Need help selling 99 Alpine

[cajunjohn]

Hi Guys,

Does anyone have ideas on or experience with good places to list an RV for sale?

I'd love to keep our '99 Alpine FDS, but we don't use it enough to warrant the investment.

I have listed on RV Trader. com, but not many hits.

Any ideas on other sites or approaches to selling?

Sorry to have to leave the Alpine community, but c'est la vie!

Thanks in advance for your help!

Cajun John

[rdownward]

Hi CJ. I have had GREAT success selling on Ebay. Only thing you need to be prepared for is that everybody who shops on Ebay is looking for a bargain. I usually list either as a "Buy-It-Now" or set the reserve at or just below the low NADA book value without options. If you can't sell for that low a price, try putting it on consignment at a reputable RV dealership in a major city in your area. Sorry you will be leaving the Alpine family but hope you are successful in selling just the same.

Roger D.

[jlb27537]

delete

[kraig]

What about IRV 2 classified? I sold my last Alpine on it. Craigslist is ok, but you have to be firm in your price. No matter where you it post it, put on all the the pictures you can.

[jdarling10]

RV Online® Used RVs, Used Motorhomes, RVs, Fifth Wheels, Travel Trailers, Used Campers, and Used RV's

[Dave and Jaime]

I second ebay as a potential venue for selling. Keep in mind that almost anything (house, car, RV, etc.) will sell if priced at market. When selling anything, what you paid for it or what you owe on it is totally irrelevent to the buyers and is not a valid factor in pricing. Folks who bought homes in California or Florida at the height of the bubble can attest to that. The current market value of such homes may 1/2 or less than what someone paid or owes. If you want to sell your RV, price it to market, not based on your personal situation.

That said, ebay brings you a large group of buyers and sellers and provides, at a minimum, information about the market price. In your local community, there may only be a handful of people looking to buy a Class A RV at any given time. Too few buyers. But expand that market to the entire US and you have literally thousands of interested buyers. Just as you would be expecting some type of discount for long distance buying solely on the basis of the seller's reputation, his description and some pictures, you should not be surprised that bidders will expect to get some reduced price because of the perceived risk. If you buy anything on the internet, you expect it to be priced lower than a local retailer because of the potential problems after delivery, delay in receiving it and returning it, etc.

I have been tracking a lot of Alpine auctions on ebay in recent months because a friend is looking for one. Here is my tally of actual sales of Alpines on ebay:

Ebay sales:
2002 36FDDS sold for $50,001 on Aug 29
2003 36MDTS sold for $57,900 on Jul 28
2003 40FDTS sold for $72,101 on Aug 14
2005 40FDTS sold for $79,300 on Aug 29

I also see a lot of unsold Alpines with high starting bids that no one bids on. For example, one seller has repeatedly listed a 2001 40FDS for a minimum bid of $74,900, which IMHO is too high for a 2001 single slide in this market. See above comparisons. Maybe someone with too much money will come along and buy that rig but I doubt it at that price.

From what I am seeing, your 1999 should sell between $35,000 and $40,000, depending on condition, maintenance, age of tires, etc.

Good luck!