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Old 10-15-2012, 12:05 PM   #21
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but some of us with shallow pockets are VERY demanding.
The same can be said for some with deep pockets, that may be how they got that way.
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Old 10-15-2012, 12:14 PM   #22
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There are many, many RV prepurchase inspection services out there- of course, you have to pay for the service.

Here's one example:Pre-purchase RV inspection service for motorhome and travel trailer RV buyers

I don't believe any of the existing outfits "specialize' in molded trailers...Could be a niche market there, folks!
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Old 10-15-2012, 02:39 PM   #23
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Name: Dave
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British Columbia
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After spending some time in the auto sales industry (many years ago), I came to the conclusion that there are honest sellers and there are successful sellers - but there are no successful honest sellers.

Add to that the points noted above about what I find to be "excellent condition" and what YOU find to be "excellent" (or even "tolerable") condition are seldom the same.

I have always found that only time any of my stuff is actually clean (house/car/trailer) is when I am selling it. THEN it gets thoroughly detailed etc. Otherwise, while it will be mechanically serviced MUCH better than "normal" or "recommended" it may go years (literally) sans getting washed etc. If I list something for sale, you may be assured that (at that point in time) it is clean, spotless, professionally detailed inside & out, odor free and appearing to be 100% new and unused.

People will buy "clean", but have no concept of how to look for "mechanically sound".

People will spend 3 weeks looking for a new pair of jeans, but will buy a new car "because it is blue" or will buy a trailer because it is clean.

Otherwise - repeat after me (or write on the blackboard 100 times! )
"There is NO SUCH THING as a fully honest seller!"

After doing a LOT of research, it can be said that "it works too well" and "it is too nice" have never been legitimate reasons for selling something.
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Old 10-15-2012, 03:16 PM   #24
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Name: kootenai girl
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British Columbia
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Carol - no it was one in Alberta. Yes, that is great if people are willing to have a look at something and take pics before a long drive (Thanks) and I would certainly do the same in my area for anyone.
Prepurchase inspection - I think the concern I have is that many people do not have a good idea of what to look at when it comes to the fiberglass trailers. We did actually have a friend who was driving close by to the trailer I looked at but after seeing it I do not think he would have picked up on most things and would have thought on the surface it looked okay! A service just for fiberglass would be great but my guess is our informal network is probably more realistic.
Jack - I think I was more frustrated because it was a 2008 trailer at a high price and I guess my expectations were a lot higher than if it was 25 years old at a lower price. My mistake obviously! On saying that I have seen several 'vintage' trailers that the owners idea of good condition and mine was very different too. One Trillium had a broken window, no spare tire or battery or propane tank, fridge didn't work, obvious evidence of leaks, fiberglass damage etc etc but was in "excellent' condition and they were offended when we suggested otherwise.
Dave - really enjoyed your comments, so true on many levels.
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Old 10-15-2012, 03:27 PM   #25
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The seller of my Cantaloupe described it as having a "mint" interior. Maybe he meant that he left a candy in there. But, the price I paid for it was more in the manure range.
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Old 10-15-2012, 05:20 PM   #26
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We have been trying to sell a truck for quite some time. I used NADA to set the price and based on their guidance said "very good condition" in the ad. First there's the offshore buying for my brother, sister, mother, cousin etc., have my agent pick it up, pay full price to your pay pal account folks. Got to give them credit for creativity. Then there's the one who wants a new truck at a used truck price. They're always fun. Maggie handled the guy who said "why only very good, why not excellent?" The one that took a 45 minute test drive and then said he really wanted a Jeep was mine. People say they are coming and don't show. I really had nothing better to do on a sunny Sunday afternoon. We had several out of state car dealerships make sight unseen low ball offers. One was a kid who just graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Business; hired to scour the Craigs list for "deals". Tough way to pay off those student loans.

We like the truck. It tows well. So it's not the end of the world if we keep it for a while longer. Having been on the "drive several hundred miles only to walk away" side as well, I've decided it's just the way it is. That's probably why most people go to a dealer. Rarity combined with life being too short makes the egg hunt more difficult. Until you get one it's just hard. Hang in there. Raz
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Old 10-15-2012, 06:46 PM   #27
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People say they are coming and don't show.
Those are my fav! Happens when you try and sell anything. Then people wonder why you will not hold a trailer without a deposit until they can get to see it next week.
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Old 10-15-2012, 07:31 PM   #28
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Trailer: 1973 boler 13', Earlton On
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Those are my fav! Happens when you try and sell anything. Then people wonder why you will not hold a trailer without a deposit until they can get to see it next week.
Deposit? Haha. We went to view a car at a dealer's lot. Our visit to the dealer was based on a listing in autotrader online. The car was listed for a price of $9999. When we arrived, the sales rep sat us down at his desk. He looked up the car on his computer and told us that the real price of the car was $9999 + a processing fee of $1000. Because this was a special weekend sale, he could wave the processing fee. Gee. How generous.

After this conversation, he disappeared to bring the car out for us. 15 minutes later, he came back. He couldn't find the car. Apparently it had "gone missing." He advised us that if we made a deposit today, he would wave the processing fee and we could look at the car on Monday. We told him we would take our chances.

