Remove Lithium before selling Airstream?

[Acheron2010]

My 2019 Flying Cloud 26U has been on the market for a couple of months now with no bites.
I am particularly disappointed that the 400AH lithium, 1000-W Victron, DC-DC charger, 50-amp surge protector, and soft-start on both ACs add no value to the sales price. Listed at suggested retail of $89K, there are no offers and few looks, even with this $10K in electrical upgrades.
It is on consignment with a busy dealership in Billings, Montana. It is listed in Airstream Classifieds, RV Trader, and various Airstream groups on Facebook.

Should owners remove the lithium upgrade components before the sale to recoup some value?

What else should I be doing to market this great trailer?

[waninae39]

we remove all the extra and migrated them to our new one. most dealers prefer that the trailers looks much closer to the factory spec.

WHY, many new used owners either don't understand or want to deal with new Tech, customer items from old owners and stuff that did not come from AS themselves


thus you are better off migrating what can be re used

[Bill M.]

If it has the 12 volt, no propane, frig I would think leave them in and hope for a knowledgable buyer. The lithium addition has to be worth more installed than it is parted out.

Looked at the ad and the pictures. That is a nice looking lithium installation. I think there are a good number of similar trailers for sale and that times for buying are a little tight. I do not have a suggestion to help. Maybe explain what the lithium upgrade and the soft starts accomplish in the add? Explain why the buyer needs them.

[Daquenzer]

Originally Posted by Acheron2010

My 2019 Flying Cloud 26U has been on the market for a couple of months now with no bites.
I am particularly disappointed that the 400AH lithium, 1000-W Victron, DC-DC charger, 50-amp surge protector, and soft-start on both ACs add no value to the sales price. Listed at suggested retail of $89K, there are no offers and few looks, even with this $10K in electrical upgrades.
It is on consignment with a busy dealership in Billings, Montana. It is listed in Airstream Classifieds, RV Trader, and various Airstream groups on Facebook.

Should owners remove the lithium upgrade components before the sale to recoup some value?

What else should I be doing to market this great trailer?

Drop the price. And maybe the way for you to comfortably do that is by removing the lithium batteries etc. But I can tell you as a real estate appraiser and broker for many years those items probably don't add much value BECAUSE too many people may not feel the need. I faced this all the time as an appraiser when people had say a sauna. NOT everyone wants a sauna. Heck, not everyone wants a pool (at least in Wisconsin) due to the cost of maintenance (different in Phoenix). But things like decks and patios, just about everyone wants even in Wisconsin. I know that's not what you want to hear. I sold real estate for many years, and I can tell you price is King. If a property isn't selling it's the price. PERIOD. If you have lots of exposure and no looks, my guess is it is the price. Remember we are not in a good buying economy if people have to borrow money,

And by the way don't "nibble" at the price reduction. I use to laugh when people would drop the price 1,000 on $300,000 house. Means nothing. You start at least at 5% and most likely 10%.

Sorry.... Price is King.

The problem that can occur, however, is when you start too high, you eliminate the early buyers. And I always told clients in stable markets, that you can be aggressive on the price for about one month. But after a month you must drop it significantly or the property becomes stale.

[Silvr_Bullet]

You may be pushing buyers at the dealearship to buy new, if the price an individual is asking is not worth the extra money and a perceived benefit of a 3 year warranty. Financing is probably better on a new unit. It’s supply, demand and interest charges that affects the price.

[Bill M.]

In looking again I feel that the add needs some more work. For instance I cannot tell if it is a twin bed or a single bed. All I see is some technical photos of the lithium upgrade and a picture of things not assembled that needs to be taken out. Some fluff about what a fine, well laid out, well kept trailer it is would be a help. That still might not help the pricing. I expect the lithium upgrade, as nice as it is, is something you will end up swallowing.

I do not know how hard a dealer will try to sell a consignment if he thinks he has a live one for a new trailer.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

You are trying to sell in a market that is at or headed to the bottom of the "many years" price cycle. RV's have always had this sort of cycle in their prices.

You are also trying to sell as we head into the bottom of the yearly price cycle. Like it or not, you are up in "cold country" the market tanks as folks start to think about snow. It picks up again in May.

Billings is a beautiful place. It's also a bit far from a lot of of the US population. The number of folks within a 2 hour drive is not what it would be on either coast. Most folks would like to drive over and look at something like this before they buy it. If they have one "next door" and one far away .... far away looses out.

Combine those and yes, unless the price is really low ... it likely will sit for a while. That's true with or without the upgrades.

Since the new stuff from AS now has Lithium, it's not 100% clear that a lithium rig is a negative. As others have mentioned, any upgrade like this on an RV or pool is not something you will recover all the money from.

Bob

[franklyfrank]

Originally Posted by Acheron2010

My 2019 Flying Cloud 26U has been on the market for a couple of months now with no bites.
I am particularly disappointed that the 400AH lithium, 1000-W Victron, DC-DC charger, 50-amp surge protector, and soft-start on both ACs add no value to the sales price. Listed at suggested retail of $89K, there are no offers and few looks, even with this $10K in electrical upgrades.
It is on consignment with a busy dealership in Billings, Montana. It is listed in Airstream Classifieds, RV Trader, and various Airstream groups on Facebook.

Should owners remove the lithium upgrade components before the sale to recoup some value?

What else should I be doing to market this great trailer?

To be brutally honest I wouldn't be interested in your trailer with all that what I consider " Needless Complicated Expensive Junk " on it.
Upgraded Lithium batteries yes.
I believe your average camper trailer buyers prefer full service RV parks and get by with a modest sized generator.

