a clean dock is a happy dock
Boat sales attract scammers the way a fish cleaning station attracts pelicans. Here’s what we do about it, and what you can do too.
What we do
- Human moderation. A real person reads every listing before it’s published. No bot approves anything here.
- Contact requirements. Sellers provide a working email, and we encourage phone numbers and plenty of photos. Listings with one blurry photo and a too-good price don’t make the cut.
- No payments through the site. TinyYachts never handles money between buyers and sellers. Anyone claiming to be a “TinyYachts escrow service” is a fraud — we don’t have one, on purpose.
What smart buyers do
- See the boat in person. Meet at the marina, the ramp, or the seller’s driveway. A seller who can’t show the boat doesn’t have the boat.
- Never wire money to a stranger. No wire transfers, no gift cards, no crypto, no “shipping company will deliver after payment.” That story never ends with a boat.
- Run the hull number. A boat-history report (HIN check) tells you about theft, accidents, and liens before you fall in love.
- Verify the title matches the seller. Name on the title should be the person in front of you.
See something fishy?
If a listing smells wrong, tell the crew: report a listing. We investigate every report and remove bad actors fast.
— The TinyYachts crew ⚓