Tips on Selling Bus using Internet - Grey Tank Fixed!

[ParryTack]

I got such great advice from everyone with my grey tank problem - I'm back again with a request for any suggestions or advice on selling a class using the internet to advertise.
I've decided to sell my beautiful motorhome and look for something smaller.
Widowed 3 years ago, thought I could do it alone, I CAN DO IT, but I'm just not comfortable going at it alone. Ive listed it on Ebay, Irv2, & RVonline.
So, anyone out there have tips on where to meet potential buyers? I was thinking at an RV Sales place? At first I thought about a park - but that could be dangerous.... hmm?
I stated in my add that I'm firm on the price, I feel I've done my homework and have priced it to sell. Im hoping this will be easy and painless.
So what do you think? Where to met? Shall I hire a helper? What do look out for, what to do to make this a smooth and easy transaction?
Again - thanks in advance for your help!
Anita

[emoney]

Anita, if you were my Wife/Mother/Sister/Daughter/etc. I'd recommend that you find the closest local Police Station/Depot/Precinct and find a parking area near there. That's the ideal spot as you'll spook off those with ill intentions by simply saying, "Ok, meet me across from (Insert Police Name)Police Department which is on highway...blah, blah, blah".

Outside of that, my next suggestion would be next to a Fire Station, and if those type options aren't available, then I'd regulate it down to a crowded parking lot like a Home Depot, Lowe's, Wal Mart, etc. If you can find a dealership willing to allow you to compete with their sales by doing a transaction on their lot, then by all means, that's an option as well, but you can't blame them if they frown on it, plus you'll be subjecting your potential buyer to a lot more alternatives. Good luck on the sale!

[Gearhead383]

I like the idea of bringing a friend along to "help"; safety in numbers kind of thing. Another place to meet might be a Walmart parking lot. Plenty of room and most have security cameras everywhere and there are always people going in and out; very public place. I'm sure other will chime in with a bunch of great suggestions. Good luck with your sale!

[SarahW]

If it were me in your position, I'd probably take the RV to a consignment lot and let them sell it for me. Good luck and be careful.

[amanda_h]

So after all that you went through with the gray tank problem, you're selling?! Aww, too bad but I'm sure you know what is best for your situation.

I second what Sarah has suggested. We considered selling our last motorhome ourselves but after thinking about it more, we decided to consign it as we had more important things to do than to go through all the hassles of the procedures associated with selling an RV ourselves. We actually believe that we received just about as much consigning than if we had sold it ourselves ...but without all the hassles.

The reason most folks hesitate in using consignment is that they think they are leaving too much money on the table. In most cases, this is probably true. However, if you interview some of the medium sized consignment dealerships, sometimes you'll find one who will work with you in getting the most money for your unit but still providing them with enough to work with too. The really huge dealerships are not going to be agreeable to give you a higher "net price" and the real small dealers sometimes do not have enough traffic and/or do not have the budget to advertise and market your coach effectively. So a medium sized dealership that has a good reputation is what you want to be looking for.

One way consignment dealers make money is on trade-ins. That's how I believe we got the price we wanted as the person who was trading for our unit was the one who the dealer made most of their money and not directly from us. They "wheel and deal" in the background to make their money while we are free to be doing more productive things.

Remember, when you sell yourself, you have to be available to show your coach. Some of these showings are only "tire kickers." In fact, I think most of the people you show it to will be "tire kickers." You also have to weed out those that are trying to pull hoaxes, those that want to low-ball you and are persistent enough to sometimes become a bother, and those that want you to "carry the paper" because they can't get a loan. Even if you have a serious buyer, most will want to negotiate and that going back-and-forth in trying to come up with an acceptable price can be quite stressful ...unless you enjoy such dickering.

A consignment dealer will take all of that out of your hands and take care of those who have a trade-in or need a loan. I'm told that the majority of RV buyers (especially those who are buying diesel pushers) are those who already have an RV and want to trade for a "nicer" or an upgraded unit. Dealers also are accustomed to tire-kickers and handling the back-and-forth when negotiating the final price. They also arrange test drives (another thing I was wondering how to handle being in a state where a Class B license is needed to drive a diesel pusher) and arrange for the coach to be taken to an independent inspection when a serious buyer wants the unit inspected independently. It's a hassle sometimes arranging that when you are selling it yourself ...you will probably have to drive and drop it off at the place the buyer wants it inspected.

So even if you do have to "leave some money on the table" and as I've said, it's not always the case that it will cost you that much when consigning a unit, sometimes it is worth it just to have all those details mentioned handled by somebody else leaving you to do other more important things. It frees you up from taking phone calls and arranging showings which can be time consuming only to find the party is a tire-kicker, a scammer, or a low-baller who has no intention of buying it at close to what you are asking.

So to summarize, a consignment dealer will:

* have the unit readily showable on their lot at all times (during their business hours)
* are accustomed to "tire kickers"
* can easily weed out scammers
* will keep the unit clean and secure
* will take care of advertising and marketing
* can arrange for test drives
* can take in trades
* can assist in obtaining a loan for the buyer
* will do all the negotiations
* can arrange for an independent inspection
* will take care of all the licensing, title transfers, all necessary paper work, etc. once the sale is made
* can offer things like extended warranties and even limited buyer satisfaction agreements
* can do a PDI with the buyer

I know consigning took a lot of stress out of the process for me. It was just a matter of going in and agreeing on the "net price to me" and then picking up a check for that amount about a month and a half later. I don't think I could have received that much more had I tried to sell it myself but it sure saved me a lot of aggravation and hassle. I know many will disagree with the consignment process but I'd do it again.

-harry