Help Me Sell My Flying Cloud

[BobBois]

Hello everyone. I purchased new a 2014 27FB Flying Cloud. It has been in indoor storage since purchase and it literally still looks like the day it rolled off the showroom floor. My wife and I have used it only six times and we have come to the realization that we purchased it far too soon in our lives. So we would like to sell it to a good owner. I have contacted several dealers and it is truly insulting what they offer, not even 50% of it's book value. I don't get that. If anyone can help me with the ins and outs of trying to sell on my own, I will be forever grateful to you for helping me. I am soon to be moving to another state and would like to get this all behind me soonest. I live in Orlando, FL. --Bob Bois

[DoubleR]

Post it on the Classifieds on this site.

[overlander63]

There are several options for selling. Some are better than others. "Selling to the dealer" means they will sell it for what you would, and they have to buy it cheap enough to make money. For a 2014, it is 6 years old, and would need new tires, for example, that they would have to buy in order to ensure it's roadworthy.
Selling here on the classifieds is probably a better option, in that you would get all the money when it sells. You can also post it on Craigslist and Facebook, just bear in mind there are risks in selling in a private sale.

Another option would be placing the trailer for sale on consignment at your dealer. They would take a percentage as a seller's fee. If, again, the trailer needed tires, they would put them on, and depending on the agreement, would take the money for replacing them off the top, or collect their fee, then charge for the tires from your portion of the proceeds.
Each of the above has its attractions and shortcomings, which way you go will be for you to decide.

[azflycaster]

I would definitely use the classifieds on the forums. When I listed my last trailer I was contacted by many people who had interest in buying. I had an asking price offer and the trailer was sold in 2 weeks.

Please be careful as there are scammers out there. Payment forms can vary but in my opinion:
Personal Check = Bad
Cashiers Check = Bad
PayPal = Bad
Cash = Good, but having too much cash can be and issue, this is how i bought my current trailer
Wire Transfer = Good, this is how I sold my last trailer

Also, there are no living relatives of the King of Nigeria with 63 million dollars of gold under their mattress looking to buy a used Airstream...

[terrikana]

Can you post pics and what is your asking price?

[azflycaster]

Originally Posted by terrikana

Can you post pics and what is your asking price?

This thread is about exploring the options to sell an Airstream. Buying and selling are only permitted in the classified area.

[SCOTTinNJ]

Originally Posted by azflycaster

I would definitely use the classifieds on the forums. When I listed my last trailer I was contacted by many people who had interest in buying. I had an asking price offer and the trailer was sold in 2 weeks.

Please be careful as there are scammers out there. Payment forms can vary but in my opinion:
Personal Check = Bad
Cashiers Check = Bad
PayPal = Bad
Cash = Good, but having too much cash can be and issue, this is how i bought my current trailer
Wire Transfer = Good, this is how I sold my last trailer

Also, there are no living relatives of the King of Nigeria with 63 million dollars of gold under their mattress looking to buy a used Airstream...[emoji38]

You can also use an escrow agent, like escrow.com.

[drbrick]

You can also accept a Bank Draft - which is drawn directly from the Banks Funds not the Purchasers.

[superChop]

Call Land Yacht Harbor in Melbourne, FL and ask them to place a 3x5 card on the bulletin board with your contact info and asking price. Over 200 Airstreams (and their owners) are in that park right now and trailers are bought and sold on a regular basis. Everyone down there seems to have friends who are interested in a used AS. Good luck and your story sort of emphasizes how gently used AS’ are the best value over depreciation of a new trailer.

[davet1]

I endorse the A/S classifieds. Recently bought a trailer and sold the old one via the classifieds. The classifieds get you national coverage is important.

For local coverage I used Craigslist. That brought in some interest but I live in a low population area (Central Oregon) so the audience wasn't large.

Using either method, expect some Paypal scams and "my trucker will pick it up in a week" scams. Selling it yourself means you have to wade through those scams.

When advertising, get good pictures and lots of pictures. Identify equipment that's included. Be realistic about the price.

For both my buying and selling experience, I used wire transfer. Easy, fast, safe. In both cases I was face to face with the other party - another good requirement.

Good luck!

[ktgsmokey]

We just last month sold our 2011 FC 30 foot in essentially the same condition as yours - no dents, scratches, always stored indoors and looking like new. Used AirstreamClassifeds.com and got three calls the first day, and sold immediately to a party in California. The Buyer wired the full payment the same day and then hired someone to pick it up a couple of weeks later and trailered it to northern CA. Paid $49K for it in 2013 and sold it for $42.5K after a great deal use and enjoyment of it for 6 years. Best dealer offer on trade-in was $35K. Used the same website to sell our first Airstream (1974 Overlander 27 foot) which we bought in 1999 for $5.5K and sold it to a Florida couple for $12.5K in 2013. Kept it in very good shape and did have it polished, and nice vintage units definitely appreciate in value.

We are in northern WI and trying to sell a winterized unit this time of year made the quick sale of our 2011 FC a terrific deal for both us and the buyer. I would think you would have an easier time selling in FL since the unit is fully operational. We probably could have sold for closer to what we originally paid for it but probably not until summertime.

i think you'll find it pretty easy to sell, especially given the increase in prices on new 2019 Flying Cloud units.

[PatLee]

I second everyone above who says to post your Airstream in the AirForums classified section. It is how I sold my first Airstream. It's free and you can post up to 12 photos (I think). Be sure to list your Airstream's features, using the dealer sheet that came with it as your starting point; and include anything you did to it that provided additional value i.e. tires, rims, modifications inside, etc. Include how many times you took it out and mileage on it. You will get a lot of calls/texts from interested people. You say you just want to get it all behind you but remain patient and stay firm on your price for a while (like a month).

[thewolffman]

We have purchased three brand new Airstreams (25FB, Classic 31, 25FB) and sold the first two on the Forum, both within a few days. In both cases they sent us a non-refundable $1,000 deposit to hold the trailer for 7 days. During this time they purchased tickets and flew into Phoenix to look at the trailer. I did stipulate that if I misrepresented anything or if they found something wrong with the trailer I did not mention I would refund their deposit.

In both cases they brought the trailer at the price I advertised. They came back a week later with a cashiers check for the balance and we went to their bank to cash it. I then deposited the cash into our account. Never give out your account information, period.

Lessons learned, in both cases I got back my entire investment, did not lose a dime. However, I actually sold it them too cheap because the new models prices had gone up a lot in just two years AND they would have had to pay sales tax. So do your homework and in addition to looking at current NADA values make sure to check out how much a new one like yours would cost today with sales tax, doc fees, etc.

Remember you can always go down in asking price but it very hard to raise the price later. Good luck!

[The Flamingo]

Thank you for a great laugh this morning. It's been a crappy morning here in PA with 1" of snow and your coming about the king made me laugh out loud!! Thanks!!

[Scott59]

I agree with others here to list it on Airstreams Classified, Craigslist and others. When you sell yourself you need to think about how you accept payment from a buyer. While there are a few safe ways to accept payment, do not accept Certified Checks. They have many issues and are not safe.

You can safely accept a Bank Check, talk to your banker to explain the differences. The basics are that with a Bank Check the funds are coming out of the Banks own account. With a Certified Check the funds come out of the buyers personal account, which may have been withdrawn before you cash the check and it clears.

Good luck!

[GettinAway]

Haven’t seen it mentioned, and I’m sure the classified section here would be best, but I believe there is also a Facebook Airstream for sale group or section. I have no idea how large it is, or how successful. Just might be another option. I’m also not sure what the name of the group is, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to find it.