Need help ASAP - Selling a boat to a Canadian

[mrwalleye5]

Originally Posted by tackelman unlogged

my neighbour just brought back a trailer he bought in the states and when he went to register it, the government wanted a certificate from the manufacturer (supposedly supplied to the original purchaser) that certifies the trailer meets all legislated manufacturing standards.

If you are selling your trailer with the boat, i'm sure the guy would appreciate a copy of this certificate.

That is up to the buyer. It's not hard to get if it is a common named trailer. In my case it was a shoreland'r. I called them prior to going down for the boat and had them fax over the letter stating everything was up to code for Canada. Took about 1/2 hour. Just need the model number and serial number.

[DJL66]

I've purchased 3 boats from US sellers in the past 5 years with absolutely no problems at all. I am very particular when it came to the paper work that was provided with the boat I was buying. I made sure the seller had title for the boat and registration for the trailer before I left home. I was lucky that no leins were on either boat so registration was in the sellers hand with their name when I picked up the boat. One seller accepted my certified cheque no questions asked. The other seller wanted cash only so I had to declare the money going out of Canada and also into the US. No issues with either and if I was to purchase another boat I would probably pay cash as it eliminates any concern with cheques that a seller may have. The previous responses posted are correct when they say the work and responsibilty is in the buyer and not the seller. If the buyer cuts corners and does not have sufficient evidence that the boat has a clear title or trailer papers then it is he who is stuck at the border trying to figure out what his next move is not the sellers. To make things easier I had the seller write a receipt for the boat, motor, trailer with all VIN #'s and any extra gear included in the sale. Again if the paper work is in order the buyer should spend no more than 20 minutes at customs doing the RIV form and paying taxes.
Good luck.

[CurtisP]

A buyer asking for registration is not unusual. In fact...how is the buyer suposed to get insurance on his rig, and put license plates on the trailer, with out any numbers. Not to mention check for liens and previous insurance claims.

Prior to purchasing my toys...the numbers are a prerequisite. Else I can not apply for insurance. And I am not going to set myself up for a multiple hour drive on winter roads with out any insurance.

So denying registration numbers to your buyer is really a hardship.

Yes…it is good to be cautious, as you would with any sale to anyone.

Curtis

[REW]

All great points.
Leave it up to the buyer to pay for the boat in US currency. Let him figure out how to do that, prior to his arrival at your location.

You provide the bill of sale and sign over the title and you are good to go.

You also need to sign over the title to the trailer as well.

It is not a bad thing to do the entire transaction at the bank, and have the entire transaction witnessed by a notary and have them sign off on it as well.

I suspect that it would be in the interest of the buyer to have him do an electronic funds transfer from his bank to your bank. When the funds for the entire amount are safely in your account, as verified by your banker, then go ahead and sign over the rig.
Today, the use of electronic fund transfer is an everyday occurrence. There is normally about a $25 charge for the transfer, but the security makes it well worth it on both the part of the seller and buyer. Also, the use of the electronic fund transfer can make the conversion of the Canadian funds to US funds transparent. If the buyer has to work with a Canadian check, he may run into issues with the currency rate exchange. The same is true if the buyer brings down Canadian currency. Your bank may balk at making the currency exchange.


REW

[Crappie Kid]

The buyer already wire transfered (and cleared) the 1/3 down payment.

I wrote an extremely detailed and itemized purchase agreement (with all VIN numbers) and the buyer signed and returned it.

I have written 2 bill-of-sales, one for the boat-motor-misc equipment, and one for the trailer. Both with all the VIN numbers, amounts etc.

I have the original IL watercraft title, and IL boat registration/title (no leins).

Buyer agreed to bring US currency for the remainder.

I think I am good to go and close the deal next week if he likes what he sees in person.

Thanks for all the input folks, I greatly appreciate it!!!!!

[Paul H]

Commercial Invoice

I used to ship a LOT to Canada and needed one for anything - even a $2:00 part. It looks like others have not needed it.

[DJL66]

Crappie Kid sounds like you have all the bases covered. Good luck with your sale next week.

[Crappie Kid]

The transaction went smooth and the buyer was pleased with the purchase I believe. I spent a bunch of time showing him everything bow-stern.

Now I get an email that it cost him $900 to get back into Canada. I was unaware of anything like that and nobody mentioned it here.

That is dissapointing.

[Juls]

Originally Posted by Crappie Kid

I was unaware of anything like that and nobody mentioned it here.

Ouch.....You're buyer should have been aware of that. He lives there and should be familiar with the border rules for purchases made in the states.

When we sold to a Canadian he knew up front approx. what it would cost to bring the boat back to Canada. I said, "ouch" at that time too.

Juls

[Crappie Kid]

That was over 10 percent in taxes. That seem excessive on a used item.