bad apples.

https://www.bbb.org/us/fl/sarasota/profile/yacht-broker/pop-sells-llc-0653-90095675


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## Cappa (Jun 23, 2020)

So, I haven't seen anyone on here from the seller perspective...and while every situation is different, I seriously doubt POP is advertising and trying to sell boats at 2X the seller's asking price. Why do I know this? Because I am selling my boat through POP and they are advertising less than 10% higher and that is their commission. Again, just a different perspective from the seller's side of the story.[/QUOTE]


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## ParsonJ (Jun 23, 2020)

it looks like a scam


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## miatapaul (Dec 15, 2006)

VIEXILE said:


> No to contacting Pop Yachts about anyone. The business model is the problem. They rip photos off FSBO's, then try to claim a commission. They got booted from YW for a reason. I mean, how BAD do you have to be to get kicked out of the only multiple listing service for yacht brokerage in the U.S.?


I don't recall ever seeing a Pop Yacht listing on Yachtworld and I have looked at ads for about as long as they have existed. I remember looking at some listings when I had dial up, so it has been a while. YW is a listing service for Yacht Brokers, Pop Yachts is not really a Brokerage so much as a grouping of yacht brokers working for themselves at lest that is the theory. Some of there brokers I am sure are fine, others not so much so. I doubt Pop Yachts is interested in paying to be listed on YW as they are expensive and if you factor in they likely charge per listing (or at least levels of # of boats listed) it would be quite expensive. So I don't think they got kicked off as not really eligible or interested at least not with there current model.

I think Pop Yachts figures they will have a lot of listing that will never sell for what they are asking, but since they have the site they do not add much to the overall cost of hosting. The brokers are all independent and so they cost Pop Yachts nothing. There real market is in high volume/low price boats. They take on lots of boats that a normal brokerage would never take on because it would not be worth there time. Small center consoles and other power boats are where they make there money, but part of there draw is being able to say they have Xthousands of boats listed so they will list just about anything, why not it does not cost them anything. It is not like they are paying anyone to take photos (and in most cases it shows) so list it and if it sells fine. 90% of there sailboat listings will never sell for anywhere near the listing price. I believe that is where they are screwing the sellers, as that is there commission, on listing price not selling price so they list the boat at $60,000 (a number from a boat I looked at) and when the price drops down to 15,000 (the last price I saw it listed for) the commission is still $6,000 so it is now 40% instead of 10%. Had they been ethical they would have said your boat won't sell for more than $15,000 so that is where we will list it so it will sell quickly. But the company is not that concerned about boats selling quickly because they have to keep the inventory numbers high. So they really are bottom feeders working on the low end of the market. I don't think they are intentionally dishonest or unethical.


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## fletcher01 (Feb 23, 2019)

Everyone's experience may be different, but I find the listings annoying and basically click bait. We did contact a POP Yachts sales agent about a boat, and when we met to see the boat it was clear that he knew nothing about it, and probably had never met the owner. I can usually find a listing for the same boat on multiple sites so I usually favor the more legit, local agent.


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## Darren davis (Oct 9, 2020)

SV Siren said:


> One question for you all who have recently dealt with POP Yachts.
> 
> When I was looking 2+ years ago it seemed to me that they were claim jumping for sale listings. As in they were listing boats for sale that were not actually listed with them...in an effort to get you to work with them to buy a boat. Have any of you come across this??


Yes! I've been interested in a couple of their boats and I never get to see them. It's happening right now. I asked about a boat and the very next day it's under contract. It's not under contract now and I bet I never see this boat. I asked about a Donzi in the spring. Couldn't get anyone to show me the boat. I see it's back on the market again. When they are listing the boat I typically don't click but they are listing something that I'm very interested in now. Unlikely that I will ever see it though


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## VIEXILE (Jan 10, 2001)

That's what they do. For example, a recent Dyer 29 (nice little downeaster stinkpot) was on the local Craigslist for $75,000.00. I think the actual listing broker (who had a legitimate listing) and the owner got wind of it and it was taken down. The number to call, for a Maine boat, was in Florida. Same number as I called a few years ago for a Pearson 365 that looked great and was claimed to be in Saco, Maine. I called the boatyards in Saco, asked around and the boat didn't exist. Click bait. When I called, they had to "coordinate with the owner." It dragged out awhile and then other P365's were offered. Scam. I also researched complaints against them. There were a lot, overcharges, etc., etc.


