Need Advice on Consignment Sale

[arcticfox2005]

I need advice on the best way to consign my 2012 Winnebago Access class C.

I have looked at PPL's website and the Dallas/Fort Worth location would be sorta okay.

Anyone with experience with them? Are they okay or is there a better way to go? Our location is a little south of Memphis.

Bill

 

[arcticfox2005]

I just discovered Camping World does consignment sales and there is one fairly close to me.

A decent option?

Bill

 

[Ccoe1]

Check out RV wholesalers, they have dealerships all over the nation.  They do it but im not sure if you have to purchase an rv with them.

 

[Isaac-1]

As I see it the advantage of PPL is higher exposure

 

[Back2PA]

I just discovered Camping World does consignment sales and there is one fairly close to me.

A decent option?

Bill

Not a big fan of CW, but ended up consigning my last rig with them, they sold it in a week. I'm satisfied with the agreed cut and I did need it sold in a timely fashion, but I inadvertently found out what they sold it for and I left money on the table so make sure you're getting what you should

 

[arcticfox2005]

Scott, did you have the option of either a fixed percentage of the selling price or else a fixed-in-advance fee?

I have read that some dealers will give you a choice.

Bill

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

PPL is reputable and reliable.  Consignments are their only sales, so they won't be trying to sell one of their own new/used rigs rather than yours.  And they get a lot of traffic on the two sales lots.  However, they won't accept your consignment if they think you are over-pricing it. They don't want rigs sitting on their lot forever because of high asking price.  Work with them on the price and then decide.

Camping World was mentioned. A friend of mine had a bad experience with consigning with them. They received rosy promises of good prices and fast sale but it never happened. They ended up losing a nice coach to the repo man when they could no longer afford the payments.  Their coach was a popular model (Tiffin Phaeton) and in good condition when it went on the CW lot, yet they never got a single offer in over a year. I'm not sure what CW location that was - maybe Biloxi, MS.

A widespread problem with consignments is that the sales manager and dealer-owner like them (free inventory) but the sales staff do not because they generally get far less commission on a consignment.  They steer buyers away from the consigns and toward new or used units owned & sold by the dealership.

 

[Isaac-1]

Gary, PPL does actually have a certain number of used coaches which they take in on trade in, so it is not all consignment.  I was somewhat surprised to learn this, but when I went to the Houston RV show a couple of years ago, the people at the PPL booth were pushing their trade in / trade up program.  From a buying perspective PPL is fairly low pressure, they let potential buyers freely roam the lot after filling out a questionnaire, though unfortunately they will also send you junk mail for ever.

 

[Back2PA]

Scott, did you have the option of either a fixed percentage of the selling price or else a fixed-in-advance fee?

I have read that some dealers will give you a choice.

Bill

CW only does a "net to seller" arrangement.


I did not seek out CW - I was searching for my current rig and had started calling every dealer in northern FL where I was at the time. CW saleswoman was very responsive (most I spoke to became disinterested when they didn't have something on the lot I wanted, and weren't willing to look) and called a week after I ended up buying from a private party, to tell me she'd found a unit. When I told her I'd already found one, she then asked if she could consign mine. It actually ended up being a feeding frenzy because I fit a niche, under $100K pusher, and they had no inventory to compete. I was very afraid of what Gary said, that it would sit, but I got lucky.


If I hadn't been time constrained due to heading north in a month, I would have stuck with my RV Trader ad. I actually had a lead (who failed to tell me he was interested) drive down to CW to try and buy it after I told him it had been consigned, and was told it had been sold.


As Gary said, PPL is aggressive on pricing. If you need to move your rig, they're probably a good way to go if you price accordingly. However, PPL sold prices for my rig were below what I got by a fair margin.

 

[arcticfox2005]

Scott and Gary in particular, thanks for the input.

I also am not a fan of CW, but the fact is they are 60 miles away and PPL is almost 600. The rig is a class C and will probably be priced in the neighborhood of 40k. It is paid for so there is no danger of a repo like Gary's friend. If I can work it out what I will probably do is place it at CW for say 3 months or so and if it doesn't move then bite the bullet and head for PPL. I haven't yet talked to anyone at either place (still in Wyoming - 35 degrees last night) but I will hopefully be able to go that way.

Bill

 

[arcticfox2005]

I'm having second thoughts.

I just read some reviews on CW's dealings and I'm not sure I even want to give them a chance.

Fortunately I have time to gather some more info.

Bill

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Gary, PPL does actually have a certain number of used coaches which they take in on trade in, so it is not all consignment.

Thanks for that info, Isaac.  I'm obviously out-of-date on that program and it didn't exist a couple years ago when I investigated selling my rig thru them.  The ability to accept trades obviously helps sell all the units, but I hope it doesn't affect their sales integrity concerning which one to offer to buyers first.  The fact that they did NOT have any of their own units in competition with the consignments was a big talking point with them when I was looking.

https://www.pplmotorhomes.com/trade

 

[Dan Walters]

Bill,

I bought my previous Motorhome from the PPL consignment lot in Houston.  I lived in it full time, for part of the time, between 2011 to 2018.  I was pleased with their handling of my purchase in 2011.  In 2018 I bought another Motorhome from an individual and took my American Dream back to PPL for them to sell on consignment.  It was October when I took it to them so I didn't expect them to sell it right away because of the off season.  It sold in February, 2019 to a PPL customer who traded in their Motorhome on mine.  PPL ended up buying mine at what my net price would have been if it had sold outright so I got the same amount that I would have, after their commission, in an outright sale.  PPL took the buyer's Motorhome in trade and sold them mine.  I was, again, satisfed with their handling of the sale and got a fair price for my Motorhome only 4 months after I delivered it to them to sell it.

So, both my buying experience and selling experience through PPL was positive.  I would use them again in the future without hesitation. 

 

[Isaac-1]

One thing you may want to consider is the security at the consignment lot, some of these places have very little security, are not fenced, etc. This can be important as many RV insurance policies don't cover RV's when they are for sale on a dealer lot.

As far as PPL goes, I know that in Houston at least they have a somewhat secure lot, it is fenced, and access to the area requires potential buyers be funnelled by a check in desk where they have to fill out a form, and I think show ID, though I don't recall for sure about that last point.