Classified Ads - Basics, Tips and Helps
http://www.airstreamcentral.com/articles/59/1/Classified-Ads---Basics-Tips-and-Helps/Page1.html
Janet H
Janet lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family and one neurotic Border Collie. By Janet H
Published on 10/1/2009
Buying or selling an Airstream? We can help. The AIR classifieds are
free and offered as a membership benefit and our pages are lively and sometimes surprising, with a special focus on vintage Airstreams and hard to find parts.
Buying or selling an Airstream? We can help. The AIR classifieds are
free and offered as a membership benefit. Any AIR member may post an ad
at no cost. Our classifieds has an items wanted section and an items
for sale section. Our moderators monitor the classifieds section and
make every effort to remove old or inaccurate ads, please help us by
reporting any issues you may encounter.
How to get started: When you first visit the classifieds page, you may be prompted to log in again. Be sure to click the remember me box.
If you are selling an Airstream or parts, take some pictures. Ads with pictures help prospective buyers understand what they're getting. If you are already an AIR forums member, you can proceed to load your ad.
Click on "Place an ad" on the blue navigation bar and begin to compose your ad.
Tips for Sellers:
Prepare your rig for sale. Clean it, take photos, locate all the paperwork and set a price. AIR is not an auction site (like e-bay) but rather a more traditional, fixed price sales venue. When you post your ad have a clear idea of the price you want. If you are selling your item through an auction elsewhere, please do not list it in our classifieds. Your ad should describe all the features and condition of your rig accurately.
Check your messages. Prospective buyer can contact you in a variety of ways. AIR ads have an option for comments and you will need to log in and check these often. You may also receive e-mail inquiries through our forum. Your e-mail address is kept private during this initial contact but if you respond to that e-mail the prospective buyer will then be able to see your e-mail address.
Complete the sale. Have a proper bill of sale ready. Understand your own States laws regarding the transfer of a vehicle to another State if that is involved. Do not give possession of your rig to the buyer until you have secured funds or cash in hand. Bank Wire Transfers, Cashiers Checks are both common ways to exchange funds for goods. If you take a personal check, you should allow it to clear the banking system and have verification from your bank that the funds are actually in your account, before you give the buyer possession. If the seller is arranging financing, make sure that that is done on a provisional basis before he travels to see you rig. Do not be talked into letting him return to his home state with your rig, until you really have the money. Make sure your buyer knows that s/he must pay before getting the the rig.
Avoid fraud. Be aware that there are unscrupulous folks out there. Avoid any interaction that seems odd to you or 'feels' wrong. Inquiries from oversees buyers, buyers 'agents' and other non-traditional approaches should be treated with extreme caution.
Tips for Buyers:
Set some personal expectations. Decide what you can spend, what size and vintage RV you are looking for and how far you are willing to travel to look at or pick it up. It's not uncommon for a determined buyer to travel 1000 miles or more for the right Airstream as some models are in scarce supply.
Check out the rig. For a first time RVer assessing the condition of used Airstream can be daunting. A legitimate seller should be willing to let you look through, under and in the trailer. While older Airstreams often have repair issues, a buyer that tells you little about the condition of the Airstream or says they have no idea if something works may be masking a larger issue. AIR has volunteer inspectors available to help with long distance purchases or to come along with you on an inspection. Our inspectors are volunteers and make no warranty about their expertise, but sometimes it's nice to have an extra set of eyes along.
Be prepared to buy. Some Airstream models, especially the small ones sell very quickly. You will need to be prepared to move quickly towards your purchase. Have your financing lined up and a plan for exchanging funds for item. Make sure that you understand the rules surrounding vehicle sales in the state in which you purchase and be sure to get a valid title.
Avoid fraud. Be aware that there are unscrupulous folks out there. Avoid any interaction that seems odd to you or 'feels' wrong. Inquiries from consignment sellers, sellers 'agents' and other non-traditional approaches should be treated with caution.
Disclaimer:
While every effort is made to monitor this site, by using this site you agree that neither the advertisers nor the publisher will be responsible for misinformation, typographical errors, etc., herein or any personal or financial losses that may result from the aforementioned. You further agree to be bound by our Terms of Service and Community Rules.
