Buying a new trailer on ebay - a good idea?

In 2007 I bought a new Puma TT from an E-bay ad and drove 1100 miles round trip to pick it up. It worked out perfectly for me, not so for many other E-bay buyers. There's always some risk but what I did was called the person selling the TT and discussed the unit, condition, pricing etc. Fortunately for me my E-bay seller was a reputable dealer with a very large lot and show room.

Reference the previous comment "Yes, most RV's offered on Ebay do not have the manufacturers name shown, but, by looking at the pics you can determine the brand."

I have been looking at the TT's on ebay for the past several weeks. I have yet to see a trailer advertised that did not include the name and model number of the trailer. I think in years past the names may have been missing, but not any longer for the majority of the trailers offered for sale.

Ray

elderberries wrote:
Thank you everyone! And shadows4 - woah, they paid you to leave positive feedback? You're right, I'm pretty sure that's not ethical. That definitely makes me wonder.

I will do my research.

Thanks!

Yes they did pay me for positive feed back. I blame myself though, for going in with rose colored glasses. It wasn't till later I found several things wrong. When I am 800 miles away from the seller makes it kind of hard to have them correct anything. But it is all water under the bridge now. We have a unit we both love. Can't wait to start our 3rd season with it.
Happy camping, John

Thank you everyone! And shadows4 - woah, they paid you to leave positive feedback? You're right, I'm pretty sure that's not ethical. That definitely makes me wonder.

I will do my research.

Thanks!

Several years ago we bought a truck camper from a dealer who advertised on e-bay. We checked their BBB rating, then simply called them and negotiated over the phone. Actually ended up with a better deal then they were offering on e-bay.

Just remember, almost all businesses have pretty close to a 99% satisfactory rating, especially they way Ebay handles customer feedback. The pester every single buyer to post a feedback score. There are many people on this forum that would say never buy an RV from Camping World because the service is very bad. Yet, if asked every single customer who passed through the door how their experience was, you would easily have a 99.9% favorable. That's because they guy who bought a pack of gum after window shopping counts the same as the Guy who has had multiple problems with his Diesel pusher. Others are correct. Get the dealer's information and do additional research above and beyond the feedback number. And if the feedback is 100% and it is an actual business, not someone with 2 sales, it isn't totally accurate, because it is impossible for a business to please 100% of the customers 100% of the time.

I wouldn't think you would have to much of a problem with a new unit. It is the used units that you need to worry about. We have bought two used units off of Ebay. Both were from dealers. The first one was awesome and the dealer sold both new and used.

The second one was not so awesome. The dealer sold only on Ebay and only used. Turns out that the prior damage the 5er had (which was disclosed to me) was repaired by said dealer wrong. Had to have the fiberglass sides and roof repaired the proper way. Turned out my Ebay bargain was not such a good bargain.

As far as going by the dealer feedback. After looking back at our transaction I should have known better. After looking at the trailer the dealer gave us a $150 rebate if we left positive feedback right then at the dealership. Isn't that the same as paying for positive feedback?

We love our 5th wheel and have enjoyed it going on 3 years now. Would I buy another on Ebay? Maybe, just go over it with a fine tooth comb. I know more about what to look at now.

If you proceed with a purchase, just be prepaired to walk away it you find something you don't like. Do a thorough PDI and if you don't have a good working knowledge of RVs take someone with you that does.
Good luck, John

only 5 hrs away ,GO CHECK IT OUT.

elderberries wrote:
Hello!

I did a search for ebay to see if this has been answered, but with 176 pages of results coming up, the responses are a little overwhelming.

I'm looking to potentially buy a new toy hauler trailer, and there are several dealerships selling on ebay, and with the ability to see their buyer feedback, that almost seems too easy to be true. Does anyone have any experience with buying a new trailer on ebay? I've never bought anything major like that on ebay before, but if the last 1500 deals have all been rated 5 stars with a dealer, and they're all verified purchases, can you argue with that?

I'd love to hear any advice, thank you!

It should be fairly simple to verify the Dealer.

Also, Would they have a 1500+ positive feedback if they weren't legit.

Yes, most RV's offered on Ebay do not have the manufacturers name shown, but, by looking at the pics you can determine the brand.

I bought a lease return 2003 PT Cruiser Turbo ($12,000 +) on EBAY in 2006, from a verified seller in California. It turned out to be better than stated in the auction.

I've seen those EBAY TT's - let me guess, there is no brand name on the one you looked at.

So once you purchase it, where would you take it for service? Is there a warranty?

Concerning sellers feedback rating - you can pay to have negative feedback removed.

If your budget is constrained, consider purchasing used - shop the local Craigs list. You may be surprised. Good luck.