Selling a Boat on Consignment: Fees, Contracts, and Whether It Beats a Private Sale
Consignment puts your boat on a dealer's lot or a broker's listings while you keep ownership until it sells. It sits between trading in and selling privately on price, effort and time. Here is how it works and what to check before you sign.
By Joey Bouza, Founder, US Marine Connection · Updated September 29, 2026
Consignment is the middle road. You keep the title, the dealer or broker keeps the boat on their lot or in their listings, and when it sells they take a fee and send you the rest. It usually nets more than a trade-in and less than a well-run private sale, in exchange for handing off the showings, sea trials and paperwork. This guide covers how consignment works for boats, what the fees and contracts look like, and how to decide whether it is the right route for yours.
How boat consignment works
- Agreement. You sign a consignment contract naming the boat, the asking price, the fee, the term and who pays for what while it sits.
- Delivery. The boat goes to the dealer's lot, a marina slip the broker uses, or stays where it is for a brokerage-only listing.
- Marketing. The consignee photographs it, writes it up, lists it on their website and the marketplaces they pay for, and fields the calls.
- Showings and sea trials. They handle buyers, including test runs. A survey, if the buyer wants one, is at the buyer's expense.
- Sale and settlement. The buyer pays the consignee. The consignee pays off any lien, deducts the fee and agreed expenses, and pays you the balance, typically within a set number of days of the funds clearing.
Ownership stays with you until the sale closes. That is the point of consignment, and it is also why the contract matters.
What consignment costs
Fees are structured one of three ways, and the contract should say which:
| Structure | How it works | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage of sale price | The most common for brokers; a fixed share of the final price, often with a minimum fee for small boats | The minimum can be a large share of a low-priced boat |
| Flat fee | A set amount regardless of price; more common at dealers moving trailerable boats | May be charged whether or not the boat sells, so read the term |
| Net-to-seller | You agree the amount you will receive; the consignee keeps everything above it | Removes their incentive to hold out for a higher price |
Beyond the fee, ask who pays for storage, detailing, minor repairs, winterization, marketplace listing fees and insurance while the boat is consigned. Reputable consignees either absorb these or list them line by line. The figures involved are industry-typical and vary widely by region and boat size; they are not measured from listings on this site.
The contract: what to check before signing
- Term and exit. How long the agreement runs, whether it renews automatically, and what it costs to take the boat back early.
- Price authority. Whether the consignee can accept an offer below asking without calling you, and by how much.
- Insurance. Whose policy covers the boat on the lot, during showings and on sea trials. Your own policy may exclude commercial use; ask.
- Lien handling. If there is a loan, how the payoff is handled at closing. See how to sell a boat with a loan.
- Settlement timing. How many days after cleared funds you are paid, and whether they hold funds in a trust or escrow account.
- Trade-ins. If the buyer trades a boat to the dealer as part of the deal, how your proceeds are calculated.
- Reporting. How often you get an update on inquiries, showings and offers.
Consignment versus trade-in versus private sale
| Trade-in | Consignment | Private sale | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical net to you | Lowest | Middle | Highest, if well run |
| Your time | An afternoon | Delivery and a few calls | Photos, listings, showings, sea trials, paperwork |
| Time to money | Same day | Weeks to a season | Weeks to a season |
| Risk | None | Lot damage, slow consignee | Tire-kickers, payment fraud, liability on test runs |
| Best for | Buying new from the same dealer; boats needing work | Larger or higher-value boats; owners without time | Clean, well-documented trailerable boats |
The gap between the three depends on your boat. Check where boats like yours are listed right now:
| Type | Median asking | Lowest | Highest | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal watercraft | $15,599 | $3,999 | $41,997 | 501 |
| Center console | $114,977 | $4,500 | $1,513,412 | 465 |
| Bowrider / deck boat | $57,780 | $500 | $550,858 | 338 |
| Pontoon & tritoon | $47,656 | $2,999 | $532,790 | 198 |
| Fishing boat | $64,977 | $3,500 | $299,000 | 165 |
| Cruiser / yacht | $194,900 | $5,000 | $1,446,240 | 53 |
| Ski & wake | $79,595 | $7,000 | $259,950 | 47 |
| Sailboat | $14,900 | $4,995 | $120,000 | 7 |
| Other | $7,748 | $4,900 | $25,000 | 6 |
Pricing a consigned boat
The consignee will suggest an asking price. Verify it. Run your boat through the free boat appraisal, pull comparable listings, and set the ask with room for the buyer's negotiation and the consignee's fee. A boat priced to the top of the market sits; a boat priced into the middle of comparable asking prices with clean records sells while the season is still on. Read the best time of year to sell a boat before you agree to a start date.
Choosing a consignee
- Do they sell your type and size of boat already? A pontoon on a lot of offshore center consoles will not get the calls.
- Where will it be listed? Ask for the list of marketplaces and whether they pay for premium placement.
- Look at their current consignment listings: photos, descriptions, how long the boats have been there.
- Ask for two recent consignment sellers you can call.
- Confirm they carry a dealer's garage or marina operator's policy that covers consigned inventory.
Frequently asked questions
- Is consignment the same as using a yacht broker?
- Functionally yes. Brokers typically work on a percentage and rarely take physical possession; dealer consignment usually means the boat sits on their lot. The contract questions are the same.
- Can I sell the boat myself while it is consigned?
- Only if the contract says so. Many agreements are exclusive for the term, and some charge the fee on any sale during that period, whoever finds the buyer.
- Who pays for repairs a buyer asks for after a survey?
- That is negotiated per sale, but the consignee should not authorize repairs at your expense without your approval. Put a spending cap in the contract.
- How long does consignment take?
- It depends on price, season and boat type. Ask the consignee for their average days on lot for boats like yours, and set the term to cover at least one selling season.
- Does consigning a boat affect my insurance?
- It can. Tell your insurer the boat is consigned, and get the consignee's coverage in writing.
- Can I list the boat here while it is consigned?
- If your consignment contract is non-exclusive, yes: list your boat and direct inquiries to the consignee or yourself as the contract allows.
About the author
Joey Bouza — Founder, US Marine Connection
Working musician and founder of Prospects International, a marketing firm that runs lead and appointment campaigns for dealers — including boat dealers — across the country.
Prices and counts in our guides come from live listings on this site and are recalculated hourly. Where we quote industry-typical figures (transport quotes, survey fees, winterizing, repower quotes) we say so, and we never publish a number we haven't measured or sourced.