Buying a Camper from a seller who lives out of state

[Fernweh]

Evening Folks,
Can people share their experiences in purchasing a camper from a seller who lives out of state. How do you negotiate and or reserve the camper as you make arrangements to purchase?

Thanks

 

[Vic Harder]

I've negotiated over email or phone depending on the seller's preference. I then put down a sizable deposit via etransfer. But then I am a trusting soul

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

This isn’t quite the answer you’re looking for, but the process I used may give you ideas about how to proceed with a seller from out of the area.

My buyer was from a couple states away. At the time, he had showed the most interest, so I promised to hold it for a short period. My bank confirmed with his credit union that the certified check was indeed funded. We then met at my bank, deposited the check, at which time I gave the buyer the certificate of origin. We loaded the camper, and they returned to their state. I don’t remember if I required a deposit, but suspect not.

I did have other interested parties, but told them if the sale fell through, I would contact them in date order.

 

[DavidGraves]

Fernweh

To clarify, is your question about selling or buying ?

If buying I would look for a more or less local FWC owner you could ask (or pay) to go take a look,

If selling, I recently sold our Hawk and had inquiries from all over the country...for those more than 500 miles distant I point blank asked them if it they reasonably had the means to buy the camper sight unseen and come get it.

FWIW I flew to Kansas from Oregon to buy our current Grandby....seller was patient and helpful enough to take a big deposit from me until I could arrange travel.

Hope this helps

David Graves

 

[Vic Harder]

We bought our Puma sight unseen and drove from Calgary to Albuquerque, NM to pick it up. 1480 miles each way.

 

[Ripperj]

I called the seller two states away and told home that I would buy it site unseen for asking prices as long as it was as described. The seller said ok, but he had another guy that had first dibs. And he was leaving town for 4 days(not sure why you would list something for sale and take off on vacation)

We happened to both use the same bank(I have several)
I went up to see the camper the first time he was available and immediately told him I’d take it.

We both drove to the bank and I got a bank check in his name.

This was probably a unique situation as he was asking significantly less that I knew the camper was worth. When I felt I was morally obligated to point this out to the seller he said” I know this is true because I got about 20 more calls immediately after you, most offering more than I was asking”
He said he was selling for what he thought was a resealable price and had no interest in the Covid crazy markups.



I still don’t know how this worked out for me as I was actually caller #2. Luckily the first guy never showed up

It’s hard long distance because so many people fail to do what they say (buyers and sellers)
I really hate selling anything!

 

[Fernweh]

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. I too sold my past truck and camper combo to an out of state buyer and it all worked out great as they came with a certified check and bought sight unseen. But this new high demand climate has me frustrated... Im looking for a shell fleet after having a larger Grandby. I've simplified my camping kit and want a simpler set up.

I'll keep my eyes peeled for the next camper and look forward to purchase.

Thanks again,

 

[DavidGraves]

Howdy

I live on the north ORegon coast and would be glad to take a look if you find one for sale in my general area.....just PM me here.

Passed thru your area last fall.....boy the Dells has gotten a lot worse than when we caw it twenty years ago.....

FWIW, we took passage on the Badger on our way back from the East....it was a treat.

David Graves

 

[moveinon]

I bought my camper two states over sight unseen. I had the seller video tape a detailed walk through paying special attention on potential areas where water could have leaked and the fabric. I then sent a deposit through PayPal which I helped him set up to hold the camper and arrived prepared to just load the camper and return. When I sold the camper I followed a similar system. I required a substantial PayPal deposit to hold it for a week and provided another detailed video walk through including the extras that would be included. When the buyer arrived for pickup he completed the purchase by depositing the remaining balance into my PayPal account which guaranteed I was not getting a fake cashiers check or anything sketchy. Just as a FYI my camper sold for 14% more than I bought it for after a number of years of use.

 

[Fernweh]

David, Thanks for the northwest support if one should become available out near you. Sorry to say the Dells are not what they use to be. But if you can get down on the river and avoid the tourist Mecca its pretty amazing. The Lake Michigan ferry is pretty cool too. We love our water in the northern Great Lakes area.

 

[Fernweh]

Pay Pal makes good sense...