Now, just so you know, you are number one on my mind when I write for Woodall’s. I always want to bring a benefit to you, so you think it’s worth your time to read what I have to say. I try to share something I’ve learned, bought, or experienced that will help you in some way. In this case, I’d like to share what I’ve learned about the thrills and joys of RV consignment.
Here we go: They say (whoever they are) that most people get 3 RVs before they get the “right one.” It turns out we are fitting the pattern, and here is why:
•We traded in RV #1, a Jayco Feather Lite travel trailer: we didn’t like hitching, unhitching, dragging it behind us, etc.
•Bought lovely RV #2, our 2006 Winnebago View that we love: however, we have slowly realized timing is wrong in our life for RVing. It looks like we’ll be going to sticks and bricks for a few months. As unattractive as that sounds, we did get into a temporary stick and brick place that does not require us to shovel snow, empty gutters, and all that other stuff, so that’s good. And I got rid of tons of stuff, which is great! And I continue to learn that how I think things ought to be and what they end up being are often two different things. It seems I’ve read something about God being in charge, not us…
•So, at this stage of life, we’ve put our Winnebago View on consignment with a local RV dealer.
•We’ll see what the future holds for RV #3. We hope to get #3 within a few months. We’re thinking RV #3 will be a Class A. We shall see. Maybe God wants us to have a tent!
But for now, here’s what we’re learning about RV consignment:
First, what does it mean to put your RV on consignment? It means you’re (well..we’re) lazy and don’t want to deal with much of anything. OK…I may have offended some of you with that. Let me try again. RV consignment means you allow a dealership to sell your RV for you while you retain ownership, pay the insurance, etc.
How this works:
•You and the RV dealer agree on a price, say, $45,000.00
•You agree that if the RV sells, you get the $45,000.00, however, if the RV sells for anything anything above $45,000, the dealership gets to keep it (we’re learning the downside of this; read on…).*
•You and the RV dealer agree to a consignment period: ours is two months, while some are three months or longer.
Benefits:
1. Strangers armed with axes and machetes aren’t coming over at night to see our MH.
2. We have a place for the RV to stay while waiting for its new home.
3. An RV dealership has access to markets we don’t have: their reputation, financing options, established clientele, for example.
4. Dealers can take trade-ins.
5. Strangers armed with axes and machetes aren’t coming over at night to see our MH. I guess I like this one.
Liabilities:
1. We’re not seeing the aggressive marketing we had hoped for…not that we would have done much better. But I did get the dealer’s “permission” to put our View on Craig’s List.
2. They have advertised the View at a higher price than we would have asked; of course, they want to sell it so they get more, but it could be scaring off buyers. Hmm…maybe axes and machetes have their charms.*
3. If repairs are needed to close the sale (not in our case), we would be responsible for those costs. That fee would come out of the agreed upon sales price.
4. If we withdraw our View before our two-month consignment period, we will be charged for any pre-delivery or safety inspections completed by the dealership.
I’ll let you know what happens. If our Winnebago hasn’t sold within the two month time frame, we’ll come up Plan B. Most decisions have positive and negative aspects; people have to consider their own situation and needs.
Happy tales, and I’m steeling myself in case there are an onslaught of consignment horror stories headed this way. And keep your eyes open for really cool, small Class A’s for me…unless you know something I don’t and you’re scouting out a great tent for us.
Patti
PS: If you ‘re one of those over-educated types (like me), check back next week for how to earn money online from your RV (or stick home) as a tutor for different companies. I say “over educated” because the companies I’ll write about have hang-ups about tutors having college degrees in assorted fields…go figure.