Fiberglass RV Pricing - Holding Value vs. Usage Depreciation - Fiberglass RV
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Old 07-30-2009, 11:12 PM   #1
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Hello,
I love this site and appreciate all of the helpful people within the community. I have received much valuable assistance in the form of advice, directions and referrals.
That said, I have a bone to pick.

I have noticed more than once where posters have piped in to advise a seller that their asking price is too low. That often appears to be thinly veiled I must say.
Also I have to say compared to what?

I purchased an early Burro for $1200. It wasn't missing any parts, but was in need of service and repair. That said, I was camping in it a couple of weeks after I bought it. It is still in need of quite a bit.
I replaced the cusions with lounge chair cusions that I modified on the sewing machine because the originals had an odor I did not care for. Some zippers were also bad. After first searching for replacements, I found out that foam is unbelievably expensive, especially the thick dense stuff.

Prior to the Burro purchase, I looked at a Fiberstream that needed a refrigerator. The replacement cost was very very high. That's why many have settled for dorm room models. Obviously that is not what was intended when the trailer was built.

For the Burro I bought floor covering, window frame sealant, exterior trim, patch material, had the crank down jack modified and fixed to work and etc. Those things are a hundred here a hundred there.
Whether one enjoys the project or not, there is the cost.

I recently looked at a trailer which I was hoping to purchase. The seller placed a price based upon indirect advice, namely "That price is too low" for a such and such.
The seller has done nothing to improve the trailer, and has actually damaged quite a few parts. Yet, now the seller is asking more than what it was purchased for.
The seller used it and the trailer deterioration through use is expected unless the owner takes pains to prevent, repair and refurbish when necessary.

However, even when an object, which, as the fiberglass trailers are said to do, holds its value, there is a depreciation directly linked to the amount of wear and tear. More equals more. Or is it less?
Sellers need to know when they say everything is good except this this and that, that those are going to cost and cost plenty and that they are only going to get repaired with much sweat and time as well.

All of that said, I don't know what it's worth myself. lol
Sincerely,
Mitchell
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Old 07-31-2009, 04:34 AM   #2
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Mitchell, well said! I agree completely.
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Old 07-31-2009, 06:11 AM   #3
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Of course the proof is in the pudding: If they price it "high" and it doesn't sell, then it was too high. If they price it "high" and it does sell, then it was the right price --- for that trailer, that sale, that time.

Sure, some people will pay too much who have not done their research - there are always those people in any market. But still no seller is going to get more than they can get - it's not possible.

There will always be those special "deals" wherein the seller had no clue; conversely there will be the eager buyers who don't realize how much certain fixes are and therefore pay "too much." But by and large the market will self-regulate, right?

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Old 07-31-2009, 07:16 AM   #4
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I find that there are less and less uninformed sellers due to the ability to look up general values on the internet.
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Old 07-31-2009, 07:19 AM   #5
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Yes, this market will ultimately self regulate, as will every market. I would however like to see this remain an affordable hobby. Maybe I worry too much about what happend to the street rodding hobby, much better rods today but you have to be a profeesional and or loaded, or everyone laughs at you.
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Old 07-31-2009, 07:22 AM   #6
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I 100% agree Raya. We can always point to one or two or more trailers that were overpriced... and sold, just as someone has always found the "deal of the century." Buying and selling trailers is no different than buying or selling anything else. Both parties need to do their own research, decide for themselves what price they're willing to sell/buy for, work within their own budgets/needs... and go from there.

But the one thing we all know for a fact, molded lightweight fiberglass trailers substantially keep their value over other build types. But, what is similar is wear and tear on everything but the shell. That boils down to maintenance issues.... same, same.

And lastly, IMHO it's ALWAYS better from a sellers viewpoint to start the pricing high and go down as necessary.
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Old 07-31-2009, 07:53 AM   #7
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Interesting topic. From what I recall from my old college days... WAAAYYYYYYY back... "fair market value" is the amount agreed to by a willing buyer and a willing seller (neither of whom is under any pressure) where each has full knowledge of all the facts and circumstances.

Something like that.

That is the long way of saying Raya is right. I suppose the biggest issue is "full knowledge" - knowledge of the market ##AND## "this" particular unit.

Sure, the seller (and his/her friends and advisors) are going to shoot high. Just as many buyers will try to low ball. That is exactly the process to determine "fair value".

Interesting dilemma.
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Old 07-31-2009, 11:55 AM   #8
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Hello,
Thank you for those replys to my concern.

I can not disagree with anything that I read here in this thread, on the one hand, and common sense for either party could be presumed as a prerequisite.
On the other, the notion of a Shill must be considered. I have seen buyers pay way more for items than that at which they were market valued.
Now, you can argue that therefore what they payed is the market value. The best way to find out is to try to resell.
Certainly, for every item over paid for, we should find one under paid for.

One problem that is created on the internet is that it is super easy to find asking prices for used items. However, it is the sale price that should lend to future asking prices. This whether the market rises or sinks. With real estate or stocks for example, the sale price is recorded and made public. Now anybody can know what everybody paid.

