1. If it seems too good to be true it probably is. Scams are everywhere out there but thankfully they are fairly easy to spot once you've seen a few of them. And I'm not talking about people that don't want to disclose everything or even actively lie I'm talking about people who are selling are claiming to sell something that doesn't even exist for some nefarious purpose. Maybe they are fishing for some of your info, maybe it's something even worse. But if it's brand new or immaculate and dirt dirt dirt cheap beware.

2. If there is very little info or a complete lack of photos it's a hard pass for me. If people are unwilling to take any photos it's probably because they are trying to hide something. If people aren't sharing a lot of information in the description it's because they don't know what they are selling or because they are trying to hide all the janky details. Either way 2 photos and a single sentence description is usually a waste of time.

3. People who claim something needs only "minor" repair. For instance a vehicle or RV has an AC not functioning that the person claims "just needs a freon charge". Odds are that minor repair isn't so minor or they would have taken care of it already.

4. People who make it hard for me to come look at their item or people who try to pressure me into looking at it yesterday. Yeah I get we all have busy lives but people that are difficult to work with are a PITA.

5. People who flip products on the same platform where they acquired the product. Saw this one last year when somebody bought a GB 32 trawler for less than 5K and then turned around and relisted it a couple of weeks later for $25K using the photos taken by the person they bought it from and posting it on the exact same platform. Hey I'm an antiques picker so I fully applaud people reselling for a profit when they can but don't sh*t where you eat and don't make it so obvious you are just trying to make a quick buck without any effort on your part.

6. Don't bite off more than you can chew. If you don't know how to do fiberglass repair don't buy something that needs a transom replacement. If you don't know anything about motors don't buy a boat with a dead one. You'd be better off to buy a more expensive boat that doesn't need the repair than to buy a cheap one and pay somebody else to do the work.

7. Don't buy something without a place to store it or a way to transport it. Self explanatory right? Right? Make your calls to marinas or self storage lots before you buy something, check your HOA rules before you decide to drag something back to your driveway.

8. Educate yourself before you look. Bring somebody who knows something about something if you don't. Learning about this stuff before you buy is cheaper than learning about it after.

9. Patience is a virtue. Worst buying decisions I've ever made have been when I felt pressured to get something ASAP. Sometimes that can't be helped but it's best to avoid if possible.