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How to sell an RV

LettersFromFlyoverCountry

LettersFromFlyoverCountry

Well Known Member
I guess it only stands to reason that I didn't know how to build an airplane and VAF got me through so now I'm realizing I don't know how to sell one. Other than putting flyers up on bulletin boards and forums, is there a recognized protocol and method?
 
One tip would be to not be such a stalwart contributor to the VAF community. That way, they won't try to dissuade you from selling and will in fact actively petition others to buy your plane with the goal of eradicating you from the community more quickly.

I guess you blew it early on.
 
There is a template in the for sale section for selling an airplane it might be a sticky.
 
Moderator note: Gang, please take a look at The VAF posting rules regarding referrals to VAF competitor sites.

http://www.vansairforce.net/rules.htm

Bob, I'm spreading the word about your beautiful 7A. I sure hope it sells soon, and hate to hear about your condition. Get well!
 
Bob, I've bought and sold 4 planes, but all were certified and were advertised on another site. Here are my thoughts: 1) You're advertising in exactly the right place already. Where else are you going to find potential buyers of RVs? 2) Your good reputation is widely known and most of us feel like we know the plane as well. If I was in the market for a 7A, I'd have already called you. 3) This isn't the best time of year to sell, right before winter sets in.

Selling a plane requires patience. It's an expensive thing to buy and it's a a relatively small market. FWIW, I'd keep it on the market but assume that it might not sell for a while. Use that time to keep it looking fabulous (as it does) and relax. It WILL sell...of that I have no doubt.
 
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I'm pretty sure nobody is answering the question and this thread is now about something else, although I can't figure out quite yet what that something else is.
 
Make sure you are financially prepared for the remote possibility of builder's liability being used against you.

A ton of info on this site as well as through your favorite search engine. There are viable strategies.
 
an excellent plan!

LettersFromFlyoverCountry said:
Buying scratch-offs now.
Click to expand...

....I also use this technique for my retirement planning!...except up here, we call them " scratch 'n lose" tickets!

Bob, I'm gonna throw a couple things at you, since I've had my plane listed for 'a while now'.

....I don't think there's a recognized protocol. What works for one guy, won't for another plane or locale. There's always 3 guys on your home field who are lustin' fer yer RV, but often don't have the cash.
Just like the realtor who tells you 'the sign sells the house', if you hang a nice bright prop card on your plane, you are going to capture some part of your market. We found our last house, unlisted, because they were having a garage sale, which everyone does to declutter before they list, right? ;-)
I partly agree that VAF is a great place to sell, to mostly knowledgeable and honest folks, but in just the last few months, how many times have we seen this post......
".....hi, just bought an RVx, this is my first post, how do you do x or y?"
.........so many folks NOT of the RV world have to enter it somehow.
I bought my -9a from a local builder, it was not listed, but asked the locals if they new of any in the area.

If you spend $100 a month on some of the big online sites, you are going to generate a bunch of calls, to be sure. If some small percentage of them come out to see your plane, and then a couple of those make an offer, you are doing well.

I think someone once said that all aircraft are for sale at some time, at some price, at some place....when the 3 converge, it happens!
 
My limited experience

Bob,

I recently sold my RV-3B project on VAF, and I ONLY listed it on VAF. It took about 2 1/2 weeks, from post to pack-up. Here's my advice, buddy:

1) Have an informative ad, with lots of pictures, that answers all the questions people typically have (i.e. engine, hardware, times, etc.), plus the ones you would expect they might have (i.e. why are you selling, what problems surfaced during Phase 1, who was the DAR, etc.).

2) Return calls and emails promptly and expect the same from your potential buyers. Make it clear that you are ready to execute and not casually testing the waters.

3) Ask for and expect a non-refundable deposit (to be credited towards the purchase, should they buy) from anyone who wants "first right of refusal" (i.e. the guy who says, "I want to come take a look at it, so I'll let you know when I can get there... Stay tuned.") Having to pay a little something to inspect it will separate the serious buyers from the tire kickers.

4) When it's time to sell, cash is king. By then, you should have a good feel for the person you're dealing with. Have a bill of sale prepared for both of you to sign. For those of you who are selling a kit, like I was, have the Vans paperwork ready to transfer the builder number to the new Owner.

5) If they intend to fly your bird away, make sure they are qualified to do so. For projects, make sure you feel they are qualified also. Are they prepared to take delivery (right sized truck, moving pads, tie-downs, etc.)? Have you properly organized the remaining parts and instructions and taken them through the "this here still needs to be done" stuff?

In the end, even though I was sad to sell my RV-3B project, the process went very smoothly, honestly and I think both parties were satisfied, which is the end goal of any transaction. Good luck, Bob.
 
