Selling a motorhome privately isn’t easy. It requires research, an understanding of the market, and even a degree of skill to get a good deal. If you want to make a quick sale, you’ll need to be clued up.
Knowing how to sell a motorhome right from the beginning will save time, money and effort. And that’s what this guide is for.
In this guide we’ve laid out everything that, based on our years’ of extensive experience in the industry, we know you’ll be able to rely on to get everything right the first time — increasing your chances of a quick successful sale, for a greater amount of money.
Sell my motorhome – let’s jump right in.
The first question that’s on everyone’s lips is: when you think ‘sell my motorhome’, is where is best?
There are a number of different ways to sell a motorhome. Including:
There are plenty of motorhome, marketplace and auction websites on the Internet. The big ones I’m sure you’ve already heard of. They’re the likes of eBay, AutoTrader, Gumtree and more — and millions of people visit them every month.
Obvious benefits for selling on the Internet include things like not having to leave your house (or chair), and the fact that your ad could potentially be seen by many thousands of people. But you are also likely to be bombarded with questions from time-wasters and non-serious buyers.
Auctions are underrated in my opinion. If you get the right crowd, an auction can be a great opportunity to quickly sell a motorhome. You can set a minimum price with the auctioneer, so that they won’t start the bidding process unless you’re happy with the sale value of the minimum price. But don’t forget you’ll have to pay fees and commission costs in order to sell up — and of course, there’s no guarantee your motorhome will sell at all.
Some organisations, such as BCA Marketplace, set up their own motorhome-specific auctions. That way, you can be sure most of the people in attendance are looking to buy a motorhome. So it could be worth checking them out in order to maximise your chances of success.
Check out our How to Buy A Motorhome From An Auction guide here.
If you really want to know how to sell a motorhome fast, and conveniently, then a dealer is the way to go. The best dealers will go out of their way to make the sale as easy as possible. A good dealer will come to a location of your choice and take the motorhome off of you — at a time that’s best for you. With the best dealers, there are no call-out charges or hidden fees, and they’ll pay for it then and there. Instantly via a bank transfer. You may not get as much money as you would by selling it yourself, but it doesn’t get much more convenient than that!
By selling to a dealer, you won’t have to bother with scammers and time-wasters. You can also arrange a part exchange with a dealer if you’re looking to upgrade to a newer motorhome model.
A broker will sell your motorhome on your behalf, but will charge a commission fee for the trouble. Think of brokers as estate agents for motorhomes. They will actively look for buyers and show them your motorhome. A broker should have a good understanding of the market (they have to, in order to do their job properly), and will deal with any enquiries, negotiations, and other arrangements.
There are some advantages to using a broker. One is that they could sell your motorhome for a better price than you’d get by part-exchanging. The downsides are it could take ages for the broker to sell it, meaning you could be waiting a long time for your money. And there’s no shortage, unfortunately, of horror stories including fraudsters pretending to be brokers, only for them to vanish off the face of the Earth once you hand over the keys.
If you’re dead set on looking for a broker, make sure they have a real, fixed business address. Some will also let you keep your motorhome where you want it.
For an even safer broker alternative, you can ask a motorhome dealer to act as a broker on your behalf. That way, the motorhome dealer will do all the hard work of meeting with potential buyers, taking them on test drives, and dealing with the time-wasters. This is normally done on a “no sale no fee” and “sales or return” basis. Meaning, if they can’t sell it after a given time period, they’ll give it back to you.
The good ol’ fashioned newspaper or magazine advertisement can still help you to make a great sale. But for anyone who grew up with the Internet this advertising process can feel painfully slow. Still, advertising through a specific newspaper or specialist car or motorhome magazine can directly position your motorhome offer in front of a great number of serious buyers.
Now that you know where to sell your motorhome, the next thing you’ll need to know is how to price it correctly. This motorhome valuation guide will help you to get started.
Think about:
When you think ‘sell my motorhome’, ask yourself the following questions and think honestly about how you’d answer them:
In our experience, it’s best to jot these questions and answers down on a piece of paper — to help you really think about them.
How much is my motorhome worth? Your motorhome may look brand new and run like a dream, but ultimately it’s the market that has the final say over your asking price.
To get an idea of your motorhome’s market value, a little research is in order. You’ll need to know:
To get an idea of some current second hand motorhome values, check out listings for the same or similar models to the one you’re selling. Start by searching online wherever people are selling motorhomes. For example, eBay, Autotrader, and so on. You’ll quickly get an idea for what counts as an acceptable or expected price.
Pro tip: although some models might look almost exactly like yours, they could be worlds apart under the surface. Some models have modifications and extra specifications that could make them worth a lot more than the ‘standard’ models. So make sure to examine the motorhomes you look at closely. On the plus side, if yours has all the bells and whistles, then you might find yours has a value that is higher than all the other ‘standard’ versions for sale online.
