# Would you buy a new outboard from a distributor in Singapore?



## OldSmokey (Apr 14, 2019)

I'm planning to purchase a new Gheenoe LT-10 and am shopping for the motor. I found a distributor in Singapore that has fantastic prices on new, prior year models. Their website is outboardmotorssale.com The motor I'm considering is a 2017 Honda 9.9 BF10DK3SHS 15" electric start for $1,783 + $155 shipping = $1,938. I'm new to outboards and Gheenoes and I don't know what I don't know about uncrating a motor that's been sitting in a crate in Asia for a couple years, sticking it on the back of a Gheenoe and firing it up.

Would you do it? Why or why not?


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

I see no issue with that. It wouldn’t be any different than guys that buy a 2 stroke motor that’s been sitting over a decade brand new in the crate here in the states. Put oil in it if it needs it, fuel it up and proceed with the recommended break in procedure. You can do some research and you will find it most likely on the Honda web page.


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## Backcountry 16 (Mar 15, 2016)

I would be leary of buying anything from China outright my daughter bought some shoes offline from over there they never showed up and we had to go to the bank to dispute the charge major pain to recoup her money. I wouldn't take a chance on that kind of money. Just my 2 cents.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

my son has stuff shipped from china and Singapore frequently. mostly electronic parts but once a whole set of bodywork for a hyabusa. I would be more concerned with the legitimacy of the seller than how long it has sat in a crate.


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Nope. I thought about it years ago, then started reading horror stories about all the scams. There was even a recent post on THT about a guy who fell into the trap. 

Outside of that, that doesn't seem like enough of a discount to order from overseas to me. $1900+ for a 10 hp motor, I think you can get close to that state side.


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## Capnredfish (Feb 1, 2012)

No. Just a clip of article below of crap going on with Amazon. Counterfeit outboard? Maybe not. Hard to trust anyone today. $1900. Not me.

Amazon is taking a new approach to its counterfeit problem by putting brands in control of expunging knockoff products on its site. The company announcedThursday a new program called Project Zero that will let brands delete fake listings themselves.

Like other tech platforms, Amazon has long struggled with how to deal with false or misleading information on its site. But when users post fake products on Amazon, they can have lasting impacts on the brands they are trying to knock off, like pressuring them to lower their prices to compete with the fake versions of themselves.


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## bobber (Sep 29, 2015)

For $2300 you can get the 2019 Tohatsu 9.8 15" electric start shipped to your door. No state tax if you don't live in Tennessee. No possible import duties either. 5 year warranty. Does a Honda outboard imported directly from another region of the world come with a warranty that Honda outboard dealers here in the US would honor? ??? You'd better answer that question before pulling the trigger.
I bought my Hatsu 20 from onlineoutboards.com back in 2014, sale and shipping were hassle free and the engines been flawless.


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## Fishtex (May 10, 2014)

Onlineoutboards.com, great prices and service.


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## Fishtex (May 10, 2014)

Another solid option https://www.smalloutboards.com/


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## gaspergou (Jan 29, 2017)

Hadn't seen smalloutboards.com... 

but I'm still laughing over the ad for their 8hp Honda: "25" Shaft 4-stroke, low compression, Good Spark, Starts and Shits great Parts Motor."


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## fishnpreacher (Jul 28, 2018)

Too many dealers come and go. By the time you get your motor, tackle, parts, etc the dealer has gone out of business and you have nothing to fall back on. I wouldn't put $2000 on the line without a guarantee and some recourse in getting my money back should things not work out.


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## topnative2 (Feb 22, 2009)

NO.


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## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

No

I would buy a used engine (and Gheenoe) off Craigslist or FB Marketplace.

https://raleigh.craigslist.org/boa/d/holly-springs-honda-99hp-outboard-motor/6862185268.html


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## OldSmokey (Apr 14, 2019)

Thanks everyone for the advice and the links. Very helpful. I was able to do more research on the distributor. I learned that the site is using an anonymous server, it's less than a year old and the website setup involves 3 countries. Also the site traffic is suspicious as there appears to be little interaction with other sites, a red flag. 

The same day I posted this to Microskiff, I sent a message through the Contact Us tab on the distributor's website. I asked a random question, I don't even remember what it was. I just wanted to see if they'd respond. Radio silence.

So yeah, I think I'll heed everyone's sage advice and look elsewhere. Thanks again for taking the time to read and respond!


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## zlenart (Jan 30, 2016)

Another vote for smalloutboards.com. I bought a one year old 20hp mercury from them for $2,300 including shipping. It came with a one year warranty and the motor was pristine.