On Monday we called the sales rep to ask if he found the car. He never called us back. A few days later the online listing for the vehicle disappeared. This was a large city dealership. My guess is that the vehicle already had an interested buyer and a final transaction was pending. Who knows for sure.

There are fraudsters who will list a vehicle that does not even exist. We came across one of these in our search as well. Apparently the car was located in another city, but if we made a deposit the seller would make the vehicle available for our viewing. Apparently this is a common fraud routine.

Unfortunately unnecessary deposits and fees are abused on both sides of the equation. If a car had been to our liking we would have been happy to make a deposit, but not before.

Derek
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Old 10-15-2012, 09:06 PM   #29
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That is the reason I went eggless for now. I wanted Casita only and they are not in Mn for sale often. I gave up after looking for about 9 months. If I lived in the southern states, I would have my egg, but they are few and far between up north, and as you say, not to the standards you and I are looking for. I am not driving across the country for a lemon. I am hoping you will find one in time. The last one I looked at had been rolled and they guy did not say a word until I pointed it out. Good ones go fast.
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Old 10-16-2012, 06:30 AM   #30
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Originally Posted by BCDave View Post
After spending some time in the auto sales industry (many years ago), I came to the conclusion that there are honest sellers and there are successful sellers - but there are no successful honest sellers.

Add to that the points noted above about what I find to be "excellent condition" and what YOU find to be "excellent" (or even "tolerable") condition are seldom the same.

I have always found that only time any of my stuff is actually clean (house/car/trailer) is when I am selling it. THEN it gets thoroughly detailed etc. Otherwise, while it will be mechanically serviced MUCH better than "normal" or "recommended" it may go years (literally) sans getting washed etc. If I list something for sale, you may be assured that (at that point in time) it is clean, spotless, professionally detailed inside & out, odor free and appearing to be 100% new and unused.

People will buy "clean", but have no concept of how to look for "mechanically sound".

People will spend 3 weeks looking for a new pair of jeans, but will buy a new car "because it is blue" or will buy a trailer because it is clean.

Otherwise - repeat after me (or write on the blackboard 100 times! )
"There is NO SUCH THING as a fully honest seller!"

After doing a LOT of research, it can be said that "it works too well" and "it is too nice" have never been legitimate reasons for selling something.

Well remind me never to buy a trailer from you Dave!

This attitude while certainly not completely out of line is also hardly the Gospel either.

There seems to be in general a near total breakdown in the craft of "Selling" everything as a respectable and desired undertaking.
The notion that all sellers are either successful or dishonest is simply a load of crap although I can't argue that most sellers these days do not care or understand why they should.

Sales is Work and we have gotten too lazy to do the work it seems.

You can sell by either selling on price and lies or you can build value and "Make the Sale" as it really should be.
In the last case the sale can benefit both parties and all come away happy,it takes some work though and most sellers these days seem to think the item should sell itself even if it is not worth it. This is where the trouble is these days in my opinion.

Demonstrating the features and building the value of an item through a deliberate and careful presentation is what it takes to make a good sale and the buyer then sees his objections met and his fears of purchase go away.

It is not "Rocket Science" but it is work.

I have been in sales for 35 years and mostly selling items that no one really needs although not always. The first thing I can do wrong is to get lazy and not tell the truth no matter how bad it may seem to be.
All good salesmen know this and those who do and are in it for the long haul have to become skilled at walking a tightrope between giving it away and being honest and still earning a sale.

Lying will always come back to get you in some way.

How many of us have bought anything lately and had the seller even bother to clean or prepare it in any small way to ready it for sale?
Somehow the idea that things should be as we would want them to have a chance of being sold has vanished and people just don't seem to remember or understand that there is some real effort required to sell and be a repeat seller?

One of the advantages of selling here is supposed to be the sense of community built here so that we might expect a more honest and forthright transaction from start to finish and it is each of our responsibilities to do our part to foster that good will and positive experience as we go along. There are not a lot of trailers for sale though so we are tempted to search everywhere and often end up outside of the slightly safer confines of our little circle where the seller has nothing obvious to lose by lying or not caring but if we do our homework well enough we can also get deals out there,I know I have.

The last trailer I sold was not ready for sale and I was determined to remain a trustworthy seller here as I have worked to become. I was contacted by a Buyer and pretty much talked into the sale even with the stipulation that it was not in selling condition from the start and I feel like I went as far as I knew how to be revealing and honest about its condition in detail.

There were items on it that I had never used or tried and really didn't know the condition of and I said so. Other items needed attention and some did not but I said what I knew and I think in the end both of us were satisfied with the deal.
Some have suggested that it is not possible to have a rig and not know the status of some of its systems but I can assure you that is also not the case.

I bring all this up because to paint all Sellers with the same brush just is not right no matter how your experience has been. People are all different and there are still good deals out there to be had and friends to be made.

Time just takes Time.

Ed
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Old 10-16-2012, 07:33 AM   #31
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Originally Posted by Ed Harris View Post

Sales is Work and we have gotten too lazy to do the work it seems.


