1959 Slow to sell

A buyer wants to quickly know a handful of things about the item they are looking at, no fluff, just the bullet points so they can make the choice to dig deeper into the specifics or move on to the next ad. If your past trailer advertising is lacking the same information that your above VTT post is lacking, it's easy for me to understand why you have not had any interest in your item for sale.

You need Pictures, lots of pictures (a hundred), show the work in progress, as well as the finished trailer. If you were selling a two-million-dollar house, your Relator would "stage the house" to make the photos appear as inviting as possible. Do the same, show your trailer fully set up at the campground, awning set up, and a fire in the firepit. Lighting is very important when taking photos. Without any photos, the buyer is not able to figure out if he's interested in digging deeper into the sale.

Price, anyone that has ever taken a trailer down to the bare frame, and rebuilt the trailer back with new, quality materials know it cannot be done today for $10K "in materials". Your lack of making a sale is NOT THE PRICE. You will not accomplish anything by lowering the asking price. You need to find a better salesperson to market your item. You have to understand the market, and who the potential buyers are before you can market to their needs.

Craig's List and Ebay are just a waste of your time and effort. I'm not on FB, but my observation is that FB Marketplace is the same buyer as you will find on Craig's List or Ebay. Basically, your advertising to guys like me that are cheap, and bottom feeder's. We actually enjoy buying a relic and rebuilding it back into a nice useable trailer. But your looking at 700-1000 hours of hard labor, and $10K in materials minimum to complete a trailer build. I have never sold a fully rebuilt trailer for less than $18K (several years ago). So......I would pull your ad's, pull the price, and go do some comparable pricing just like your Relator would have done when listing your two-million-dollar home.

The buyer wants the facts, what's the size (trailer ball to license plate), how many does it sleep, does it have a clear title, does it have "current registration", no past due fees outstanding, is it towable, does it have new tires, less than 3-4 years old, are the wheel bearings recently repacked, what was done to rebuild the frame/suspension when the body was off, does all of the tow lighting work, is it a four way, or a seven way plug, does it have electric brakes, What is the wheel bolt pattern, does it have a spare tire/wheel. What are the interior appliances, are they original, or cheap modern replacements, were the original replacement appliances rebuilt, by who? Did the trailer get a sheet flooring material, what was done to rebuild and reseal the windows, does it have a toilet, bathroom, shower, air conditioning, holding tank, etc, etc, the list goes on and on.

IMO, you would be better served to actually buy a display ad in a location that has the correct buyers you need to connect with, not just tire kickers on Craig's List, etc. When I complete a new trailer rebuild, if I don't already have a buyer waiting for it, I place my ads in the Vintage Camper Trailer Magazine Classified section. It costs roughly $100 and runs until it's sold. I have never had a trailer "not sell" on the VCT Classified site. It would seem like you would be better off spending a couple of hundred dollars, than discounting your nicely rebuilt trailer with mew metal by $3,000, and then still not find any buyers. If you go this route, tell them John Palmer sent you, and you would like to have them help you with the ad.

The market for Vintage Trailers is HOT, but the buyers have become more informed (a good thing) and need to have the very important questions answered. You will find pricing all over the board, just like you will find trailer conditions "all over the board". It's not unusual for vintage trailers to sell today for over $50K, but you have to advertise to the quality buyer because they do not want to waste your, or their time.

Good luck with this sale, and your next project.

John Palmer

Both John and Vikx make strong points.

I was going to add that location makes a huge difference, but Vikx beat me to it. Selling in Idaho may be your greatest hurdle.

Yes, pix would be appreciated. The link Vikx provided will offer directions.

Cheers,

Rod

I hate to say this, but I think that a lot of the market for these pieces of American history just isn’t what it was in 2015. The “cute factor” overcame any sense of true values for many people. Six or seven years ago, we would see trailers from the 50s and 60s on the road all the time. On the Independence Day weekend this year, we saw one. For those who are trend followers, vintage trailers can lose their appeal once the decorating is done and all the kitsch has become routine. They aren’t shiny new any longer, and their small size lack of modern conveniences no longer appeal. The folks above are correct. A fair part of the folks looking on Craigs List, EBay, are looking for cheap, not quality. You saved a gorgeous piece. of Americana from the scrap pile. I don’t know what resources are out ther to sell a gem like this, I just know that if you want to buy a new Tesla or a Rivian, or a tricked out Ford 350, you don’t go to the auto strip mall. People can be.fickle, and also cheap. Best of luck selling your little gem!

I have to agree with Low-Lincoln. I scrolled through all your build pix and you did the restoration right. Thank you!!

I would also like to comment on the color. The brown color isn't a traditional color of the period and I would think most people who would spend $10k on a restored trailer would want it looking like it came from the era.

Also, the rims look like they came off a car which again contributes to the difficulty in selling,IMHO. I believe even someone not really familiar with vintage trailers would be struck by those rims.

Functionally, I am sure the rims are the same size as original, but they look out of place.

Rod

Lastly, I looked for an ad on this trailer and didn't find one. Keep renewing those ads!

I have a different take on this, based on experience. I bought a 32 foot powerboat in 1982. Over the next 14 years I gradually did a complete rebuild, most of the time living aboard the boat. In 1996, my wife and I decided it was time to return to living on dry land and advertised it for sale at $10K. (This was an asking price that did not in any way reflect the time and materials spent.) After a few weeks without any inquiries, we speculated that perhaps the asking price was too low. Some people just don't think they are getting something of value unless they spend ALOT of $. We doubled the asking price and within one week the boat was sold!

Looking at all of the photos of your properly executed rebuild, I think you have vastly under-priced the camper. Try putting it out there at $20K or best offer.
You might find that an entirely different audience will reply to your ads. Please let us know how this goes!





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