Why Are We Paying More When Sales Are Slowing?

 Over the past few years, boat sales have experienced major fluctuations. During the pandemic, demand for new and used boats surged, leading to record-breaking sales in 2020 and 2021. While it made sense for advertising costs to rise during this period of high demand, the market has since cooled significantly. Sales have steadily declined since 2022 due to rising interest rates, economic uncertainty, and shifting consumer behavior. However, instead of adjusting their pricing to reflect these market conditions, Boat Trader has continued increasing its fees—by as much as 50% per year in some cases.

This creates a major disconnect: why are dealers paying more for leads when boat sales are slowing down? Platforms like Boat Trader should support dealers by adapting to industry trends, not exploiting them with ever-rising costs. Instead, dealers are left paying higher fees for fewer qualified buyers, putting pressure on already tight margins. It’s time for dealers to push back—by either forcing Boat Trader to lower costs or by shifting toward alternative marketing strategies that don’t rely on a single overpriced platform.