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## Stress Reel-ief (Jan 2, 2021)

cdy said:


> I see their listings plastered all over Ebay and at times on CL - the boats tend to be older and all are overpriced for the Florida market - in the body of each ad is a come on for people to join their brokerage to sell boats - pretty tacky .
> 
> Just curious if anyone has bought or sold a boat through them ?- they do at least provide lots of pictures


Hi There,

I am from Australia and I have actually bought 6 boats through Popyachts over the past 7 years and the service has been nothing short of excellent. I have dealt with several of their employees and senior managers and no matter who I have had the pleasure of dealing with at that firm has been great to deal with and were more than willing to assist in any possible way.
Over and above the fact that the sales guys assisted me in negotiating the best possible deals on all the boats that I bought, all the prices that I paid were very reasonable as I checked other boats that were for sale around the US, they even assisted me in locating a reliable and cheap trailer builder to build Australian standard trailers to suit our road conditions and they even assisted me in locating a shipping company that was reliable and far cheaper than I could manage to locate. They also helped me locate someone in each area that I purchased from to perform complete inspections and issue me with certificates. Not once in any of the processes did I feel ripped off as I was constantly checking and verifying things myself.
A big example is when I purchased my first boat, when it was delivered it was missing all the advertised safety equipment and several other items that were advertised in the sale, I emailed the director and informed him of all the missing items and within 3 weeks they had shipped out all the missing items brand new in new packaging.
I cleaned up the boat and sold it for a profit so I decided to do it again 5 more times. Each time the process was as easy and enjoyable as the previous purchase, they are an awesome group to work with. 
Many many thanks to Scott Mcnally, Kevin Stigall, Joey Champagne and all the back office processing staff. Great team guys keep up the great work. I cannot thank them all enough for making my purchasing experiences as easy and trouble free as possible.
When this pandemic dies down I will be purchasing more boats from the US and I will only use Popyachts to purchase from or to negotiate on my behalf.


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## sailingfool (Apr 17, 2000)

A first time poster shows up to make a glowing recommendation for vendor? How fortuitous.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk


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## VIEXILE (Jan 10, 2001)

Yeah. I'm calling shenanigans on that one. Classic.


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## VIEXILE (Jan 10, 2001)

Ask them WHY they're not on Yachtworld.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Stress Reel-ief said:


> I am from Australia and I have actually bought 6 boats through Popyachts over the past 7 years and the service has been nothing short of excellent.


You're going to have to establish some amount of credibility, before anyone is going to accept this tale.

I've never used Pop Yachts and have read some satisfied clients. Far more seem to find them distasteful. The Better Business Bureau records 23 complaints in the last 3 years and 10 in the last 12 months for their operating company (Pop Sells, LLC).

The best I'm able to conclude is they do little to govern the individual salesperson and you take your chances. I've dealt with several brokerage firms over the years and the one's that take their reputation seriously, always stand head and shoulders above the rest. That doesn't avoid all conflict, but it settles them best.


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## Stress Reel-ief (Jan 2, 2021)

sailingfool said:


> A first time poster shows up to make a glowing recommendation for vendor? How fortuitous.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk


The reason why its a first time post is the fact that this is the first time in over 12 months that I have been on line to look at boats, I noticed these reviews and I thought I would share my experiences with everyone. My story is legitimate and actually happened as I explained it.


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## Stress Reel-ief (Jan 2, 2021)

Minnewaska said:


> You're going to have to establish some amount of credibility, before anyone is going to accept this tale.
> 
> I've never used Pop Yachts and have read some satisfied clients. Far more seem to find them distasteful. The Better Business Bureau records 23 complaints in the last 3 years and 10 in the last 12 months for their operating company (Pop Sells, LLC).
> 
> The best I'm able to conclude is they do little to govern the individual salesperson and you take your chances. I've dealt with several brokerage firms over the years and the one's that take their reputation seriously, always stand head and shoulders above the rest. That doesn't avoid all conflict, but it settles them best.


