Boat and RV Group ?

[kcsports]

Has anyone used a company call boat and RV group to sell a camper or boat. they say for one price they will list your RV nation wide and even arrange financing for buyers

[crunchman12001]

Run very fast away. They get the fee up front and you get to keep your trailer. They list your trailer for sale in magazines ect..
Sell it here, on Craigslist or RV trader.
They found me off of Craigslist when I sold mine last year. (sold it on Craig's list for $3k more than trade value, listed on both)

[kcsports]

yes that's were they found me also, so I take it you did not go through them and sold it on your own

[crunchman12001]

Originally Posted by kcsports

yes that's were they found me also, so I take it you did not go through them and sold it on your own

Yes, I sold on my own, through Craig's list. Many RED FLAGS talking with them.
The hook guy transfers you to the closer guy. I questioned the closer asking where it would be listed.. He said guns and ammo, bass pro ect.
Said they wanted close to $400 to list it. I told them I would pay a commission after they sold it but they wanted the money up front, (RUN)
How long has your rig been for sale? I priced mine right and sold it in 2 weeks.

[kcsports]

been listed a couple weeks on the local craigs list site and I think I might try rv trader also. I was skeptical of them as well but I thought I would get some advise on it

[crunchman12001]

My "premium" listing on RV trader cost me $80, without a single hit. My free Craig's list ad sold to the first hit.
We have many members here and it is free to post "for sale"
We can help you price it right.
What year and model do you have? I know it stinks, but if you have a late model, bought it new, you might be upside down and have to take a hit if you must sell it.

[Walholler]

I sold our old 5th wheel on Craigslist after being listed for one week. I sold it for the same amount that I paid for it 5 years ago.

[PenJoe]

The best site we have found to sell anything is Craigslist.org-and it is free. We have recently sold a MH on craigslist, but have successfully sold furniture, boats, cars and a truck slide-in. You have a choice of posting it only in one service area. However, they do include the posting in any nearby areas as well, including across state lines. Our ads appear in 4 service areas. I have seen postings listed on one local that included postings 300 plus miles away (two states away). But, when I do post, I post the ad in the least populated area. Why? Because metropolitan areas have a lot more competition! We still get responses from those metropolitan areas.

This is basically how we have had extremely good success:
1. First, we make certain that what we are selling is in the best possible condition. So we detail it.
2. Then, we take a lot of digital photos of all aspects. Do not use photos with a date showing as this will date the ad (see below).
3. We research some of the major sites to see what a similar item is selling for. If it is a vehicle, camper or boat, we also check NADA and similar sites.
However, we have had instances where we have posted $5,000 over NADA and sold for well above the "book value".
4. We do an inventory and list of all of the features and upgrades. It is surprising what you miss if you don't do this. If there are receipts, add up the upgrades and list them in the ad/or a total price of the upgrades.
5. Write the ad. This is where I part ways with many postings. We have been told multiple times by buyers that our lengthy, very detailed descriptions are what brought them to buy. If what you are selling comes from a "Smoke-free, pet-free" environment, it is important to include this information. If you think about it, you generally read every bit of information in a brochure if considering a new vehicle, boat or RV. Why not be privy to the info if buying used? There are two basic reasons for this: People want as much information beforehand so that they can start to feel themselves owning it; and, buyers will most often skate over one or two sentence descriptions. If the seller doesn't provide a thorough description, they really aren't interested in selling it. Pricing too low or the phrase "OBO" (or best offer) are a no no. What's wrong with it?

6. We do not provide an address, but do provide the city and general location on the map. Our phone number is placed in the "Reply", not in the ad body. Under no circumstances will we provide an address without a phone call. The last paragraph will read something like this. "If interested, please call. We do not accept texting (prevents spam and scams). We may respond to an email very specific to this ad. If this ad is posted, the (item) is for sale. We will not respond to emails asking if the (item) is for sale or negotiating price. We have full capability to sell this on our own. Thanks for looking and have a great day."

Needless to say, the vultures will still call to solicit a paid ad and tell you they can get more than your asking price. First, I ask where they are calling from. Then I ask if they have read the ad. Then I ask them how they propose to get more money than we are asking being from several states away and they can't read an ad that says we don't need any help selling.

7. Post the ad with as many as 24 pictures. The first picture selected will be the primary picture. Choose the picture that shows the most interesting features, not the typical side or 3/4 view. Be different from the other ads.

8. We post ads on craigslist for intervals of a week and never more than two weeks. On Friday, (people that work will do searches over the weekend) we delete the ad. . Once it is deleted, it allows for immediate re-posting. This is a process that takes less than a minute because you have the opportunity to change anything in the ad, but the pictures and everything remains. Click to submit and it appears as a new listing at the top of the heap. There is no history. This is the one thing we have found most effective if the ad goes past two weeks. This has proven itself again this past weekend when we re-posted and multiple previous times.

9. When a prospect makes an appointment, we have all of the ammunition when they show up. We have the NADA figures, a printout of the ad, and any pertinent information. At times, what turns out to be the buyer gives a low-ball. We are courteous and point out the information we have. Our response is, we appreciate your offer, but it is worth the asking price (being realistic, of course). And be prepared to let them walk. Example: When we were selling a used boat in pristine condition we had a couple offer a low-ball. They came up when we countered near the asking price, but decided to walk. The following day, a gentleman came from across the state (about 275 miles) and offered near our asking price in cash and well above NADA. While he was making a deposit on the boat, the couple called and asked if the boat was still available. We advised that we were just writing a receipt for the sale. They then offered to pay more than the gentleman. We again thanked them and stated that we would not renege on the offer we accepted. They then stated that if the sale did not go through, they would still buy it. The gentleman brought the cash the following day-deal done. When you snooze, you lose.

Several years ago, we were not aware of craigslist. We posted a new condition slide-in on a paid site. It languished on the Net for months without a call. Our son mentioned posting on Craigslist. We did and within 2 weeks got a sale very near what we paid 4 years prior. The buyers took their shoes off to go inside! We "cancelled" the paid website ad. Over 3 years later, we would get an occasional call about the paid ad. Obviously it was sold, but the paid site left it posted because they wanted to show they had volumes of listings. Never again will we pay for a web posting.

[polishdon]

Facebook market place is also a good place to list stuff for sale.

[D W]

Originally Posted by Walholler

I sold our old 5th wheel on Craigslist after being listed for one week. I sold it for the same amount that I paid for it 5 years ago.

Please give me that fellow's name and number. I have some ocean-front property in Kansas he might be interested in...

[kcsports]

thank you so much for all the information. We are going to try some of these things that you have suggested