Community Forums

Drop In · 02-12-2010, 03:23 PM

Looking to buy used in few months and doing reserach. Seems interesting to me that almost none of the DP's on EBAY met the reserve(targeted Newmars, Tiffin's, Monaco's, Country Coach, & Beaver for around $100K.) The no-reserve auction don't some close to the buy-it now price. Seems to me that this should be indicative of actual worth. Granted, EBAY pricing should be somewhat less do to uncertaincy. A 2004 Phateon bid up to 75K and buy it now was 99,000.. Any thoughts?

Refuse1 · 02-12-2010, 03:43 PM

Drop in,

Ebay is like any other place you would shop for a coach except its bigger and still has its share of weird-o's. I have bought my last 2 coaches via Ebay. The one I have now took me well over a year to find. Before I found this one, I actually "bought" 2 others on Ebay and 1 other on Craigslist. When I actually got there to pick them up, I found that they were not as advertised and came home empty handed. (always buy a round trip ticket) I really learned alot from my mis-adventures and that helped me to eventually recognize a good buy when I found it. If you dont have time for "an adventure" then you need to find one on a lot and "pay retail". Some people will list them on Ebay just fishing for the big fish that will pay retail plus. Others are units that may be repos or rough trade-ins that dealers cant retail. If you have the time, keep looking on Ebay and craigslist and make a few trips and you will eventually find what you want. Do your homework and know what to look out for and what its worth. Good luck and enjoy the hunt !

Jim Stewart · 02-12-2010, 03:50 PM

I bought off of the INTERNET. Here is how it works.

Private sellers list for what they think it is worth to them the first time. When it does not sell, many times they lower their price a little and try again. The third time they list it, they often list it for what they owe and when it still does not sell, they give up. It is human nature to think that your rig is worth more than it really is and many private sellers are upside down on their loans. Unless they own it outright and want out badly and quickly, they do not often end up selling it on E-Bay.

Dealers/Brokers/Auction Re-sellers will start high and have a high reserve. They test the market the first time around and very seldom sell the first time around unless it is a no reserve price. They keep the same price the second time and lower the reserve. If after the second listing it is not sold, they lower both their buy-it-now and reserve and the closer it gets to the end of bidding without a sale, they lower the reserve price daily or multiple times a day to bait people into bidding higher.

About half of all winning bids never end up in a sale. Either the MH is not as represented or the bidder just got carried away and changes their mind. You do have to be careful, many sellers have a shill bidder to get people to think it is worth more than what it is. Also, on no reserve bids, they often have a shill to beat a true bid that is lower than what they really want.

Most units on E-Bay that sell go for wholesale or less. There are a few whack-jobs out there that I have seen buy a unit for retail, not often, but it happens. You also have to be careful, if you are an unsuccessful bidder on an e-bay unit that does not sell and get a second chance offer with your low price bid, IT IS FAKE and a scam. If it is a true E-Bay Second Chance Offer from the real owner, you will be able to see the message on your e-bay account, if it's not there, its a fake scam to get you to send money to never-never-land. I have seen these fakes, they look 100% Legit!

tmar10 · 02-12-2010, 03:50 PM

As they say: Caveat emptor "Let the buyer beware."

Be it on ebay or just down the road, you are at the mercy of the seller if you are not an informed buyer. As I tell my students, book values are not cast in stone and the consumers vote with their dollars to determine the true market value. We have been stuck a few times on ebay and take that into account when bidding.

thruthetrees · 02-12-2010, 04:02 PM

Hi, I actually do know a little bit about this as I help private sellers and dealers list their used and new RV's. You can get some great deals on Ebay or CraigsList, but like Refuse1 said, it might take a while and a few trips.
Depending on where you are, there are likely to be lots of RV's for sale in your area, a quick search on RVT.com or National Multi-List. There are lots of dealers and private sellers in both mediums.
If you find the right unit, don't be afraid to make a reasonable offer. Dealers and individuals are usually willing to deal. But Most Definitely, beware any seller who won't speak to you on phone or give verifiable contact information besides email. That is a huge red flag.
Hope that novella helps.

