A Guide to Selling Your Motorhome or Campervan

Believe it or not, there will come a time when you decide “it’s time to sell my motorhome”, or perhaps your caravan or camper. You may have reached the point where you want to upgrade to a newer model, perhaps something more spacious and fitted with more mod cons. Or, you may have decided that the lifestyle is not for you anymore, and the vehicle languishing on your drive is just ‘dead capital’, an asset you could realise – in other words turn into cash.

Either way, it’s time to let the old girl go – but how do you go about it? You actually have several options, including us (we buy any motorhome) and we’ll run through them here in our handy guide to selling.

This is the way many people choose to go when they’re selling their leisure vehicle as they believe it means they will be in control of the situation and also make more money (by, for a start, not having to pay an intermediary third party any commission). We’ll come back to these beliefs a bit later on – but here are the methods you can use when you decide to sell your motorhome or caravan ‘off your own back’.

1.     Local Newspaper or Magazine

Just a couple of decades ago the newspaper and magazine industries were thriving when it came to this sort of selling. Classified adverts sections at the rear of newspapers, and even larger publications absolutely stuffed with them, were often the preferred method for people looking to sell. Buyers would scour the columns looking for bargains, or the best vehicle for their money.

Although print is not the force it once was, it’s a fact that this method is still popular amongst the middle-aged and older – a demographic which may have disposable income and spending power, and not be au fait with the digital age. The downside to this method of selling is that it takes a little bit of organising to actually get your ad into print, and once it is there it’s not going to be an immediate return. It could take a little time for your vehicle to sell. If you are at peace with the idea of a slightly longer ‘decide to sell to getting the cash’ curve then print is fine.

2.     On the Internet

We mentioned the internet a moment ago, and this is an incredibly popular way for people to sell their campervan, caravan or motorhome. You could sell through a dedicated vehicle selling website, or you could opt for Facebook Marketplace (which has become increasingly popular in the last couple of years). Other selling sites such as eBay and Gumtree may also bring you fairly instant returns as a lot of people use them.

When you are putting your listing together, there is some effort required. You should be as descriptive as you can be in your text, and also include as many photographs as possible so that potential buyers can see as much of what they’re interested in buying as they can. Certainly you should include a photo of any defects (if, say, a wing mirror has a crack, or there is a scratch on the rear wheel arch), as this type of information having been omitted is something that can really irritate buyers when they come to examine the vehicle in person, and will affect their sense of value of the vehicle.

3.     Window Advert

This is an almost completely ‘analogue’ way to go when you are selling: Parking up your vehicle in your drive or on the street outside your house and placing an advert in the most publicly visible window. Bear in mind that this is quite a low-key way to go. There will not be that many people who see the advert (it all depends where you live, of course – and it is different for those who live on a busy main road than it is for those who live in a quiet cul-de-sac).

Making sure there is something people can take away with them from where your vehicle is parked is a great ‘bolt on’ to this method of selling. Perhaps you could include an internet link of some kind on your advert – maybe even get a QR code – which means visitors and potential buyers can have a look at more of the vehicle online. Perhaps you could include interior photos on a webpage. In truth, a window advert set-up for sale like this is great as an additional method to online.

1.     Vehicle Auction

Fairly local to most people will be an auction company which deals with motor vehicles – including campervans, caravans and motorhomes as well as cars. Auctions like this are popular as people can get a good sense of the vehicles on sale by being able to physically see them. There also tends to be quite a bit of choice. You can find the auction house closest to you by searching on the internet.

2.     Dealership

We believe that this is absolutely the best way to sell your motorhome because all of the effort and hassle required to do so is undertaken by someone else on your behalf. There are two ways to go, as well. It’s possible to sell directly to the dealer you are dealing with (this means that they buy from you and therefore own the vehicle, at which point your obligation and interest can end, and then they sell it on). Or the brokerage method is where you still own the vehicle, but they do all the work in selling it for you (i.e. it sits on their forecourt etc). Opting for a dealership brokerage is perhaps not as much of a benefit, financially, as you will have to pay a commission to them to cover the cost of their work.

So, as you can see, there are various methods of selling that you can choose from when the time comes to move on your leisure vehicle – and all of them are effective to some degree. But, as we mentioned at the start of this blog, we buy any campervan or motorhome, so you do have an extremely comfortable and convenient option in Go European. We buy any camper or motorhome for cash, and you can find out more about this on our website. In the meantime if you have any queries or require any further information, don’t hesitate to contact us and a member of our team will be more than happy to help.