How to get started: When you first visit the classifieds page, you may be prompted to log in again. Be sure to click the remember me box.
If you are selling an Airstream or parts, take some pictures. Ads with pictures help prospective buyers understand what they're getting. If you are already an AIR forums member, you can proceed to load your ad.
Click on "Place an ad" on the blue navigation bar and begin to compose your ad.
- Step 1: Chose the kind of ad you want to run from the drop down menu.
- Step 2: Chose the category (drop down menu) that the ad should be placed in e.g. Vintage trailer sale, parts sale, etc.
- Step 3: Write your ad. Fill all the required fields and add as much information as possible; Prospective buyers want to read detailed descriptions of your item. Choose the condition and length of listing from the drop down menu. Please note - old ads or abandon ads may be removed by our site staff.
- Load images by clicking on 'Browse"
and selecting an image from your computer. You can repeat this step
several times to load multiple images. Buyers want to see lots of
pictures. Oversized images will be automatically resized to meet our
size restrictions.
Tips for Sellers:
Prepare your rig for sale. Clean it, take photos, locate all the paperwork and set a price. AIR is not an auction site (like e-bay) but rather a more traditional, fixed price sales venue. When you post your ad have a clear idea of the price you want. If you are selling your item through an auction elsewhere, please do not list it in our classifieds. Your ad should describe all the features and condition of your rig accurately.
Check your messages. Prospective buyer can contact you in a variety of ways. AIR ads have an option for comments and you will need to log in and check these often. You may also receive e-mail inquiries through our forum. Your e-mail address is kept private during this initial contact but if you respond to that e-mail the prospective buyer will then be able to see your e-mail address.
Complete the sale. Have a proper bill of sale ready. Understand your own States laws regarding the transfer of a vehicle to another State if that is involved. Do not give possession of your rig to the buyer until you have secured funds or cash in hand. Bank Wire Transfers, Cashiers Checks are both common ways to exchange funds for goods. If you take a personal check, you should allow it to clear the banking system and have verification from your bank that the funds are actually in your account, before you give the buyer possession. If the seller is arranging financing, make sure that that is done on a provisional basis before he travels to see you rig. Do not be talked into letting him return to his home state with your rig, until you really have the money. Make sure your buyer knows that s/he must pay before getting the the rig.
Avoid fraud. Be aware that there are unscrupulous folks out there. Avoid any interaction that seems odd to you or 'feels' wrong. Inquiries from oversees buyers, buyers 'agents' and other non-traditional approaches should be treated with extreme caution.
Tips for Buyers:
Set some personal expectations. Decide what you can spend, what size and vintage RV you are looking for and how far you are willing to travel to look at or pick it up. It's not uncommon for a determined buyer to travel 1000 miles or more for the right Airstream as some models are in scarce supply.
Check out the rig. For a first time RVer assessing the condition of used Airstream can be daunting. A legitimate seller should be willing to let you look through, under and in the trailer. While older Airstreams often have repair issues, a buyer that tells you little about the condition of the Airstream or says they have no idea if something works may be masking a larger issue. AIR has volunteer inspectors available to help with long distance purchases or to come along with you on an inspection. Our inspectors are volunteers and make no warranty about their expertise, but sometimes it's nice to have an extra set of eyes along.
Be prepared to buy. Some Airstream models, especially the small ones sell very quickly. You will need to be prepared to move quickly towards your purchase. Have your financing lined up and a plan for exchanging funds for item. Make sure that you understand the rules surrounding vehicle sales in the state in which you purchase and be sure to get a valid title.
Avoid fraud. Be aware that there are unscrupulous folks out there. Avoid any interaction that seems odd to you or 'feels' wrong. Inquiries from consignment sellers, sellers 'agents' and other non-traditional approaches should be treated with caution.
Disclaimer:
While every effort is made to monitor this site, by using this site you agree that neither the advertisers nor the publisher will be responsible for misinformation, typographical errors, etc., herein or any personal or financial losses that may result from the aforementioned. You further agree to be bound by our Terms of Service and Community Rules.