tedward1555 · 02-12-2010, 06:06 PM

HI;
For what it's worth, I just a few weeks ago purchased an 08 Fleetwood Providence with 13,000 miles on eBay. I represent no more than my experience, but so far the experience has been wonderful.. I had done enough research to know the range I would need to pay for the 06,07,08 Discovery I thought I would buy, but this deal came along and I was able to step up, pay just a little more and get a higher Fleetwood line and very late model. The dealer on eBay has a 100% rating and I can see why... Once we had agreed on a price ( i just picked up the phone and negotiated with them ), we exchanged wiring info and I flew to Phoenix to pick it up. They had put it through an extensive service and inspection, and it is in tip top shape. I have had two problems that shouldn't have happened, and they paid to have those fixed without complaining. I also got them to throw in a 1 year Good Sam Club warranty. Do your research, talk to the dealers, ask for references, read their feedback... but in the end you can get a good deal on the internet.
Good luck.
Ed

mythplaced · 02-12-2010, 07:57 PM

Agreed,

Mine came off e-bay and I couldn't be happier

Now that I fixed...
Refrigerator
AGS
Fuel pump
tires
Batts
exhaust manifold

but I paid so little, that it was still a bargain, And I knew what I was getting into

MACRacing · 02-12-2010, 08:39 PM

I have bought a number of large things on ebay, three cars and now a motor home. You can find all kinds of things on ebay. Look at feedback and make sure its feed back on selling motor homes. Also each time I called and spoke with the seller and was comfortable before bidding or working out a deal. Also each time we had an agreement that if I showed up and the vehicle was not as advertised I could walk away. It has never happened. Currently I bought a 2002 monaco and I knew it was a repo and was from an auction. I also knew it needed work but it was such a good deal even with my time and money it will still be worth it.
Hope this helps
Mat

csp · 02-13-2010, 07:20 PM

I bought mine on Ebay. The guy was honest about everything. I also bought it for about half the value. I took a chance flying 1100 miles to pick it up and giving him a $2000 deposit but it worked out really good. Hope your buying experience goes as good as mine.
Chris

OSL50 · 02-13-2010, 07:49 PM

You want to be carefull when buying on ebay. The first motorhome I bought on ebay was not as advertised but I got it for a real low price and I sold it for what I payed for it. The motorhome I now have I bought from a dealer on ebay and it was better than advertised. It was a repo and the used car dealer didn't know what they had. The next motorhome I will be buying will be to fulltime and I will need to look at it before I buy. I have bought a lot of items on ebay and you want to make sure that they have a lot of feedback before you you can trust them. Just my thoughts.

keninvic · 02-14-2010, 03:57 PM

csp..Did you give him the $2000 sight unseen?

keninvic · 02-14-2010, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tedward1555

HI;
For what it's worth, I just a few weeks ago purchased an 08 Fleetwood Providence with 13,000 miles on eBay. I represent no more than my experience, but so far the experience has been wonderful.. I had done enough research to know the range I would need to pay for the 06,07,08 Discovery I thought I would buy, but this deal came along and I was able to step up, pay just a little more and get a higher Fleetwood line and very late model. The dealer on eBay has a 100% rating and I can see why... Once we had agreed on a price ( i just picked up the phone and negotiated with them ), we exchanged wiring info and I flew to Phoenix to pick it up. They had put it through an extensive service and inspection, and it is in tip top shape. I have had two problems that shouldn't have happened, and they paid to have those fixed without complaining. I also got them to throw in a 1 year Good Sam Club warranty. Do your research, talk to the dealers, ask for references, read their feedback... but in the end you can get a good deal on the internet.
Good luck.
Ed

You said you picked up the phone and negotiated a price? Wouldnt you have to wait for the ebay auction to end 1st? or did the dealer pull down the ebay ad after talking to you?

Superslif · 02-14-2010, 05:05 PM

Being an active Ebay seller for 10 years, about 5 years ago I listed my old 99' pop-up on Ebay with a reserve price. The bidding didn't hit the reserve, but a person contacted me after the auction, took a look at the trailer, at which time we meet in the middle as to a price. Buyer happy ~ Seller happy~

csp · 02-14-2010, 08:36 PM

keninvic
That was the scary part wiring him $2000.00 without ever meeting him. I had only talked to him on the phone. I could have been talking to someone in another country who was scamming me.
Your question about negotiating on the phone. If you agree with them on a price, then all they have to do is change or ad a buy it now to the negotiated price. I have done this in selling and buying.
Chris