The Win-Win of RV Buying and Selling at a Fair Price

Finding the right price for a used RV is a critical component to getting it sold quickly and efficiently. If the RV has the right price, it is a win-win for the seller and the buyer. But it’s not as simple as putting a fair price on a used car, because there is no Kelley Blue Book price guide for RVs.

Too Many Variables for A Kelley Blue Book

With a car, you only need to know the year,  make, model, mileage, trim package, and condition of the vehicle to determine its fair market value.  But with an RV, there are so many variables that the price configuration cannot be easily categorized into a few simple elements.  First, you have to determine whether the RV is drivable or towable.  If it’s drivable, is it a class, A motorhome, a class B van, a B+ extended van with slide-outs, a class C, or a super C RV? Does it have a gas or diesel engine, what type of engine, and how big?

If it’s not drivable, is the RV a fifth wheel, or travel trailer, or a truck camper? If it’s a travel trailer, is it a pop-up, teardrop, or mini trailer? Then there’s the length of the RV, the floor plan, the appointments, slide-outs, and the amenities, to further complicate the basics of the year, make, and model of the RV.  Even something as small as having a second door in your RV can alter its value.

Many Cars in Each Category But RVs May only have a Few

With cars, there are thousands of vehicles that fall into each of the categories of year, make, model, and trim package, but with RVs the manufacturers may only produce a few units in any particular configuration. For example, when we went shopping for our next motorhome in 2019, we were looking for a new RV of a particular brand, with a specific size and set of appointments.  Our nationwide search produced two of these particular motorhomes, (one on each coast) and even they were not identical.  One came with the washer and dryer already installed, and the other was wired for the washer and dryer but the installed appliances were not part of its configuration.  

Wrong Ways to Determine a Fair Price

With that much variability, you can easily see why there is no readily accessible Kelley Blue Book style pricing guide for RVs.  So if you are a seller, how can you determine what the fair market price should be for your RV?  And if you are a buyer, how can you be sure that the price correctly reflects the RV’s actual value?  This is the challenge, but when the seller gets it right, both the buyer and the seller are winners in this transaction. 

Sadly, many sellers just guess at what they think their RV is worth, or they establish the price based on what they still owe on the RV, or they do some casual comparisons in publications like RV Trader. These techniques rarely result in an accurate evaluation of the RV’s real market value.  And this inaccurate pricing coupled with their lack of knowledge of how and where to sell their RV typically result in undesired outcomes for the seller.  

Ignorance Results in Undesired Outcomes

Unfortunately, out of ignorance many RV sellers incorrectly price their RVs, then park them in their driveway with a “for sale” sign in the window and hope for the best. That rarely results in a positive outcome. Frustrated by a lack of interested potential buyers these sellers eventually give up and either park the RV on the back 40 of their property, where it eventually turns into a pile of rubbish or they sell it to a wholesaler where it is vastly underpriced. 

Consignment Lot Not a Great Option for Sellers

Alternatively, if the seller knows that they may need help pricing and selling their RV, they may take it to a consignment lot to get assistance. However, consignment lots are in the business of moving RVs off their lots, as quickly as possible. To facilitate quick sales they may undervalue the RV and once it’s sold, they’ll retain at least 10% of the retail price. Clearly, this is preferable to letting a viable RV turn into a pile of rubbish, but it isn’t the best possible outcome. 

Consignment Lots Not a Buyer’s Best Choice

And what about buyers who think they’re getting a good deal by buying an RV on a consignment lot where the RVs may be intentionally undervalued? Well, what looks like it might be a good deal could turn out to be the biggest headache they have ever owned. There’s no way to assess the real condition of the RV on a consignment lot and the salesperson doesn’t have intimate knowledge of the RVs history or condition, nor are they motivated to disclose any of those details.

Which Brings Us to RV Dealerships

The same problem exists for RV buyers of a used motorhome or trailer at a dealership. The price of some of these rigs may seem like it’s too good to be true. And in fact, it probably is too good to be true. 

On a dealer’s lot, a buyer may find a used RV with super low miles, of the current model year, that is virtually brand new and looks like it, but it’s priced significantly less than its new counterpart.  So why isn’t that a good deal for the buyer?  Unfortunately, many people buy RVs that have significant mechanical or warranty problems that they simply can’t get the manufacturer to correct and in frustration, they either upgrade to a different model or sell their RV outright. 

In our 20+ years of RVing we have met or know many people who bought an RV that they just couldn’t live with because of the mechanical defects and these RV owners all traded in those defective models within the first few months of ownership.  One full-time couple recently said they’ve spent more time in motels since they bought their RV than in the RV.  

Defectives Are Not Apparent

So what happens to all of these defective RVs that get traded in on different models at a dealership? Well, the salespeople will probably come up with a sad story about how the previous owner developed a medical problem and could no longer manage the RV so they were forced to sell it before they even had time to go camping, or some other sad story to that effect.  The bottom line is the buyer (who thinks they’re getting a great deal on an almost new RV) is actually buying into the same set of problems that the previous owner had with that RV.

What is the Alternative? How Can You Have a Win-Win RV Sale?

So how do you get to the win-win of a correctly priced and honestly sold used RV?  If sellers guessing at the price, and buyers getting sucked into a deceptive transaction at a consignment or dealer’s lot isn’t the best possible option, what is?

I’m glad you asked! There is a viable option (a win-win) for both sellers and buyers to get the price right, and then to have a safe effective venue for transacting the business of selling and buying used RVs.  Enter the experts at National Vehicle, who will provide a free valuation of a used RV to any potential seller.  These professionals have their thumb on the pulse of the RV industry everyday, and they know how to correctly evaluate every component of an RV to calculate the fair market price. They also provide insightful tips on how to successfully sell an RV in the private marketplace. 

For a nominal fee, National Vehicle will help sellers create compelling ads, and they will publish the ads in all of the online publications and sites where RV buyers search for used RVs.  To further assist the buy/sell transaction in the for-sale-by-owner RV marketplace National Vehicle staff will assist buyers in obtaining financing and/or vehicle inspections, as needed.

An Honest Exchange of Information

In this marketplace, buyers don’t have to rely on the fictionalized stories of the RV’s history as provided by consignment or dealership salespeople. They can talk directly to the RV owner to assess the RV’s history.  In the for-sale-by-owner market buyers can also hire an independent inspector to examine their potential purchase to ensure that they understand the actual current condition of the RV. 

Accurately priced RV sales in the private marketplace is where the win-win is most evident. Sellers realize a better return and buyers pay less when the middlemen are eliminated from the sale, and the whole transaction is more honest and transparent, when regular people exchange honest information to their mutual benefit.

The win-win all begins with a free valuation of a potential seller’s RV, here at National Vehicle.