Ed
Good post Ed. This line stuck a chord. I usually know far more about what I am buying than the seller does. Case in point, when I bought my truck the salesman told me it had a continuously variable transmission. Nissan was putting them in all the cars so the trucks must have them too! Raz
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Old 10-16-2012, 07:52 AM   #32
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kootenaigirl, it must be pretty common. When we were looking I talked to a woman who told me her Casita was in excellent condition. She added, "We are retired and take very good care of our things."

So we jumped in the truck right after I hung up the phone and drove 5 hours -- to discover that the trailer stank of mold, latches were broken, and the floor was so soft that my feet sank down into it.

We were just sick. That's when I decided I wasn't going to drive on any more long wild goose chases looking for a good used egg.

Very fortunately our Casita became available a short time later -- just 25 miles from our house. It had a few problems, but I have most of them fixed and will do a couple more projects on it when I feel energetic enough -- maybe next year.

We are delighted with our little Casita. I sure hope you are as fortunate in finding a good egg near you soon. It's one of the most desperate, hopeless feelings when your trailer hunt goes wrong. But there really are good ones out there.

Wishing you the very best in finding yours!
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Old 10-16-2012, 09:28 AM   #33
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Trailer: '98 BURRO 17WB
Delaware
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I'm going out this very minute to look at a rare White Yak egg and maybe pick up a pot o gold or two on the way. I haven't been to Raretania before but am hopeful the egg ain't broken and the rainbows plentiful [sound of cheerful whistling].

Moral: No one is better at taking advantage of me than I am.

jack
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Old 10-16-2012, 12:22 PM   #34
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Washington
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Ummm, I sold my teardrop. Before listing it, I cleaned it better than my house. I used a toothbrush on the storage shelf. The cabinets and shelf were white so showed some stains from being used. I got the stains out, and then, after 5 days, the first people to look at it drove quite a ways and bought it for the price I asked.

It isn't always bad. They got a good little trailer.

I gave up, for now, on finding a fiberglass trailer. I bought a used A-frame fold up trailer until I save up enough for a new fiberglass trailer. I live in a very out of the way location which usually means by the time I go to look at a used trailer, if it is good, it is gone.

The A Frame was 3 hours away and in a consignment lot. I've used it 10 days the first month, and it seems to be all they said.
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Old 10-16-2012, 12:26 PM   #35
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Smile

"I live in a very out of the way location which usually means by the time I go to look at a used trailer, if it is good, it is gone."
Maybe we should come to your house to camp if it is that far off the beaten path!!
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Old 10-16-2012, 01:07 PM   #36
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When I sell something, I post all the info I have on the item.
My Ad for my SOLD 13' Scamp
Example
1983 13' Scamp travel trailer | Hopkins/ St Louis Park, MN | Fiberglass RV's For Sale
Name:   2scamp6_0-267x200.jpg
Views: 140
Size:  15.0 KB
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Old 10-16-2012, 05:29 PM   #37
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Name: Tim
Trailer: 2006 Casita
New York
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Unfortunately this doesn't just pertain to camping trailers, as I went through a similar experience with a truck I was looking for. I was lucky that it wasn't that far away from home when I looked it over. It all worked out in the end found a descent one after looking and looking . Don't worry you will get a nice one if you keep looking.
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Old 10-17-2012, 08:01 AM   #38
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Trailer: Casita
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"I live in a very out of the way location which usually means by the time I go to look at a used trailer, if it is good, it is gone."
Maybe we should come to your house to camp if it is that far off the beaten path!!
A group came very close. They camped at Taidnapam, which I can never spell, but is just down the road a bit.

My friends and I say we live where other people come to get away from it all.

But it can be a hassle when you need something other than basic. Like trailer buying. Or clothing other than what is called, rigging clothes. One has to travel at least an hour for a lot of things.

The people that bought my trailer had at least a 6 hour day. They lived in a metropolitan area.
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Old 10-20-2012, 07:17 PM   #39
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Name: Jim
Trailer: Bigfoot 1981 Trailer
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With so many people from all over the country, Canada & USA, perhaps there could be some kind of help from members. If a person on, eg the mainland of BC sees a trailer for sale on Vancouver Island, they could contact a person from the forum on Vancouver Island, pay them a nominal fee to go and look at the trailer, take pictures, do an inspection and report back to the prospective customer. This would save the prospective owner travelling a long way at a great expense. Just an idea. Jim
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Old 10-20-2012, 07:22 PM   #40
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With so many people from all over the country, Canada & USA, perhaps there could be some kind of help from members. If a person on, eg the mainland of BC sees a trailer for sale on Vancouver Island, they could contact a person from the forum on Vancouver Island, pay them a nominal fee to go and look at the trailer, take pictures, do an inspection and report back to the prospective customer. This would save the prospective owner travelling a long way at a great expense. Just an idea. Jim
This has been discussed in prior threads and there are pro and con scenarios. Is there any legal obligation in making this opinion, what if the member fails to see a fault, different members will see different issues. "Condition " is such an ambiguous definition. On the other hand, if each party agrees there is no obligation in expressing their opinion, it could be helpful in some cases.
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