Selling: indie buyer vs. sell to dealership

[Texorado]

After just 5 camping trips, we have decided to sell our 2018 NoBo 19.5. It's just too much camper for us, and we can't actually get to the places we want to camp with this thing. We purchased it brand new at the end of 2018, and it has about 700 miles on it. My question is this: does anyone have experience with selling your RV to a dealer vs. selling to an individual buyer? Since we financed this camper, we still owe on it, and are probably going to take a loss. However, is it worth the headache to have a dealer take care of the paperwork, etc, even if we get a little less for it?
Really appreciate any advice...this has been a big learning experience. I guess that's worth something!

[bikendan]

I have always sold my RVs and vehicles myself, on Craigslist.
I'll never do a trade-in or have the dealer sell it because of having to give them a big cut of the price.
I sold my 2007 HTT for twice what the dealer was offering as a trade-in on the new TT.

[Iwritecode]

It's the same as selling any big-ticket item. Car, boat etc...

Trading in can save you time and aggravation but you get less money. Sometimes A LOT less money.

Selling personally gets you more money but you have to deal with listing it, fielding the phone calls and emails, figuring out who's really interested vs who's not vs who's just trying to scam you. Then you have to figure out how to pay the loan off at the bank and getting the title so you can transfer it to the new owner. It also forces the buyer to find their own financing.

I've done both ways. It's really personal preference.

[eye95]

Originally Posted by Texorado

After just 5 camping trips, we have decided to sell our 2018 NoBo 19.5. It's just too much camper for us, and we can't actually get to the places we want to camp with this thing. We purchased it brand new at the end of 2018, and it has about 700 miles on it. My question is this: does anyone have experience with selling your RV to a dealer vs. selling to an individual buyer? Since we financed this camper, we still owe on it, and are probably going to take a loss. However, is it worth the headache to have a dealer take care of the paperwork, etc, even if we get a little less for it?
Really appreciate any advice...this has been a big learning experience. I guess that's worth something!

Have you considered a third option: renting it out?

[dbledan]

In the current environment selling yourself could go pretty quick and bring top dollar just protect yourself and do it right.

There are some places that sell on consignment as well vs. Trade in.

I agree that it comes down to a personal choice and howuch you think you would lose and if you felt it was worth the hassle. Sold cars direct and traded in. We still love our camper for now.

[NXR]

Originally Posted by dbledan

In the current environment selling yourself could go pretty quick and bring top dollar just protect yourself and do it right.

Agreed. With the dealer inventory so low due the COVID buying coupled with the factory shutdowns this should be a great time to sell, if you're not buying a replacement as you're not.

About a year from now I suspect you'll see the used market swamped with people trying to sell what they bought this year as their first camper.

Just have someone review the contract and assure it specifies "as is" if your state allows that. And be completely honest about the condition, especially any water leaks or water damage.

Ray

[JGCTX]

What is the process for selling privately? I'm assuming there's more to it than getting a bag full of money and signing over the temp title (if the bank still owns it). What if you don't have a title document? I saw an eForm for an RV bill of sale. I suppose that's needed or something like that. Would you work with your bank to do wire transfers?

[hobienick]

Originally Posted by JGCTX

What is the process for selling privately? I'm assuming there's more to it than getting a bag full of money and signing over the temp title (if the bank still owns it). What if you don't have a title document? I saw an eForm for an RV bill of sale. I suppose that's needed or something like that. Would you work with your bank to do wire transfers?

I think the process varies by state

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by JGCTX

What is the process for selling privately? I'm assuming there's more to it than getting a bag full of money and signing over the temp title (if the bank still owns it). What if you don't have a title document? I saw an eForm for an RV bill of sale. I suppose that's needed or something like that. Would you work with your bank to do wire transfers?

Everyone will be helpful in this situation. They would rather have you do it right than have to undo a mess. Call/visit the DMV and ask them to explain the process. Call the loan/lien holder and ask them about their process. After it sells and is off your land, call your insurance carrier and ask them to cancel the policy and refund the remainder.

[Tundra 2014]

As desirable as they are right now, you will do better selling to an individual. I would price it high, you can always go down. I have gotten at least 10 texts or emails from local dealers in N. TX asking about selling my current trailer.

[ADOR]

When I sold our 2 year old Travel Trailer, I listed it in Craiglist (for the amount 2K less than what I owe from my credit union). Buyer came to my house and inspected the trailer. I explained to the buyer that it is financed through my local credit union. He was paying cash.

I called my credit union in advance to be sure the title is in the local branch. Buyer took his Cashier Check for the agreed selling price (payable to my credit union). I wrote a check for 2K to the credit union making the trailer Paid in Full. The credit union released the title in front of the 2 of us. I signed the title to the buyer. I also drafted a Bill of Sale with the Term "As-Is". We shook hands. Buyer went home with the title on hand and pulled my trailer.

At this time, you maybe able to sell your trailer at the full amount you want to ask (if reasonable amount).

[Ron.danahy]

I don't know how Colorado works but in Missouri it works just like selling anything else with a title.
When you pay off your loan the bank sends you a lean release.
When you sell to an individual you sign the title and give the buyer the lean release with the signed title. That's all there is to it.
If you still owe the bank when you sell it like in your situation you give the buyer the signed title with a bill of sale. Pay off your loan with the proceeds from the sale and send the lean release to the buyer when you receive it from the bank.
In my opinion it's a pain to sell one yourself when you still owe on it.
The buyer as to be willing to wait a few days for the paperwork from the bank and you have to sell it for enough money to pay off the bank or you are committed to paying it off out of pocket IMMEDIATELY

[PenJoe]

The RV market is very hot. Smaller campers are hard to find new or used. It is a seller's market.

