arks

I thought it was a great idea, but nobody is listing. I'd think there would be plenty of boats, parts, trailers, etc. for sale. Maybe the "offshore" market is just too small for this kind of site.

SunseekerNY

Actually, it's been my findings that the niche markets are those that are the most successful on the internet.

I have never heard of this site before. It just might catch on yet, especially with the 90-days free offer they currently have.

Jennifer

jbrauer

Yeah, it would be great if it got going. I've spent hours and hours searching ebay to find a few parts, etc. that apply to my boat.

My $.02 is it's a combination of a couple things: Not enough exposure and their auctions run for 90 days. I know I don't feel like waiting that long to sell or buy something. You know us performance boaters and our spur of the moment purchases... Instant gratification!!!

Apparently, "Build it and they will come" doesn't always work!

Any way, good luck to offshorebid.com, I hope it succeeds!

cobra marty

Another want-to-be ssite. I've bought and sold a few thousand dollars worth of stuff on OSO and will only do so here. Great results and exposure.

arks

It started about 3 months ago and seemed to have a pretty good initial responce (as far as listings). Maybe there just isn't enough exposure to bring in prospective buyers. IMHO the site seems well set up and had all the indicators of a sucessful site. As far as being another OSO knock-off, I disagree. "Variety is the spice of life". An auction can often bring the buyer a better price than expected. It would be a shame to see it disappear into cyberspace. BTW- I'm not associated with that site, just an occasional lurker.

puder

i e-mailed a seller abotu an oil filter housing negotiated a price adn agreed to the deal. And i never heard back from him afte ri said i wanted it

RiverGirl

YEAH!
why go there ... when you can get it all here, in the OSO classifieds...

puder

rivergirl

you know the only reason we come to this site is to chat with you

Cord

iTrader: (2)

Yea, I'm rather disapointed that the site isn't working. It's a really great idea. You know what might just be the missing key is if it got merged with OSO. Now that would be really cool. And yes, the long term auctions really suck.

PhantomChaos

Actually, I am responsible for www.OffshoreBid.com . I really think it has some potential as a viable forum for both buyers and sellers to get together for some fun auctions of parts lying around, or to find a good deal. There are actually over 100 users signed up on the site and there have been a number of successful auctions. To get the site started, I contacted some people I know in the SoCal area and listed some parts for them to provide some immediate auction content. Most of this worked out fine, but one of the people that I listed parts for did not follow through when contacted by potential buyer(s). This is not good. It’s just like Ebay where the whole functionality of the site depends on both the buyer and seller having an interest in the “deal”.

The site is kind of a hobby for me, and I like the fact that it might actually be useful to many friends, OSO and SCOPE members, and other performance boaters in the future. Some changes/updates are in store for it too. One thing I noticed in the above posts was that “the auctions are so loooooong”. Well they really aren’t! Its up to the seller how long the auction period is. Currently, the seller may choose between 3, 5, 7, 10, 15, 30, and 45 days in length. What was set for 90 days was the fact that there were no FEES for selling on the site for the first 90 days. One of the changes coming up is the fact that it will be totally FEE free to sellers to list an item for auction. There never are any fees to buyers. The site is going to be featured in PowerBoat Magazine in July, so it will pick up some needed exposure there.

I appreciate any constructive ideas that would make it a forum that all could use and enjoy. Keep an eye open for changes in the near future!