A little time and effort is all it takes to get the best price possible for the sale of your
Selling your own motor home, travel trailer, fifth-wheel, parkmodel, folding trailer, truck camper,
camper van, truck or tow car,may be the best way for you to get top dollar. You may pocket an extra
couple thousand dollars or even more depending on your vehicle's value, type, age and how well it's
been maintained. All it takes is a sound sales strategy and some of your time.
Valuable Sales Tools
Numerous resources exist to let potential buyers know that your motor home, travel trailer or
fifth-wheel is for sale. Some are rather obvious and some aren't, but all are effective tools
to help you complete a successful sale.
"For Sale" sign. This is one of the simplest sales tools and also one of the most
effective. Place one or two For Sale signs in easy-to-see locations on your RV. Buyers
of used RVs often live within a few miles of the sellers and pass by their homes on a
regular basis.
Location, location, location. If you don't live in a high traffic area, you may
want to find such an area to display your RV. Consider asking friends who live in or
own businesses in high-traffic areas and who might be willing to let you park your
RV on their lot for a certain length of time.
RV Window Sheet. This handy sheet placed in the window of your RV answers most
questions posed by potential buyers regarding the various features of your rig, and
also provides space for you to include your phone number, e-mail address and other
contact information. Simply click on this RV Window Sheet
link, print it out and fill in the blanks.
Ads. An obvious choice is an ad in your local newspaper(s). However, an increasingly
popular option is online classified sites like RVT.com
( RVTrader) Online ads tend to be less expensive than newspaper ads, they reach a larger audience
(nation wide and beyond) and they let you communicate with potential buyers via e-mail.
WE RECOMMEND A COMBINATION ONLINE / NEWSPAPER AD: Once you have placed your ONLINE ad, you can
advertise your unit in the local newspaper, allowing the buyer to go online and view 12-20
pictures. This is an inexpensive way to expose local RV Buyers to YOUR UNIT, as placing color
photos in print is far too pricey. Just a SIMPLE, INEXPENSIVE WORD ad in the "RVS FOR SALE"
section, make it BRIEF like the following example:
2003, 25 ft Winnebago Class C
Slide out, Loaded, One owner Low miles
View at www.RVT.com ad# 1234567
(your phone number could be optional)
The interested party can then view ALL the information and pictures ONLINE, and contact you by phone or email.
Spread the Word. Word of mouth does wonders to help you find potential buyers.
Some of the best and quickest used vehicle sales occur when the seller knows the buyer
or the seller knows someone who knows the buyer.
Place Online RVT Ad Now!
Meeting Potential Buyers
Be prepared before you meet with your first potential buyer, it's important to know what your RV is worth in today's market.
Start by using the NADA RV pricing guide to look up the retail value
of your RV (it's a free service). Then search for RV listings that are the same or similar to
yours and compare asking prices. Before long you'll determine a very accurate and realistic price for your RV.
You may want to leave a little room in your price for bargaining. Keep the negotiations
open. Don't say "yes" or "no" too quickly to any offer unless it's entirely unrealistic.
Many people negotiate for a used vehicle without knowing its actual value and only want
to haggle down the price.
Be honest. You may be legally liable if you misrepresent your vehicle. Tell the
potential buyer everything about the vehicle you didn't include in your ad. If a
buyer complains about a scratch, mark or stain, you may want to remind them that
some wear-and-tear is normal for a vehicle of that age and mileage. Every used rig
has scratches from road debris, and this is accounted for in the asking price.
Be patient. Most likely, you won't sell your RV overnight. Often, it takes weeks or
even months to make a sale. Whenever you get frustrated during the sales process, just
think of what you'll do with the extra money you'll have for selling your rig on your own.
Sell your RV Now!
Completing the Sale
Bill of Sale. Use a sales agreement that describes your vehicle and spells out the
sales price. State that the buyer is purchasing the vehicle "as-is," with no warranties.
Keep a signed copy for your records. Use the free bill of sale offered on this site as your
basic bill of sale or as a guide to help you create your own. Just click on this
Bill of Sale link, then print and fill in the blanks.
Transfer the title. If you still owe money on your rig, you'll need to pay the balance
in full before the lien holder will release the title. Meet your buyer at the bank and complete
the sales transaction. To release you from any possible liability, inform the Department of
Motor Vehicles in writing that your vehicle has been sold.
You're now on your way to selling your rig on your own. Best of luck!
