Wondike, the Italian auction house to sell boats: here’s how it works

Did you know that there is a Stilmar 42 Cabin and a Gobbi 425 SC at auction right now here in Italy? Abroad, the phenomenon of selling through auctions for cars, boats or whatever good you can think of is widespread, just think of the success of companies like RM Sotheby. Here in Italy, however, almost no one does, especially in the boat world. At least until now: two young Italian entrepreneurs, Yari Becattini (40) and Andrea Valente (34) have started
Wondike
, an all-Italian online auction house for luxury goods with a dedicated focus on boats.

Wondike, an idea of two entrepreneurs experienced in boating

Yari Becattini and Andrea Valente have so much experience in the boating industry and sales. Within a banking institution Yari and Andrea set up a site, Used2sail, with which they sold over 550 boating-related assets in a very few years. To this Andrea added an experience in an auction house where she dealt mainly with boats.

“Coming into direct contact with shipowners,” Andrea Valente explains, “I noticed that many were comfortable with this method. Then with Yari we decided to become entrepreneurs by opening our own site specializing in auctions of luxury and nautical goods. So in July 2019 Wondike was born.”

Why sell with an online auction site

One issue with those who try to sell or buy a boat online is that they are often faced with boats about which there is very little information or which have perhaps already been sold for years. The same boat is then present on several sites simultaneously “dispersed” in a crowd.

The advantages of selling with an auction:

• The number of monthly auctions is limited, which helps avoid the scattering of units that occurs in many marketplaces
• The auction then allows you to get ratings and/or bids from the market quickly
• Transparency that allows multiple interested parties to compete, knowing at all times the last price offered and giving them a chance to raise

Wondike’s project also decided to rely on a proven network of such as appraisers, nautical agencies, and law firms, and to provide clients with a report on the interest generated by all the marketing channels activated, as well as a detailed report on the progress of the auction.

How a boat auction works on Wondike

The process is developed in two stages:

• COLLECTION AND REPORT In the first phase, we start by collecting material about the boat and its condition. If it is okay, we move on to publish the asset without a sale price. Clients are given the opportunity to formulate their proposal and Wondike provides an evaluation. Proposal and evaluation are not binding. Once the boat is on the “market,” feedback is collected, which is then compiled into a report for the seller: phone calls, offers received, interest generated. Wondike’s featured boats here
• THE AUCTION STAR TS If the first phase has attracted interest, we move on to phase two. An auction with a base (starting) price and a reserve price, that is, the minimum price that must be reached for the boat to sell. During this phase the boat is exclusive because if the reserve price is reached the boat is “awarded” and therefore cannot be for sale on other sites. If the reserve price is not reached, they are not sold. A deposit is required at this stage to ensure that the buyer does not offer sums that he or she cannot afford. Auction boats here

A marketplace for brokers: how Wondike’s fees work

Wondike’s policy is to charge a fee only to the vendor. This allows brokers to use Wondike as a specialized platform. The Wondike team is making ad hoc packages just for brokers. Here are the contacts

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