Buying a camper off e-bay

[Just Whipperwhirl 24]

Is there anything we should look out for?  How do we avoid being a sucker?

[beccaewert 10]

my husband didn't buy a camper, but bought an old jeepster a few years back....DEFINATELY make sure that they get the title notarized before crossing state lines or you will NOT be able to title it in your name! We ended getting screwed, we sold it without a title, took a big hit for that! I know state to state laws are different,...but just in case.....it doesn't hurt! (We bought it from New York, and we live in Indiana)

[ftwildernessrick 10]

The last MH I bought (the one in my signature), was one I found & bought on EBay. It was the exact make, floorplan, & model, I was looking for & it was new. The broker bought it at auction from an RV dealership that had gone bankrupt & their inventory was seized (they had 3 dealerships). I ended up paying a little more than half of its suggested retail price.

But it was a gamble. I had to put a $2,000 non-refundable deposit down on it. Then I & a friend, had to drive to Port Huron, Michigan to do an inspection of the unit, hand the broker the cashier's check, & drive the 1,127 miles back home.

It was a relief spending thousands of dollars less for this new & better unit, than my last MH that I had bought new 14 years earlier.

I would do it again in a minute. Most will require a non-refundable deposit, but, if there is really something wrong with the unit they did not disclose on EBay and they refused to give you your deposit back, Ebay probably would try to make them give your deposit back.

[LONE-STAR 370]

We ordered ours from a dealer on eBay and so did several people I know. But we all bought new. It was easy and they delivered the trailer to my front door.

[rdancemom... Pam 113]

We looked for quite a while before we finally bought something earlier this month. The rv search is still saved in my favorite searches on my ebay page. I know DH searched ebay every day and, by the time we were done, we'd developed a knowledge of some of the more recognizable ebay dealers.

I'd watch the auctions on ebay, then call the dealer directly to ask for more info and speak with a salesman. What I found is that each time I did this, the salesman was able to quote me a price to sell the unit directly, instead of on ebay. Not one to bite right away, I'd watch the auctions end anyway, and compare the price quoted via phone to the reserve I saw once the auctions ended. Usually the direct price quoted was within a few hundred of the reserve price for the auction.

I'm not saying there aren't deals out there, but just sharing my experience of watching listings for new TTs and speaking with the dealers I saw listing on ebay. I believe many use it as cheap advertising. That's okay by me as it gave me an idea of what the bottom line was on the units I was interested in was that I wouldn't have seen by just checking the local rv dealers here.

The TT I really wanted was a 2011 Palomino Puma Unleashed 30THSS Bunkhouse Toy Hauler but, in the end, it turned out to be not much smaller or lighter than what we were trading so we ended up with a smaller used TH purchased locally. While we were looking at the Puma though, we found rvworldmini (Terry Town RV) to be very responsive to our questions.

[Dreamin5 0]

The only really bad problem I would have from buying off of ebay is the pictures they take of the unit. Pictures can be so deceiving. We took pictures of our tt and posted them on craigslist and the pictures turned out great, the outside looked great but we knew it was more faded looking in person. Pictures can make somethings look like a million bucks.

[Tigger 33]

my husband didn't buy a camper, but bought an old jeepster a few years back....DEFINATELY make sure that they get the title notarized before crossing state lines or you will NOT be able to title it in your name! We ended getting screwed, we sold it without a title, took a big hit for that! I know state to state laws are different,...but just in case.....it doesn't hurt! (We bought it from New York, and we live in Indiana)

How old was the vehicle at that time? You more than likely could have filed for a lost title and got a new one from the state. I purchased a car several years ago that didn't have a title and all I had to do was contact the DMV from Ohio, Kentucky and Illinois to make sure the car wasn't titled in one of thoes states and they gave me a brand new Indiana title.

We did the same thing two years ago on DS's motorcycle. The local police ran the numbers and when it came up clean the DMV gave me a clean title.

[Otter Spotter aka Debbie 58]

my husband didn't buy a camper, but bought an old jeepster a few years back....DEFINATELY make sure that they get the title notarized before crossing state lines or you will NOT be able to title it in your name! We ended getting screwed, we sold it without a title, took a big hit for that! I know state to state laws are different,...but just in case.....it doesn't hurt! (We bought it from New York, and we live in Indiana)

How old was the vehicle at that time? You more than likely could have filed for a lost title and got a new one from the state. I purchased a car several years ago that didn't have a title and all I had to do was contact the DMV from Ohio, Kentucky and Illinois to make sure the car wasn't titled in one of thoes states and they gave me a brand new Indiana title.

We did the same thing two years ago on DS's motorcycle. The local police ran the numbers and when it came up clean the DMV gave me a clean title.

The same thing applies here in Florida.  Now that being said, we just sold our Aluma utility trailer to a guy in Indiana, and he had trouble getting it titled up there.  In Florida, they don't issue titles to trailers under 2000 lbs - they just issue registrations.  Just check the laws in your state & the state you are buying from.  If they are not the same, find out what you need to do, first.

[mikeymouse1 25]

I bought a older camper off E-bay and when I got it home what a can of worms! I had to replace the whole front half of the camper because of water damage. I did it my self and learned way more than I ever wanted too about camper construction and repair! I would find a friend that knows a lot about RV's to go with you and go threw the whole camper with a fine tooth comb. Look for water damage and staining soft spots and warping in the interior paneling mold smells. Check the pluming for leaks the gas lines and the electrical for problems. Look at the wheels Tires axials and the under carriage of the rig! Heck ask for a tow around the block to check the breaks and tow lighting! If they really want to sell it they will gladly hitch up!

[PureTcrazy...rita 380]

I bought a older camper off E-bay and when I got it home what a can of worms! I had to replace the whole front half of the camper because of water damage. I did it my self and learned way more than I ever wanted too about camper construction and repair! I would find a friend that knows a lot about RV's to go with you and go threw the whole camper with a fine tooth comb. Look for water damage and staining soft spots and warping in the interior paneling mold smells. Check the pluming for leaks the gas lines and the electrical for problems. Look at the wheels Tires axials and the under carriage of the rig! Heck ask for a tow around the block to check the breaks and tow lighting! If they really want to sell it they will gladly hitch up!

Thanks for sharing your experience and the advice!

[Retired and Happy (Ken) 101]

I bought my last two off ebay. The older one was a lesson learned. It had a lot of hidden rust and it blew holes in two pistons on our first major trip. we drove back from NJ blowing smoke and stopping every 75 miles to add two quarts of oil. The second proved to be local and I was able to go inspect it before I placed a bid. We've had this one for about 9 years. Just do your homework. and protect yourself.