Selling a motorhome… consignment or self?

[Richpatty]

Toying with selling our motorhome…. maybe in the spring as I think the market would be better in the spring rather than the winter. I spoke to NIRVC who charges 7%. Plus I may be competing with all the others in their lots (they said they still have 2023s left). Or do I try to put it on RVTrader and RVForums and sell myself? I know it would be more work…but how much more? And what is involved with the actual sale? It sure is a ton of money to make a mistake with the selling process. Does anyone know anywhere that shows the process and pitfalls to avoid?

Thanks in advance.
Rich

 

[Bigblockyeti]

Seems if you have the time and the ability to take excellent pictures, selling on your own would be the way to go. This is what's on RV trader right now.

https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2017-Newmar-VENTANA+4310-5027292679

 

[Rosy]

Facebook Marketplace seems to be the place to sell things these days if you have an account.

 

[turbopilot]

I sold my 2018 New Aire myself using RV trader. I could never be a salesman. It is hard work.

I was absolutely amazed how many people inquired about my NA without doing any serious homework. Many wanted me to "sell" them about why they should buy a New Aire. Many had not even looked at a New Aire brochure.

I did sell the NA for a good price when a buyer came along that knew exactly what he wanted. There was no "selling" we just worked on the price, terms and conditions and pickup details. Obviously it is much easier to sell in an up market.

A private seller today is going to have a hard time without a steeply discounted asking price.

 

[John&Andrea]

We sold our fifth wheel on RVTrader in 2020. I think it took around 6 weeks. I sell a lot of items locally on Market Place but you need to be ready for scammers and low ball offers. I have sold a couple of cars on MP as well. My thought on RVT I will get people looking to buy an RV. It worked out. We had no lien so that made it easier. Good luck.

What do you plan to buy?

I will add in our travel this year we have seen full RV lots. I guess we will see this for a while.

 

[Richpatty]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and comments.
If selling on your own, do you get people who want to test drive? For a diesel, they should have a class B non commercial license. Or do you drive it for them? Not sure if I would like having someone drive my MH.

And I guess payment would be in a certified check? Or is there another way? And besides signing off the title, that should be it, yes? We do not have a loan on it.

And we would not be buying anything to replace it…my 31 year old sons health (autism, epilepsy, catatonia) has become so challenging that going away has become too difficult. So I feel we have to hang up the keys to care for him.

Thanks again.

 

[Rich W.]

I would look into wiring funds. I did this when I bought my current coach and on a couple other bigger purchases and it only takes a couple hours to confirm funds. You can provide wiring instructions and hold the title until funds are confirmed. Certified checks are not an absolute guaranty of payment. Sorry to hear about your reasons, but yes, family does come first.

 

[Jim]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and comments.
If selling on your own, do you get people who want to test drive? For a diesel, they should have a class B non commercial license. Or do you drive it for them? Not sure if I would like having someone drive my MH.

And I guess payment would be in a certified check? Or is there another way? And besides signing off the title, that should be it, yes? We do not have a loan on it.

And we would not be buying anything to replace it…my 31 year old sons health (autism, epilepsy, catatonia) has become so challenging that going away has become too difficult. So I feel we have to hang up the keys to care for him.

Thanks again.

I've sold 2 rigs on RV Trader but I don't mind the sales process. And I absolutely thrive on the purchase process! lol, I love to negotiate. But that's just me.

As you know, the market isn't what it was a year ago, but your rig is nice and has amenities that are super. For the right person, that solar setup and batteries are going to be a huge sales point.

It doesn't cost much to put an ad on RV Trader. If I were you, I would post a RV Trader ad with a bunch of high quality pictures, and then wait for the right buyer. If he/she doesn't show up, then you can always do the consignment thing.

Good luck, Rich!

 

[Richpatty]

Thanks Jim and Rich. There is a lot to think about here both monetarily and emotionally.

Jim, what you say about starting with RV trader makes sense…and if it doesn’t go, consignment is always an option.

What do you guys think about letting people do test drives? Are people going to want to do that? I would be hesitant….
I would think some folks would want an inspector to come out, which should be fine.

Thanks again as we have a lot of thinking to do this winter.

 

[Neal]

Ask first "what am I going to do without my motorhome?"

Try selling first, do your best marketing, keep in mind the bunk model may be difficult, don't know, but always keep a positive tone, i.e. "you can make this into a great office" as I've seen done with bunk floor plans.

Test drive - I do the driving. Sign the deal with money and then you can drive with option to cancel? I don't know, I asked this on this forum about a year ago as well if you can find it.

New tires with RettroBands, LifePO4 batteries, solar, etc. etc. don't give it away! I think selling on your own would command more money, I think a dealer would not value those components as much as they should is my "guess." They want it off their lot. If you have time, sometimes patience pays off. Both my corvette and Porsche took a long time to sell, Corvette I practically gave away, thanks to the Pandemic I got almost what I paid for on the Porsche. And yeah, I regret selling it and my boat! With that said...think long and hard if you're going to regret letting this gem go vs. what it costs you to keep it as buying another one ain't gonna be cheap!

 

[Jim]

What do you guys think about letting people do test drives? Are people going to want to do that? I would be hesitant….
I would think some folks would want an inspector to come out, which should be fine.

Thanks again as we have a lot of thinking to do this winter.

Nope, nobody drives the rig until it's theirs. I'll be thrilled to give a test ride, but not to everyone that come by. Come to think of it, nobody asked to do a test drive on either of my others. But if someone did want to go on a test drive, I would have to say something like, "I promise the rig runs just fine. And if we can come to terms on price, etc., and you have financing lined up, then I'll be happy to take you for a drive."

Most high end car dealerships that I've been to don't let just anyone walk in and go for a ride. And this is defiantly a high end ride.