I did not post this subject elsewhere on the internet or for completely unrelated strangers. I posted it here in order to suggest to the community that it might not be appropriate to act as a shill, even indirectly, and especially not in order to prop up the value of one's own trailer.
Is it honest information?

( I do not say that anybody has done this, only that maybe it shouldn't be done.)

This is my notion and I'll take responsibility for it. I expect and accept that my view may not be shared in part or in whole by everyone and I appreciate hearing from all sides on this issue.

Thank you again to those who provide this site and forum and to those who are assisting me by sharing their knowledge and ideas.
Mitchell
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Old 07-31-2009, 01:18 PM   #9
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There is also the demand issue - right now there is a real lack of FG trailer up here in BC and prices have risen 15-30% from what I have seen last year. I believe this is because of the downsizing of people's cars, people wanting to purchase used over new and the general 'Staycation' trend that the economy has forced on us.

As Donna said, the actual shell of these trailers are durable for the long term so after the initial deprecation on the units I think they hit a bottom line price and never really drop farther if they are well maintained.
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Old 07-31-2009, 02:19 PM   #10
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One of the really great archives on this website, is the Sale Archives. Granted they MAY not show what a trailer finally sold for... either up or down, but it's a starting point for someone trying to find the value placed on a trailer. It's completely Searchable, like all the topics, so if someone is trying to find only Fiberstreams, for instance, that's easy enough to do. then too, we always try to point people to the Sale Archives, For Sale and Referrals when attempting to obtain information for insurance purposes.
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Old 07-31-2009, 02:51 PM   #11
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I haven't noticed any kind of evil plan here to force prices upwards myself. I would guess that most are just trying to be helpful based on what they've seen on the marketplace. I also don't see how any of this pertains more to used trailers than used anything else. In our world, all (most?) sellers want to sell for as much as possible, and most buyers whine about prices being too high. I see it more as the way our economy works.

But keep in mind that older fiberglass trailers in general can increase in value with time, and not because they work better or are in better shape, but because they are slowly sliding toward that 'vintage' or 'antique' status, and are getting pretty darn hard to find in some areas. Because of that, prices vary quite a bit from one region to another. Try telling an antique guy that his rare old beat-up, scratched-up stuff that no longer works is too expensive. They'd rather wait for the planets to line up and for the right buyer to show up.

On the other hand, we found out after buying our trailer that we got ours litterally for peanuts, because the seller didn't really bother to gauge the market. But the seller was happy. And If I was a seller today, I'd be happy to see prices going up. It's all a matter of perspective.
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Old 08-01-2009, 07:58 PM   #12
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Hello Donna D.,
Yes that is another great resource provided by this site.
Thank you again.
Mitchell
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Old 08-03-2009, 08:49 AM   #13
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Quote:
Hello Donna D.,
Yes that is another great resource provided by this site.
Thank you again.
Mitchell
I found this topic to be very interesting and it dovetails with something that I ran across recently when trying to buy a Trillium 4500. I entered into negotiations for one in so-so condition, settled on a price, made arrangements to go pick it up ( in the prov. next to me...and yes, I had already taken 1 trip over there to check it out) when the seller let me know that someone had come and offered more than our agreed upon price. The seller "generously" offered to honour my price if the other deal fell through.

Now, I want a 4500, but not so bad I'm willing to deal with people like that! To me this is an out and out money grab. And...it turns out that the seller had only bought the trailer the month previous for a reasonable price, raised the price considerably, and due to demand, wanted a bidding war on the trailer.

I walked away from this deal because I had done my homework, and not just because of the manipulations of some money hungry %[at]#/* . It has left me feeling slightly scorched, but I have to remember 1 bad seed don't spoil the whole batch.

Dawn
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Old 08-03-2009, 10:28 AM   #14
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Ok...here's a quick review of basic economics:
...You never get more than you pay for.
...The true value of an item is what someone is willing to pay for it.
and my favorite:
..."A sucker is born every minute" (P.T. Barnum)
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Old 08-03-2009, 01:42 PM   #15
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The one thing I find interesting about this topic is that a trailer
in its current state may have different values to different purchasers.

Purchasers that can do most of the repairs needed by the trailer
themselves might be willing to pay more for the trailer, supply
their own labor and only add the cost of the parts to the purchase
price and thus ending up at what they think is a fair market value.

But others that would have to take the trailer to a shop to have
such repairs done and thus incurring the extra labor costs might have
a different view of the market value of the finished product.

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Old 08-03-2009, 04:18 PM   #16
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Quote:
The one thing I find interesting about this topic is that a trailer
in its current state may have different values to different purchasers.

