Best Method to Sell RV?

[theHueg]

My wife and I are planning to sell our 2018 Winnebago ERA 170X. It has 28,000 miles. We’re looking for advice on most effective advertising venue/sites and how to make sure once we have a buyer that their funds are real.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by theHueg

My wife and I are planning to sell our 2018 Winnebago ERA 170X. It has 28,000 miles. We’re looking for advice on most effective advertising venue/sites and how to make sure once we have a buyer that their funds are real.

PPL Motorhomes (pplmotorhomes.com) sells on consignment but they probably take a hefty commission. We bought our class b from their Houston outlet in '2017. They also have outlets in Dallas/Ft. Worth and New Braunfels.

Very smooth transaction and probably smooth for the seller as well. They handled all paperwork and even got us financing at USBank that was cheaper than our credit union at the time.

They will also buy your motorhome, but my gut feeling is you'll do better on consigment even after their fees. But it can't hurt to let them give you an offer.

[mkguitar]

I bought mine from a craigslist ad.

AZ requires a title notarized

so we met at the seller's bank

I had a certified check from my bank

he had his bank verify the check was good by phone

done.

His mistakes:

He had a spelling error in his ad, so the Pleasure Way would never come up in a search**
- his ad ran about 4 months with me watching as the price was gradually lowered.
when I responded I was the only call he'd had

He had a time crunch as his storage lease was about to expire and wasn't allowed RV at his home by HOA

I saved 20% from his asking.

so don't make those mistakes*

people search craigslist ads nationally, if you list it accurately they will find you. dealers will spam offering to "help" ignore them and low ball offers.

Mike

* I had similar experience with my Harley FLHTC- he had it listed as an "FLHTZ" so it would never show up in a search


** enter common misspellings in your ad such as winebago, winnibago, winibaggo etc. Just because someone can't spell or type, doesn't mean they aren't a potential customer

[folivier]

If you sell yourself expect no-shows, scams, tire kickers, etc. You may get lucky and have a quick sale.
Since you're in Texas you might consider calling Motorhomes Of Texas in Nacogdoches and see if they're interested in listing it on consignment. You'll pay 10% commission but they have great resources and are one of the few dealerships that are trustworthy. They usually list larger motorhomes but their inventory is low and they may be interested. They also have resources for loans that individuals won't have access to.
I've bought and sold through them and found them very honest.

[RTRanger]

You might want to use a lawyer as a middle man and make sure that the funds you receive are clean and above board. If your buyer is laundering money or using some kind of illegally gotten funds the payment could be taken from you along with the vehicle.

Unless you know the people buying it…

[Ron J. Moore]

You can list it on Roadtrek International, it is free, and gets a large following. As for final payment, if you have a local bank, arrange to meet them there, and the bank can clear it for you.

[magicbus]

Not sure how a lawyer will detect I’ll gotten funds.

When I traveled to buy an RV from a private party I used a certified check. When I obtained the check I spoke with the manager explaining they should expect a verification call from another manager. When I presented my check to sellers bank manager they looked up the branch, found out who the manager was, and verified my check. Sure, I could have copied the check and returned the original, but my bank manager probably would have ratted me out.

Another time I transferred funds electronically via ACH but the downside is we had to kill time waiting for the transfer. It doesn’t happen quite as quickly as on TV.

[mumkin]

I listed my Simplicity on Roadtrek International and only got one call. At the same time, I used the Facebook page for Zion/Simplicity owners because people looking for rigs often pass through. A woman posted that she was dealing on a used Zion, so I sent her a PM telling her that if that fell through, I had a S-SRT of the same year. Seems that is what she really wanted... and mine had all the extras that she wanted with a lower price than a Zion. She immediately said that she would take it, flew up 3 days later having arranged a wire transfer, and as soon as the transfer went through, she left for home.

Yes, even though the wire was arranged, it wasn't a smooth process and took about 3 hours (and so many phone calls, she swore that she was going to change banks when she got home... lol) But we used the time to go for a nice walk and lunch.