I'm from Australia and I had never heard of Popyachts and my first contact was when I saw a boat that was advertised by Joey champagne and I was reluctant to put down a deposit as I had heard some serious internet scam stories, he worked with me and didn't try to push me to put down a deposit, he explained the processes and I said that I was not going to pay out money to someone I didn't know, so I flew over to Florida to meet with him and I suppose to make me feel better he surprised me because he had organised a meeting with one of the directors to make me comfortable and show me that they were a legitimate organisation. After my first purchase experience, I was interested in at least 8 other boats but when I received my inspection reports I opted out as certain things didn't seem right. I never actually viewed any of the boats that I purchased until they arrived in Australia and everything was as advertised except when when the items were missing and Popyachts made that right.
I believe when anyone is purchasing anything they should do their own homework and speak up when necessary. I simply relayed my actual experiences as they happened.


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## Stress Reel-ief (Jan 2, 2021)

VIEXILE said:


> Ask them WHY they're not on Yachtworld.


Back then it was my first time making a large purchase outside of Australia and I did check all the sights including yachtworld and at that time the boat that I was interested in was listed on Popyachts and when I contacted the broker he wasn't pushy he made me feel comfortable and the experience was great and I opted to move ahead with them, and it was the right decision for me even though the first boat that I had chosen wasn't the first boat that I purchased. Three months after I received my first boat in Australia I had cleaned it and made some modifications someone offered me a lot of money for the boat so I sold it and did it again five more times and every time my experience with Popyachts was great, even when I went through the other brokers on their site. Granted I have only dealt with 2 of their brokers and one of the directors and the back office team.
In saying all that everyone should always do their homework when making any purchases regardless. I did and I spoke up when I needed to. I have only relayed my experiences as they happened no more no less. The reason that I stopped purchasing boats out of the US is because our dollar dropped drastically over the past 2 and a half years and that made it hard to sell and make any money. When the Aussie dollar recovers I will definitely be purchasing again and I will go back to Popyachts because they made my experiences worth it and saved me a great deal of money and simplified the process.


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## Stress Reel-ief (Jan 2, 2021)

VIEXILE said:


> Yeah. I'm calling shenanigans on that one. Classic.


No shenanigans mate, the facts are actually facts as I explained them.


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## paulk (Jun 2, 2000)

So... you flew from Australia to Florida to meet with a guy about buying a boat, which you bought without having seen it. You had them ship it to Australia, where you fixed it up and sold it for a profit. You then bought five more boats from these same guys without having seen any of the boats beforehand, and had them all shipped to Australia. When they got there you sold them all at a profit too. Then the AUD dropped drastically over the past 2 and a half years. This site : Australian - US Dollar Exchange Rate (AUD USD) - Historical Chart does show that the AUD went down in November 2018. It returned to its earlier levels as of November 2020. Might be difficult for PopYachts to stay in business with just one customer, in Australia, however.


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## Stress Reel-ief (Jan 2, 2021)

paulk said:


> So... you flew from Australia to Florida to meet with a guy about buying a boat, which you bought without having seen it. You had them ship it to Australia, where you fixed it up and sold it for a profit. You then bought five more boats from these same guys without having seen any of the boats beforehand, and had them all shipped to Australia. When they got there you sold them all at a profit too. Then the AUD dropped drastically over the past 2 and a half years. This site : Australian - US Dollar Exchange Rate (AUD USD) - Historical Chart does show that the AUD went down in November 2018. It returned to its earlier levels as of November 2020. Might be difficult for PopYachts to stay in business with just one customer, in Australia, however.