[Acheron2010]

Some interesting and thoughtful responses. Thanks.

[Kittycatcat]

Put pictures of what the trailer looks like now, inside & out. Get rid of the lithium install pic with all the parts on the floor. Check what other sellers are asking for similar size (25' - 27') - that's your competition.

But bottom line, I'd go right past any ad that doesn't show good clear pictures for the current layout & condition. Check some of the other sellers' photos in the classifieds - see how they do it - best pics are right side up & in focus.

[PatLee]

Acheron - you need to post a LOT more photos - up to the max that AirForums Classifieds allows - of the Trailer's livability and good looks. All I see are blue boxes and wiring and the opening photo is . . . what, exactly? How does it make me want to buy and live in this trailer?
Also, I had to go through a lot of ads in order to get to the page where your ad was located and in the process, saw several Airstreams that were newer, with great photos, and lower in price. I agree with Daquenzer that you've priced it too high, at least in the current market.
If you still have the big "sticker" that your Airstream came with that lists everything it came with, use all of it for your write-up that goes with the photos. Plus your ad-ons, of course. When you list it all in an ad, it looks pretty impressive to a new (impressionable) buyer. If it was rarely or gently used, indicate that. People want as new as possible without buying new.
Lastly, patience. Oftentimes, it's just waiting for the right customer to come along and clear, good photos are essential in making them think they found a gem (your gem).

[gamakai]

I wouldn't do anything on price, consignment, etc until I posted more and better pictures. Looking at the pictures only, I can't tell if this is an Airstream ready to camp or one that is a work in progress. A buyer would not know if the exterior is full of dents and hail damage or is pristine. You would better off to cancel the ad and start over anew--would not try and fix this ad. If I was a buyer for this model, I would be thankful for the lithium setup but the Airstream is what I'm buying. Good luck

[happy2retire]

Don't forget to add WHY you love the U. We have a 2016 and have been traveling with it for 6yrs. Still like the set up. Glam up the photos, the female partner is the last word. Airstreaming is a life style.

[Sport 16 STL]

If you are moving to another trailer you could remove some of the lithium batteries and reduce price somewhat. If not I would hold on until spring and see if it attracts more customers. Lots on the market, plus going into winter.

[kittmaster]

Absolutely agree with the images feedback. I just looked for the sake of seeing what's what... in any of your pictures... I ask... "What am I buying?". You have sideways pictures, pictures of things "in progress"... No one wants to see any of that.

Scrap all those images. Get some nice shots of the exterior condition, some great shots of the interior condition including the important major components, microwave, fridge, beds, couch... and 1 or 2 images of the upgraded lithium batteries and FINAL install of the electronics as it looks today...

If you were to look at the latest and greatest car or truck online, the last thing you'd want to see is an up close of the floor carpet fibers, the gas cap compartment, and the inner shock tower bushings assembly... see where I'm going with this? I'm not saying your images are that 'bad' but more like, they don't focus on what is important... selling the sizzle of the trailer and what it is as a whole.

I think if you update the images... you'll have a fast buyer even if you are out in the middle of nowhere...

Good luck with sale and let us know how it goes.

Chris

[Life is a Highway]

I think wait look at the new tradewinds that now comes factory stock with your components.

For us it is a personal choice we enjoy the performance especially traveling. You may have to take it out of the sale price if you want to move a trailer.

[Life is a Highway]

Frankly speaking Frank was slightly brutal I’ll apologize for him. He may not be able to afford your upgrades so the hence the attack.

So no one wants the”junk” but Airstream is installing these items from consumer demand. As others have said interest rates are high it’s a hard time to sell.

[goldenchase]

Originally Posted by Acheron2010

What else should I be doing to market this great trailer?

You are fighting a market glutted with brand new Airstreams offered with steep discounts. I drove 7,000 miles this Summer with the Airstream in tow. I passed 7 large Airstream dealers. Everyone of those dealers was packed to overflow with brand new Airstreams.

If you have to sell take a deep breath and prepare for the worst.

By the end of the year I plan to see my "Electric" Globetrotter. It is probably the most modified new Airstream around. If the market remains this depressed (which I think is likely) I will pickle the trailer and wait for better days.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

One of the gotcha's here is that we just came off of multiple years with absolutely insane selling prices on all used RV's (including AS). If you use those years as a "normal" set of prices, you will be way out of line.

A more "normal" set of pricing rules:

Start with the list price when it was new. Knock off 20%. Folks likely *could* get it somewhere at some point for that sort of discount (possibly when AS put in the end of the year discounts). That's the starting point for working out the used price.

Does the price drop 5% each year from that point? Maybe. Does it drop 2% per year? Likely not in today's market.

Does the price depend a on location? It most certainly does. Somebody who drives from Miami to Seattle to pick up there trailer has got to factor that cost into the equation. If most customers are driving a long way, that will impact what you can get.

By far the biggest variable is the condition of the trailer. Thus all the pictures of the outside and the living area inside you see in most listings. Pretty minor issues each can have a -5 or -10% impact on the price.

As mentioned earlier, anything you add doesn't count. You treat it as "free" when you sell the house, boat, plane, trailer, van or whatever. That's just how these things work.

What's my plan? (if I'm still alive when the trailer is sold ...) Everything that has come off the trailer is in storage. Everything I've done so far is removable. It all comes out and the original stuff goes back in. As old as I'll be at that point, somebody gets paid to do all that work.

Crazy !!!

Bob

[Silvr_Bullet]

I agree with much that has been said about sold prices of used units , there is a relationship between what new units will ‘sell’ for, ‘A rising tide lifts all boats’ These things are impossible to predict with accuracy.