I think this is an important point. Each transaction is between two people with their own criteria about the sale. When we bought our Burro we were definitely 'taken' due to our own naiveté (no forum then, nothing on the internet, I called around, couldn't find anyone who knew anything about molded fiberglass RVs but did find the price of a 'new' Burro, though they were not being made at the time). We did not know enough on how to check the trailer thoroughly. We invested half again what we paid for it to fix all that was found wrong because we couldn't just turn around and sell something in that condition to get rid of it - we kept it, fixed it and used it. Live and learn. When we sold it we just wanted to pass it on to someone who would appreciate it, it was in good condition, but not 'restored' so we kept the price low compared to other Burros listed. We sold it for basically what we paid for it, minus the investment in repairs. Seemed fair to us for 10 years of light use. Someone else might have wanted more because of the current 'market'.

I recently talked with some folks who bought a 3 year old Casita for "a very good price" because it belonged to an elderly gentlemen who bought it, used it once and couldn't really use it again, and his son just wanted to get it sold and gone.

There are many motives for selling, and squeezing the most pennies out of the deal isn't always #1.

I don't know how anyone can advise someone on a selling price without seeing and knowing the trailer and without considering what the seller's criteria for selling is. And as we all know condition isn't always obvious and takes some sleuthing around to discover, even then, a frig that works might die tomorrow because it is old and has been used a lot - who would know? So advising a buyer can be tricky also.

That said, getting other's ideas can be helpful if a person is unsure.

Penney
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Old 08-03-2009, 04:27 PM   #17
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I tend to Modify my trailers a lot. To some it is taking away value. To others it is adding value. I view a modified trailer as one that has to fit the buyer.

Let me explain. If someone had a professional paint job done on their Casita and made it a Super High Gloss BLACK trailer, I would NOT touch it with a ten foot pole. To me it is no good for my use in the Southwest Desert. I hate BLACK. Bad guys wear Black hats. etc. etc. Now to someone maybe in the Northwest (snow belt) that has a BLACK Corvette, it maybe the perfect trailer. Helps melt the snow off and is easy to find after a storm or in a ditch. etc. etc

Same trailer in Great condition has two different values based on individuals and their needs.
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Old 08-03-2009, 06:50 PM   #18
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I look at it this way; if I keep my Casita in great shape, and I know that I have put a lot of care into keeping it well maintained, I would want to ask as much as I could for it, irrespective of what someone might think I should be asking for it. And if you were the prospective buyer who came along and laughed at my price because you "know better", I'd wish you good luck and good day.

As has been mentioned, you as buyer (either informed or uninformed), are not compelled to pay what is my asking price. And if I am a motivated seller, I won't try asking top dollar.

To me, it really isn't difficult to understand why someone might want to get as much as they can. And it doesn't make them scoundrels either.

That's my 2 cents worth.
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Old 08-03-2009, 08:52 PM   #19
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Quote:
I look at it this way; if I keep my Casita in great shape, and I know that I have put a lot of care into keeping it well maintained, I would want to ask as much as I could for it, irrespective of what someone might think I should be asking for it. And if you were the prospective buyer who came along and laughed at my price because you "know better", I'd wish you good luck and good day.

As has been mentioned, you as buyer (either informed or uninformed), are not compelled to pay what is my asking price. And if I am a motivated seller, I won't try asking top dollar.

To me, it really isn't difficult to understand why someone might want to get as much as they can. And it doesn't make them scoundrels either.

That's my 2 cents worth.
Being a homeowner I fully understand the concept of fair market value, and also a sellers market. And, with these eggs it really is a sellers market. As has already been stated by others, the value of an object varies from person to person dependent on what it means to them. All of this makes sense to me and I do understand the desire to make a profit on your investment. I do not condone renegging on a deal in order to make a few more dollars though.

My advice to prospective buyers is to research prices through websites like this, craigslist, autotrader, buy & sell, etc., determine what you can spend, then stick to that. Don't allow yourself to be drawn into a bidding game. Yes, there are scoundrels out there. If you don't get your trailer this time, there's always next year. Half the fun is the hunt.
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Old 08-03-2009, 09:43 PM   #20
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There are so many variables that go into buying and selling these trailers that you can't really pidgeonhole any of these sales to any particular set of rules.

After over three years of following and posting trailer listings here are some generalities that I think are worth mentioning. As I said above, nothing is set in stone and there will always be exceptions, but these are pretty good guidelines.

From the Seller side:
ebay listings that are properly done generally bring some of the highest prices of listing anywhere, some almost ridiculous.
Best prices on trailers sold April thru July (Sellers Market)
Condition, quality improvements, upkeep, and your trailer being one that is "known in the community" for such will bring premiums on price (Some members here have their eye on other members trailers if they ever put them up for sale)
Washing/cleaning the trailer thoroughly prior to sale will help with what you can ask and get

From the Buyer side:
eBay listings that are not properly done have resulted in some "steals."
Best buys on trailers September thru end of February (Buyers Market)
Project trailers, poor condition/upkeep, bad mods, will lower the price that you'll get
Not washing, cleaning the trailer or prepping for sale lowers the price. (Remember the ads in the spring where they offered the trailer for 30 days at $$$ before they cleaned it and after they cleaned it in 30 days the price would be $1000 higher.)

Anyway, kinda fun stuff to throw out.....
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