We have done exceptionally well selling large items on craigslist. Do your research, detail the TT, take a lot of pictures and give a very detailed description. Write a long ad making the buyer feel like they are in it.

The last Class C we had was purchased new one year old model. We had it for 2 years. The prices of the new model had gone up. We sold it in a week to the first people looking at it. The pictures and detailed wording was the attraction.
We got our money back.

We would not consider selling to a dealer.

[Oaklevel]

Depends on where you live and if the bank is local or put of state.

We live hours away from big cities and have never had luck with craigs list. We had had out of state banks take two weeks to send a title. Many buyers do not want to wait.

The last one was quicker as our state started doing titles electronically and not by paper when through banks.

Now is a great time to sell due to the COVID buying , but not so good to buy. Went by our local RV dealer and they only had 5 new trailers left on the lot. They are waiting on the factories to build and transporters to get them to the lot.

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by Oaklevel

Depends on where you live and if the bank is local or put of state.

We live hours away from big cities and have never had luck with craigs list. We had had out of state banks take two weeks to send a title. Many buyers do not want to wait.

The last one was quicker as our state started doing titles electronically and not by paper when through banks.

Now is a great time to sell due to the COVID buying , but not so good to buy. Went by our local RV dealer and they only had 5 new trailers left on the lot. They are waiting on the factories to build and transporters to get them to the lot.

That's strange. We live just outside a city with an urban population of 766. The nearest larger cities are more than 35 miles distant. The Twin Cities are about 87 miles away. So, one might say we are quasi rural.

Contrary to popular belief, we choose the less populate craigslist areas to advertise. There are two reasons: 1. Large urban areas have a lot of competition of similar items. 2. People accustomed to rural areas would rather not shop large populated areas. However, people from large populated areas will shop rural.This is a phenomenon we have seen repeatedly when selling large and small items.

Selling is all in the presentation. The item must be clean, advertised honestly, include a series of up to 25 organized pictures, provide a very thorough description while following the picture organization, and include documentation to justify the price. What is considered a thorough description? When we advertised our last motor home, the description was more than 2 pages and complete with documentation. The object is to make the buyer feel that already own it and we are answering , in advance, any question they may have.

We are not bashful to price high. Buyers like to negotiate and if we have a great product, flaunt it. We do not expect to get a lot of calls. As I suggest to DW, one good call is all we need. When we have a prospect, we have a packet of information to provide them. Most often, they have the ad in hand and claim they have gone over it multiple times. They are advised that we will let them look on their own and we will be available to answer any questions. People do not like being pressured. Once they are satisfied, we will ask if they have any questions. By this time, we have a feel as to how serious they are.

Buyers will ask the normal questions. One of them is are you negotiable? The answer is yes, we will consider reasonable offers. If the offer is low, it may be exploratory. We will thank them for the offer, even if it is ridiculous. If they want a counter offer, it will be near the asking price. The prospective buyer needs to understand that we have a good product and are not forced to sell. The packet of information they have has the documentation to justify the asking price. The prospect may walk away and that's okay. If they are truly interested, they will call back. Sometimes a day later and was sold. On one instance, we were writing a receipt when a previous looker called. I told him we were writing the purchase receipt as we spoke. He tried to offer more and we refused. We don't do business that way.

We have used this process to sell boats, vehicles and RVs. Most often, it sells the first week, other times, about 3 weeks. If you think about it, dealers advertise on the Net and have printed brochures of pictures and description. A private seller should do the same. In closing, consider you are a buyer. Would you be more apt to respond to an ad that has one picture and a two line ad or one with a full description and pictures to match?

[Herk7769]

I initially tried to sell our 2010 when my wife got sick. Legitimate buyers were only interested in me selling at fire-sale pricing (which I was unwilling to do) and there was a glut of used ones at dealerships (so same crappy offers).

EVERY SINGLE Internet Offer from my RV Trader ad was a Title rip off attempt. BEWARE

I decided to just keep it until she was well enough to travel again.

When she was well enough to travel I traded on a new one, we got top dollar from a dealer in Elkhart Indiana (Total Value RV - dealership has changed hands so no idea about now); did all the dickering on the phone and closed the deal when we went to the rally 2 years ago.

[The Evil Twin]

I agree with those that advise selling yourself. It is a sellers market these days. Here is how it worked for us when we bought our TH via private sale out of state:
Found exactly what we wanted 3 states away. After a lot of talking and some video/ photos of all the gadgets working, I drove down to take a look. Made an offer and sealed it with a handshake. I arranged financing through my bank and had a certified check sent to me in the name of the sellers and their bank. Drove back down and we went to his bank with the check. His bank took the check, released the lien to me and my bank (both names because my bank really owned it, lol). When I got home, I had 15 days to go to my DMV and register/ title. The DMV gave me plates and filed my bank as the lien holder. It was actually really easy.
Now, the seller was kind enough to let me drag the thing home with his plate on it. I could have gotten a temp tag for $15 from my DMV but I really did not want to make two trips there. Some states will allow 3 days with no plate if you carry the title or BOS.
Hope that helps! Good luck!

[HangDiver]

When I get ready to sell a car, truck or camper I put the word out among my circle of friends and more often than not one of them becomes the new owner. Last car and two trucks went to friends. My last camper went to a friend and he usually shows up with it when I make plans to boondock somewhere.

Wife and I laugh about how all of our stuff is still in the "family".

[FR27]

Sell the camper yourself. The dealers will low ball you. This is a hot market for used campers. I just sold my 2018 for what I paid for it.