All sorts of things can influence how motorhomes are priced on the market. From international issues, to the time of year, to the timely release of newer models.
For an example of an international issue, just think back to when the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic grounded international flights in the summer of 2020. Motorhome prices soon skyrocketed due to a surge in demand from people looking for UK ‘staycations’. Obviously this is an extreme example, but it shows that you need to clearly look at many different parts of the market in order to accurately provide second hand motorhome valuations.
Here’s a great tip — instead of relying solely on the Internet and your own guesstimates, why not try contacting the manufacturer directly? They should be able to estimate a very realistic resale price.
Motorhome dealers will also be able to provide a motorhome or campervan valuation estimate. And the most reputable of them will do it for free — of no charge to you at all. Try asking them what value they would place on your motorhome if they were to put it on the market. They may even offer to buy it off you at a better price than is worth for all the difficulties of selling privately.
You won’t really need to do anything if you’re planning on selling to a motorhome dealer. Just be honest about the condition it’s in, so that they know what to expect when they come to collect it.
On the other hand, if you’re planning on selling privately, then you’ll need to think about:
Are they all working correctly? If not, then make a note of your problem areas. Make sure that the grey water outlet works, and check the services to make sure there are no missing covers. Test the fridge and cooker are working. Replace blown light bulbs.
You’ll need to be able to demonstrate to potential buyers that you can easily access your motorhome’s toilet, gas locker, and garage without any problems.
Some people like to customise their motorhomes with extra shelves, hooks, and other modifications. But don’t be fooled into thinking your DIY skills count as upgrades. In fact, they might actually put some people off. It’s worth thinking hard about any of the DIY modifications you’ve made. And whether you should remove them so that the motorhome resembles something more like the original factory design.
Including proof of official ownership, your motorhome’s service history, and proof of registration. A current habitation service document is important because it can be taken as proof that the motorhome is in good condition or not. For example, a habitation check will inform potential buyers if the motorhome has problems with damp or not. Other important documents to have at hand include information about warranties, instruction manuals, and information about any particular fittings, extras or modifications you may have made to the vehicle.
Make sure you know where they all are, what they are, and show them to the potential buyer. Make sure you understand why including them in the deal makes your sales offer all the better.
Try putting in a full gas bottle and filling the water up, so that you can prove to a potential buyer that the heating, sink, toilet and shower all work properly. This can only be a positive signal. And it will only make it easier for potential buyers to make the purchase.
You’ll want your motorhome to look as clean as possible before attempting a sale. Pay particular attention to the exterior windows, wheels and door shuts. Apply some alloy protectors on the alloys to keep them shiny. Stick with good old fashioned heavy-duty shampoo, polish and elbow grease. (Don’t use washing up liquid on the exterior as it smears.)
On the inside, give it a good hoovering down and clear away any rubbish. Make sure the upholstery is clean, and remove any personal belongings that you might have inside. Although personal items can make a motorhome more homely and potentially more inviting to someone looking to buy, clearing away all unnecessary clutter will make the interior look cleaner and roomier. More important, an empty interior tells the potential buyer that you’re serious about selling.
Another final tip on the cleaning: try to make sure the motorhome is free from any strong odours. Obviously, this includes smells from smoking, pets, cooking, and must. But even strong air fresheners can be off-putting for potential buyers.
If you have water ingress or damp in your motorhome, it could make it harder to sell to potential buyers. There are two things you can do. You could take it to a motorhome dealer and see what they offer you. (Motorhome dealers buy motorhomes in all sorts of conditions — we don’t call ourselves We Buy Any Motorcaravan for no reason!) Or you could pay to get a survey to see how extensive the damage is, and get a quote for the repair cost.
If the damp damage is quite extensive, you could probably save money by part-exchanging it at a motorhome dealer. Dealers usually have workshops that can sort out the damp problem. And you might end up getting more money for the exchange than you would for forking out on the damp repairs yourself.
If you still want to sell privately, then by all means get a survey for a repair quote. But it can be hard for repairers to give an accurate quote beforehand, because a lot of the time they’ll have to take huge parts of the motorhome apart in order to inspect the full extent of the damage.
You could also try listing the caravan anyway, and being honest about the water ingress and see what happens.
Click here for our How To Check A Motorhome For Damp guide, which includes a video.
I am often asked when is the best time to sell a campervan or motorhome? The answer is, while there tends to be a ‘high season’ and ‘low season’ for touring, there isn’t much variation in how motorhomes sell throughout the year. Only in December do numbers tend to dip — for obvious reasons. But lots of people still sell and buy them in December. Just not as much as they would in the summertime.
So there isn’t really a best month to buy a used motorhome. But some months may be worse than others (December). Some people will tell you that January and February are slow months for selling up. But in our experience they are still popular months for used motorhomes sales.