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Another Moderator Note

scrollF4 said:
Moderator note: Gang, please take a look at The VAF posting rules regarding referrals to VAF competitor sites.

http://www.vansairforce.net/rules.htm
Click to expand...

And THIS LINK specifically addresses referrals to VAF competitor sites. Doug couldn't make it much plainer than this about competitor sites, and this link is one of the "stickies" on the Classified forum...front and center!

I'm amazed how often folks just don't read Doug's guidelines. It's his sandbox, and it's real easy to play in it.
 
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Mark Dickens said:
Bob, I've bought and sold 4 planes, but all were certified and were advertised on another site. Here are my thoughts: 1) You're advertising in exactly the right place already. Where else are you going to find potential buyers of RVs? 2) Your good reputation is widely known and most of us feel like we know the plane as well. If I was in the market for a 7A, I'd have already called you. 3) This isn't the best time of year to sell, right before winter sets in.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's my thinking. Winter. Bad.

Has anyone found success by taking an RV to Oshkosh to sell? My special issuance probably will have expired by then but I'm sure I could find someone to ferry it over.
 
rv7boy said:
And THIS LINK specifically addresses referrals to VAF competitor sites. Doug couldn't make it much plainer than this about competitor sites, and this link is one of the "stickies" on the Classified forum...front and center!

I'm amazed how often folks just don't read Doug's guidelines. It's his sandbox, and it's real easy to play in it.
Click to expand...
Where exactly is the competitive link? I've searched and can't find one...:confused:
 
Bob, if I can suggest something that the folks I've dealt with appreciate....

In addition to the 'hard numbers' template suggested at http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=69987 , might I suggest you grab a digital camera (not a smartphone) and take at least 100 pictures from twenty feet down to one foot, of all the little spots that you would look at if you were there in person. 20+ of the engine compartment alone – probably more. Macro mode (most digital cameras have a 'macro mode') along every inch of both leading edge surfaces of the prop and the flight surfaces. Under the panel. Behind the panel. Behind the bulkhead in the fuse, etc. An example of a camera's macro mode in high res at https://dougreeves.smugmug.com/Watch/ (go to the link and maximize your screen). You most likely know about this already, but on the small chance you don’t…

So many hundreds of thousands of people have HUGE computer monitors on their desk now, it just seems like a painless, free way to put insanely large images online. I have two huge monitors and often spread single images across both screens – you can make a wingtip strobe as big as your head on the screen. Upload them in HIGH RES to a free two week smugmug.com account. You don't need a CC to sign up, just an email address.

My friend Randy who does pre-buys for folks has the seller do this first, and it has helped immensely.

5GB of images uploaded will do a lot to stop the 'can you send more pics' folks. Feel free to ignore all of this, of course <g>. And sorry you’re selling your RV. You motivated thousands of builders, myself included.

v/r,
dr

PS: Keep a copy of all this data on your hard drive, as the classifieds get auto-deleted here after 30 days.
 
Piggybacking on DR's suggestions...

You might pull the tail fairings off too, and take some high quality pictures of the area.

Build quality back there was a real problem area in my search, so much so that I wouldn't invest in travel expenses to see a candidate aircraft without getting to look at photos first. If folks didn't want to provide them, I moved on to the next offering.

Providing them ahead of time will help your buyers make the decision to come see in person.

Lots of discussion about this in a thread started by Vic Syracuse a month or so ago found here:

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=140972&highlight=Tail+issues

Good luck with your sale!

Rob
 
Aggie78 said:
You might pull the tail fairings off too, and take some high quality pictures of the area.

Build quality back there was a real problem area in my search, so much so that I wouldn't invest in travel expenses to see a candidate aircraft without getting to look at photos first. If folks didn't want to provide them, I moved on to the next offering.

Providing them ahead of time will help your buyers make the decision to come see in person.

Lots of discussion about this in a thread started by Vic Syracuse a month or so ago found here:

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=140972&highlight=Tail+issues

Good luck with your sale!

Rob
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, the faiings and seams are embedded under a lovely series of fiberglass strips, expertly blended into the aluminum using the Darwin Barrie method.

I got plenty of pictures, though.

thanks!
 
LettersFromFlyoverCountry said:
I guess it only stands to reason that I didn't know how to build an airplane and VAF got me through so now I'm realizing I don't know how to sell one. Other than putting flyers up on bulletin boards and forums, is there a recognized protocol and method?
Click to expand...

Admitting to a methodology for sales is a bit like admitting to witchcraft. Not everyone views it as a behavioral science. However, there are fundamentals.

(1) The purpose of advertising is to generate a contact. An ad will not sell the product. It can only generate a call or (these days) an email.

(2) When answering a call or email, the objective is to set a time to show the product. Although you may arrive at some provisional agreement, a sale is rarely consummated until after the product has been examined.

