Owner guides
Sell touring caravan tips: expert guide & alternatives
)
First things first, if you’re considering selling your touring caravan for whatever reason we recommend you to read our article "Considering selling your van? Rent it, instead!" so you can make a more informed decision. You'll discover that hiring your caravan can be much profitable than selling it, especially after COVID-19.
If you still want to sell your van, then keep reading.
There are many factors that you’ll need to think about and steps you’ll need to take in order to get the best out of your sale. Here are the best tips on how to get it right.
When’s the best time to sell my touring caravan?
People seem to have the most luck selling their touring caravans between the months of January and April. The New Year tends to spark an interest in sunnier times and holiday dreams so you’d expect demand to be higher in the periods running up to school holidays so they can prepare for their family trips.
Pricing up my caravan
There are a few ways you can go about this but make sure your research is based on the same make, model, age and condition of your tourer. If you don’t advertise your caravan for a fair price, the likelihood is that it won’t sell so it’s important to have a good starting point and work from there (there will most likely be some haggling involved later on anyway).
Check out online marketplaces
Websites like Ebay, Gumtree and Auto Trader are great places to get a good idea of how much you should be selling your caravan for. Just search for your caravan make, model and age and presuming yours is in ‘good’ condition, find one that is advertised as so. Make sure it’s a private seller as traders will up their prices slightly.
On Ebay you can even search by completed listings to see what they have actually sold for versus what people are listing them for. It will give you an idea of what people are willing to pay and helps you set the minimum you’d accept, but of course, keep that to yourself!
Take a trip to a dealer
You could get them to quote you a price on buying it from you. Bear in mind that they will need to service the vehicle and provide a warranty to the next buyer so they’ll offer you quite a bit less than what you might expect or want to sell it for. But if you’re after a quick sale and you’re happy with the money they have offered you it could be the option you’ll want to take.
Get an online valuation
Some companies offer ‘free’ valuations online or over the phone but often you’ll be agreeing to give them your details for future marketing so be sure to ask what they will be doing with your personal data.
What do I include in my caravan advertisement?
You should be as helpful as possible so if you pre-empt any possible questions from potential buyers then it will make your selling process go a lot smoother.
The more truthful, informative and helpful you are with your ad content, the more trustworthy the buyer will see you as and you will avoid taking even more time answering lots of questions.
Be honest and open in your ad
If your caravan does have any damage or wear and tear, be clear and open about the extent of it and provide photos as it’ll save you a lot of time dealing with people that are after ‘immaculate’ specimens. Because not all layouts and specifications suit everyone, you could even include your pros and cons of your model so that a potential buyer can decide whether it’s really right for them before they view it.
Take lots of photos
Get lots of good quality photos of your tourer as people will most likely ask for them anyway. Make sure they’re clear, bright and not taken from angles that don’t give the full effect of the space (or make people tilt their heads).
We have a complete guide on "How to photograph your van to rent it faster " that might work as well to sell it, too.
Include all the specifications
People will want to do their own research and comparisons before buying a caravan so give them all the key facts to make it easy for them. Include the following as a minimum but expand as much as you can.
Make, model and age
Berth capacity
Length, height and weight
Condition, internal, external and mechanical
Number of previous owners
Specify that it’s a used caravan
Service history and CRiS documents
Fixed bed/twin bed/bunk bed
End washroom/centre washroom
End kitchen/centre kitchen
Double dinette/end dinette
Single axle/twin axle
Appliances
Extras: Alarm systems/water carriers/awnings/propane tanks and any additional extras you will be providing as part of the price.
It’s all about the presentation so clean your caravan to within an inch of its life!
Get that cleaning cloth, vacuum and mop into every nook and cranny there is; leave no cupboard, drawer or appliance untouched because no-one wants to buy a dirty caravan. People will always ask to view your tourer before they put down any money so you’ll need to make the best impression possible.
Where should I place my ad?
As mentioned previously, you can list your caravan online on marketplace and auction sites like Ebay, Gumtree and Auto Trader. You’ll have to pay for your listing, with some offering different packages and features to use to enhance your ad and make it stand out over others.
You’ll need to specify whether you want to list it at a fixed price or auction it off with or without a reserve. Prices to list will differ between the sites so make sure you’re aware of these upfront costs before you start and go with the ones that you are comfortable paying for.
Once it’s live prepare for some interest and make sure that you respond to any queries promptly so that people aren’t put off.
Is selling my caravan the best option I have?
Well, this all depends on what are your goals and what you want to do next. Are you looking to put the money towards an upgrade, are you no longer interested in the caravanning lifestyle or can you no longer afford it? You may have been assessing how much time you get to spend in your caravan versus the costs involved in maintaining it.
Whatever your situation, you do have another option other than selling up.
Hiring out your caravan instead
You could be earning extra cash by hiring out your caravan when you’re not using it. If it’s an upgrade you really want however, hiring out could even help you get the caravan of your dreams whilst still having that additional revenue stream.
See our blog " Considering selling your van? Rent it, instead! " on why this could work for you and what you could be earning over the next few years by sharing your caravan with others and helping them make those oh so important family holiday memories.
You can also**find out how much your specific van can earn you with our free calculator** .
How it is to hire it out with Camplify?
With Camplify you can list your van for free and enjoy all the advantages we have for owners so you can sleep like a baby while your van is hired.
We do not charge you anything for advertising your van.
If you do not have all-risk insurance, we provide you one when you sign up, as we saw before.
We give you a breakdown cover provided by the RAC.
We offer continuous multilingual support, 24/7.
You have complete freedom to approve or reject guests interested in renting your vehicle. Your wheels, your rules.
We provide you with tips and step-by-step guides on how to improve your service and your vehicle to get more and more rentals,
We increase your rental possibilities along the year thanks to our continuous advertising campaigns and contents we publish
**Sign up now for free**and start benefiting from our owner's community.
For further information or advice on how to hire out your caravan, feel free to contact us on ☎ 0330 808 1811 or visit www.camplify.co.uk
So what is Camplify?
We are the UK's fastest-growing peer-to-peer caravan hire and RV sharing community. Camplify is just like Airbnb, but for caravans, campervans, motorhomes, trailer tents and lodges. We connect RV owners with holidaymakers in a safe and secure sharing environment. It's free to list and we take care of insurance and breakdown cover while your RV is out on hire.