7 Reasons You Should Sell Your Used Camper To A Dealership vs. Privately

Selling your RV, Fifth Wheel or Travel Trailer privately can sound very appealing upfront because, who doesn’t like getting the best deal they can? However, there are other things that you have to consider – how much value do you put on your time, and also how much risk are you willing to take.

Just because you can make an extra buck on selling privately, doesn’t mean you should. Here are seven benefits to selling your used vehicle to a dealership that you can’t overlook.

1 – You Don’t Have To Wait

This is a big deal, especially with how quickly inventory has been moving. If your next camper purchase is contingent on selling your current camper, you may not have the time to wait on that perfect buyer to offer you the best price.

2 – Save Time & Energy

Are you a used camper marketing professional? If not, you will need to learn how to list your camper and sell it by putting in all the hours to do so. It can be a lot, especially if you live in a location with a competitive market, like Colorado and you’re trying to get the best price possible. On top of all this, you have the added time of scheduling appointments, showing your camper, and spending several hours showing the potential buyers all of the systems working correctly. Selling your vehicle privately can be a headache to say the least. So a big item to consider is – how much is your time worth to you?

3 – There’s Less Back & Forth

Dealing with private party buyers can be DIFFICULT. Just like how you are trying to make an extra buck selling privately, the buyer is trying to save an extra buck buying privately. Therefore, be prepared to negotiate. Nearly every single person that comes to you will be trying to talk you down in price.

4 – You Get A Trade-In Tax Credit At A Dealership

Did you know you can get a tax deduction on your next purchase by selling through a dealership? This alone can make up for the lost profits of selling to the dealership. It works like this; if you’re buying a $20,000 camper and trade-in your used camper for $8,000, you will only be taxed for the $12,000 difference on the new camper purchase. By not selling to a dealership, you risk this deduction and generally make it more complicated.

5 – The Paperwork Is Done For You

When transferring ownership of a camper, the paperwork can be a nightmare. You have to deal with the title, registration, any sort of lien on the camper, etc. At a dealership, they have the knowledge and resources to take care of all this, quickly and easily for you.

6 – There Is Less Risk At A Dealership

Selling a camper is a big transaction to handle without standard business resources. There’s a larger risk for fraud, and if you are subject to fraud, it’s harder to remedy yourself as a private seller. It is especially difficult without any type of seller’s insurance. On top of this, you have the added risk of exposing yourself to more strangers. If selling privately, be sure you show your camper and make the sale in a highly-populated and well-lit, location, such as a police station!

7 – There Is Added Legal Protection At A Dealership

If you sell your camper, and it breaks down after the sale, the new buyer could hold you liable for this. When you sell it to a dealership, generally you’re protected from any sort of legal action after the sale happens. This ensures when you’re done with the deal, you’re actually done with the deal.

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