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## Stress Reel-ief (Jan 2, 2021)

M


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## Stress Reel-ief (Jan 2, 2021)

Mate you don't need to be sarcastic considering that I have pretty much only stated facts about MY experiences.
Yes in fact I actually stated that I didn't end up buying the first boat that I initially found on line even though I had travelled to the US to buy it. But because I had met with the initial broker and one of the directors and they took me for a tour of their actual facilities in Sarasota Florida and showed me their operations. I was made to feel comfortable enough to actually use them for my purchases without having to fly back and forth. Also, when I received the first boat that I did purchase it was missing almost all the advertised accessories and I simply complained and within 3 weeks they had sent me out brand new items to replace all the missing ones. That made me feel even more comfortable in dealing with the company. All 6 transactions that I made were basically flawless, the staff at Popyachts were excellent to deal with and made it as easy as possible and they tried to accommodate all my needs within reason of course. Popyachts had no idea that I was going to purchase more than 1 boat because I didn't even know that myself until after I had sold the first one that I had bought.
But as I have stated before I did much homework when I purchased each boat and I probably negotiated on over 27 boats and had 15 or 16 boats inspected before I purchased the 6 boats that I bought. Everyone must understand that everything that I have stated is strictly based on my experiences with Popyachts and staff and it is as I have stated, I'm very grateful for everything that they all did for me considering that I am on the other side of the world, and my experiences were based on trust.


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## Stress Reel-ief (Jan 2, 2021)

I have to say that I don't need to be wasting my time doing this but I believe in doing what's right and what's fair. Popyachts did the right thing by me every time during every transaction and I believe in telling the truth about my experiences because I believe it's the right thing to do. I'm simply repaying the favour because they truly were very good with me.


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## VIEXILE (Jan 10, 2001)

Yeah. I got nothing further to say about this but . . . beware.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Stress Reel-ief said:


> my first contact was when I saw a boat that was advertised by Joey champagne





Stress Reel-ief said:


> he had organised a meeting with one of the directors to make me comfortable and show me that they were a legitimate organisation





Stress Reel-ief said:


> I simply relayed my actual experiences as they happened.


At most, it seems your experience was with a specific individual, not the entire organization. I'm curious how you would have even known this additional person was truly a Director of Pop Yachts itself.

Buying and flipping 5 boats, at a profit, is nearly unheard of here, so doing after shipping costs around the world is hard for most to imagine. I'm not saying your story is fabricated, but you'll have to stick around long enough to establish credibility, before most will accept it at face value.

Would you list the make/model/year of the 5 boats out of interest?


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## sailingfool (Apr 17, 2000)

Stress Reel-ief said:


> The reason why its a first time post is the fact that this is the first time in over 12 months that I have been on line to look at boats, I noticed these reviews and I thought I would share my experiences with everyone. My story is legitimate and actually happened as I explained it.


Well I mean no offense.

Its just that the cycle of this thread is something that longtime Sailnet participants have seen again and again. It goes like this:
Some vendor gets a string of negative comments, usually from Sailnet members who over some years have participated in various other discussions, so their commentary in the vendor thread is not surprising. Then as the negatives pile up, someone who has newly signed up, provides surprisingly positive commentary to rescue the image of the vendor. That done, the new member disappears from Sailnet and is generally never heard from again. One could suspect these positive comments have been made by a fake user at the request of the vendor, or by the vendor directly.

So that's the syndrome, how does your participation fit?.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

There is an entire industry created around it now, called "influencers". Some are more or less transparent about it. There are also paid services that go around trying to clean up bad press that an individual or company can't defend themselves, without making it worse and appearing defensive. 

No way to know if our newest member fits. Hope they stick around and prove to be a value participant. We'll see.

I'd still love to hear exact what boats were flipped at a profit, after international shipping costs. If we're not given those anonymous details, I think the story falls apart.


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## oldlaxer1 (Mar 27, 2008)

I've had two experiences with Pop Yachts. One was a PITA and they wouldn't leave me alone after I looked at one boat. The other experience I had was very good. Purchased a 53' Hatteras. Local broker was OK, but the listing broker was in New Jersey and she was incredibly thorough, knowledgeable, and helpful. Process went pretty smoothly all in all. YMMV


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

oldlaxer1 said:


> Local broker was OK, but the listing broker was in New Jersey and she was incredibly thorough, knowledgeable, and helpful.


By local broker, do you mean the buyer's broker and the listing broker is the seller's broker? Which was PopYachts?