I don’t want to make it seem like every person you’ll meet is dodgy — they’re not. Most buyers will be polite, friendly, and somewhat reasonable.
But the dodgy ones are out there. So you’ll need to have your guard up.
If the buyer wants to test drive the motorhome, sit in the passenger seat with them. And when you show them your documents, don’t let them take any photographs or make copies — as they could then use those photographs to make convincing fake adverts.
Just be very friendly and stay close to them. That way if they’re genuine, it’ll be a nice experience that could seal the deal. And if they’re dishonest, it will make it hard for them to try to scam you.
It depends on what you mean by ‘best’. The most convenient and quickest way to sell a motorhome is to sell it or part-exchange it for a newer model at a motorhome dealer. True, you might get more money for your motorhome if you sell it privately. But you will also have to research the market yourself; pay for listings, be on the watch out for scammers, and put up with time-wasters. These inconveniences cost money and time. Because of this, lots of people end up deciding to sell to a dealer.
The easiest way to advertise is over the Internet. Websites like Gumtree, eBay, Autotrader and some social media platforms (like Facebook) are all popular. Motorhome and caravan publications magazines are still useful; especially for reaching a specialised and older audience. Of course, you could also try the age-old advertising tactic — the art of putting a ‘For Sale’ sign in the window.
A motorhome bill of sale can be any piece of paper that includes: the make, model and vehicle identification number. The purchase price. The seller’s name and signature, and the buyer’s name and signature. You should prepare it and give it to the buyer ahead of time, so that they can check its accuracy. Leave a blank space so that you can write in any extra information about the sales process. Finally, make three copies. One for you to file away, and one each for the buyer and seller. You can download a bill of sale template online that will help you out.
Yes. If you fix a damp problem, then heat should dry it out naturally over time. You can even speed up to process with gentle heat from a fan heater on a low setting, or by keeping it well ventilated.
But letting damp dry out could take time and do further damage to your caravan or motorhome. If you think significant damage has already been done, you might want to consider getting it checked.
It depends. Sell to a motorhome dealer, and they’ll come and collect your motorhome in a matter of days — and they’ll pay you for it instantly via a bank transfer. If you’re planning on selling up privately, then there is no clear answer. It all depends on how prepared you are to sell it, where you have chosen to advertise it, along with how well you have researched the market. Another option would be to arrange for a broker to sell it on your behalf. But a broker will charge a commission fee, and there’s no guarantee they’ll be able to sell it quickly. And if they can’t sell it they’ll just hand it back to you. At which point you’ll be back to square one.
We’ll come and collect it personally from a location of your choice, and pay for it INSTANTLY with an instant bank transfer.
And there are no call-out fees or hidden charges. Unlike private Internet listings, you won’t have to pay for ad listings or worry about late calls, dodgy buyers, time-wasters, or inconvenient viewing times.
And because we operate within a large network of buyers, we’re able to offer great value prices to our customers. Just check out our five-star Trustpilot reviews.
All you have to do is tell us about your motorhome on our sell your motorhome page, fill in a few details, and we’ll get back to you shortly. Or if you just fancy a chat with one of our pros, just give us a call or send us an email.
Either way, we hope you enjoyed this selling motorhome advice. And we hope to hear from you soon.
In the last 10 years, we’ve helped hundreds of happy customers to sell up their caravans quickly, without a fuss and no matter what the condition — for a great price in return.
So if you want to simply sell your caravan and move on, or are looking to upgrade to a newer model or motorhome — we’re here to make you happy and keep you satisfied. Your opinions matter to us. Just check out our five-star TrustPilot reviews!
You can give me a call directly on 07879 816463. In the meantime, find out more about me here and follow our YouTube channel for all the latest caravan and motorhome reviews, tips, and tricks.
Get in touch today!
T. 01283 240237 / 01283 688112
We Buy Any Motor Caravan
T. 01283 240237 / 01283 688112
E. sales@webuyanymotorcaravan.com
Repton House, Bretby Business Park, Ashby Road, Bretby, Burton-on-Trent, Derbyshire, DE15 0YZ
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Terms & conditions
Please note: We Buy Any Motor Caravan Ltd are not inclined to offer a price on every motorhome. All data on this website is to be used as a guideline and not to be considered as accurate. We Buy Any Motor Caravan Ltd is a subsidiary of Caravan & Motorhome Sales Ltd, company number 06451383, VAT registration number 924205059.
Our guarantee
We guarantee we are willing to buy your motorhome at the time of the valuation. All valuations are subject to inspection of the motorhome. Changes in valuation occur on a daily basis. To make sure we don’t waste your time, if there is a change in the market value of your motorhome resulting in a reduced valuation, we endeavour to let you know the new valuation before your appointment, so that you have the opportunity to cancel, if you choose to do so.