So... if there is a Facebook page for your model, you might look into finding a buyer there. This was probably the smoothest sale of a used RV in history.

[Jon in AZ]

Prepare for the financial transaction. Consignment or DIY is the big decision. If you DIY you have to determine how you will accept and verify payment. Cashier’s checks are easily forged. Sit down with your banker and discuss options, which include wire transfers and use of escrow services. If you decide to consign, do your homework, read the fine print, check online ratings, and look at the quality of their online ads.

Lighting is key to good pictures, and you want to avoid harsh shadows. Take exterior photos on an overcast day if possible. At a minimum include front and rear 3/4 views from opposite corners and side views.

Interior photos work best at night with window shades open and cabin lights on. Empty cabinets and remove all clutter. Start with front-to-back and back to front angles that show the whole layout, then take close-ups of main features. Include a photo of the instrument panel with the engine on showing current mileage and no warning lights. Watch out for unwanted reflections.

Load pictures in a logical sequence from the outside to the inside and from wide views to close-ups. Lead with a front 3/4 view showing the entry door side.

When adding tags, include alternate spellings as well as similar models from other manufacturers.

Look at ads for other Class B’s and note what’s helpful and what’s not, including text and pictures.

[avanti]

What is "best" depends on what you value.

If what you care most about is maximizing your cash return, then your choice is to list it everywhere you can think of (lists like this one, RVtrader, Facebook, etc etc) and suck up all the hassles that others have described. You will sell it sooner or later, and likely end u with a lot more money than any other choice. Just be careful,

If you just want to clear your driveway at all costs, get bids from several brokers and take the highest cash bid.

[mloganusda]

Try RV Trader, they charge a fee but have national wide readers. Just helped sell a class A this time last year for a widow. You just have to be willing to show the MH to prospective buyers.

[NAZCamperVan]

This Class B Forum includes a 'Trading Post/Classified/For Sale' section. https://www.classbforum.com/forums/f11/

[RT-NY]

Originally Posted by mloganusda

You just have to be willing to show the MH to prospective buyers.

What about letting a prospective buyer take a test drive? I would be very wary about letting a stranger get behind the wheel of such an expensive and potentially unwieldy vehicle.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by RT-NY

What about letting a prospective buyer take a test drive? I would be very wary about letting a stranger get behind the wheel of such an expensive and potentially unwieldy vehicle.

Yeah, well...
I would also be very wary of purchasing such an expensive vehicle from a stranger who wouldn't let me take a test drive, so...

[RT-NY]

Originally Posted by avanti

I would also be very wary of purchasing such an expensive vehicle from a stranger who wouldn't let me take a test drive, so...

I don't know - when I bought my RV, I just let the owner take me for a drive. I was at least able to make sure it ran well with less risk to him.

But in any case, my question was for sellers like the OP's question. What have other forum members done to minimize the risk when selling an RV in regard to the test drive? Do you just let any prospective buyer take it out?

[avanti]

Originally Posted by RT-NY

But in any case, my question was for sellers like the OP's question. What have other forum members done to minimize the risk when selling an RV in regard to the test drive? Do you just let any prospective buyer take it out?

In my case, the buyer agreed to purchase our 2005 Interstate sight-unseen. I was in direct contact with their credit union, and they brought a cashier's check when they came (from some distance) to pick it up. So the "test drive" issue didn't arise. If it had, I would have allowed it, but certainly would have gone along and chosen the route.

I probably fielded around 10 calls or so before it sold. Some were clearly tire-kickers, but none of them were in any way suspicious. We were lucky.

[jrobe]

I would list my RV on all the usual online sites with dozens of excellent pictures and a very detailed description of everything included. Then I would make it very clear in my listings that the sale would be done in person on my terms including at my bank with the title transferred only when my banker tells me it is safe. I would also document in my listing that the RV must have documented insurance by the buyer before it leaves the bank parking lot and confirm this with my insurance agent so I am off the hook in case of an accident when the buyer drives it away. I wouldn't expect anyone to buy it without a test drive but I would set the exact terms of the test drive. I would probably insist on me driving it myself but after meeting the buyer in person, this would be negotiable. I would make sure that my listing included all these details of my sale terms so that most of the scammers would recognize that it was a waste of their time dealing with me.