 

[Rich W.]

Ask first "what am I going to do without my motorhome?"

Try selling first, do your best marketing, keep in mind the bunk model may be difficult, don't know, but always keep a positive tone, i.e. "you can make this into a great office" as I've seen done with bunk floor plans.

Test drive - I do the driving. Sign the deal with money and then you can drive with option to cancel? I don't know, I asked this on this forum about a year ago as well if you can find it.

New tires with RettroBands, LifePO4 batteries, solar, etc. etc. don't give it away! I think selling on your own would command more money, I think a dealer would not value those components as much as they should is my "guess." They want it off their lot. If you have time, sometimes patience pays off. Both my corvette and Porsche took a long time to sell, Corvette I practically gave away, thanks to the Pandemic I got almost what I paid for on the Porsche. And yeah, I regret selling it and my boat! With that said...think long and hard if you're going to regret letting this gem go vs. what it costs you to keep it as buying another one ain't gonna be cheap!

These are all really great points. I experienced a lot of disappointment over the last couple weeks and seriously considered selling and downsizing to something less complex and expensive to own. But considering the alternatives and potential loss, I decided to let it sit for a while and see how I feel about it later. That costs me nothing.

 

[MemoriesByTheMile]

Agree that wiring funds is the best way (only way that I would accept). Too much fraud with cashiers check.
Test drive - only if we already had confirmation of funds and price. And I drive.

 

[Richpatty]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the feedback and the support.

@Neal - You make a great point when you ask: "What am I going to do without my motorhome?" That is a question Patty and I have been asking ourselves for some time. The answer, at this time, is not much. This is what makes this all so hard. There are no good choices here. All directions have a degree of challenges with it. The job is to pick the one that is least bad. Taking care of Adam, a house and an RV has me a bit worn around the edges....Even after retiring last year...
And you make very good points about me selling the RV better than anyone else. It does offer a lot. I got that feeling when I sat down at NIRVC to discuss consignment. I just didn't feel like he would "sell" all the extras our rig has.

@Rich W. - Seems like you have had similar feeling recently as well. :-/ And sitting on the RV is one option. Maybe not travel as much right for some period of time... Just keep it up. But the risk there is that it costs thousands of dollars annually (taxes, insurance, maint., etc.) just sitting in the driveway. Not including depreciation.

@Jim and others - Thanks for confirming that I do not have to allow test drives. Makes sense what you say and what I was hoping to hear. And wiring the money is the way to go. Not sure why I didn't think of that.

This is not a decision will we take lightly but at least I have some data to help make it. We have had a motorhome of some kind since 2006...would be hard to give it up. Just need to figure out if it is harder to keep it.

Thanks again!
Rich

 

[FL-JOE]

Late to the discussion but I'll toss in my 2 cents anyway.

First off, I agree with Jim on the test drives. No one would test drive unless the funds are in my account and the insurance is in their name.

In the last 2 years we have sold two RVs on RVTrader, a 2017 Newmar 4369 and a 44' Toy Hauler. The market was stronger than it is today though.

I wouldn't broker any RV, unless you are physically unable to show it or handle the sale. There will be scam attempts for sure. You just have to use your head and be careful. Anyone showing up in person is probably a honest shopper.

We are preparing to sell our final RV which is a 2022 Forest River Salem travel trailer. Not an expensive RV but we will still use a RVTrader ad.

 

[Richpatty]

Thanks Joe! I appreciate the feedback. If I sell, I will definitely lean towards selling myself.
Good luck in the selling of your last RV. I am sure it is a melancholy feeling.

Rich

 

[Richpatty]

Going back to this thread as 2024 was not a good year and selling continues to be a valid option.

What does person do with all of the items in the RV? Like chairs, grills, accessories, and the tons of things you bought to go with your Rv? I guess you could ask the buyer if they were interested in buying any of these items? eBay/Craig s list/Facebook?

Thoughts.
Thanks

 

[Joe Hogan]

Regarding the extras, I sold many of the items to the new buyer of our CanyonStar in 2021, Buyer paid asking for RV so gave him a good deal on extras. Depending on age and condition, you might just let them go with the RV.
That said, if you don't mind the sales process, FaceBook, Craigslist, RV sales sites are good options. The down side of the internet is many buyers will be out of the area, thoughts on shipping big heavy items. Shipping fees are typically a deal killer.
However, I did ship an Inverter once to Canada from Florida, buyer was happy to pay shipping. A real pain to pack up for shipping.

 

[punkinhead]

To the OP's original question... A few months ago we bought a Newmar Ventana and sold our Class B. The Ventana seller used a broker who took all the pictures, wrote and posted the ads (mostly RVtrader), and acted as a first point of contact to filter out the tire kickers and scammers. He paid $6k for this service. To be fair, the broker had excellent, professional picture taken and the ad was well written. But once the broker put us in direct contact with the seller neither of us ever talked to her again so I don't think it was $6k worth of service.

We sold our 2 year old Class B through RVtrader. We cleaned it well, took tons of good pictures, and placed an ad on RVtrader with a long bulleted list of features and details. It sold in a few weeks. A few serious buyers, no tire kickers, and only one easy to spot scammer who was trying to get us to buy a vehicle report. It was an easy sale, completed by the buyer doing a wire transfer to us then us signing over the title and handing them the keys.

I don't like selling vehicles and dealing with buyers so I understand wanting to pay someone to do it. I wouldn't do what our Ventana seller did because there just wasn't enough value there plus he still had to do all the end dealings with potential buyers, including showing them the rig. If I truly dreaded selling I would go full-on consignment so I could just wash my hands of the entire process.

 

[John&Andrea]

I agree does not seem worth $6000