Forum Discussion

Naio's avatar
Naio
Explorer II
Mar 10, 2015

Does the 30%off MSRP apply to fiberglass egg style trailers?

Or are they all flat rate, made to order when new?

What about used?
  • Naio's avatar
    Naio
    Explorer II
    Thank you, everyone, this was very helpful :).
  • If you are buying from a dealer, a substantial discount would be normal.

    If you are buying from a company which only sells factory direct, very little discount.

    There are factory direct companies in almost every RV type, not just small fiberglass egg trailers.

    I was once told by one of the managers at the Castias factory that if they sold through a dealer network, the MSRP would have to be about $28-29,000.

    All having the trailers sold through dealers would do is add costs for the buyer.
  • The idea that you should get a 30% discount from MRSP comes from guessing what is the dealer's margin on the unit, and how little of that margin might actually be needed to make sales and stay in business.

    Manufacturers selling direct, the whole point is to try to keep prices lower by not having a margin for the dealer. RVs sold direct are still being sold at something over manufacturing cost, and sometimes are sold at a "factory discount" price lower that what is shown on a MSRP sticker or in the sales catalog. But that "discount" is not always negotiable. When I visited Casita off-season in early 2012 I was offered discounted prices on sales from stock.

    This is not specific to molded fiberglass trailers. Several brands of motorhomes and premium trailers are sold factory direct, some from factory stock, some as built to order, and the sales people sometimes play the factory discount games.

    On the other hand, some brands of molded fiberglass trailers (Bigfoot comes first to mind, but there are more) are sold through dealers, and you can negotiate with the dealer for a discount out of his margin. While Scamp and Casita sell factory direct, it is not the universal way of selling this type of trailer.
  • New... With FG trailers you pretty much pay what the manufacturer asks. For the most part they build it after you order, not many sitting around waiting for a buyer.
    Used... They are very popular and usually sell in days if not hours of being advertised, if not ridiculously priced. Compared to conventional trailers they hold their value so expect to pay accordingly.

    Most manufacturers allow customization to one extent or another, some more then others. Only a few are sold via dealerships, most are direct sales from the manufacturer.

    Used are common out in the PNW, not so in the east.

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