(3) The only purpose of showing the product is to ask for a commitment. The most common failure in sales is self-inflicted; the seller doesn't ask.

So how to put fundamentals into practice?

Re (1) Comfort = Familiar. The more they know, the more likely they are to move toward a contact. So imagine everything you would ask if you were a purchaser, and when possible, put all those things in the advertising.

Re (2) A good ad sets up a successful contact; your goal is a commitment to come look. People are generally poor at asking questions, digesting the answers, and making an immediate decision. You want to be in the position of confirming details they have already had time to consider, rather than answering new questions. It allows you to spend the phone time asking your question, which is something like "Want to look at it this weekend, or next weekend?"

Re (3) When they arrive, take the time to really show them the airplane. Not tell, show. Help them feel it, smell it, and experience it. They won't buy until they are comfortable, and that means familiar. When they are familiar, ask them to buy it. It's not a big deal. Just ask in whatever way you find comfortable. Even apologetic is fine; "Well, I guess I should ask if you would like to buy it" works as well as anything. It's really just an icebreaker, a way to put the Big Question on the table. Believe me, they are often as hesitant to do so as you might be. Somebody just has to go first.
 
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I recently sold our 9A. I had many request logs. The easiest way I found to share those was to upload them to a file sharing site such as tinypic then just email the link to the file to prospective buyers. Have lots of pics, list all the specs, list all avionics along with capabilities which may not be obvious.

I had some call at ridiculous hours and ask questions which were answered in the ad. I had tire kickers. I had some who just wanted a free ride in a RV. You will have to decide how to address these issues.

I would not dismantle parts of the plane as requested by one poster in this thread; let him go elsewhere. It seemed to me that the more serious a buyer was, the more he knew what he wanted, the more willing he was to come look, and decide to pursue it or move on.
 
DanH said:
Admitting to a methodology for sales is a bit like admitting to witchcraft. Not everyone views it as a behavioral science. However, there are fundamentals.

(1) The purpose of advertising is to generate a contact. An ad will not sell the product. It can only generate a call or (these days) an email.

(2) When answering a call or email, the objective is to set a time to show the product. Although you may arrive at some provisional agreement, a sale is rarely consummated until after the product has been examined.

(3) The only purpose of showing the product is to ask for a commitment. The most common failure in sales is self-inflicted; the seller doesn't ask.

So how to put fundamentals into practice?

Re (1) Comfort = Familiar. The more they know, the more likely they are to move toward a contact. So imagine everything you would ask if you were a purchaser, and when possible, put all those things in the advertising.

Re (2) A good ad sets up a successful contact; your goal is a commitment to come look. People are generally poor at asking questions, digesting the answers, and making an immediate decision. You want to be in the position of confirming details they have already had time to consider, rather than answering new questions. It allows you to spend the phone time asking your question, which is something like "Want to look at it this weekend, or next weekend?"

Re (3) When they arrive, take the time to really show them the airplane. Not tell, show. Help them feel it, smell it, and experience it. They won't buy until they are comfortable, and that means familiar. When they are familiar, ask them to buy it. It's not a big deal. Just ask in whatever way you find comfortable. Even apologetic is fine; "Well, I guess I should ask if you would like to buy it" works as well as anything. It's really just an icebreaker, a way to put the Big Question on the table. Believe me, they are often as hesitant to do so as you might be. Somebody just has to go first.
Click to expand...

Huh. I thought this thread was kind of silly until I read this. Sounds like Dan may have sold a few things before. Good info.

Erich
 
I'm a pretty smart guy. I wouldn't have asked the question if I didn't think it had some usefulness to someone else AFTER I got my plane sold. I've been in the VAF community a LONG time so I have a pretty good handle on the possibilities of practical advice.

But hey let's talk primers.
 
The other thing I'm searching for through the VAF site -- and coming up empty -- is GOOD information about what should be in a sale that protects the builder from as much liability as possible.

I'm not -- even a little bit -- interested in the usual anti-lawyer screeds (those I DID find), but I want really solid information based on fact.

Anyone?
 
LettersFromFlyoverCountry said:
The other thing I'm searching for through the VAF site -- and coming up empty -- is GOOD information about what should be in a sale that protects the builder from as much liability as possible.

I'm not -- even a little bit -- interested in the usual anti-lawyer screeds (those I DID find), but I want really solid information based on fact.

Anyone?
Click to expand...

For that answer check with the EAA.
 
LettersFromFlyoverCountry said:
Has anyone found success by taking an RV to Oshkosh to sell? My special issuance probably will have expired by then but I'm sure I could find someone to ferry it over.
Click to expand...

l am flying an RV7 now that I saw was for sale at OSH... I talked to the seller then. I did not buy it but called the owner/builder back after several months of searching and we ended up making a deal.
 
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