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## shirley whid (Apr 7, 2021)

I am Shirley whid from Greenville alabama,,, I bought, or should say, ordered two mercury outboard 5hp motors two years back now, and today,,, I never got my motors,,, Please, if I have ever pleaded with all you, do not buy from this Marine outboard motors from Singapore ,, they are for sure a scam,,, I learned hard, bought through pay pal, have my paper work, showing, never got my motors,, paid in full up front,, did get one call through, the guy promised an extra gift package for being late, still ,,, no motors to this day,, 

DO NOT BUY FROM THESE PEOPLE,,, THEY ARE SCAMMERS,,,,, TRUST ME-- 

The testimony they post is FAKE,,,,, notice you can not add one to it,,,,,, LEAVE THESE PEOPLE ALONE,,,, --SCAMMERS


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## Trogman (Jan 8, 2022)

shirley whid said:


> I am Shirley whid from Greenville alabama,,, I bought, or should say, ordered two mercury outboard 5hp motors two years back now, and today,,, I never got my motors,,, Please, if I have ever pleaded with all you, do not buy from this Marine outboard motors from Singapore ,, they are for sure a scam,,, I learned hard, bought through pay pal, have my paper work, showing, never got my motors,, paid in full up front,, did get one call through, the guy promised an extra gift package for being late, still ,,, no motors to this day,,
> 
> DO NOT BUY FROM THESE PEOPLE,,, THEY ARE SCAMMERS,,,,, TRUST ME--
> 
> The testimony they post is FAKE,,,,, notice you can not add one to it,,,,,, LEAVE THESE PEOPLE ALONE,,,, --SCAMMERS


Hi Shirley,
I was curious if you ever got your money back? I was under the impression that if you bought something through PayPal that they had some sort of vetting process that would ensure that you weren't dealing with scam artists. Maybe I'm being a bit naive about that; if so please set me straight.
Nonetheless I am perplexed by the variety of possibilities with regard to buying a small outboard motor out there. I have no idea how to tell which ones are legitimate and which are not. I've seen several in Singapore, one in Norway, and one in Sweden. The price for what I am looking for (Suzuki 2.5 HP short shaft) varies anywhere from $414 to around $900. All I need is a small reliable gasoline motor to put on a small boat, but I don't want to invest almost a grand to get one.
Trogman


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## Gogittum (May 24, 2020)

bobber said:


> Does a Honda outboard imported directly from another region of the world come with a warranty that Honda outboard dealers here in the US would honor? ??? You'd better answer that question before pulling the trigger.
> 
> This is a huge point. I'm not familiar with the outboard motor end of it, but did quite a bit of research on cameras some years ago. "Gray Market" cameras from Asia are cheaper but the mfr's will NOT honor warranties on them here in the States. Look into that, for sure.


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## spc7669 (Apr 15, 2015)

No way. I do business with local dealers so the person I may need to yell at is a short drive away.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Hunter can get you some outboards from China...


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## anytide (Jul 30, 2009)

no


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## FlyBy (Jul 12, 2013)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> Hunter can get you some outboards from China...


Even with adding the cut for the "Big Guy" they're still a deal.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

FlyBy said:


> Even with adding the cut for the "Big Guy" they're still a deal.


HAHA ROUNDEYE GIVE ME MONEY FOR OUTBOARD AND THINK I AM CRACK HEAD HUNTER BIDEN...


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## Snagly (Dec 17, 2019)

Sounds like this website/firm is a scammer and well worth avoiding. I live in Singapore (as a Yank who married a dragon lady many years ago) and have been in Asia for almost 40 years now. To clear the air, Singapore is an independent country of about 5.8 million people (75% ethnic Chinese, 15% ethnic Malay, 8% ethnic Indian) crammed onto an island about 20 miles x 13 miles. We speak English as our first language, enjoy a very good government and act as a banking-financial and professional services-trading-petrochems-oil refining-science/research hub in Southeast Asia. Singapore is a clean, green and expensive country with first-world laws and an efficient government. In short, it's not typically a place where you would get scammed and if you forward your correspondence to the Singapore Police Department (Contact Us for a feedback form), they will investigate. And, as an aside, Singapore is a top-three/four U.S. ally in Asia along with Taiwan, Australia and Japan. (Unfortunately, it's not all _Crazy Rich Asians, _either: that was Hollywood magic and I think several of the houses were/are in Malaysia.)

There are plenty of things wrong with Singapore--a fishing BB isn't a great place to dive into those--so I'm not trying to give you the Jonestown recruitment pitch, just to alert the casual reader that the countries in SEA each have their own levels of development, trade, law enforcement, etc. Singapore (and Hong Kong) typically occupy the top of the development pyramid and it's safe to buy online from most of their merchants.

* * * * *

Depending on how Japan's economy (and perhaps China these days, but less likely), sometimes you can get great bargains from seemingly dodgy Singapore companies. It takes a recession in Japan and too much inventory to trigger a happy sequence of events. Let's say that a Shimano fishing reel distributor in Okinawa has too many reels. He can't return them to Shimano Corp without losing his discount structure/ extended credit period. He can't discount them into the domestic sector without ruining Shimano's future pricing and brand. Instead, he sells three dozen Curados to a fishing tackle wholesaler/retailer in Malaysia, Singapore or Thailand (to pick three possibilities) at cost-plus-freight to generate cash flow and make them disappear. If the Yen is weak against the USD, then even after the Singapore tackle shop has put a 10% markup on the reel, the price you pay is about 2/3 that of the US retail discount (e.g. on BassPro). The reels will carry an international warranty, but the instruction pamphlet might be in Japanese only. 

So I can see a situation in which a legit Honda outboard could be dumped into Singapore for likely resale (and smuggling) into Indonesia or perhaps Malaysia, and available at a bargain price through a website. (Just not in this case!)


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