The good thing about selling now is that it is a sellers market as much as it has ever been in history. There should be no problem selling a Class B now without taking any risks at all if someone does it properly.

[magicbus]

Originally Posted by RT-NY

...But in any case, my question was for sellers like the OP's question. What have other forum members done to minimize the risk when selling an RV in regard to the test drive? Do you just let any prospective buyer take it out?

When I bought my first Class A I told the owner I had never driven anything that big. The owner handed me the keys and said he would give me a lesson. He had a route all planned out and I learned a lot. When I bought my DP I said I'd never had air brakes but the size was no problem. The seller handed me the keys, gave me some air brake pointers, and sat in the passenger seat. When we bought our Class B from a dealer they just said "The keys are in it, let us know when you are done".

[Doneworking]

The OP shows Texas for an address and as rowiebowie mentioned in that post PPL Motorhomes has three facilities in Texas. I have done two transactions with them and they take care of everything. It ain't their first rodeo. They know the requirements for transfers from different states and take care of the money exchange.

There are always a lot of tire kickers out there and buyers without funds or buyers subject to funding, etc. I just decided to leave it to folks that do this every day and I didn't want to spend the time, energy and take some of the associated risks with a private transaction.

If I were doing it myself, I would not take any kind of payment except a wire transfer confirmed to and a closing at my local bank up the street.

[jakegw2]

I have purchased two different RVs from independent sellers and sold one. A few thoughts and observations from my experience:

1. I started each transaction with a great deal of fear and distrust (each one was a big amount of money for me!). Fortunately my counterparty in every case came to the table trusting and open. This made the buying and selling process much more pleasant! Use your own judgement, but most people in the market for RVs are pretty friendly and happy to talk about their circumstances and reasons for buying (or selling). You can get a pretty good feel for someone with 15 minutes of casual conversation. When we sold our camper van our conversations with the couple that ultimately purchased it revealed that they owned a restaurant chain and were interested in the van because they owned some property on an island off the coast of Maine where the ferry limited vehicles to 17' in length or less. They wanted an upgrade from tent camping. Pretty plausible sounding reason why they could both afford to pay for the van and had a reason why my specific van was the right choice. I ultimately accepted a personal check and photo of his drivers license and let them take it home with them that evening. Worked out fine.

2. The golden rule applies here. I personally would never purchase an RV without a few hours to inspect it thoroughly and a decent length test drive. Both times I purchased the sellers graciously provided this without any problem.

The first seller even offered, unsolicited, to let me take it home for the weekend to help make the decision (I left my car in their driveway). We brought it to a mechanic and had it inspected during that time. Paid with a personal check and I wrote him a receipt that we got notarized at the bank.

I flew to visit the second camper. The seller left me alone for about two hours while I crawled all over the camper with my tools disassembling and reassembling things so I could inspect the conditions behind the cabinets. I had a cashier's check mailed to him and then flew in a second time to pick up the vehicle. Trust was the best choice as I needed his help (including a trip to the DMV for himself) with a number of DMV issues in his state and mine to get the vehicle de-registered in the state it was in and registered in my state. State rules are very different, don't assume it is as easy as you are familiar with in your own state!

When it comes to posting it I recommend you do a thorough cleaning inside and out, use a ceramic exterior wax to make it shine and take pictures from every angle of the exterior and interior on a sunny day in the late afternoon (the golden hour) using the HDR setting on your camera.

I also recommend the book Ca$hvertising by Drew Eric Whitman. I perused the book and wrote the following copy from scratch about my van:

xxx,x00mi $XX,XXX

Best Go-Anywhere Family Pop-Top Camper Van - Pleasure Way Traverse


Are you thinking of taking family trips this summer and want a better way to travel with kids while avoiding airlines?

When you go to the beach would you like a 'base camp' where you can change in comfort and privacy, wash up, and get an ice-cold drink?