You did make me recall when the seller's broker was far more knowledgeable than my buy side broker. All was fine, but I stopped asking my own guy for some technical information. Deal was already done, it was some detail I needed to move forward. I was even in contact with the other broker, after the deal was done.


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## oldlaxer1 (Mar 27, 2008)

Minnewaska said:


> By local broker, do you mean the buyer's broker and the listing broker is the seller's broker? Which was PopYachts?
> 
> You did make me recall when the seller's broker was far more knowledgeable than my buy side broker. All was fine, but I stopped asking my own guy for some technical information. Deal was already done, it was some detail I needed to move forward. I was even in contact with the other broker, after the deal was done.


Both brokers worked for Pop Yachts. The local guy took care of showing the boat and the sea trial. Not terribly knowledgeable but a nice enough guy. The NJ broker handled pretty much everything else. I didn't use a buyers broker.


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## cdy (Nov 10, 2013)

I am calling BS on the Australia thing -first buying trailerable boats in US and shipping to Australia to sell and make a profit - hardly believable - plus POP Yachts has a facility? In Sarasota - what's the address? - they are an online broker - the boats are in various slips or yards at marinas - not their facilities - quite a tall tale however and give the poster credit for creativity


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Like I've already said, the poster who claims to have flipped 5 boats overseas hasn't established any credibility yet. Can't tell if it's true. I asked what boats and it's gone quiet. Not a good sign, but they may have only swooped in to do their job and flew off. It's suspicious at least.

For what it's worth, the sales rep referred to, in the flip story, is not listed on their website, but may have left since. POP Yachts staff members

To be fair, Pop Yachts (whose actual corporate name is PopSells, LLC) does list it's Corporate HQ in Sarasota, at the bottom of their website. They make it clear there is no inventory there, but there could be plenty in the vicinity.

They claim to get good reviews from many. I'm not digging to see if it's all true, but here's their link.









Independent reviews of Pop Yachts from actual customers


We take customer service very seriously around here. If you think that's just some line we use on our website, give us a try.




www.popyachts.com


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## chall03 (Oct 14, 2002)

I don't have a dog in this fight folks and can't vouch for any individuals particular claims. 

But FWIW buying trailerable boats from the US and importing them down here (Australia) is actually reasonably common. The local market is inflated, and for those willing to go through the hassle you can save yourself a bit of money.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Plausible story. Poster has evaporated, after going through the effort of joining to tell this story. How would they have even known we were discussing it? I've had good experiences with many companies and am trying to imagine pro-actively joining a forum, solely for the purpose of sharing them. Unless one had some skin in the game.


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## VIEXILE (Jan 10, 2001)

I'm sorry. When I had cash in hand and targeted a specific boat (a Pearson 365) that appeared in excellent condition, offered by PopYachts and less than 2 hours from home (in Maine), I got the song and dance from Florida. Some lady that says "oh, yes, we'll contact the owner and set something up." Would not tell me where the boat was. Cash. Ready. And for the next year was calling and emailing me with "available vessels." The boat was supposedly in Saco, Maine. I went so far as to figure out the area boatyards (few on the Saco River) and even expanded outward. Nothing matched the photos. And never a mention again of that boat. And by googling, I found it! 1977 Pearson 365 Ketch For Sale Again, I'm sorry, but I can smell a scam.


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## Ski Bum (Apr 22, 2021)

For anyone consider buying a boat from *POP Yachts*, run don't walk away. Find another seller. My boat purchase experience was the single most terrible buying experience I've ever encountered. The complete and utter lack of professionalism was truly shocking. The mistruths, the inaccuracies, the deliberate deception, the sheer lack of responsibility or accountability has left me stunned, laying in bed awake at night.
POP Yachts exists for one reason - to collect their commission. They rush the buyer through the process, close the deal, collect their 10% commission, shield the company form accountability, and walk away. Typically, with a professional business the most important part of the sale starts *after *the sale. That couldn't be further from the truth with POP Yachts.
Do yourself a favor stay as far away from POP Yachts as possible, and find an upstanding seller with some character and ethics.