Do you want to take spontaneous family trips and always have your own place to sleep, cook, and relax no matter the weather?

How would it feel to prepare a rich cup of hot chocolate in your own warm and cozy go-anywhere 'cabin' after a day of winter activities far away from the crowds?

This rare 2003 Pleasure Way Traverse Pop-Top Camper Van will let you do all this and far more!

The Traverse seats 5 for long-distance comfort travel and converts at night to two full-size beds that can sleep 4 adults. Fully equipped for self-contained camping with a hot-and-cold water sink, 2-burner stove, microwave, 12V compression fridge, porta-potty, propane furnace, and 120V air conditioning.

This camper van is sized just right to go anywhere. At just 17 feet long it fits easily in tight parking spaces but has plenty of room to sleep 4 people far away from everything. You can even park it in your standard 7' garage since it is just 6' 8" tall.

Driving is a piece of cake with all-around visibility and modern conveniences like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and backup camera in the upgraded stereo. The Ford E250 body offers car-like conveniences such as cruise control, power windows, and remote unlock. Bring your toys along as this van has a 5000 Lbs tow capacity.

When you travel on long trips you will always have your own potty available for use without even leaving the vehicle. Need a cold drink while driving - it is close at hand, no need to stop! Ready for a lunch break? Pull over anywhere, pop the top, and stand while you cook a fresh healthy meal on the cookstove. If you do need to run into a store, the whole family can wash their hands in your own sink when you return to the van.

Is it a cold night? You won’t notice in your Traverse. The hidden propane furnace can be adjusted to any temperature you like without even sitting up in bed. If it is a hot, sticky summer evening the 120V AC will ensure a cool and comfortable night’s sleep when plugged into shore power.

Going somewhere and need to look good? The hanging clothes closet lets you bring your outfits without wrinkles and when you arrive you can lower the privacy curtains and change standing up.

Need to haul large furniture? The wide-open floor-plan in the Traverse can fit large, heavy objects with ease. The bed lowers down to fit objects up to 9’ long.

The 11-gallon fresh water tank, 7-gallon grey-water tank, 12V electric hot water heater and porta-potty are all located inside the furnace-heated and insulated van body which make this an exceptionally rare RV that is fully usable year-round. Pop-top campers are already unique, but this one has the super-convenient upgrades of 120V air conditioning and 120V/12V hot water heater that works even when off the grid.

The 12V compression fridge works for 3-4 days on battery power alone. Unlike the much more common finicky propane refrigerators on most RVs, this one does not require the van to be level when it is turned on - it works flawlessly no matter where you are parked. The two group-27 12V deep-cycle batteries recharge automatically when the van is driven or plugged into shore power.

Recent Maintenance: The van is in great condition overall. The top-end Michelin tires are about 2 years old with only a few thousand miles on them and look like new. The brakes are good and the brake lines, front and back were replaced in the last year. The parking break cable and fuel pump are new. The transmission was rebuild (due to a crack in the casing, not any wear issue) and has about a year left on the warranty. All RV components (fridge, 120V AC, microwave, etc) work great. The propane detector, CO2 detector, and smoke detectors are all less than 3 years old (these must be replaced every 7 years per the manufacturer) The van AC is very cold and has not needed any maintenance. The batteries are commercial-grade deep-cycle, are about 1.5 years old and have been cared for meticulously (no deep discharges). The interior is very clean.

Known Issues: The remote-mirror controls for the driver and passenger side mirrors do not work. The exterior has one small patch of bubbled paint in the driver’s side rear along with several scratches in various places. The pop-top has some clear coat peeling. The fiberglass running board is chipped in the driver’s side rear. There is a small leak from the grey-water tank from the downpipe that goes to the dump valve (this is just water from the sink so it is not that big of a deal if a small amount drips out).

Why we are selling: The unit sleeps 4, and a few years ago our family grew to 5. We made it work for a while when the youngest was quite small, but we really have outgrown it now.

This is a very well maintained must-see van. It’s ready for all the adventures you’ve been hoping for this summer. In-person deals only.