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## VIEXILE (Jan 10, 2001)

They also have "PopRV's" going as well. Same scam, steal FSBO photos, tease in the seller to a listing, demand 10% up front to "see" the unit, never give it back, etc. Check the reviews. You can tell which ones THEY contributed, which seem to be about every other one following one-star ratings.


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## searay101 (Nov 29, 2021)

cdy said:


> I see their listings plastered all over Ebay and at times on CL - the boats tend to be older and all are overpriced for the Florida market - in the body of each ad is a come on for people to join their brokerage to sell boats - pretty tacky .
> 
> Just curious if anyone has bought or sold a boat through them ?- they do at least provide lots of pictures


My personal experience with Pop Yachts has been a nightmare that will not end. Short version (sorry, still a bit long) is I listed my boat with them for about a 2 year duration. During this time I continued my marketing efforts that were in place before buying into the "what do you have to lose" sales pitch and listing my boat with PY. During the 2 year time period PY brought me 0 offers and showed the boat 0 times. As a result I ended up selling the boat myself. Fast forward 1.5 years later, they are threatening to sue me as they claim I sold the boat to someone who was "registered" on their website and claim they were actively representing my boat to the same person. A quick visit to the Sarasota Florida circuit court website demonstrates a business model of taking their customers to small claims court. A total of 40+ times alone in the first 2 weeks of November 2021. So in summary, if you want to wrap yourself up in a small claims case with PY because you were forced to sell the the boat yourself, then sign-up today! I'm sure they would love to take you on a similar ride.


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## denverd0n (Jun 20, 2008)

searay101 said:


> ...claim I sold the boat to someone who was "registered" on their website...


Which is, no doubt, exactly why they require potential buyers to register before you can see any details about the boats that they have listed. That way they can claim -- even years later, and a different boat -- that they were representing you, since you registered with them!

This absolutely confirms to me that they are a scam, and nothing but a scam.

On the other hand, boat brokers are required to be licensed in Florida, and are probably more regulated here than in any other state. So if you feel like they have scammed you, I would suggest contacting the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Maybe they can do something about it.


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## SanderO (Jul 12, 2007)

The reality about brokers... real estate, yachts and similar... is all they are is a go between and really offer very little for the fees they demand. One presumes a broker is knowledgeable and can guide a buyer to the right property/boat. But really shouldn't buyers be informed about what they are buying? Selling multi million dollar real estate is very lucrative at 6% commissions. Can these fees be justified?

Same sort of thinking should apply to a boat. The buyer needs to be knowledgeable about what he is buying. To help the buyer can use a surveyor. Seller may not care who buys the boat... as long as they get the price they want. Boat should sell itself. 

What is needed in both cases is information to inform the purchase... ie a detailed listing. Creating a listing is a legitimate service... and should be billed hourly.. or some rational fixed fee. My recent experience (brief) with a prestigious broker is that they provide nothing more than a list of people looking for a boat. Boo hoo.

And we all know that... in the end the value is what a buyer will pay. If there are multiple available this influences the pricing. It's all very irrational...

Selling boats is not analogous to selling cars. Of course brokers try to use this model and dismiss owner modifications as having no value.


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## rmagin110 (9 mo ago)

searay101 said:


> My personal experience with Pop Yachts has been a nightmare that will not end. Short version (sorry, still a bit long) is I listed my boat with them for about a 2 year duration. During this time I continued my marketing efforts that were in place before buying into the "what do you have to lose" sales pitch and listing my boat with PY. During the 2 year time period PY brought me 0 offers and showed the boat 0 times. As a result I ended up selling the boat myself. Fast forward 1.5 years later, they are threatening to sue me as they claim I sold the boat to someone who was "registered" on their website and claim they were actively representing my boat to the same person. A quick visit to the Sarasota Florida circuit court website demonstrates a business model of taking their customers to small claims court. A total of 40+ times alone in the first 2 weeks of November 2021. So in summary, if you want to wrap yourself up in a small claims case with PY because you were forced to sell the the boat yourself, then sign-up today! I'm sure they would love to take you on a similar ride.


The exact same thing happened to me. I'm trying to settle, but this feels like extortion. Did you end up paying their ridiculous shakedown fee?


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